WorldofLauraJane

A mini cruise onboard Disney Fantasy which included a port of call at Zeebrugge meant I decided to take an organised shore excursion to Ghent. Typically when docking at Zeebrugge passengers will choose to go to Bruges but I opted to go to Ghent for a change as I’ve been to Bruges a couple times. Disney did a shore excursion which was a canal boat trip of Ghent including some free time alone. 

Once docked and the ship was cleared we started to slowly disembark the ship to set off on a coach to Ghent, the coach journey took approximately 50 minutes from the port. Our coach then stopped close to a canal in Ghent where we then we had a small walk to get onboard our boat for a guided canal tour which took approximately 40 minutes. On the boat some refreshments were provided for us to enjoy as we sailed along the canal enjoying views of the medieval architecture with some commentary from the guide. 

Ghent is a beautiful historic city located in the Flemish region of Belgium between Bruges and Brussels. This is a city which very like Bruges is easily explored on foot but if its chocolate that you are going to be wanting I would recommend Bruges instead of Ghent as there wasn’t a lot of chocolate shops. 

As you are going along the canal you will enjoy sights such as:

Castle of the Counts: dating back to 1180 this is the only remaining medieval castle with a moat in the Flanders region. This castle has been previously used as a court, prison and cotton mill but is now used as a museum where tickets cost €15. 

Saint Bavo’s Cathedral: standing at 292ft tall this gothic building is a Roman Catholic cathedral which is open to the public daily except for 1st January.  Tickets for the cathedral can be bought for €16 

St Michael’s Bridge: on the canal tour you will find yourself sailing under this bridge. It’s from this bridge that you can enjoy a beautiful view of the Graslei & Korenlei, Castle of the Counts as well as St Michael’s Church, this bridge is the only spot where you are able to capture three of Ghent’s famous towers in a row. 

Ghent Belfry: one of the three famous towers situated in between Saint Bavo’s Cathedral and Saint Nicolas Church. This tower is a symbol of the city’s independence as well as prosperity. As a UNESCO World Heritage site it stands at 299ft making it the tallest Belfry in Belgium. 

St Nicolas Church:  as one of the oldest and most prominent landmarks in Ghent this Roman Catholic Church can be found near Korenmarkt which translates to wheat market. 

Graslei & Korenlei: tourists and locals can be found within this area which lies either side of the River Lys, they can be found sitting with their legs dangling over the quay or sitting at one of the many restaurants and cafes.  This is where we got off our canal tour for a short time to enjoy some free time in the city of Ghent by foot. 

After cruising the canal we were then able to enjoy some time alone for an hour to explore the city of Ghent at our leisure. I chose to use this hour by taking some of the city in by foot as we walked some of the streets to take in some of the beautiful architecture as well as taking a closer look at Saint Bavo’s Cathedral and St Nicolas Church. 

Ghent is a city I would recommend visiting but only as a day trip from Bruges or as a excursion on a cruise. I enjoyed the time I had in the city but I prefer Bruges as I felt that there is more to see and if you are wanting to look at the chocolate shops there are more there. If visiting Ghent I would recommend the canal cruise which is something you are able to book independently as we saw opportunities to book this in the city.

Have you been to Ghent before? What were your thoughts on the city?