Walking Tour in Ghent

Walking Tour in Ghent

Highlights

• See the 1432 Ghent Altarpiece inside St. Bavo’s Cathedral, a work by Jan and Hubert van Eyck that marked a turning point in Early Netherlandish painting.

• Climb the 14th-century Belfry of Ghent, where the city’s medieval charters were once safeguarded as a symbol of civic autonomy.

• Walk through Gravensteen, built in 1180 by Philip of Alsace, and learn how it functioned as a residence, court, and prison.

Meeting point

Meet your guide at the City Pavilion. Your guide will be holding a yellow umbrella.

Itinerary

The tour begins at the Ghent City Pavilion, a contemporary open-air structure completed in 2012 and designed by Robbrecht & Daem in collaboration with Marie-José Van Hee, whose modern wooden canopy contrasts strikingly with the surrounding historic buildings. Just a short walk away stands St. Bavo’s Cathedral, originally founded in the 10th century and elevated to cathedral status in 1559 with the establishment of the Diocese of Ghent; its largely 16th-century Gothic structure houses The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (1432) by Jan van Eyck and Hubert van Eyck, one of the most influential works of Early Netherlandish painting. Nearby rises the Belfry of Ghent, a 14th-century watchtower that safeguarded the city’s charters, alongside the 1741 Mammelokker, once the entrance to the city prison and named after a Roman legend depicted on its façade; close by, Ghent City Hall displays a blend of late Gothic and Renaissance architectural styles from its 16th- and 17th-century construction phases.