"Gent - Go There - Drink Beer" Top 5 Page for this destination Gent by St_Vincent

Gent Travel Guide: 1,733 reviews and 3,301 photos

So, is it Gent or is it Ghent, I guess the jury is out. I believe that Gent is the local spelling and that is the one used on VT but I've always known it as Ghent. Anyway, for the purposes of my "place in the region of Provincie Oost-Vlaanderen" page on VT I will use the term Gent, for two reasons. Firstly that having been there I feel entitled to use the local spelling and secondly, I tossed a coin and it came down heads.

I first visited Gent in February 2006 and the inspiration was my fellow travelling companions. I normally hold a few days holiday over from the previous year and go away somewhere in January or February. So when one of my mates suggested a Belgian Beer Hunt I set about arranging things. After deciding on Gent and sending out a dozen invites I got four firm commitments and the Great Belgian Beer Hunt was on.

The participants were Michael, our beer consultant and a thoroughly good bloke despite being a Kiwi, Keith who rarely drinks anything less than 5%, the father and son partnership of David and James, and of course myself. All of these august Gentlemen had accompanied me on previous trips to either Prague, Budapest or both.

Eurostar was quite clearly our chariot of choice and a good choice it was, London Waterloo to the first beer in our hotel in Gent in a little over four hours (please note that from Mid November 2007 the Eurostar terminal in London will move from Waterloo to Kings Cross). Our hotel was the Novotel Gent Centrum and the location was influenced by the tips of VT member Win (RhineRoll), local Gent information was courtesy of Luc's (Luchonda) excellent page. Thanks to you both.

Mmmm....beer

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As befits a group of five blokes in the pursuit of ebriety, we spent much of our time in bars with the occasional bout of sleeping in between, although veteran Keith managed to combine the two at one stage. We did however take in our fair share of culture and history with The Belfry, St Bavo's Cathedral, St Nicholas' Church and the old harbour area all within close walking distance. In fact if I had to give one piece of advice to anyone thinking about visiting Gent it would be don't worry too much about location, you can walk to almost anywhere. We also managed a few hours (i.e. bars) in Brugge, which is only around 20-30 minutes away.

Hope you enjoy my Gent tips, as any regular visitor to my pages will understand, they mostly involve bars and beer with a little culture and history thrown in.

Gent - Go There - Drink Beer.

Last visit to Gent: Feb 2006
Intro Updated Oct 14, 2007
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Reviews (21)

St. Pieters train station to the centre - Gent

St. Pieters train station to the centre Transportation (1)

St. Pieters is the main train station and this is where you will arrive if coming from Brussels, Brugge, Antwerp etc.... more travel advice

Stop off for a coffee Restaurants (4)

This is a pleasant little coffee shop that bakes its own pastries. It is quite small but we managed to find ourselves a... more travel advice

Novotel Gent Centrum Hotel restaurant - Gent

Novotel Gent Centrum Hotel restaurant Restaurants (4)

We ate there on a Monday night and although it was very quiet the waiting staff gave the impression that they were doing... more travel advice

The Clock House Restaurants (4)

This is a nice restaurant in the same chain as the nearby Spare Rib Caffee (q.v.) but more comfortable and a bit more... more travel advice

Hotels (2)
See All Bread and Board
Shopping (2)
See All Get the beers in
Tourist Traps (1)
It's a disgrace
Nightlife (2)
See All No watered down beer here

Comments (16)

aussirose Nov 26, 2011 at 1:56 AM Report Abuse

Hey what a great page!! I love your writing style mate! :o) I'm just about to write my Gent page. We enjoyed our visit to Gent. Cheers, Ann.
johngayton Sep 28, 2009 at 9:39 AM Report Abuse

A perfect VT page; amusing, personal and informative. Next time I change trains here I'll definitely make the time for a proper city visit. Cheers, John.
hunterV Nov 20, 2008 at 4:49 AM Report Abuse

Hello, Clive! Thanks for another great page! It's a very impressive story. I liked all the pictures! Wonderful restaurant chapter!
keysys Sep 5, 2008 at 9:35 AM Report Abuse

I agree Gent is a nice place for a Beer etc - very useful page - thanks Keith
unaS Aug 2, 2008 at 2:06 AM Report Abuse

Brugge is quiet and laid back too if you stay there just a couple of streets off the main squares. But then that is what makes the world go world go 'round... ;)
volopolo May 26, 2008 at 6:46 AM Report Abuse

Excellent web site with a lot of information
Mikebb Apr 5, 2008 at 4:56 PM Report Abuse

Hi Clive , Enjoyed your Ghent page, and agree with your view on Kiwis. In Brussels early Sept'08, is it possible to visit Ghent & Brugges in a day. Restricted pub time.
annase Oct 2, 2007 at 9:00 AM Report Abuse

Very very nice Gent page. Well done.
mvtouring Jul 30, 2007 at 3:55 AM Report Abuse

Very nice page. I have to agree with you, travelling with friends really do test your friendship ;-)
steviem33 Jan 16, 2007 at 5:12 AM Report Abuse

I smiled throughout reading your well written pages with particular attention to the detail given to the beer and serving establishments. Will put into practice in March, cheers.