Is Ghent really Europe’s best alternative to overtouristed Venice?

Ghent’s appeal rests on more than its resemblance to Venice. The historic centre brings together the Gravensteen castle, the three-tower skyline and the quays of Graslei and Korenlei, but it remains part of a working university city rather than a preserved visitor enclave. Visit Gent describes a large student population and a centre designed for walking and cycling. Contemporary culture at venues such as VIERNULVIER and museums including S.M.A.K. sits alongside the medieval fabric.

The comparison with Venice is nevertheless imperfect. Ghent has canals and monumental waterside buildings, but not Venice’s lagoon geography, maritime history or dependence on boats. Treating one city as a copy of another can also reproduce the extractive logic behind overtourism: destinations become interchangeable backdrops, while residents and local culture disappear from the picture. Ghent is most rewarding when approached as a Flemish city with its own history, food, neighbourhoods and everyday rhythms.

A sensible first walk links Sint-Baafsplein and the cathedral with the Belfry, Korenmarkt, Graslei, Korenlei and the Gravensteen. Travellers with more time can move beyond that concentrated circuit towards the Patershol, the museums around Citadelpark, the former industrial docks or the street-art route. Spreading a visit geographically—and eating or shopping away from the most photographed quays—helps distribute spending while revealing more of the living city.

The SNCB/NMBS lists direct Brussels–Ghent trains with an average journey of roughly 36 minutes, although travellers should confirm live times in the SNCB app because engineering works and disruptions can alter schedules. The principal station appears as Gent-Sint-Pieters in Dutch, even on many multilingual systems; Gand-Saint-Pierre is its French name. Gent-Dampoort, or Gand-Dampoort in French, may be more convenient for some eastern neighbourhoods.

From Gent-Sint-Pieters, De Lijn trams connect with the centre. Visit Gent says the De Lijn app is available in Dutch, French and English. This matters in Flanders, where official street, stop and municipal names are Dutch: look for Gent rather than Gand, Sint-Baafskathedraal rather than cathédrale Saint-Bavon, and Gravensteen rather than château des Comtes. French-speaking visitors can still use Visit Gent’s full French website and its information office at Sint-Veerleplein 5; English is also widely usable in the visitor economy.

The Ghent Altarpiece, completed by the Van Eyck brothers in 1432 and displayed in Saint Bavo’s Cathedral, is the attraction most worth reserving. Visit Gent warns that admission slots can sell out during weekends and school holidays. The work is undergoing a further restoration phase through the end of 2026, with restorers working on panels at the Museum of Fine Arts on specified days, so visitors should check what will be visible at each site before booking.

For a museum-heavy stay, the official CityCard Gent currently costs €49 for 48 hours or €55 for 72 hours and includes listed attractions, public transport in the historic centre and selected mobility or boat benefits. Those prices and inclusions were current in August 2026 and should be checked before purchase. Families should calculate carefully: Visit Gent notes that many municipal museums are already free for visitors under 18, so the card may offer children little additional value.

Driving is usually the less convenient choice. The City of Ghent’s official regional portal says the low-emission zone covers the area inside the R40, with specified exceptions. Eligibility depends on fuel, vehicle category and Euro standard. Many foreign-plated vehicles must be registered even when they meet the emissions rules; Dutch plates are treated differently. Because access conditions can change, visitors should use the official lez.gent checker rather than relying on an old travel blog or saved screenshot. Park-and-ride facilities, trains and trams avoid both the administrative risk and pressure on the historic centre.

For residents of Belgium, Ghent’s appearance in an international classement is less a discovery than a reminder that a familiar day-trip city has global cultural weight. For newcomers and expatriates, it is also an accessible introduction to Belgium’s linguistic geography: the city is governed in Dutch as Gent, while French tourism material calls it Gand. No language test, commune or gemeente form is needed for a visit, but anyone moving there rather than holidaying should deal with Stad Gent—the gemeente—and expect municipal administration to operate in Dutch.

The broader lesson is that avoiding overtourism requires more than redirecting everyone towards the next fashionable city. Visitors can reduce pressure by travelling outside major festival dates, staying longer, using public transport, reserving capacity-limited sites and exploring beyond the same handful of viewpoints. Ghent may presently offer a gentler experience than Venice, but the ranking itself could increase demand. What happens next depends on whether travellers treat the city as the latest social-media substitute or as a place whose resident life is part of what makes it worth visiting.