Ghent is one of the Belgian cities most visited by tourists. The picturesque Old Town has been preserved here, cut into a network of canals, on which you can sail boats and the cathedral, in which the famous Ghent Altar is presented.
Ghent lies on the rivers Leie and Skalda and the Terneuzen Canal connecting it to the North Sea. These areas were inhabited by Celtic tribes, and the first settlement in the place of today's Ghent was founded in the 7th century. Over time, it became one of the most important shopping centers and the second city after Europe in Paris, outside Italy. A large part of the historic buildings that have survived to this day were built during the city's greatest prosperity from the 12th to the 15th century. At that time, the Gravensteen Castle, which was the seat of the Counts of Flanders, the cathedral of St. Bawona with the magnificent altar created by Hubert and Jan van Eyck and the cloth hall with the belfry tower called beffroi, Het Belfort van Gent. From its peak you can admire the panorama of the city.
The atmosphere of Ghent is created by tenements above the canals from various eras, in which there are numerous restaurants, bars and pubs. The city is famous for its excellent cuisine and local dishes such as beer stew, thick waterzooi soup and various types of cakes. Several types of beer are also produced here, including Gentse Tripel, Troubadour and Artevelde. You can swim on the canals with both multi-person cruise barges and small rowing boats.
