← Antwerp Marathon·1 night

Ghent: Castle, Canals and the Lamb of God After Antwerp

A canal city with a twelfth-century castle and a famous altarpiece, flat enough for a slow day and a direct rail route onward to Brussels Airport.

Duration1 night
TransitSNCB train from Antwerpen-Centraal to Gent-Sint-Pieters, about 1 hour
DepartsAntwerpen-Centraal

After the Antwerp Marathon: Ghent

The Route: Antwerpen-Centraal → Ghent → Brussels Airport Logistics: SNCB train to Gent-Sint-Pieters, then tram 1 into the centre. The old town is flat and compact, about 2 km across. Marathon Month: October Duration: 1 night

Antwerpen-Centraal ──(about 1 hr, SNCB)──> Gent-Sint-Pieters ──(15 mins, tram 1)──> Centre
                                                                                        │
              Brussels Airport (BRU) <──(about 1 hr, SNCB via Brussels)─────────────────┘

The Antwerp Marathon finishes at the MAS on a Sunday in late October. Ghent works for one night because it is a single rail journey with a tram at the other end, and because the centre is level and traffic-light.

October in Ghent: the average high is about 13°C, with rain likely. Dusk arrives before six o'clock in the second half of the month, and the canal-side lights come on early, which is the best part of the day. Several museums close on Mondays, so check before you go, and the Gravensteen and the cathedral are both usually open.

Trains from Antwerpen-Centraal to Gent-Sint-Pieters take about an hour, usually via Brussels or Lokeren depending on the service; check the SNCB planner. Belgian rail has no advance fares and prices by distance, so there is nothing to book early. From Gent-Sint-Pieters, tram 1 runs to the centre in about 15 minutes. Buy tram tickets at the machine or by contactless card where accepted.

Night One: Ghent

The Graslei and Korenlei are the two quays along the Leie where Ghent's guild houses stand. The stone is cobbled, so walk slowly, and sit at the cafés between the bridges. The Gravensteen, a twelfth-century castle of the counts of Flanders, costs around €13 and has spiral stairs, so look at it from the outside if the legs complain.

The Ghent Altarpiece, the Van Eyck brothers' Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, hangs in Sint-Baafs Cathedral. Entry with an audio guide is around €16 and the visitor centre is level. Book a timed slot at the cathedral's website, because slots sell out. The Belfry is 91 metres tall and has a lift for part of the climb; check access.

The Patershol is a small, cobbled district of restaurants behind the Gravensteen. The Waterhuis aan de Bierkant, a bar by the Graslei, serves a long list of Belgian beers and is an easy place to sit after the museum.

For a room, NH Gent Belfort sits beside the Belfry and the Sint-Baafs Cathedral, making it the most central of the large hotels. Hotel Harmony on the Dijver canal is smaller and faces the water. Both are in old buildings, so confirm lift access when booking.

Plan the day around Monday closures. Sint-Michielsbrug, the bridge between the Graslei and the Patershol side, gives the standard view of three towers lined up: the Belfry, the cathedral and St Nicholas' church. It takes two minutes to walk to and is level apart from a slight rise on the bridge itself. The Museum of Fine Arts (MSK), in the Citadelpark about 2 km from the centre, costs around €12 and has lifts and seating, and STAM, the city museum in a former abbey beside the Leie, costs around €12 and is level. Both are closed on Mondays in most weeks, so if your flight is on Tuesday, keep them for the morning.

The Korenmarkt and Veldstraat shopping streets are paved, wide and busy by lunchtime. Ghent's trams are frequent and tram 1 links the station and the centre, which is useful when the legs refuse the 3 km walk from Gent-Sint-Pieters. Sunday evening restaurants fill early, so if you plan to eat in the Patershol, book a table for the first evening, because many of the small places there take few covers.

A late October evening is the best time on the quays: the buildings are floodlit from dusk, and the cafés along the Graslei put out blankets for the terrace tables. Bring a waterproof, because rain is likely and umbrellas are awkward on narrow cobbled lanes.

Getting to Brussels Airport (BRU)

Gent-Sint-Pieters to Brussels Airport takes about an hour, with a train every 30 minutes or so, usually with a change at Brussels-Nord or Brussels-Central. The airport station is under the terminal. Check the SNCB planner for the day, and allow extra time for platform stairs on tired legs.