← Bruges Marathon·Day trip

Ghent: A Slow Day on the Canals After Bruges

A larger canal city with a castle, a famous altarpiece and a level centre, close enough to reach in half an hour and return the same evening.

DurationDay trip
TransitSNCB train from Brugge to Gent-Sint-Pieters, about 25 to 40 minutes
DepartsBrugge station

After the Bruges Marathon: Ghent

The Route: Brugge → Gent-Sint-Pieters → Ghent centre → Brugge Logistics: SNCB train, about 25 to 40 minutes each way, then tram 1 from Gent-Sint-Pieters into the centre. Keep your Bruges hotel and travel light. Marathon Month: October Duration: Day trip

Brugge ──(25-40 mins, SNCB)──> Gent-Sint-Pieters ──(15 mins, tram 1)──> Centre
  ^                                                                        │
  └────────────────────(25-40 mins, SNCB, return)──────────────────────────┘

The Bruges Marathon finishes on the Grote Markt on a Sunday in October. Ghent is the easy Monday: the hotel stays where it is, the train is short, and the city is bigger and busier than Bruges without being tiring to walk.

October in Ghent: the average high is about 13°C and showers are common. Sunset falls before six o'clock in the second half of the month, and the floodlit quays are best after dusk. Several museums close on Mondays, so check opening hours, though Sint-Baafs Cathedral and the Gravensteen are normally open.

Trains from Brugge to Gent-Sint-Pieters run every 10 to 30 minutes. Belgian rail has no advance fares and prices by distance, so there is nothing to book early. Buy at the machine or in the SNCB app. Tram 1 takes about 15 minutes from the station to the centre.

Plan the day around the Monday closures. The Museum of Fine Arts (MSK) in the Citadelpark, about 2 km from the centre, costs around €12 and has lifts and seating; STAM, the city museum in a former abbey beside the Leie, is level and costs around €12. Both may be closed on Mondays, so check before you go. Tram 1 links the station and the centre, which saves the 3 km walk from Gent-Sint-Pieters.

The Centre

The Graslei and Korenlei, the guild-house quays on the Leie, are cobbled but short. There are cafés between the bridges for sitting. Sint-Baafs Cathedral holds Van Eyck's Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, and timed entry with an audio guide is around €16. Book a slot at the cathedral's site, because slots sell out. The visitor centre is level.

The Gravensteen, the twelfth-century castle of the counts of Flanders, costs around €13 and has spiral stairs, so the exterior from the quay is enough for stiff quads. Sint-Michielsbrug gives the three-tower view of the Belfry, the cathedral and St Nicholas' church in a two-minute walk.

For lunch, the Patershol district behind the castle has small restaurants; book if you want a table. The Waterhuis aan de Bierkant by the Graslei is easier for a beer and a plate. Trains return to Bruges until late evening. Check the last service on the SNCB app if you stay for dinner.