How many stops are on the Viewpoints walking tour in Ghent?

The Viewpoints route in Ghent includes 3 curated stops.

How long does the Viewpoints tour in Ghent take?

The Viewpoints walking tour in Ghent takes approximately 1.5 hours at a leisurely pace.

Is the Viewpoints walking tour in Ghent free?

Yes, Promenario's Viewpoints tour in Ghent is free to download and use, with full offline support.

🇧🇪 Ghent, Belgium

Viewpoints in Ghent

Scenic overlooks, skyline vistas, and photography spots. Explore 3 curated stops in Ghent, including Gravensteen Castle, Belfort (The Belfry of Ghent), and Saint Nicholas' Church (Sint-Niklaaskerk). Highlights include Gravensteen Castle, rated 4.6/5 by 34,140 visitors.

3 stops ~1h 30m Available in app

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3 places in this collection

Viewpoints places

3 places in this collection

Image by Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer), CC BY 4.0

Gravensteen Castle

The Gravensteen (Dutch; literally 'Castle of the Counts') is a medieval castle at Ghent, East Flanders in Belgium. The current castle dates to 1180 and was the residence of the Counts of Flanders until 1353. It was subsequently re-purposed as a court, prison, mint, and even as a cotton factory. It was restored over 1893 - 1903 and is now a museum and a major landmark in the city. Built by Count Philip of Alsace, count of Flanders, soon after he returned from the Crusades with images of similar crusader castles in the Holy Land. If its walls (2m thick), battlements, and turrets failed to intimidate attackers, the count could always turn to a well-equipped torture chamber inside. You can view relics of the chamber in a small museum in the castle. Climb up to the ramparts of the high central building, the donjon, which has great views of Ghent's rooftops and towers.

Image by Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer), CC BY 4.0

Belfort (The Belfry of Ghent)

The 91-metre-tall belfry of Ghent is one of three medieval towers that overlook the old city centre of Ghent, the other two belonging to Saint Bavo Cathedral and Saint Nicholas' Church. Its height makes it the tallest belfry in Belgium. The belfry of Ghent, together with its attached buildings, belongs to the set of belfries of Belgium and France inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Through the centuries, the belfry served not only as a bell tower to announce the time and various warnings, but also as a fortified watchtower and the place where the documents evidencing the municipal privileges were kept. The primary bell in the tower, called Roland, was also used to warn the citizens of Ghent of an approaching enemy or a battle won. The Belfry was a symbol of the city's autonomy, begun in 1313 and completed in 1380. This municipal tower holds the great bells that have rung out Ghent's civic pride through the centuries. Take the elevator to the Belfry's upper gallery, 66m high, to see the bells and take in fantastic panoramic views of the city. The Cloth Hall (Lakenhalle) dates from 1425 and was the gathering place of wool and cloth merchants. The Cloth Hall is free to visit.

Image by Michal Osmenda from Brussels, Belgium, CC BY-SA 2.0

Saint Nicholas' Church (Sint-Niklaaskerk)

St. Nicholas' Church is one of the oldest and most prominent landmarks in Ghent. Begun in the early 13th century as a replacement for an earlier Romanesque church, construction continued through the rest of the century in the local Scheldt Gothic style (named after the nearby river). Typical of this style is the use of blue-gray stone from the Tournai area, the single large tower above the crossing, and the slender turrets at the building's corners. Built in the old trade center of Ghent next to the bustling Korenmarkt (Wheat Market), St. Nicholas' Church was popular with the guilds whose members carried out their business nearby. The guilds had their own chapels which were added to the sides of the church in the 14th and 15th centuries. The central tower, which was funded in part by the city, served as an observation post and carried the town bells until the neighboring belfry of Ghent was built. These two towers, along with the Saint Bavo Cathedral, still define the famous medieval skyline of the city center. One of the treasures of the church is its organ, produced by the famous French organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. The organ in the Saint Nicholas' Church, Ghent, is one of the most important romantic organs of Belgium. It was built by the famous French organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll.

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