Just a quiet walk through Ghent on an ordinary afternoon. No big story here – just the city, the way I happened to see it. Step by step, photo by photo. If you’re looking for more background or history, I’ve written a more detailed post – you’ll find the link in this one.

Once again on assignment in Brussels, with work spread over two weeks, I decided to spend the weekend in Belgium. On a rainy Saturday morning, I nearly gave up hope of salvaging the day. But when the skies cleared in the afternoon, I stuck to my original plan. Armed with two cameras, I set off to explore the historic city of Ghent.

Ghent is one of the largest cities in Flanders, located at the confluence of the Leie and Scheldt rivers. In the Middle Ages, it grew into a major centre for trade and textiles, and by the 14th century it ranked among the richest and most influential cities in Europe. Many Gothic landmarks from that period are still standing today, including the Gravensteen castle, St Bavo’s Cathedral and the Belfry.

Here, I’m showing Ghent the way I saw it for the first time – in photos and in the order I walked through it.

The heart of historic Ghent. If you take tram no. 1 from Sint-Pieters railway station to the old town, you’ll get off at Korenmarkt – the point where the dark red and green lines meet on my map.

First, as you look up, you see a street lined with tall Gothic buildings, and above the main roads, a web of cables and tram tracks. It’s an unusual mix. The area is closed to private cars, but as you walk around, you still need to watch out for trams and buses regularly crossing your path.

I bought a day ticket (EUR 7), which turned out to be very useful. If I wanted to change location quickly, instead of walking an extra 10–15 minutes there and back, I could just shorten the route by using a tram. During my four, maybe five hours in the city, I was either walking or taking the tram along two or three streets, leaving the area only once or twice. As it got later in the afternoon, I changed locations to catch the views in different light conditions. As usual, I took plenty of photos. Below is just a selection. Enjoy!

The first view as you get off the tram: to the right, the Saint Nicholas Church, and further back, the 14th-century Belfry (marked by the dark red line on my map). To the left, the Korenmarkt (green line view).

So let us first walk to the right alongside the Saint Bavo Street (dark red line).

Saint Bavo Street. In the first photo, to the left is the Belfry, and straight ahead, the Saint Bavo Cathedral – originally a Romanesque church, rebuilt from the mid-13th century in Gothic style. Shortly before construction was completed in the mid-16th century, the church was plundered by a Calvinist sect: stained glass windows and statues were smashed, and paintings and other artworks destroyed. In the following photos, the Cathedral is shown from the front.

Now I’m standing with my back to the Cathedral. The photos, from left to right, show the Belfry, the passage beside it with the Town Hall in the middle, and on the right, some beautiful buildings on the Cathedral square. My next steps will take me through the passage to the other side of the Belfry (blue line).

The side street led me to the Town Hall (in the first photo, on my left). In the next picture, a quick look up at the Town Hall tower. On the way back, once again, the Belfry appears ahead. I’m now walking back along the blue line on my map.

Yet again, a look up at the Belfry. The way back now leads westward, against the sun. Behind the Belfry stands the Saint Nicholas Church once more – the spot where I first got off tram no. 1. On my map, I’m walking back along the dark red line.

Korenmarkt. On my right-hand side (in the last photo), the other side of the Saint Nicholas Church. I’m now walking along the green line, then turning back westward towards the famous Ghent port quays.

A reverse view from the west side looking east along Saint Bavo Street. In front is the Saint Nicholas Church, further back the Belfry, and in the distance, the Saint Bavo Cathedral. The second photo was taken three hours later than the first one, with the sun already setting – the buildings appear warmer in tone. I’m standing on the Saint Michael’s Bridge, over the River Leie.

On the Saint Michael’s Bridge, looking out over the River Leie (along the pink line on my map). Behind me stands the massive Saint Michael’s Church – I only realised its full scale as I walked down the bridge to the Leie boulevard.

The front view opens onto the Leie boulevards: on my right, the Grass Quay (Graslei), and on my left, the Corn Quay (Korenlei). Both quays were part of the Port of Ghent in medieval times.

On the Leie boulevard behind Korenmarkt, I’m standing on the Corn Quay, looking across at the guild houses on the Grass Quay. In their midst stands the Gildenhuis van de Vrije Schippers. The façades of these medieval buildings were extensively refurbished in the 19th century. I’m now walking along the pink line.

Walking down the Leie boulevards and crossing two more bridges, I reached the Gravensteen – a moated castle originally founded in the 10th century and rebuilt in the late 12th century after a fire. It served its original purpose only until the mid-14th century, after which it shared the fate of many similar buildings across Europe: it was used as a prison, then as a mint, and for a time even as a factory. It was later restored by the Ghent authorities in the 19th century. To move from the pink line to the yellow line on my map, I returned to Korenmarkt via a different bridge to catch a tram. The last photo shows the castle from the back.