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Ghent — Medieval weekend on the canals

Ghent — Medieval weekend on the canals

Gent · Belgien
Best season
Mai – Sep
Price level
€€
LGBT safety
Very high
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Ghent is one of Belgium's most beautiful medieval cities — with castle towers, canals and a queer scene that's smaller than Brussels or Antwerp, but particularly warm and relaxed. On a weekend you combine postcard scenery, art and cozy nightlife. Everything here is just a rough suggestion that you can design as you like.

What to expect

  1. Trendy district
    The queer nightlife is concentrated around Vlasmarkt and Overpoort with gay-friendly bars and clubs. The LGBTQ community centre Casa Rosa is a good starting point and offers a 'Pink Walk' through Ghent's queer history.
  2. Best time to visit
    May to September shows the canal city from its most beautiful side. In May, Pride adds extra glamour, and in July, the ten-day Gentse Feesten transform the city into a huge festival with free music.
  3. Don't Miss
    The fairytale castle of Gravensteen in the middle of the city, the postcard-perfect canal scenery of Graslei and Korenlei with their medieval guild houses and the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck in the Sint-Baafskathedraal.

Ghent is one of the most beautiful medieval cities in Belgium, even though the city is overshadowed by Brussels and Antwerp. The queer scene is correspondingly smaller, but remarkably warm. The historic heart is most beautiful along Graslei and Korenlei, the two canal banks with their guild houses from the Middle Ages - a photo motif that no one escapes.

Gravensteen Castle, a defiant moated castle of the Counts of Flanders, is only a few steps away and is worth a tour of the walls. In the Sint-Baafskathedraal, the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck is one of the most important works of art in Europe. If you are looking for queer history, you will find it in the community center Casa Rosa or follow the "Pink Walk" through the city.

In the evening, everyone is drawn to Vlasmarkt and Overpoort: gay-friendly bars with live music, small and familiar instead of huge and anonymous. On the banks of the Lys or in the old town district of Patershol, you can end the weekend comfortably.

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Your programme — day by day

Day 1

Graslei & Old Town

  • 15:00 Arrive and stroll along Graslei and Korenlei — the two canal banks with medieval guild houses are the historic heart and the most beautiful photo spot in the city.
  • 17:30 Continue to Gravensteen Castle, the defiant moated castle of the Counts of Flanders from the 12th century, and stroll through the medieval old town.
  • 21:00 First evening around the Vlasmarkt, a hotspot of Ghent's nightlife with cafés and cozy bars — relaxed and mixed.
Day 2

Sint-Baafs & Casa Rosa

  • 10:30 Visit to the Sint-Baafskathedraal with the famous Ghent Altarpiece 'The Adoration of the Lamb of God' by Jan van Eyck, one of the most important works of art in Europe.
  • 14:00 Stop by the Casa Rosa community centre or take the 'Pink Walk', which tells Ghent's queer history — followed by a coffee break on one of the canals.
  • 23:00 Ghent night around Vlasmarkt and Overpoort: gay-friendly bars with live music and a warm, mixed crowd — small but nice.
Day 3

Lys bank & Patershol

  • 10:30 Leisurely morning on the banks of the Lys and in the winding old town district of Patershol with cobblestones, small restaurants and cafés.
  • 13:00 The last Belgian treat with a beer by the water or chocolates before heading back — Ghent ends in a relaxed and stylish way.

Hotels around Gent

Tap the map for prices and availability.

Safety & legal situation

Gay Travel Index
12 points · rank 4 (2026)
Safe
Legal situation
  • ✓ Homosexuality legal
  • ✓ Marriage equality
  • ✓ Civil partnership
  • ✓ Anti-discrimination protection
  • ✓ Legal gender recognition (trans*)
  • ✓ Conversion therapy ban

Last reviewed: 25. June 2026

Gay Gent

Gay Ghent is the low-key version of a city trip through Flanders: smaller and more relaxed than Brussels or Antwerp, but compact and uncomplicated. When it comes to LGBT rights, Belgium has been one of the most progressive countries in Europe for years, and you can see that in everyday life in Ghent. Walking hand in hand through the old town is hardly noticed by anyone here. If you travel, you get a university city with a large proportion of students, many small restaurants and short distances.

The nightlife takes place around the Vlasmarkt in the historic centre, a street full of bars and pubs that naturally takes queer guests with it. Near the university is the Overpoort, a second axis, where there is a lot going on in the evenings. So the scene is less spread over a clearly defined district, but blends into the normal nightlife. During the day, the medieval scenery with Gravensteen Castle, the guild houses on the Graslei and the towers in the centre as well as the Museum of Fine Arts and the S.M.A.K. for contemporary art are worthwhile. May to September is the best time to visit, when the terraces are open and the Festival of Lights and the ten-day Gentse Feesten in July fill the city. Ghent is good enough for a long weekend, often combined with Bruges, Antwerp or Brussels on a train journey through Flanders.

Trip key facts
Destination
Gent, Belgien
Travel time
Long weekend (Thu–Sun)
Best season
Mai – Sep
Price level
€€
LGBT safety
Very high
City guide Gent ↗ Bars, clubs & locations on gay-location.de
Tags
Middle Ages Culture Canals Nightlife
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Last reviewed: 29. July 2026