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Vibrant Ghent is well worth a weekend trip. It’s ideal for a last-minute city trip as well. Quirky Ghent offers a fascinating cultural cocktail brimming with trendy, modern urban life. Ghent is a city where people enjoy life: a chilled-out place where anything goes and a city that feels human. Its friendly, welcoming people love the good life. Don’t miss the chance to admire the world-famous masterpiece—the Mystic Lamb by the Van Eyck brothers—during your city trip.

St. Bavo’s Cathedral houses an impressive number of art treasures: the baroque high altar in white, black and red flamed marble, the rococo pulpit in oak, gilded wood and marble, a major work by Rubens, the ‘Calvary Triptych’, and much more. However, one work stands out head and shoulders above the rest: the world-famous Adoration of the Mystic Lamb painted by Hubert and Jan van Eyck around 1432. Tip: walk the 444 steps of the tower, you’ll be rewarded with a unique view of the city.

Ask ten inhabitants of Ghent what the most beautiful place in their city is and nine will answer the Graslei. Today this medieval port with its unique row of historical buildings, which are reflected in the long river, is the meeting place par excellence. Young and old, inhabitant and visitor, everyone meets on one of the many café patios or simply by the water. This is the thriving heart of the inner city.

The Belfry is the proudest symbol of the city’s independence. The civil privileges that the city received in 1180 are still kept in the tower. The Cloth Hall was built onto the side of the Belfry. In a euphoric Brabant Gothic style, this monument glorifies the industry to which the city owes so much. At the corner of the Cloth Hall is an old jailer’s lodge.The Belfry is the middle of the famous three-tower row, together with the Saint Bavo’s Cathedral and the Saint Nicholas’ Church.

‘I’ll show them who’s boss’: that’s what Philip of Alsace had in mind. So he had the imposing castle rebuilt (1180). Overlooking the city from its battlements high up on the keep, one can sense the feeling of wealth and power that the lord of the castle must have had. Thanks to the movie guide, a unique, interactive computer-controlled guide, this remote history really comes to life. On certain weekends, you may even meet some real knights.

The strength and the charm of the MSK is the variety of its collection and the way it is presented: never before have the old masters hung so perfectly in place as they do in the fully restored museum. An auditorium, a library, a children’s workshop and a café-restaurant make it into a modern, multifunctional complex where you can spend many happy hours surrounded by things of beauty.

When you enter the splendid indoor garden of this former place of worship, it seems as if you have left the city. Inside the museum of folklore, you can go even further back in time and discover in the wonderfully recreated interiors how the ordinary people used to live. Old films from the private collections of the inhabitants of Ghent throw an intimate and surprising light on a time and a city which have forever disappeared.

Ghent’s town hall is a building with many faces. The flamboyant Gothic style of the façade contrasts sharply with the rather sober Renaissance style of the Botermarkt side. You can also see many different styles inside the building: the Arsenal Hall with its wooden vaulting, the marvellous Wedding Chapel with the counts of Flanders immortalised in stained glass windows, the Pacification Hall with its white and black paved labyrinth, a symbol of the quest for justice and happiness, and many more.

Thirty years ago, you could buy a little house here for next to nothing. Today, the Patershol is one of the city’s most desirable neighbourhoods. For good dining, you can choose from one of the many restaurants which have sprung up in the medieval alleys. From Japanese to Thai, to delicious traditional Flemish cooking, you’ll find everything here.

Dynamic and highly individual. That’s Ghent and it also describes its museum of contemporary art. The permanent collection of top national and international works is presented in continuous interaction with original, often daring exhibitions. Keeping a finger on the pulse. But sometimes it’s salt on the wound too. You can gradually recover from these many impressions in the museum café.

For every sport, there’s an appropriate field with corresponding infrastructure, a lake with beach and sunbathing area, a camping site with hiker's huts and various cafeterias… In the Blaarmeersen Sport and Recreation Park you won’t be bored for a single moment. Also ideal for school and company sports days or as an introduction to a new sports experience of your choice. Access to the Blaarmeersen is free. From 1 May to 31 August car-drivers pay a small entrance fee.

12 theatre rooms showing the latest movies in digital/3D quality. In belgium, most movies are available either in original language with dutch / french subtitles, or dubbed in dutch. Movies typically start at 10am, 2pm, 5pm, 8pm

The Royal Opera is the home base for Opera Ballet Vlaanderen. On this stage, the best national and international artists give their all in innovative and moving performances. Dutch and English translations are projected above the stage so that you can understand the dialogues and lyrics. And the great Symphonic Orchestra plays underneath the stage. The staff will gladly help you find your way in the magnificent building. Enjoy a beautiful performance in a unique setting.

The new KAA Gent Arena is the home of the KAA Gent football team, the champion of Belgium in 2015. It is at 7 min walking distance from the hotel. Please be advised that on Match days driving to the hotel via the E17 may take more time from 1 hour before the start of the match. Read fb.com/hiexpressgent or follow our Twitter page @hiexpressgent for traffic updates, alternative travel directions and updates.

The Vrijdagsmarkt is an extremely suitable place to sit on a terrace when the weather is good. Because of its square shape there’s always a little sun to soak up. The atmospheric square with the rustic plane-trees behind the Vrijdagsmarket is called Bij Sint-Jacobs. The flea market on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays is an absolute must and Paris is never far off.