From Brussels: Day Trip to Ghent
Description
Discover the heart of Ghent with your professional English-speaking Welcomer, who doubles as a local guide sharing history, culture, and personal insights. This fully private and customizable tour includes hotel pickup and dropoff and highlights the city’s iconic sites. Climb the Belfry of Ghent for sweeping views, admire the Cloth Hall and Town Hall, and visit Saint Bavo’s Cathedral, home to the famed Ghent Altarpiece. Explore St. Nicholas Church in Korenmarkt, perfect for a coffee stop. Cross St. Michael’s Bridge to the quays of Graslei and Korenlei, then tour the Castle of the Counts, a medieval fortress with preserved chambers and a torture exhibit. End your day wandering the charming streets of Patershol, known for its traditional Flemish cuisine. Don’t miss tasting local dishes like waterzooi. This tour can also be combined with Bruges upon request.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Listed under UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, the 91-meter-tall tower with a dragon at its top symbolises the city’s prosperity and independence.
Gothic cathedral on the site of a 12th-century Romanesque church filled with treasures. In July the 89-meter-tall tower is accessible to the public.
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.
This newly refurbished square is the ideal spot for eating, drinking and shopping for both tourists and locals.
Graslei and Korenlei. Docking spots since the 11th century at both sides of the river Lys. Tourists can take a boat ride, relax at the docks or sit at one of the terraced cafes.
Or Gravensteen featuring a gatehouse, ramparts, torture chamber, count’s residence and stables that are open to visitors.
A beautiful corner, considered by many the culinary heart of Ghent since it offers a wide selection of cosy restaurants, bars and breweries.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Your Welcome Pickups driver will be waiting for you at the selected pickup location and time. Before your ride, you’ll receive your driver’s details — including their name, phone number, and car information — so you can easily recognize them. Your driver will arrive on time and be ready to assist you and any special requests before starting your journey. Please note that our sightseeing tours does not automatically include airport pickup or drop-off. If you wish to start or end your tour at the airport, simply select the option with airport pickup included when booking if available. Kindly share any special requirements, such as traveling with a service animal or needing extra assistance, when booking your ride. This ensures a smooth and enjoyable experience for you.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- For 1–4 people: A comfortable sedan will be assigned to your group.
- For 5–8 people: A spacious minivan will be assigned to your group.
- Throughout your ride, our drivers serve as informal local guides—sharing stories, history, and local tips at every stop. Please note that drivers are not permitted to enter museums or archaeological areas, but they’ll ensure you make the most of your visit with suggestions and background information before you explore on your own.
- Some stops on your itinerary may be closed on the date of travel due to public holidays, maintenance or special events. We recommend verifying opening hours on the attraction’s official website or contacting us before your tour. If a stop is unexpectedly closed, we will try to offer a suitable alternative.
Reviews(1)
This tour was a disaster. According to the Viator website, we would be driven from Brussels to Ghent by an "informal local guide", who would be "sharing stories, history, and local tips at every stop." Our driver, who said nothing that I heard during the drive to Ghent, pulled over to the roadside in Ghent, told us that this is where we get out, and said to contact him when we were ready to return to Brussels. We asked him if he could take us to the places listed on the Viator itinerary, and he said no, he could not. He stated repeatedly that he was just a driver, and in no way a guide, informal or otherwise, and that his job was just to take us to Ghent, nothing more. He said that we were on our own to walk to the places of interest and learn about them with no help from him. So he expected us to wander around in the rain, in a city that we had never seen--with no maps, advice or other guidance--find the places listed in the tour description our own, and do our best to learn something about them. So we just had him take us back to our hotel in Brussels. To make matters worse, when I explained all of this to the so-called customer service people at Viator, they refused to refund any of the money that we paid for this tour. We no longer consider Viator to be a reputable company, and absolutely do not recommend using them.
Hi Jerry, we apologize for any inconvenience you've experienced with your booking in Brussels. We will make sure to help you further and to do that we would appreciate more details regarding your concerns. Please reach out to us at hello@welcomepickups.com, including your booking information and our Support Team will assist you regarding this. This will also help us investigate further and ensure a smoother experience for you in the future. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
