Flower Market
A daily flower market is held on the Kouter, although it's best to visit on Sunday morning (7 am--1 pm), when the full market kicks in and there's often a brass band playing (April–September).
5 Best Shopping in Ghent and the Leie, Belgium
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Langemunt and Veldstraat are the major shopping streets. Smart fashion boutiques cluster along Voldersstraat, while Brabantdam and Vlaanderenstraat serve up a couture blizzard of designer stores. Plenty of vintage, antiques, and secondhand shopping is to be found in Oudberg and the area around Sint-Jacobskirk, on Serpentstraat, Baudelostraat, and Ottgracht. But for something a little different, there are an increasing number of artisan food shops worth exploring in Ghent, from the Gruut Brewery (see Nightlife) to some local gems that have been perfecting their recipes for hundreds of years.
Flower Market
The most colorful of all the city's markets is found on a Sunday morning as florists descend on Gedempte Dender (Kasteelstraat).
Lousbergmarkt
A covered market that has expanded to include a collective of bakers, organic grocers, and a rather fine canteen called De Bergen, which uses the produce of its neighbors. But the star remains the cheese makers Het Hinkelspel, which was started 30 years ago by a group of students who were experimenting in making organic cheeses with raw cow's and goat's milk. They are one of only a handful of cheese makers in Belgium to make blue cheese, and the Pas de Bleu comes highly recommended.
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Vrijdagmarkt
The largest market in town is the attractive and historic Vrijdagmarkt, held Friday 7:30–1 and (as a smaller version) Saturday 11–6:30. This huge square is where leaders have rallied the people of Ghent from the Middle Ages to the present day. It is dominated by a turret that was part of the tanner's guild house, and the statue in the middle is of Jacob van Artevelde, who led a rebellion starting here in 1338, defending the neutrality of the city and Flanders during the Hundred Years' War. These days, you're more likely to march off with a supply of Gentse mokken (syrup-soaked biscuits) or the famously strong Ghent mustard than in anger.
Weekly Market
Every Monday between 8 am and 1 pm, the traffic-free center of the city plays host to around 150 stalls at one of the largest regular markets in Belgium.
