Does anyone know whether the construction is finished in Ghent? I'm trying to figure out where to base ourselves for four nights in Belgium in April (Ghent, Antwerp or Bruges) and Ghent sounds perfect—but I'd love to know how much building work is still being done. I've never been to Belgium before so it's hard for me to figure out which areas would be affected and to what extent.

You should get a reply from someone who lives in Belgium, but if not you could try emailing the tourist board and asking them about the construction work. Anyway this will bump your post up the board a bit!

We were there in 2009 and there was a lot of work going on but we still had a great time and it didn't make much difference. There were large areas which were being ripped up and the tram was detoured a bit but they made walkways for pedestrians around the edges. It was fine and there were a lot of areas where there was no construction at all.

Kay

I was there in late September and yes, there is still construction. But, it didn't stop me from seeing anything or getting around. Just a bit dusty.

Thanks for the replies—I did email the tourist office yesterday and received this response:

The city centre of Ghent is very pleasant for visitors to walk about because of the large pedestrian area. At the moment, works are being carried out on the squares Korenmarkt, Emile Braunplein and in the Belfortstreet within the framework of a renovation of the city centre. This will last for another year. The tourist attractions are accessible, but the works could cause some inconvenience while walking about.

I'll just have to look at the map and try to figure out whether this will effect my plans—we're planning to visit the Fine Arts museums which are away from the center so it may not be an issue at all—

As you did suggest, it's not an issue at all. Ghent consists of hundreds of wonderfull sights, places, squares and buildings. Korenmarkt is finished btw.