46 Best Sights in Ghent and the Leie, Belgium

A popular local joke goes that there are only three famous walls: Berlin's, China's, and Geraardsbergen's. The Muur (or "Wall") is a cobbled street that runs up Vesten, Oudenbergstraat, and Kapelmuur, culminating at a pretty neo-Baroque chapel on the summit of Oudenberg Hill. It is here where the annual Karakelingen and Tonnekensbrand processions center each year in spring. The actual hill is only 360 feet high, but the steep cobbles are infamous among cyclists, and it is a regular section in the Tour of Flanders. The walk up is less than a mile, but it isn't too punishing. It takes around 25 minutes from the river and is worth it for the views.

Based in the small town of Bellegem, a few miles south of Kortrijk, this historic brewery is best known for its traditional blond beer, which is found in most Belgian bars. Do, however, seek out its "Vanderghinste Roodbruin" brew, a slightly sour dark lambic blend that replicates the original beer made in 1892 by founder Omer Vander Ghinste, which he sold around Bellegem in a horse and cart. Tours last two hours and finish with a tasting. Note that tours are only in French or Dutch unless previously arranged, although the guides are usually happy to add some explanations in English.

The 13th-century Church of Our Lady is arguably the grander of the two city center churches, though little remains of the original facade after the church was largely destroyed and rebuilt after the Battle of Westrozebeke in 1382. A 14th-century addition, in the form of the Count's Chapel, was built as a personal mausoleum for Count Lodewijk van Male; it, too, was heavily bombarded during World War II but has been well restored. A number of fine artworks hang here and in the church, including the Erection of the Cross by Flemish master Anthony Van Dyck. Famously, this is where the looted 500 gilded spurs, taken from the defeated French knights in the 1302 Battle of the Golden Spurs, were hung afterwards; these were likely later taken away by the French but were replaced in 1952 by replicas that still hang here. Check out the new augmented-reality exhibition, where visitors can learn of the history of the battle while touring the church. Nearby, you'll also find the Artillery Tower, which was part of the original 14th-century fortifications.

Built on the banks of the river from blue Tournai stone, the 13th-century Church of Our Lady of Pamele is a fine example of the Scheldt Gothic style. It lies across the river from the center in what was a separate town until the 1950s. To the rear of the church, you can see the tombs of the Lords of Oudenaarde, though these have been badly damaged. Entrance is only on weekends, but even if you can't venture inside, it's worth visiting as part of a stroll along the historic riverfront. To the north lies the stately Huis de Lailing, a 15th-century mansion that used to hold the town's tapestry collection until it was moved to the MOU. Further south is the rose-colored Maagdendale Abbey, founded in 1233 and now a school for the arts.

Based in the adjoining village of Ename (a 10-minute bus ride from the center), this interactive museum narrates the last 1,000 years of history in the region. Its sites sprawl a village that once stood on the border between medieval France and Germany. Visits include the open-air museum of the archaeological park, where you'll find the first stone inklings of a Benedictine abbey and the foundations of the old city that once stood here.

Much of the current church building was built in the 15th and 16th centuries. By the mid-1700s, though, it had received a Baroque makeover, with its impressive pulpit one of few surviving items from that era. Come the 19th century, the church acquired its current neo-Gothic interior and spectacular murals. Most prized of all are the relics of St. Bartholomew, which were moved here in 1515. Since then, a procession has taken place on the Sunday around his saint's day (August 24), where the relics are carried from the church and paraded around the city, followed by a folk festival on the main square.

Like many of the early medieval churches, St. Martin's has been rebuilt and renovated numerous times since it was first constructed in the 12th century. Among its large collection of medieval art, the crown jewels are the 16th-century altarpiece Triptych of the Holy Spirit by Kortrijk-born Bernard de Rijckere and a magnificent 6.5-meter-high tabernacle tower with some fine reliefs. A free brochure explains many of the artworks. You can also climb its 246-step tower for sweeping views of the city; tickets for this are free but you'll need to scan the QR code at the gate to download them.

This whitewashed church close to the banks of the Leie likely dates back to the 11th century. Built using limestone from Tournai, shipped via the rivers Scheldt and Leie, it was heavily renovated in 1900, creating its current neo-Gothic hall. In the graveyard, you’ll find the resting places of many of the artists who made the village their home, including Albijn van den Abeele and George Minne, whose grave lies beneath a bronze cast of a mother cradling her child. Inside are a number of impressive works, including a large panel by Gustave van de Woestyne. Behind the church, you’ll also spy a much-admired 17th-century farmhouse linked to the old abbey, which has been featured in many classic paintings. Stroll the waterside for one of the more peaceful, scenic stretches of the river.

Perhaps Belgium's best example of Scheldt-Gothic, St. Nicholas's Church was built in the 11th century in Romanesque style, destroyed a century later after two disastrous fires, and later rebuilt by prosperous merchants. During the French Revolution, the church was used as a stable, and its treasures were ransacked. The tower, one of the many soaring landmarks of this city's famed skyline, dates from about 1300 and was the first belfry in Ghent.

This Benedictine abbey is just one of those remarkable sights you find in small Flemish cities like Dendermonde. The building is breathtaking, a vast rose redbrick, gabled facade in the Flemish neo-Renaissance style, interrupted only by the Gothic twin towers of the church. The interior may only be visited once a year, on Whit Monday (2–6 pm). You can, however, buy its tripel-style beer, which is made externally by Brewery de Block, at the Liturgisch Kunstapostolaat on Dijkstraat anytime.

There has been an abbey on this site since the 7th century, and during the Middle Ages this was one of the richest and most important in Flanders. Most of the Baroque buildings you see today were built in the 17th century, however, and now house the St. Peter's Abbey Arts Center. You can walk around the abbey, the ruined gardens, and the cellars, where there is an exhibition about the monks. There are also changing exhibitions upstairs ranging from painting to photography.

Located in a former flower show hall, this edgy, contemporary art gallery couldn't be farther removed from its dainty origins. Known for housing the odd daring exhibition, together with a permanent collection that includes the likes of Warhol, Christo, and Hockney, it does what good contemporary art does best: it challenges the viewer to leave their preconceptions at the door.

The Town Hall is an early example of what excessive taxes can do for a city. In 1516, Antwerp's Domien de Waghemakere and Mechelen's Rombout Keldermans, two prominent architects, were called in to build a town hall that would put all others to shame. However, before the building could be completed, Emperor Charles V imposed new taxes that drained the city's resources. The architecture thus reflects the changing fortunes of the city: the side built in 1518–60 and facing Hoogpoort is in flamboyant Gothic style; when work resumed in 1580, during the short-lived Protestant Republic, the Botermarkt side was completed in a stricter and more economical Renaissance style. To take a look inside, you can enter the reception area during weekday working hours, but to delve deeper you will need to organize a group tour—see the website for details.

Overlooking the Grotemarkt stands the Stadhuis (town hall) and belfry. It was built originally as a cloth hall in the 14th century. However, like the rest of the town, it was destroyed in World War I, the belfry having collapsed onto the market square below. Only the outer walls and a few paintings survived. It was restored in the 1920s, when a new 49-bell carillon was bought for the belfry, which has recently also opened to visitors---it's 109 steps if you want to climb to the top for the view. 

Explore the history of Ghent through nine rooms, all documenting significant moments in the formation of the city. Each room addresses a different era, from the time human beings first settled in the area some 70,000 years ago, to the city's medieval-era clashes with the Dukes of Burgundy, right up to its modern industrial heritage. The tour winds its way through a 14th-century abbey, a 17th-century monastery, and the modern museum, and there is also a giant map room that allows you to see how the city has expanded over the years.

The city museum is set within the old butcher's hall, built in the mid-15th century. Over the years, this building has filled just about every function a city requires: cloth hall, aldermen's house, prison, guild hall, theater, guardroom. The current museum was installed in the early 1900s and begins its exhibits in prehistory, working its way up to the end of the ancien régime and France's collapse into revolution in the late 1700s. It's an enjoyable grab bag of history, with a 28,000-year-old mammoth skeleton among its most engaging exhibits.