{"id":208,"date":"2026-02-09T00:34:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T00:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/208\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T00:34:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T00:34:16","slug":"ghent-is-challenging-antwerp-as-belgiums-capital-of-cool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/208\/","title":{"rendered":"Ghent Is Challenging Antwerp as Belgium\u2019s Capital of Cool"},"content":{"rendered":"

With so much of Western Europe overrun by tourists, savvy travelers are turning toward Belgium. Those already familiar with the unsung hero wedged between\u2014and deeply influenced by\u2014France, the Netherlands, and Germany no doubt count it as a favorite destination. Brussels<\/a> impresses with its grand buildings and has a strong presence as both a financial and political center. Bruges<\/a> looks like it sprang from the pages of a storybook. Antwerp<\/a> has a fashion cachet and sparkly diamonds. And then there\u2019s Ghent\u2014a Flemish city in the north with medieval charm, a modern mindset, and far less name recognition.<\/p>\n

No longer second (or, err, fourth fiddle) to policy-making Brussels, fairytale Bruges, and stylish Antwerp, Ghent has recently emerged from the shadow of its more notable neighbors. Not exactly an upstart\u2014after all, it\u2019s been around for centuries\u2014this Flemish underdog, built way back in 630, is now forging its own, very cool path. Students account for a quarter of the 265,000-person population. As a younger generation puts its mark on the historic city, fresh energy courses through its cobbled streets.<\/p>\n

Riverside bars buzz with undergrads from Belgium and beyond. Perhaps the most surprising badge of its newly minted hipster status\u2014and one that certainly breaks from Flemish tradition\u2014is the plant-forward corner of the food scene, which also includes some Michelin-starred heavy hitters, cozy bistros, and restaurant terraces. With medieval architecture, rich caf\u00e9 culture, and a vibrant scene, Ghent is a burgeoning creative powerhouse.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re planning a day trip, staying overnight, or carving out a few days to wander, this Ghent guide is packed with can\u2019t-miss classics and fresh additions to the ever-evolving scene.<\/p>\n

Where to Stay\"Image<\/p>\n

Photo: Alex Stephen Teuscher<\/p>\n

Many of us feel nostalgic for the days of snail mail and sweeping postal halls. But what became of these former palaces of letters and packages in the age of e-mail? Some, like Ghent\u2019s historic post office, have found a new lease on life as hotels. Tucked into a corner of the grand neo-Gothic building, 1898 The Post is a first-class revival that doesn\u2019t rely on fanfare. The 38-key boutique hotel trades over-the-top gestures for cozy charm, favoring an intimate reception over an enormous lobby. The marks of its mail-exchange past are everywhere. The rooms\u2014named after stamps, postcards, envelopes, letters, and carriages\u2014feature antique writing desks, rotary phones, built-in bookcases, and framed sketches of the original post office. Even the second-floor honesty bar evokes a vintage postman\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

Photo: Tine De Wilde<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With so much of Western Europe overrun by tourists, savvy travelers are turning toward Belgium. Those already familiar…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":209,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[6],"tags":[19,206,205,54,207],"class_list":["post-208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-antwerp","tag-antwerp","tag-storytypereporting","tag-textaboveleftsmall","tag-travel","tag-web"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}