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Ghent Day Trip: Explore with Local Guide
4.3
68 Ratings
Bruxelles
Maximize your stay in Belgium with a day trip to Ghent from Brussels. No need to stress over lengthy public transportation; instead, enjoy the convenience of round-trip transfers and the knowledge of a local guide who will provide insights you may not find on your own, before you set off to explore at a leisurely pace.
Maximize your stay in Belgium with a day trip to Ghent from Brussels. No need to stress over lengthy public transportation; instead, enjoy the convenience of round-trip transfers and the knowledge of a local guide who will provide insights you may not find on your own, before you set off to explore at a leisurely pace.
Duration:
9 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Atomium - Before departing from Brussels, a visit to the iconic Atomium is planned. This impressive monument, towering over 100 meters (328 ft) tall, features spheres approximately 18 meters (59 ft) in diameter, symbolizing Belgium’s nine provinces. After admiring it, the journey will continue.
- Ghent - Arrival in Ghent, renowned as one of…
- Atomium - Before departing from Brussels, a visit to the iconic Atomium is planned. This impressive monument, towering over 100 meters (328 ft) tall, features spheres approximately 18 meters (59 ft) in diameter, symbolizing Belgium’s nine provinces. After admiring it, the journey will continue.
- Ghent - Arrival in Ghent, renowned as one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval cities. A walk to the city center will lead to the start of a guided tour.
- Belfry and Cloth Hall (Belfort en Lakenhalle) - The guide will provide insights into this notable tower and the fascinating history of its dragon.
- St. Bavo’s Cathedral (Sint-Baafskathedraal) - Explore both the exterior and interior of Ghent’s Cathedral, home to the most frequently stolen painting in history, “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” by the Van Eyck brothers.
- Saint Nicholas Church - Did you know that Belgian churches often host concerts and various events?
- Ghent Town Hall (Stadhuis) - The guided tour begins in front of the Town Hall, where the guide will discuss the building’s diverse architectural styles.
- Korenmarkt - Located in front of Saint Nicholas Church, the Korenmarkt is where the intriguing history of the former post office building will be shared.
- St Michael’s Bridge - This bridge offers a perfect spot for stunning photographs. The story of Saint Michael’s Church tower will also be recounted here.
- Graslei and Korenlei - A stroll along the Lys riverbank will reveal the surrounding buildings, including various Guild Houses and the current Marriott Hotel. There will be opportunities for photography.
- Masons’ Guild Hall - Opposite the original facade of the Masons’ guild house, the guide will explain the concept of guild houses and the uniqueness of this one.
- Kleine Vismarkt - A brief stop in front of the Great Butcher’s Hall at a traditional market stall will allow the seller to introduce Ghent’s famous candy, the cuberdon.
- St. Veerleplein - The guided tour concludes at Sint-Veerleplein Square, where the guide will share the history of the square and its surrounding buildings, along with recommendations for dining and souvenir shopping. Information on the bus departure back to Brussels will also be provided.
- Ghent - Enjoy approximately 4 hours of free time (subject to traffic and group pace).
- OOOST - The Great Butchers’, dating back to the 15th century, originally served as a covered market.
What's Included
- Professional English-speaking guide
- City tips
- Guided walking tour in Ghent
- Round-trip with A/C
- Professional English-speaking guide
- City tips
- Guided walking tour in Ghent
- Round-trip with A/C
What's Not Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks
Additional Information
- You will receive the confirmation at time of booking
- Our guides have your best interests in mind; while the tour usually includes the sites & stories mentioned and lasts about 2.5 hours, your tour may vary depending on what your guide thinks is best for your group
- No meals are included but your guide will be happy to point you in the direction of…
- You will receive the confirmation at time of booking
- Our guides have your best interests in mind; while the tour usually includes the sites & stories mentioned and lasts about 2.5 hours, your tour may vary depending on what your guide thinks is best for your group
- No meals are included but your guide will be happy to point you in the direction of some great food spots :)
- Children under 2 years old must travel in a car seat on the bus. Please make sure to bring their appropriate seat
Location
Carrefour de l'Europe
In the Carrefour de l'Europe square under the columns of the main entrance of the train and metro station, in front of the Hilton Grand Place hotel. Our guides will be wearing ID of Buendia Tours.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.3
(68 Ratings)
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Dorotakb2664tc
Feb 17, 2026
Highlight of our stay in Brussels - Great tour. Ghent is so worth seeing. We were looked after a great team of tour guides and a safely driving bus driver. The four hours free time we used to go on a river boat ride, lunch (many places to choose from) and a yummy Belgian full option waffle at Cafe Rosario with delicious coffee (our tour guide recommendation) would highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
I3317ebkated
Dec 13, 2025
Fun and easy way to visit Ghent - Antonio was an excellent guide, friendly, fun and informative. We had thought of going to Ghent from Brussels independently on the train, but we would not have seen and understood so much. And the quick stop at the Atomium was a bonus. Thanks Antonio!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Faraway800813
Nov 16, 2025
Day trip with loads to offer ! - Our guide Nico was great. He spoke fluently both in English and French. On our way to Ghent he provided interesting history and in both locations provided a good insight !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dennis_a
Oct 3, 2025
A very good tour of Ghent - A very good bus trip and guided tour of Ghent. The bus was comfortable and the 2 hour guided portion of the trip in English was informative and well handled. The trip left plenty of time for us to explore the city on our own. We would highly recommend this full day tour rather than booking both Bruges and Ghent on the same day.
Review provided by Viator
Kay_k
Apr 22, 2026
Well organised day trip to Ghent - A well organised and informative day trip to Ghent. Julian and team provided us with a lot of useful info throughout the day and gave us recommendations for where to eat and drink. Everything ran on time. Thanks!
Review provided by Viator
Gina_m
Apr 16, 2026
The tour was good, but... - The tour was good, but almost too much free time for such a small city. Seemed like it could have been a tour at Atomium and tour of Ghent. Guide was good although a little difficult to understand. I’m glad we booked the tour and got to see Ghent. Our tour was shared with a Spanish speaking group for the bus ride, and the two guides spoke to the two groups in English and Spanish for the ride. I would have preferred a little more history and culture on the tour.
Review provided by Viator
X4724nrmelissab
Jul 31, 2025
Unexpected changes - The itinerary was not as posted so instead of doing the Atomium first it was last. Due to this we could not attend this attraction. It says the your ends at 17:30 but we were told it would be 19:30. That is a big difference when you are with kids and have to take a train to your lodgings. Our tour guide Sabrina was pleasant and did a great job with the tour. We loved Ghent!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Norbert_d
Apr 24, 2026
We enjoyed Ghent.... - We enjoyed Ghent. However, the walking tour felt a bit rushed and there was no opportunity for a bathroom break after the drive into Ghent from Brussels. There should have been time allocated for this. Also our group was small but we were not asked to introduce ourselves or where we were from. Would have been nice to have this done to encourage mingling with the other guests. Also while on the bus, it would have been good to have the guide point things out along the way; for example, the royal residence, Chinese pavilion. The bus driver did a great job navigating the busy streets.
Review provided by Viator
Robin_d
Sep 7, 2025
Tour portion great but bus ride was horrible. - Julian our guide for the walking tour was great. After the walking tour we had 4 hours of free time. Julian left to return to Brussels but gave us excellent directions on where and when to meet the other guide for the bus ride home. We were approximately 10 English speaking on a bus with about 35 Spanish speaking tourists. They were extremely rude and aggressive on the bus and we felt that their guide deferred to them basically treating us like intruders. It was a very uncomfortable feeling and left me with a negative taste in my mouth after having had such a lovely day in Ghent. I give Julian 5 stars but the way the return trip was handled was unacceptable.
Review provided by Viator
Patricia_f
Nov 22, 2025
Tour to Antwerp and Ghent with Buendia tour company - In 50 years of touring this was the worst experience I have ever had. I booked this 2 months in advance paid a few days in advance per their request. The day of departure I received an email cancelling the tour. We were offered another tour which I accepted but was denied. We were again offered another tour and date which I accepted. I did not receive a confirmation so upon arrival to our hotel in Brussels I called the local tour company. There phones were not working. I called the Viator Europe office and got a confirmation for the tour. We were added on to a mostly Spanish tour. After one stop and upon arrival to Antwerp we were not provided with a toilet stop. Dropped off in Antwerp. Tour was okay but it was difficult to hear the guide from more than 3 feet way. After a tour of the old city were allowed time on our own to explore and told to go to the drop off point to the bus. As we had not planned to go to Antwerp I did not have a map and the only we knew to get to that point was to retrace our steps. We thought we allowed enough time but we had a few false starts retracing our way back and arrived 8 minutes late (we are allowed 10). Group had already left and we were stranded. I tried to call the local tour operator and we could have taken a train to Ghent and rejoined them but again their phones were not working. We took a train back to Brussels and I again tried several times to contact the tour operator so we could meet the bus on its return to Brussels to retrieve some personal items left on the bus. Phones not working again. Finally I sent a test. I received a response but it gave us the name of the name of the bldg where the bus would be in Spanish. Then the text no longer worked. I requested a partial refund as it is apparent that they share a great deal of responsibility for what happened. Denied. I also wrote the parent company and did not even receive the courtesy of a response. if nothing else they could at the very least refund us the credits we earned for the tours we did take. The tour to Bruges and later in Normandy were excellent, especially the one in Normandy.
Review provided by Viator
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