Ghent as a Base for Longer Trips
Ghent sits close enough to three other cities worth a full day each that most visitors end up building a multi-day loop around it rather than treating it as a one-stop trip, and the rail math makes that an easy call rather than an ambitious one.
The Flemish art-cities circuit (5 to 7 days)
Spend your first two days on Ghent itself: the Van Eyck altarpiece and its timed ticket, Gravensteen castle , the Leie canals, MSK, and dinner in Patershol. Day three is Bruges, 25 minutes away by direct train, for its canals and the Groeninge Museum. Day four is Antwerp, 50 minutes out, for the Rubens House, the fashion district, and the cathedral. Close with two days in Brussels, 30 minutes from Ghent, covering the Grand Place, the European Quarter, and its Art Nouveau architecture. Compare Ghent hotel rates before locking dates, since the two Ghent nights anchor the whole loop.
The Lys Valley cycling retreat (3 to 4 days)
A shorter, slower alternative pairs Ghent’s city days with leisurely cycling along the Leie River south toward Sint-Martens-Latem, an artist village of weeping willows and riverside villas, with a stay at a boutique retreat there and a stop at the Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens. It’s the pick if you’d rather cover less ground more thoroughly than tick off three capital cities in a week.
The WWI and coast loop (4 to 5 days)
Base in Ghent and dedicate individual days to the WWI battlefields around Ypres, the nearby town of Diksmuide, and the North Sea coast at Ostend. Book an Ypres and Flanders Fields day trip if you’d rather not manage regional trains and a rental car on a tight schedule.
Getting between all of it
Ghent’s own train station, Gent-Sint-Pieters, connects directly to Bruges, Brussels, and Antwerp, so none of this requires a car for the city-to-city legs. A car only earns its keep for Ooidonk Castle, a moated 16th-century Renaissance château near Deinze about 20 minutes’ drive out, or for reaching Sint-Martens-Latem at your own pace; compare rental options if that’s the plan. Whatever you drive, register for Ghent’s low-emission zone at stad.gent/lez before you cross back into the R40 ring, since the city itself is not a place to arrive by car and expect to park near the center.
Verdict: five to seven days gets you Ghent plus all three of Bruges, Brussels, and Antwerp without rushing any of them; if you only have three or four days, drop Antwerp before you drop Bruges, since the 25-minute run there is the easiest add-on on the list. For the day-trip version of this same rail network without an overnight stay elsewhere, see the activities guide .