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| Gravensteen by the river Leie / Lys |
Ghent is a sizeable city crossed by the River Leie / Lys and canals. Main line trains from Brussels stop at Gent-Sint-Pieters but this is a long hike from the historic centre. Tickets to
Gent-Dampoort are the same price and changing trains will save extra walking or tram fares.
There will often be a train, stopping at Dampoort, ready for boarding in one of the many platforms at Sint-Pieters. This was the case on an unseasonably warm and sunny early Spring Sunday (9 March 2025). After passing hundreds of bicycles in Dampoort station's parking area, head west from Dampoort station. One possible route follows the north bank of the canal along Hagelandkaai to reach Sint-Jorisbrug over the river.
Following Steendam west will lead to
Gentse Gruut Brouwerij. The brewery uses gruit, a mixture of herbs, as an alternative to hops. The brewery taproom opens at 2pm and the doors were closed but a 2017 visit, after a hike from St-Pieters, had been worthwhile and it is unlikely to have changed a great deal since then -
refer 2017 post.
St James' church is just across the roundabout at the western end of Steendam. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday there are stalls for the
Prondelmarkt in the shadow of the church at Bij Sint-Jacobs. This is also a good area for cafes and antique shops.
De Dulle Griet
It's also a good area for bars and De Dulle Griet can be found overlooking nearby Vrijdagmarkt, a square where a market is held every Friday.
There's an extensive range of draught beers but no service at the bar. De Dulle Griet was reasonably busy inside but a low table near the entrance was available and table service soon followed.
With a uniform and the responsibility of delivering tall 1.2 litre 'Max' glasses of Blond or Dunkel (€14.40) to customers, the bar staff expect respect from customers.
Prices for normal measures are on the high side with my 33cl glass of Gentse Strop (Brouwerij Roman) costing €6.60. A QR code on the table can be used to see the extensive menu.
There's lots of bric-a-brac to look at and the 'shoe hoist' with a bell underneath (right photo above) was raised after an order of a 'Max van 't huis'. Definitely a bar to visit once but it may well be missed out on a future visit.
On a mission to see Gravensteen castle further west, the walking route led near two bars earmarked for a visit, Barrazza (right photo above) and Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant (left photo above). They both overlook the river Leie / Lys and were very busy on a sunny day so were merely noted for a future visit.
Artevelde
The streets from Vleeshuisbrug south towards
Saint Nicholas' church / Sint-Niklaaskerk were also very busy and it was a relief to see a massive sign on the side of
Artevelde Brouwerij and go inside for shade and a comfortable seat.
A table near the foot of an impressive staircase gave views of the bar and the inner courtyard.
From the limited beer range in the bound menu on the table, Artevelde Leute (6.2% ABV) was chosen (33cl / €5) and served with a complimentary bowl of nuts.
Before leaving there was an opportunity to use the traditional staircase to reach the superior toilet facilities. The first floor has a further spacious interior space and an external balcony overlooking the courtyard below. I look forward to a future visit and a chance to drink the other Artevelde beers brewed here: Pils (5.2% ABV, €4.2 / 33cl); Grand Cru (7.2% ABV, €5.5 / 33cl) and Wijs (8.2% ABV, €6.2 33cl). Hopefully the choice of music will have improved by then from a selection that included ABC by the Jackson Five.
Trollekelder
It's a simple walk in a north easterly direction, up Belfortstraat, back towards St James' church to find
Trollekelder at Sint-Jacobs 17.
It was nice to be able to go to the bar, look at the draught beers, choose, order and pay before returning to a table with the beer.
As a local option, the only real choice was
Ouwen Duiker (33cl / €5.80).
There was a large painting on the wall near my table but I didn't recognise any of the people featured!
The online menu included some unusual bottled beers: Gentse Tripel (8% ABV, 33cl / €5.50); Weer een Tripel Minder (Dok, 8.4% ABV, 33cl / €5.80); Theoreme de l'Empereur (l'Ermitage, 6.4% ABV, 33cl / €6.80); Westvleteren 8,12 & Blond (8%, 10.2% & 5.8% ABV, 33cl / €15) & Saison Hof ten Dormaal (5.8% ABV, 33cl / €6.30). The music playing on the featured radio station included I Wish by Skee-Lo.
On a visit to the graffiti marked and stickered toilet facilities upstairs, returning by a different route, it was possible to appreciate the extent of Trollekelder which offers a lot more seating upstairs as well as at cellar level. This was my favourite bar of the afternoon in Ghent and definitely one to return to!
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| Sint-Jorisbrug with canoe rolling action! |
From here it is simple to return to Dampoort station via Steendam and Sint-Jorisbrug then either Dampoortstraat for shops or Hagelandkaai for views.
N.B. There are direct
SNCB trains from Dampoort to Antwerp and Ostend (via Bruges) so you may not need to change at Sint-Pieters.
