Let us time travel to a beautiful day in August 2019, when I visited the Belgium city of Ghent. It is a small and pretty city with river Lys, lots of abbeys, cathedrals, castles, guildhalls, historical buildings and street art, making it a perfect catch for a one day getaway. Ghent is also known as the cultural and historical center of Flanders in Belgium, so you can even be there for more than a day. I was accompanied by my friend who lives in Brussels and we thoroughly invested our Sunday there. We opted for an early morning train and reached Ghent in 40 minutes. It really helped us to explore the city on foot and at our ease. In this post, I would like to introduce you to the famous graffiti street in Ghent and a couple of more street art works. If you are a street art fan like me, Ghent is the city to visit. But currently, since we are all in quarantine and will not be travelling soon, let us discover the city’s colourful art and famous Ghent Graffiti street through my eyes.
Gravensteen (Castle of the Counts), Saint Michael’s bridge and Graffiti street !
So you know my favorites from Ghent. But actually there is much more. The city is rich in Neo-Gothic and baroque interiors and medieval guild houses. And it also has great food and great art. If you have heard of Gruut Beer, you must know it comes from Ghent. Interestingly, Thursdays in Ghent, are known as Donderdag Veggiedag — Veggie Day. Half of the city restaurants and the locals try and practice vegetarianism on Thursdays.
While one of the world’s earliest oil paintings, “Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” can be seen inside the gorgeous St Baafskathedraal”, one can also have a good time in MSK art gallery. But if you want more interactive and modern day art work, just stroll around. There is so much on the walls and in the vibrant streets of Ghent. A large part of the city center is car-free so one can easily enjoy the walk.
Graffiti street
Ghent is known as a city where there is lot of respect for art. A lot of artists live there. A lot of locals artists display their work. Even international artists come over to do their stuff. And most importantly the city also offers dedicated space for artwork. Some 5 years back, an art project Sorry Not Sorry gave birth to lots of murals around the city and changed the art scene in Ghent. Today, the city has a thriving art scene and there is lots to discover if you are an art lover like me. So why wait, let me show you all that I have got through my lens.
This street is absolutely opposite Novotel hotel in Ghent. You don’t have to ask anybody. Just google it and you will be there. But anyways until we come out of this lockdown period, there is no need to travel at all. Enjoy it all here with me, as I reminisce my trip.
Last one is my favorite. Time is actually running! Just enjoy whatever you have in hand. Right now, its tough under lockdown but let us enjoy the time. Hope you enjoyed this virtual street art walk in Ghent. Keep reading for more colorful stuff.
Thank you Nancy Ma’am for clicking all my pictures.
I have been to Ghent in 2018. Seen most of its historical quarters but I was unaware of the Graffiti street. Thanks for introducing me to this place. Some day I would visit that street
It was fun to read your post and enjoyed the art work photos
Great
I think Ghent often gets overlooked for the popular town of Bruges but one thing that is different is all the street art. I love finding places that have a lot of street art, I find it really interesting to just wander the streets and see all the different artists interpretations. I think Ghent may need to go on my travel list!
hi
this is such an interesting article, i loved seeing the visuals especially the wall to wall art graffiti. I have an interest in the wall street art, had seen a few in the city of Mumbai, in a street named Chapel street, hoping to see few more in the present city where i reside. Once again kudos to a well-reseached article.
I love exploring new cities by wandering the streets and exploring organically to see where I end up. That’s usually one of the best ways to stumble across street art. I love that Ghent has such an inclusive and positive acceptance of street art. It’s a photographer’s delight.
This is really very nostalgic reading for me. I was there in Ghent just two months before in June 2019 and loved every bit. Visited this particular street too and felt I was there a second time.Beautiful street arts revisited thanks to you.
These are very impressive graffiti. The city is very supportive of many graffiti artists that help to give life to those bare walls, and now attracts hundreds of thousands of worldwide visitors. When we combine art and travel, it goes a very long way 🙂
The street art is stunning! One of my favorite things to do when visiting a destination is checking out all the unique street art. Graffitti street looks amazing and the murals are amazing! Such work and dedication must go into creating them. And I think it’s great that this is supported in Ghent.
Ahhhhh. Manjulika, too bad we missed meeting when you visited Belgium! I’m super glad that you found the graffiti in Ghent great, and yeah, whole of Belgium has an amazing culture of street art!
I loved the graffiti street too! That mural in your 5th pic, is so beautifully visible from the bridge across Lys and it one stunning view encompassing all the features of Ghent! Did you manage to spend the night at Ghent? The lighting there is very special that focuses on the monuments rather than being usual street-lights!
I hope you can come again and next time meet me too.
I live in Mexico and there’s graffiti everywhere! I love how murals have become an expression in most parts of the world. I know it’s a big thing in Europe (like Latin America) but I’ve never been to Belgium and it’s surprising that they also have this trend. This is a virtual travel tour, indeed! Stay safe and thanks for sharing!