Very friendly restaurant in Patershol designed on a wacky clock theme. Good food at reasonable prices.

Ghent specialisms including waterzooi, eels and a magnificent beef in beer stew. A good range of others too, including a delicious fish soup and a rather special pork, bacon and sausage dish served with sorrel mash.

The waiters were good fun and 'very good' in Flemish turned out to be 'veer lekken' with a bit of Welsh (as in coch) on the double kk.

Corduwainers 65. Just off Kranlei on the edge of Patershol. Tel 32(0)9 223 42 41.

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The Voorhuit is a Ghent institution. A Artdeco/socialist building, it has not lost its roots.

The huge café area plays host to multiple activities from quiet union meetings to cinema and concerts. Most of the latter are free. The French and Flemish press are available.

Sit down at any of the tables and you can be left alone or join in on the conversations. Nearly everyone talks English. The bar is good and very cheap and the food is wholesome. Homemade soup and bread for 2.60 euros which is great and pasta for about 8. Mostly fair trade and not bad for veggies.

For the stay over there my favourite in an ex-convent called Geertje Henckens on Zwartezusterstraat in the centre of town. There are only two bedrooms so book. A breakfast to die for and the second day it gets better.

If it is full try Faja Lobi in Tarbotstraat, a little further from the centre but with a lovely garden and (if possible) an even better welcome from the gay couple that run the place. Both are about 60 euros for a couple.

Then take a wander. Everything is within 30mins walk but take one of the river tours if you haven't done any research. The Cathedral is a must.

For light refreshment I recommend The Pink Flamingo in Onderstraat as possibly the most kitsch bar in the world. I go at least twice a year with my wife to Ghent and we are never disappointed.

The thing about the chip shop is true - it is the best.

Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat

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It is the hottest mustard I've ever encountered in the world and is only found in Ghent. It goes particularly well as a dip for cheese alongside your beer.

Just past the Korenmarkt, heading towards the Graveenstein.

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It is a little chip van that provides quality frites with mayonnaise. Just what is needed for a truly Belgian experience!

Vridajmarkt, near the massive socialist style building with a large window and clock.

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After I read about this truly unique "guesthouse" I decided to check it out.

It was even better than expected. It may only be a "bed and breakfast", but it is one of world class.

Super-friendly owners. The 18th-century restored mansion has kept its original features while incorporating dazzling flashes of modernity.

It made my stay feel like a visit to a friend's grand country house.

Ghent has a surprisingly large number cultural and musical activities on offer, and is a great medieval city.

Hotel Verhaegen
Oude Houtlei 110
9000 Gent
+32(0)9 265 07 60
www.hotelverhaegen.be

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It's a downloadable audio guide that takes you round Ghent, telling you about the history of the town and the art and architecture. It starts and finishes at the cathedral and takes - well I suppose about three hours walking but I stopped for a beer half way.

www.podtours.co.uk/Ghent-podtour.htm

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Brasserie Pakhuis is a fantastic restaurant just off the main shopping street (Veldstraat).

It is housed in a fantastic, converted warehouse which makes an amazing setting for a meal.

Food is a wonderful mixture of French and Italian. They also do great fish platters with whole lobsters etc. There is an extensive wine list, and also (of course) an extensive list of beers. As well as the restaurant there is also a bar which you can visit for a drink.

Pakhuis is popular with locals, which I always think is a good sign.

Have a look at their website for a menu and an idea of what it looks like.

Schuurkenstraat 4
9000 Gent
32 (0)92235555
www.pakhuis.be/

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Tasteful and attractively-priced restaurant offering traditional Flemish food and more. I had pumpkin soup and chicken waterzooi, both of which were delicious.

Sint-Veerleplein, opposite Gravensteen.

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The Castle of Counts was founded in the 12th century and after an interesting history that saw it converted to a cotton mill in the 19th century, has been restored more or less to its former glory. The armoury displays some startling weaponry but is surpassed by the exhibition of 'Instruments of Correction', a highly euphemistic name for the tools of torture seen here. Fascinating.

Sint-Veerleplein
www.trabel.com/gent/gravensteen.htm

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This bar has a menu of over 250 beers - just about the widest selection in Ghent. It also has a huge, friendly bar-room with helpful staff and attracts congenial beer lovers from around the world. Find it just a minute's walk from the cannon that gives it its name ("Mad Meg" in English). A little touristy, especially during the day, but nonetheless appealing.

Vrijdagmarkt 50
09 224 24 55
www.dullegriet.be/01_Herberg_eng.htm

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A classic Flemish cathedral with huge wooden pulpit and everything you'd expect, but made slightly more special by the presence of the van Eycks' polyptich 'The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb'. It's kept in a side chapel and you have to pay a few euros to view it, but it's expertly displayed with a welter of illuminating information in the audio guide, covering both the painting itself and its unusual history. The 12th-century crypt is also worth a visit.

Sint-Baafsplein 4.
www.sintbaafskathedraal-gent.be/

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Like many bars in Belgium, this is a great place for beer lovers, with its extensive menu and commitment to serving unusual/local beers. But it's just a great bar to visit anyway, with a lively atmosphere, friendly staff, a large outdoor seating area and a wonderful location on the waterside. (The name is a play on words: it means "The Waterhouse on the Beerside", which is a bit of a crap joke but forgivable.) I was only in Ghent two days and went three times. The unique Gavandum dry-hopping beer was Beer of the Month at the time - if they're still serving it, it is not to be missed.

Groentenmarkt 9
09 225 06 80
www.waterhuisaandebierkant.be/e2.htm

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Great site with fullscreen panoramas of some of the main attractions of the city.

www.virtueelgent.be

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