Gent Transportation

From Brugge to Gent there are two trains an hour. The journey takes less than an hour.

When I was there the price of a standard ticket was € 9.00 (as of 2012), but there was also such a thing as a summer ticket for € 7.50 (only in the summer, as the name suggests).

For us older folks there is a Seniors Ticket from any station to any other station in Belgium (and back on the same day) for only € 5.30 – so I took the Seniors Ticket even though I was only going one way, because that was still the cheapest.

Before travelling in Belgium it is worth while to spend a few minutes getting acquainted with the Belgian Railway website, because there are numerous reduced fares and special deals, one of which just might apply to you. They have a calculator called “Which is the right ticket for me?” which will help you get the best price. Like the rest of the website, this is available in Dutch, French, English and German.

There are also special fares for job seekers (“Travel to your job interview at reduced cost with the jobseekers’ discount”).

Pregnant women may travel in 1st class at no extra cost with a 2nd class ticket, but only in the last 4 months of pregnancy.

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Gent has four tram lines and several bus lines, so you’ll have no trouble getting around town even before you have rented a bicycle.

To get to my hotel with my luggage I took the tram # 1 from the station.

All the trams and buses in Gent are operated by the Flemish Transport Company De Lijn (meaning The Line), which runs the local public transport services all over Flanders.

For example, De Lijn runs the bus lines in Brugge and the subways, trams and buses in Antwerp.

According to their website, De Lijn was established in July 1990, after urban and regional transport was transferred from the Belgian federal government to the three regions, namely Brussels, Wallonia and Flanders.

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When I visited Gent in August 2012, a lot of the bicycles had little signs on them reading “Weer een Auto Minder”, which means: Again one less car. Or: Another car less. Or: Another car fewer.

(When I was in school, were taught to say “fewer” instead of “less” when talking about countable nouns. But never mind, the point is to have more bicycles on the streets and not so many cars.)

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Getting around Ghent is easy on foot, your own two feet.

For those who want to relax as the sights pass by, try a horse-drawn carriage. A guide will explain the surroundings as the carriage slowly rolls through the streets.

Bicycling is popular too, especially with the locals.

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Apparently lots of people come to the opera and the concert hall by bicycle, because there is a sign (first photo) showing where there are additional bike parking spaces for evening visitors.

These additional spaces are in the Universiteitstraat (second photo), which is an ugly street but certainly does have a lot of modern, state-of-the-art bicycle stands in front of the Faculty of Law, Politics and Social Sciences.

Location of the concert hall (and the sign) on Google Maps

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I asked at my hotel where the closest place was to rent a bicycle, and they gave me this address on Steendam, near the Friday Market.

When I got there they had only one rental bike left, supposedly, so I took it even though it was a bit small for me. I neglected to note down the price, but I don’t think it was excessive.

An interesting feature of this bike shop is the building it is in (fourth photo). It has a stepped gable, like many historic houses in Gent, but it is made of stones, not bricks.

Their bike did get me around town, all right, but I think the next time I’m in Gent I’ll try somewhere else. For instance there is a bike shop next to the railroad station that I haven’t tried yet.

Steendam 16, 9000 Gent, Belgium
Location in Google Maps

. . . then take my handicap, too.

Obviously you aren’t going to drive around Gent in a car, as this would be irresponsible as well as inconvenient. But if you do, don’t park in places that are reserved for the handicapped.

Like most other Belgian cities, Gent has built numerous underground parking garages, which at least have the advantage of getting the bagnoles off the streets and out of sight. On the other hand, these garages have the effect of generating unnecessary car traffic, so they are a mixed blessing.

I should add, though, that the underground parking garages all have free toilets which are kept reasonably clean and are open to everyone, even non-motorists.

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Parents in Gent have various ways of transporting their children by bicycle.

What I like about the bike in the first photo is that the older child, at the front, has the option of peddling a bit whenever she wants to. I have seen several of these bikes, and usually the kids seem proud to be doing their share.

The kids in the second photo don’t have this option, but at least they are being chauffeured around town in a responsible way.