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Hey there fellow travelers. Mark here with Walters Road and today we're here in Gent, Belgium, one of the prettiest cities you can visit in Europe. And today what we have for you are the don'ts but mostly dos of visiting Gent. Because if you like Flemish architecture, if you like Flemish art, if you love fries out the wazoo and beer that makes your brain go woo, you will love it here. But the thing is when you come here, I want to tell you this, don't pass up on coming here to the canal. And when you're here at the canal, you have two See this be? Look at this. Look at this architecture here. You've got grass li over there that you can see and then corn is the other side and you have just these fantastic facads
here to really take in and really appreciate that Flemish architecture and it's so good. And what's cool my next for you is when you're enjoying all this architecture, don't forget to take a boat ride because what you take the boats, the canals that are here, you go around the city and you really get to see the architecture, learn about the area, see the castles and the towers and all kinds of stuff and really fall in love with the city. But it gives you such a really good orientation of the city that when you go and explore, you have much more of appreciation for it. And honestly, if you have to wait a little bit for one of those boat rides to start, you can enjoy the architecture
just sitting here with a drink. And it's wonderful. Honestly, take the boat tour. It's worth it. It's pretty. You got boil. And the guides are pretty funny, too. I got to be honest. Taking the boat rides just a fun thing to do. And usually the guides are pretty funny as well. Al, so they'll throw some jokes in. Of course, throw some shade in some other cities around here as well as and of course the uh the Dutch beer is going to take some hits, too. But it's it's well worth it for you to get a really good feel for the city and getting some orientation and learn more of the history of the city. It is really kind
of wonderful from knowing that it's the three towers. They'll talk about that and how don't call it a chicken because that's our dragon up there that maybe perhaps we took from Bruge. Who knows? But honestly, the boat ride is well worth it just for the kind of learning and knowledge you're going to get when you're there. It's just a fun thing to do. And if it's a rainy day, you can get them when they're covered. Or if it's a warm day, you want to be out in the sun, you can have the open top ones as well. So, very nice. Now, when you take the boat tour, you walk around town. You are not going to miss the castle of the counts. I'm going to tell you it's worth to come in because
you have this really amazing fortress you can go through the castle you can go through but also the audio guide is actually kind of funny because you can do the historybased one or the comedy and history based one I suggest the comedy one cuz it's done from a you know a Belgian uh humorist comedian does it so it's pretty fun but yeah coming to this is actually one of those things you really should do and not just look at it from the outside come inside and enjoy it so I know on the boat tours they'll talk about the latrines and when you're here and the audio guide they'll talk about the litter trains But I want to tell you, even though these are the older latrines, you're not allowed to use them. So don't
use the latrines when you're here. But there they are going right out over the water. Plop. The uh torturer here, executioner here, looks way too happy with his job. And it's not just the boat ride that will show you so much beautiful architecture. Don't forget to just to wander around the old town and you will see beautiful Flemish building after beautiful Flemish building after beautiful Flemish building. It is just fantastic. It's not just on the canals and the water. It's throughout the city. So it is something I highly recommend you do. Grassly side kronai side. So Grassly, this is the east side here.
This is the oldest facade that you're going to see. It's just incredible to see. And the Kronalai is on the west side over there. And the lease river right here you can see. and you'll go through and there's canals as well, but the river comes through a very important part of the history of Gent. So when you're taking in the water, it's it's just really part of the city. It's one of the reasons why the city became so wealthy over the years cuz they could bring things in with the canal that goes by, you know, the castle and everything, but just a really cool experience enjoying the water and the there's just beautiful facades here. I mean, don't pass up, Gent. I mean, don't I mean, I have more don'ts
for you, but I just I'm just, you know, I'm having one of those really good tourist moments where you're just enjoying a town. the food, the people, everything. Well worth it. I'm not joking with the architecture here. This is just a random street and it's unbelievable. So, when you're here in Gent, don't pass up exploring around the city. Don't just do like the core of the old town. Go out and explore more. You're going to find so much great architecture when you're here, and you'll fall in love with this place. But I will say when you're walking around the town, don't forget to watch out for the bike lanes and the bikers because this is definitely a bike city. Like Belgium loves their bikes, but here in
Gent it seems like it's even turned up even more cuz you have a big student population here, right? So people riding bikes all over the place. So you need to pay attention cuz sometimes the bike people don't seem to be paying attention to you. And then there's probably the most dangerous thing you might want to look out for when you are here. Hey, I also want to tell you, don't mess with the trams. A lot of travelers when they're walking around, they just kind of wander in front of them. And I've seen a number of locals and tourists almost get hit by them. They're very quiet. They go very often. So, do be safe with them. But I want to tell you, don't forget to use them because whether
you're coming from, you know, if you're coming from the St. Peters, the trams can get you here to the old town. They are very helpful to get you around. But just be aware that they have taken out a number of people over the years. So, do be safe with them. Now, when you are here in Gent, what you have to realize is Gent is famous for its beer. And I'm going to tell you this. Um, don't overdo it on the beer when you're here because it's probably a bit stronger than you're used to. I mean, we're talking 6 7 8 9 10% beer, not your 2 or 3% beer back home. So, it can really pack a punch cuz you can get the against triple beer. The delirium that you might have seen back home or the grunt, the beer
that's not beer brewed with hops, but with local herbs. I mean, they have so many good beers that are here, but it really does knock some tourists on their butts. So, do be careful with that. And late night on the weekends in the summer when a lot of tourists are here, just be aware that some might have had a few too many. So don't fall in the canal. So as I'm up here on the belf and I'm thinking about my safety about maybe falling to my doom. I do want to tell you don't have to worry about your safety when you're here in Gent. This is a very safe city to enjoy as a traveler. I would say pay attention you at the train station especially St. Peters during rush hour. Otherwise you don't
really have much to worry about except for a really bad hangover if you have too many of the beers because this is a pretty safe place. Though there are those trims I got to warn you about, but we talked about that earlier. You may be hearing the sirens, but don't worry, Japan is very safe. And I realize not every traveler likes to drink alcohol. So, let's talk about some of the other tasty treats you might want to have when you are here. If you're looking at drinks, okay, don't pass up the hot chocolate because I mean, we're in Belgium. The chocolates here are fantastic, okay? But if you're looking at some really local meals you want to try, one, you have the genuoy, which is basically like a how do I
explain it? It's kind of like a creamy chicken stew. You might have that. Another thing that I really like is the beef braised in beer stew. Oh my god, it's so good. You have that with fries, of course, because literally you go around the city, you cannot miss a good fry place, and you're going to love them when you are here. Yeah, the beer braze beef is so good. They even put it on the fries in some places. Get as many sauces you can to try out the different sauces to go with it. So good. If you're not used to trying new sauces or anything from peanut sauce to andaloo sauce, which is like mayonnaise and some tomato paste and paprika kind
of stuff in or peppers in it, it's just so good. You have that. Obviously, you can do the waffles and you can go for a lege waffle or you can go to a Brussels waffle. The leisure one's a little bit smaller one that has like the sugar crystals in it where like the pearls of sugar in there they like to say or the Belgian waffle or the Brussels one which is more of the traditional Belgian waffle when you think of that. You can grab those when you're here. But there's a candy you might want to have when you're here and you'll see these little gumdrops. They look like little pyramid gumdrops. Okay, the kubons and basically think of raspberry filled gumdrop. Now there'll be in other flavors too, but that's a
traditional thing you'd probably want to have when you're here. Not everyone likes them, but it's something you could have. I got to tell you, with the gumdrops here, you only get the raspberry ones. All the ones are the other colors. That is just for tourists. The locals will tell you the raspberry one, the red one. That's the one you're going to go for. Okay. Or I guess a little bit more purple than red since I see more colors popping up. Honestly, when you're gent, don't pass these up. The little gent nose. I mean, they're just like gumdross with like a gooey filling, but they're
so good. But make sure it's the raspberry ones. Uh those are worth getting for sure. And then if you're like me and your nose is stuffed up cuz you're getting a little bit of a cold, I'm going to tell you, try the local mustard. The tier N10 mustard here is like super like bam and it'll clear out your uh your sightes there's no problem. Now when you're going around Gent you're going to see a lot of beautiful churches and I want to tell you don't pass up going to the churches. Some of the easy ones to see St. Nicholas Church is gorgeous inside St. Michael's you'll see that right on the canal but this one St.
Bob's the cathedral. This is the one you don't want to pass up because the art inside is just incredible. But the most important thing is they have the mystic lamb or the gent altar. It's one of the most important art pieces ever when it comes to like art in the world and its influence on there and how people like painted and learned how to do things. It's just it's an incredible piece that you really have to go to. But it's like it costs money to go see it, but it's worth it to do it. But let me go show you it real quick. And when it comes to important Flemish art, you cannot do not miss out on coming to the Gent alterpiece in St. Thoff's uh cathedral.
It is incredible. you want to take it all in to see the details. This is from the 1400s. It is an impressive piece. One of the most influential art pieces in the entire like history of art. So, if you're here in Gent, don't miss this. This is so worth it. And when you're going to the alterpiece, they do have you leave your luggage here, your bag backp back here for it's free to do that, but you pay to go in. But the thing is you can get a virtual reality one as well, like an augmented reality as well. So, there's like they can make it really cool. But still, you got to go see the Mystic Land. Now, when you are here in Gent, don't forget you can actually go up the Belelfrey and walk
around up there. Though, I will tell you, don't think that it's for everyone. I'll go show you from the top and I think you'll understand why it might not be for everybody to go up there. And views are nice from up here. But, I'll be honest, to really appreciate the architecture in Gent, you got to be down there with the buildings versus up here because you can see some of the industrial fun out there. But uh yeah, it's a little pricey to get up here, so be aware of that. So maybe just enjoy the views I have up here for you. And if you're going to come to the Belelfrey, one thing I want to tell you is very important you follow the kind of rules they have. You take the elevator
up and you take the stairs down. because there's not a lot of space to get anybody by anybody on these stairwells. Like it's my shoulder toshoulder. So just be aware of that. So claustrophobic people, you do not want to be here. Now don't forget there is an elevator, but you do have to go some steps to get to the elevator. It does get a little uh claustrophobic up here. So do be aware of that, okay? So if you don't like small spaces, probably you don't want to come up here. Now a lot of travelers when they come to Belgium, they try to decide, do I go to Bruge or get? And I want to tell you, Bruge is the one that historic center. It's all protected. But it really has turned all over to
tourism. So you don't have a lot of people there in the evening time. There's not a lot of locals in Bruge anymore. Like the city kind of rolls up the sidewalks in the evening. There's not much going on. Whereas here in Gent, don't forget this city is a living city. People live in the center. They go out at night. The students really like make it lively when you are here. So, that's I want to tell you is don't know don't don't think they're the same because they're not cuz Bruge is a tourist town. Gent is a living city and you'll notice a difference when you're here. And uh when you do come here, you know what's nice is you know on Bruge you have to book things out way in advance. Gent you
have plenty of hotels that are here. If you want chains I mean look there's a Marriott right there. Okay. Um, but there's all kinds of chain hotels here, but also you have boutique hotels. Like I'm staying at the uh 1989 post down the way and the old post office, which isn't that old. It's only for the uh the World's Fair and the like the, you know, last early last century. But there's plenty of places where you can stay. So, you don't have to freak out as much about finding accommodations as you do in like Brussels or Bruge. But I will tell you, if you're going to be coming here in the summertime, this is a very popular weekend destination, especially for Brits. Don't forget to book early in
the summertime so you do have the place you want to stay when you do come here, but there are lots of options. Now, when you're here in Gent, don't forget to go to the museums. They have an incredible collections of museums here. Whether you like religious art, modern art, all kinds of stuff. However, I want to say if you're getting tired of the religious arts and the Reubins and the mystic lamb kind of things, don't forget you can come here to Graffiti Street. Yes, there's a street in town. And it's just one block where you have tons of graffiti artists that just come and put up new stuff all the time. It's really like a cool thing to see. And I'll be honest, when you come here, I'm going to bet that none of
these things are still here and new artists have come by and graffitied over them. But it's kind of a cool thing just right in the old town. You can go through and it's out of the way. And I know some people are like, "Oh my goodness, what are they doing?" Oh no, no, this is supposed to be like this. This is really, really kind of cool. So you're going to see some really good stuff when you are here. And it's just fun to kind, you know, take a little quiet walk through and get some color into your visit here in Gent. Little green Gent guy there. Now, when you're here in Gent and just Flanders overall, I really got to tell you, uh, don't expect to have the best weather ever
because Flanders is kind of known for having gray, dark, cloudy, rainy weather kind of like almost all year round. So, do be aware of it. Now, in the summertime, it can get warm here and have a really nice time. I've been here in the summer and it's beautiful, but if you're coming in the fall or the winter, do expect gray, a little bit dark. I mean, I didn't realize it was morning until about 10:00 in the morning today because yeah, it can be a little bit gray sometimes. So, what I recommend if you're going to be coming, make sure you're bringing a few layers cuz I mean, we're talking like my hotel even had umbrellas for all of the rooms because the weather, it can get a little rainy
out of nowhere. So, just be prepared for that. So, another don't I have for you when you're here in Git is don't speak French. I know when you think of Belgium, you're thinking, "Oh, it's part Flemish, part French." Well, this is definitely the Flander side. So, it's Flemish here. So, don't use your use dangu. Dangu is thank you. And then hello is hello. That's a better way to do it than the French stuff because there is still that little slight division in the country, the kind of silent cold war between the Flanders part and the Woon part with the Flemish speaking and the French speaking. So, do be aware of that. But don't worry, you're really not going to have to use any of your, you know, Flemish words because everyone here
seems to speak English very well because it's kind of like the deacto other language people like to speak. And when you are here, one thing I want to tell you, if you're here in the summertime, don't miss out all the street artists and the street performers. This is really a big city for buskers in the summertime. In the winter time, not so much so, but in the summertime with the tourists that come here, you actually see some pretty good artists that are here, like street artists painting things and stuff like that, but also performers like, you know, buskers and stuff. So, can be a fun thing to do if you're looking for something to do, you know, to kind of spend your time walking
around. It's not a bad choice. So, if you're tired of the tourist restaurants right downtown, you can wander a little bit to Pedal, which is another neighborhood literally right by the old town. Actually, kind of part of the old town. Tons of restaurants and bars here. Also, you go out where the students live. There's going to be a lot more affordable food options there if you're looking for some budget things. But, in all honesty, Gent is nowhere near as pricey as Brussels or Bruge. So it is kind of a relaxation on your wallet when you do come here which is nice. Now another thing I want to remind you about when you are here and get there are a lot of markets you're here. I'm here at
the Friday market square. It's not a Friday so there's no market. I think there's also one on Saturday but there's a lot of markets around town you can go and enjoy and I'll list some of them here so you can see that. But even the Friday market square if you want to get away from like the tourist traps and stuff. There's tons of bars and restaurants here, you know, and the other neighborhoods where you want to kind of get away from the tourist kind of stuff. This is one of those nice little places you can do that. Though, I know a lot of tourists still do come here, but it is worth doing because it really takes you to a whole different feeling, a whole different vibe than other parts of the city. So, uh, might
want to check it out. Now, another thing I want to tell you is when you're coming here to Gent, don't forget you can use Gent as a base to see all over. I mean, literally, if you want to make a Belgian vacation, just stay in Gent the whole time and just explore out from here. It's very easy. I mean, think about it. Brussels is about 35 minutes away on the train. Bruge 25 minutes away. The Brussels airport, if you're going to fly, is about an hour away, and you can get direct trains to there. 45 minutes to Antworp. So, literally, you can explore so much of Belgium just by staying here. So, it makes a really great base to see and do. And I will tell you, don't forget there's two different train stations. Both of them
are equally unfun to walk to because one is like 20 25 minutes away from the heart of the old town. The other's like 30 minutes from the old town. So St. Peters I take the tram in Dumpport if you want to walk in that's a little bit nicer walk to come in that way. But there are options for you and depending the train you want to go on you need to make sure you're at the right station. A lot of the local trains that are going through will pass through both. But if you're going to be like Euroar it might be a good to check and see which one you're going to use. So just be aware of that. All right. So, those are my don'ts
of visiting Gent Belgium. What are some of your don'ts? Let us know in the comments below what you think people should do and don't do when they come here. And I want to say thank you to our members on YouTube and of our patrons on Patreon who help make beautiful videos like this possible so we can enjoy and share this beautiful world with cities like this. I want to say thank you to you Dunu here in the Flanders part of Belgium. And uh if you want to know how you can help us keep making honest travel videos like this, go to patreon.com/waltersworld or click that join button in YouTube to become a member and help us keep making honest travel videos to help out fellow travelers just like you. Bye from here
in beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Really, honestly, come here. You got to come here. Get in Belgium.
