Ghent Bar Guide
30+ bars across Ghent's drinking neighbourhoods, curated by editors who know the city.
Ghent has more bars per capita than almost anywhere in Europe. The medieval Patershol district holds twelve heritage taverns in three blocks. De Dulle Griet pours fifty Belgian beers and demands you leave a shoe as deposit when you order the iconic 1.2-litre Kwak glass. The student-driven nightlife on Vlasmarkt runs harder than Brussels.
Five neighbourhoods cluster the action. Patershol is the medieval-tavern spine. Korenmarkt holds the riverside beer halls. Sint-Pieters is the student-bar district. Prinsenhof covers the residential boutique-bar quarter. Bij Sint-Jacobs runs the historic square-bar layer.
Cocktails run €9 to €13. Trappist beers €4 to €7. Tipping is rounding up. Most bars run to 2am, weekend bars to 4am. Reserve Het Spijker on weekends.
Browse by occasion
Cocktail Bars in Ghent
World-class cocktail rooms
Rooftop Bars in Ghent
Skyline drinks
Date Night in Ghent
Romantic spots
After Work in Ghent
Apéro-hour bars
Live Music in Ghent
Bands and DJs
Craft Beer in Ghent
Microbreweries and taprooms
Hidden Gems in Ghent
Unmarked doors
Sports Bars in Ghent
Watch parties
Top Picks This Week
Het Spijker
Ghent's most awarded cocktail bar. Belgium 50 Best regular. Long marble counter, classic-cocktail-leaning menu. Reservations recommended.
De Dulle Griet
Heritage Belgian-beer pub. 250 beers including the iconic Kwak glass which requires a shoe deposit. Long communal tables, no music.
Hot Club de Gand
Tiny hidden jazz cellar with a long bar. Live jazz every night. Cash only. The most low-key Ghent night out.
Pink Flamingos
Pop-art-themed cocktail bar with a serious back bar and a young engaged crowd. Loud, joyful, and visually unique.
Charlatan
Live-music venue with multiple cocktail bars. Different DJs every weekend. The Ghent student-Friday-night centre of gravity.
Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant
Riverside beer hall from 1956. Over 200 Belgian beers, canal-side terrace, and the most photogenic Ghent drinking experience.
Neighbourhood Guide
Patershol
The medieval-tavern spine. Twelve heritage taverns in three cobbled blocks. The most authentic medieval Ghent drinking quarter.
Korenmarkt
The riverside beer-hall district near the cathedral. Canal-side terraces, Belgian-beer institutions, and the most photogenic Ghent evening views.
Sint-Pieters
The student-bar district near the university. Cheap pours, college-town energy, and the loudest weekend nights in Ghent.
Prinsenhof
The residential boutique-bar quarter west of the centre. Wine bars, neighbourhood pubs, and a thirty-something local crowd.
Bij Sint-Jacobs
The historic square-bar district. Heritage cafes, square-side terraces, and a dressed-up daytime crowd.
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