Ghent: Bike Tour Through Parks, Street Art & Medieval Sights

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Free cancellationTravelers' pickLikely to sell out

1/6

Duration2h 30m

GroupUp to 16

LanguagesEN · NL

Mobile ticketAccepted

Cycle Ghent’s hidden parks, bold murals & medieval echoes

You’ll pedal through Ghent’s secret gardens, bold street art alleys, and medieval landmarks with a local guide who knows every shortcut. Expect laughter over Belgian beer at a hip brewery stop, stories about emperors at St. Bavo's Cathedral, and moments where city noise fades into birdsong by Portus Ganda Marina. There’s something quietly thrilling about seeing Ghent this way—you’ll feel it too.

2h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Cycling tour of historic Ghent highlights

Start at St. Peter's Abbey garden
Visit the university library
Explore the Bijloke cultural site
Relax in a quiet city park
See birthplace of Emperor Charles V
Take a break at a hip brewery
Visit Portus Ganda Marina
Tour St. Bavo's Cathedral
Walk through the UNESCO beguinage
Stroll around the former zoo park

The Experience

You know that feeling when you arrive somewhere and the city just hums under your skin? That was Ghent for me, especially once we hopped on our bikes near St. Peter’s Abbey. Our guide, Pieter (who had this easy way of switching from Dutch to English mid-sentence), handed out helmets and made sure everyone’s seat was right—even mine, which I always somehow mess up. It smelled faintly of rain on old stone, but the sky held off as we set off past the abbey’s garden—so green it almost looked fake.

I didn’t expect to feel so much wind in my face weaving through the university quarter, or to hear laughter echoing out of student cafés as we rolled by the library—Pieter called it “Ghent’s modernist pride.” He pointed at a mural bursting with color (I wish I could remember the artist’s name) and told us how street art here isn’t just tolerated—it’s encouraged. We stopped for a moment at Bijloke; some locals were setting up chairs for a concert later that night, and you could smell coffee drifting from somewhere nearby. The city museum was right there too, but honestly I was more distracted by the music floating out an open window.

We coasted along quiet paths that felt miles away from any city traffic—at one point, someone’s dog barked at our little parade of bikes and I nearly laughed myself off the saddle. There was a break at a brewery tucked into what used to be an industrial site; it felt like everyone knew each other there except us, but nobody minded. My hands were sticky from the glass (Belgian beer is no joke), and when Pieter explained how Charles V was born here in Ghent, someone asked if he ever rode a bike—he just grinned.

The last stretch took us to Portus Ganda Marina where the Leie and Scheldt rivers meet—it’s quieter than you’d think for such an important spot. We circled back past St. Bavo's Cathedral with its heavy doors and cool shadows inside; even though we didn’t linger long, something about that space stuck with me. The air tasted different after all that riding—maybe just relief or maybe something else I can’t quite name.

What’s included

Your day includes use of a well-maintained bicycle and helmet for each rider; there are also infant seats if you need them.
The route starts centrally at St.
Peter's Abbey so it's easy to reach by public transport—and your local guide will keep things relaxed while leading you through parks, historic streets, cathedral squares and even pausing for a brewery break before looping back toward town.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by CityCycling.Gent