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Shoehorned into a 17th-century former nunnery-hospital complex, this fabulous, architecturally striking, ultra-modern museum does a very thorough job of explaining Ghent's evolution from prehistoric times to the present. A giant satellite image vividly illustrates the vast extent of the docks; you could spend hours clicking between interactive map views of Ghent in different eras. City treaties and treasures are interspersed with choose-your-own film clips and a chance to peer into the future. Begin your city visit here.

Audioguides (highly recommended) cost €3.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Officials unveil the restored exterior panels of "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb", an altar piece painted by the Van Eyck brothers in 1432, at Saint Bavo Cathedral in Ghent on October 12, 2016. .The restoration of the exterior panels and frames started in 2012, and constitutes the first phase of restauration which will be followed by two other phases for the interior panels and is set to last until 2020. / AFP / EMMANUEL DUNAND (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)

    The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb

    0.76 MILES

    Art enthusiasts swarm the Sint-Baafskathedraal to glimpse The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (De Aanbidding van het Lams God), a lavish representation of…

  • Hôpital Notre-Dame à la Rose

    Hôpital Notre-Dame à la Rose

    23.41 MILES

    Founded in 1242, this is Belgium’s only medieval convent-farm-hospital complex to have survived reasonably intact. Laboriously restored, it demonstrates…

  • Markt

    Markt

    24.3 MILES

    The heart of ancient Bruges, the old market square is lined with pavement cafes beneath step-gabled facades. The buildings aren't always quite as medieval…

  • Woman viewing paintings (Hugo Van der Goes - St Hippolyte's Triptich) at Groeningemuseum.

    Groeningemuseum

    24.11 MILES

    Bruges’ most celebrated art gallery boasts an astonishingly rich collection that's strong in superb Flemish Primitive and Renaissance works, depicting the…

  • Hospital of Saint John in the winter morning in Bruges, Belgium.; Shutterstock ID 384804181; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: Digital Content/Sights

    Museum Sint-Janshospitaal

    24.16 MILES

    In the restored chapel of a 12th-century hospital building with superb timber beamwork, this museum shows various torturous-looking medical implements,…

  • Belgium, Ghent

    Gravensteen

    0.93 MILES

    Flanders’ quintessential 12th-century stone castle comes complete with moat, turrets and arrow slits. It’s all the more remarkable considering that during…

  • Verbeke Foundation

    Verbeke Foundation

    19.43 MILES

    Occupying a 12-hectare former industrial site, this is one of Europe's largest private contemporary-art initiatives. The indoor-outdoor interactive…

  • Planetuin Meise

    Planetuin Meise

    28.12 MILES

    Belgium’s 93-hectare national botanic garden is located in the village of Meise, 12km north of Brussels. Home to 18,000 plant species, it’s based around…

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Nearby Ghent attractions

1. De Wereld van Kina: het Huis

0.43 MILES

This mishmash of a natural history museum is aimed primarily at school kids. Meet Pterygotus (a man-sized prehistoric lobster), walk through a human body…

2. St-Pietersabdij

0.44 MILES

Once the country’s biggest abbey, St-Pieters was the original centre around which Ghent grew. Its fabulous wealth evaporated after French revolutionary…

3. S.M.A.K.

0.44 MILES

Ghent’s highly regarded Museum of Contemporary Art is one of Belgium's largest. Works from its 3000-strong permanent collection (dating from 1939 to the…

4. MSK

0.48 MILES

Styled like a Greek temple, this superb 1903 fine-art gallery introduces a veritable A–Z of great Belgian and other Low Countries' painters from the 14th…

5. Universiteit Gent Botanical Garden

0.56 MILES

Home to more than 10,000 species, the pièce de résistance of Ghent's 2.75-hectare botanic gardens is its glasshouses, which contain an impressive…

6. Statue of Van Eyck Brothers

0.74 MILES

This statue of the creators of Ghent's world-renowned Adoration of the Mystic Lamb was unveiled here for the 1913 World Expo.

7. Geeraard de Duivelsteen

0.75 MILES

This 13th-century Gothic castle has had many incarnations; it's been used as a monastery, a school, a seminary, a prison and an asylum. It also housed a…

8. Sint-Baafskathedraal

0.76 MILES

This cathedral's towering interior has some fine stained glass and an unusual combination of brick vaulting with stone tracery. A €0.20 leaflet guides you…