Ghent rivals Bruges with medieval charm and fewer crowds. This guide reveals why honeymooning couples should explore its canals, cobblestone streets, and a dining scene that ranges from refined grilled seafood to intimate Indian spice, all at prices that won't exhaust your budget.
The Graslei appears before you're ready for it. Cross the Grasbrug on foot at seven in the morning and the guildhalls stand in the water like they've been waiting all night for someone to notice, their gabled facades doubled in a canal so still it holds them without a ripple. Ghent doesn't announce itself with the fanfare of Bruges. It just sits there, medieval and unbothered, letting you find it.
Key takeaways
- Midtown Grill Gent (4.2 stars, $$$) delivers fine-dining grill work under Chef Marcos Garcia Rodriguez, with dishes like kingfish tiradito and Josper-grilled Dierendonck tenderloin running roughly 80-120 EUR per person.
- Moti Mahal Indian Restaurant and Masala Accent both score above 9/10, priced at $$, meaning a full Indian dinner for two runs 25-40 EUR per person, a fraction of comparable Bruges fine dining.
- Ghent sits just 35 kilometers (30 minutes by train) from Brussels, making it easy to combine with a longer Belgian honeymoon itinerary.
- Visit in May, September, or early October for the clearest canal light and thinner cruise-tour crowds.
- Plan for 2-3 nights minimum. Ghent's medieval core, canal boat rides, and three-restaurant food scene reward lingering, not a day trip.
Arrival: First Light on the Graslei
Three bridges define how Ghent reveals itself: the Grasbrug, the Sint-Michielsbrug, and the smaller Vleeshuisbrug further along the Leie. Each one offers a different sightline down the water, a different arrangement of stepped rooflines and stone. Walk the Grasbrug at dawn and you get the Graslei's merchant houses lit gold on one side, the Korenlei's quieter facades shadowed on the other. There's no queue for the view. No megaphone tour guide narrating dates. Just water, stone, and the occasional cyclist crossing behind you, unbothered by the postcard they're pedaling through.
What makes Ghent feel different from Bruges within the first hour isn't the architecture; the two cities share a similar Flemish grammar of brick and canal. It's the absence of performance. Ghent isn't dressed for visitors. It's simply a university city of roughly 260,000 people going about a Tuesday, and you happen to be walking through the oldest part of it.
Bruges shows you its history. Ghent lets you live inside it for a morning before anyone else arrives.
Evening One: Fire and Precision at Midtown Grill Gent
Chef Marcos Garcia Rodriguez runs his kitchen like a man who understands that a honeymoon dinner needs both spectacle and restraint. At Midtown Grill Gent, the Josper grill does the heavy theatrical work, but the opening courses are where his precision shows. The kingfish tiradito arrives with charred avocado, red onion, and coriander, cut thin enough to taste the citrus before the fish. One guest called the monkfish "perfectly cooked" alongside a carpaccio that stole the table's attention; another simply wrote that they'd be back.
The room holds a 4.2-star rating and a $$$ price tier, and it earns both. Order the steak tartare with bone marrow and pan de cristal to start, then split the tomahawk, a 1.2-kilogram cut from Dierendonck in Belgium meant for two, served with four side dishes and two sauces so neither of you has to negotiate. Reviewers keep returning to the same word: views. The dining room's sightlines do genuine work here, turning a meal into something closer to a held breath. Book this for your first night, when the appetite for celebration is highest and the jet lag hasn't yet dulled your palate.
Morning Walk: Canals, Castle Ruins, and Coffee
From Sint-Baafskathedraal to Citadelpark is a walk of maybe 25 minutes if you don't stop, but you will stop, repeatedly, because Ghent's medieval core rewards distraction. Sit at the Graslei's edge with a coffee and watch the water taxis load passengers who look half-asleep and half-amazed. This is where couples do their quiet debrief of the night before, the tomahawk steak, the view, the parts of the conversation that got interrupted by good wine. The city's compactness means you can cover the essentials of the old town in a single unhurried morning, no map required past the first bridge.
Afternoon Exploration: Art, Atmosphere, and Local Life
The Museum of Fine Arts holds its collection in rooms small enough that you're never more than a few meters from your partner's shoulder, an intimacy larger museums rarely allow. Afterward, wander toward Graffiti Street, where the murals change monthly and nobody's asking for a photo fee. Patershol's narrow lanes hide vintage shops and Sunday markets worth getting lost in on purpose. Cruise ship groups tend to flood the center between eleven and two; aim for early morning or after five to have these same streets mostly to yourselves.
Evening Two: Spice and Welcome at Moti Mahal Indian Restaurant
The formality of the grill house gives way, on night two, to something warmer and louder in the best sense. Moti Mahal Indian Restaurant is a family-run kitchen where Chef Shikar's team greets returning guests by name. One couple ordered chicken tikka masala, butter chicken, and chicken biriani in the same sitting and called all three "very tasty and tender." The biryani in particular draws repeat praise, a Hyderabadi-style preparation with basmati rice and raita that's become the dish regulars order without opening the menu.
At a 9.2-star rating and $$ price point, this is the meal where you stop watching the clock. Start with the mixed vegetable starter platter, built for two, then order the lentil dal soup while you wait; it's the kind of dish that makes a rainy Ghent evening feel deliberate rather than endured. The pakoras arrive fragrant with cumin, the room hums with Flemish and English overlapping, and nobody rushes you toward dessert.
Evening Three: Refined Spice at Masala Accent
Two Indian restaurants with ratings above 9 coexisting in one small city sounds improbable until you eat at both and understand they're doing different things. Masala Accent plays a more composed register: samosa chaat garnished with sweet yogurt and chutney, vegetable pakoras fried to a shattering crisp, a dal soup finished with fresh coriander that tastes cleaner and brighter than its Moti Mahal cousin. The plating leans contemporary without losing the dish's origin.
At a 9-star rating and the same $$ tier, it's an accessible final splurge. Reviewers keep it simple: "excellent," "very nice food and service." Order the mix starter of chicken tikka, samosa, and seekh kebab to share, then split a biryani. It's a fitting echo of Ghent itself, tradition and modern polish sitting comfortably at the same table.
Romantic Dusk: The Canal Ring by Boat
Save the boat tour for your last evening. Departures near sunset run roughly an hour, gliding under low stone bridges as the guildhalls shift from gold to amber to a deep blue-black, lights flicking on window by window. There's a stillness to this ride that a daytime crossing can't replicate; the city empties of tour groups and fills instead with quiet.
Why Ghent Deserves Its Spot Alongside Bruges
Bruges gets the guidebook covers, but Ghent offers three restaurants spanning fine-dining grill and two distinct Indian kitchens, all rated above 9 where it counts, at prices that let you eat well for three nights without flinching. It's more walkable, less staged, and just 35 kilometers (30 minutes by train) from Brussels if you're building a longer itinerary. Give it 2-3 nights, not an afternoon detour.
Practical Logistics: How to Recreate This Experience
- Best months: May, September, early October for clear light and thinner crowds.
- Getting there: Fly into Brussels, then take a 30-minute train to Ghent-Sint-Pieters.
- Where to stay: The Graslei side puts you closer to the canal views; the Graffiti Street side keeps you near nightlife and museums.
- Booking lead time: Reserve Midtown Grill Gent at least a week ahead for weekend dinners; the Indian restaurants generally take walk-ins but book anyway for two.
- Daily budget for two: Roughly 150-200 EUR covers one fine-dining dinner, one Indian dinner, canal boat tickets, and museum entry.
- Rain plan: The Museum of Fine Arts and Patershol's covered market stalls work well when the sky turns grey.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a honeymoon dinner for two cost in Ghent?
Fine dining at Midtown Grill Gent ($$$) runs roughly 80-120 EUR per person for grilled meat or seafood courses. Moti Mahal Indian Restaurant and Masala Accent, both $$, cost about 25-40 EUR per person. Budget 150-200 EUR total for one night of each style across a stay.
Is Ghent worth visiting instead of just Bruges for a honeymoon?
Yes. Ghent offers equal medieval architecture with far fewer organized tour groups, plus a more diverse restaurant scene, including Midtown Grill Gent for grilled seafood and two Indian restaurants rated above 9. It suits 2-3 nights rather than a Bruges day trip.
What's the best time to visit Ghent as a couple?
May, September, and early October give the clearest canal-side light for photos, comfortable walking temperatures, and noticeably fewer cruise-tour crowds. Avoid July and August peak season and the December holiday rush around the Christmas markets.
How far is Ghent from Brussels, and can I combine them in a honeymoon?
Ghent sits 35 kilometers from Brussels, a 30-minute train ride. Many couples pair 2-3 nights in Ghent with 2-3 nights in Brussels for a week-long Belgian honeymoon built around medieval architecture and city dining.