Ghent / The verdict
Is the Ghent Belfry worth it?
Yes: for 13 EUR you get the best single viewpoint in a city defined by towers, plus a working carillon, the famous dragon and the city charters along the way. The advertised lift handles most of the height but not all of it, so expect about 350 steps of effort around a very narrow spiral, which is the one real caveat.
By The Real Traveler Experiences team.
The Ghent story
Ghent has Bruges-scale medieval drama with a real city living inside it: students on the Graslei and Korenlei quays, the Gravensteen castle on the high street, the Belfry overhead, and Van Eyck's Adoration of the Mystic Lamb in St Bavo's cathedral. It is the Flanders pick for people who want beauty without the theme-park feel, plus canal boats and food and beer at student-friendly prices.
The verdict in 30 seconds
Go
Yes: for 13 EUR you get the best single viewpoint in a city defined by towers, plus a working carillon, the famous dragon and the city charters along the way. The advertised lift handles most of the height but not all of it, so expect about 350 steps of effort around a very narrow spiral, which is the one real caveat.
Go if
- You want the definitive panorama over Ghent's three towers
- You like a sight that takes under an hour and sits in the center of everything
- A few flights of narrow stairs are manageable for you
Skip if
- You cannot handle stairs at all; the lift neither starts at ground level nor reaches the top walkway
- Tight spiral staircases bother you
- You already climbed St Bavo's or plan the tall-town alternatives in the same hour
What it costs
- Adult ticket: €13 (includes use of the elevator where it serves the route; CityCard holders walk straight in). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Group rate, 15 or more people, or teachers: €11. Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Reduced rate: Ghent residents, UiTpas holders: €9. Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Students aged 19 to 25: €6.50. Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Children aged 13 to 18: €2.60 (under 13 free). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
What travelers report
Based on 14 traveler reports (Jan 2025 to Jul 2026) and the official sources linked on this page. 0 were negative.
What people like
- The top walkway gives the signature view of three towers at once, with Gravensteen in the frame.
- The dragon weathervane, working carillon and the sealed city charters give the climb real content rather than just height.
- The whole visit fits inside an hour in the middle of the center, so it slots between cathedral and castle easily.
- Hearing the bells play from beside the mechanism is a detail travelers keep bringing up.
What people complain about
- The elevator starts a floor up and stops short of the parapet, so stairs are unavoidable.
- The spiral stairs are narrow and single-file, slow going when the tower is busy.
- The outdoor walkway is cramped, so front-and-center photo spots take patience.
- Foggy or grey days flatten the payoff, and there is little point paying for the view in bad weather.
How to do it right
- Enter through the Cloth Hall on Sint-Baafsplein and buy at the desk or online; capacity is capped.
- Take the short film or displays on the lower floors about the dragon, the bells and the charters before heading up.
- Use the elevator from the first floor, then finish the last stretch and the descent on the spiral stairs.
- Walk the narrow outdoor parapet slowly for the 360-degree view over the three towers and Gravensteen.
- Time the top floor for the hour, when the carillon plays above you.
The trap to avoid
Counting on the elevator to do the climb for you. It starts one floor up, so you still climb to reach it, and the final stretch to the top walkway plus the whole way back down is a narrow one-way spiral of about 350 steps. Limited-mobility visitors can still see the middle galleries, just not the parapet.
What to do instead
Why this verdict
The Belfry does the job a tower is supposed to do: it is the highest useful view in the center of a city built around towers, and the climb up through it is loaded with Ghent-specific content rather than empty floors. The dragon weathervane, the carillon and the locked chamber of the medieval charters turn the ascent into a tour, which is why even budget-watchers rate the 13 EUR reasonable. The lift promise deserves scrutiny, since it is the brief’s headline: the elevator does not start at ground level and does not reach the outer parapet, so anyone picturing a wheelchair-to-the-top experience will be disappointed. In practice it removes most of the 350 steps, leaving the first flight and the final spiral to the walkway. Reports also converge on two practical notes: the spiral is narrow and one-way, so peak hours mean meeting people mid-flight, and the view is the whole point, so a grey day wastes the ticket. Taken together it is the classic Ghent sight to do first on a clear morning, both for orientation and for the best photograph of the three towers you can get at ground-plus-91-meters, and it costs little enough that nobody feels the sting on a short stay.
Timing and tickets
The tower opens at 10:00 daily and the last box-office tickets sell at 17:00. Arrive in the first hour for an empty walkway; capacity is limited and afternoon queues form in season. Position yourself on the top floor near the hour, when the carillon plays above you.
Book or check times
Tickets, tariffs and opening timesCity tourism page for the Belfry
Questions
How much is the Belfry?
13 EUR for adults, 11 EUR for groups of 15 or more and teachers, 9 EUR for Ghent residents, 6.50 EUR for students aged 19 to 25, and 2.60 EUR for ages 13 to 18; under-13s and CityCard holders enter free.
Does the lift go to the top?
No. The elevator starts from the first floor and serves the main galleries, but the final stretch to the outdoor walkway, and the descent, are stairs only. Count on about 350 steps in total.
How long does the visit take?
Thirty to sixty minutes for most people, depending on how long you linger on the parapet and watch the bell exhibits.
Is the view better than the other towers?
Travelers rate it the best aerial view in the city, since it frames both rival towers, the cathedral and the castle in one sweep.
Is it UNESCO-listed?
Yes, as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France listing since 1999; the 91-meter tower has guarded the city since the 14th century.
Do I need to book?
Online booking is available and sensible for peak afternoons, though capacity is usually fine outside summer weekends. The last box-office tickets sell at 17:00 for an 18:00 close.