Ghent Christmas Market

The Ghent Christmas market takes over the city’s historic heart from the first days of December, from Sint-Baafsplein to Korenmarkt, by way of Botermarkt and Klein Turkije. More than 150 wooden chalets fill the squares around St Bavo’s Cathedral, and the Graslei quays are hung with garlands reflected in the Lys, the river that runs through the city. The atmosphere is Flemish down to the details: mulled wine served in a stoneware mug, hot waffles, the scent of pine resin on the cobbles.

A historic centre transformed for winter

The market follows the medieval squares of the centre: Sint-Baafsplein in front of the cathedral, Emile Braunplein, Goudenleeuwplein, Poeljemarkt, then Botermarkt and Klein Turkije up to Korenmarkt. Each square keeps its own identity, with chalets selling decorations and trees, food stalls and small street-music stages. Sint-Veerleplein, set back towards the Castle of the Counts, hosts a vintage carousel dating from 1926 and a fairground tent with a family bar, a nod to pre-war funfairs rather than modern big wheels.

After dark, the gabled façades of the Graslei and the Korenlei light up, and the boats moored on the Lys throw the market lights back across the water. The Patershol district, a few streets away, keeps its restaurants and traditional taverns open late, so you can stretch the evening away from the chalets. Ghent is a university city all year round: students and their Trappist beer bars give the market a different rhythm from a city geared purely to tourism.

In summer, the same squares host the Gentse Feesten, ten days of funfair and free concerts that make Ghent one of the great popular festivals in Flanders. Winter turns the scene around: terraces give way to chalets, electronic music makes way for choirs and street brass bands, and the pace slows a notch without ever falling silent.

Ice rink, big wheel and attractions in the centre

A real ice rink stretches out under the Stadshal, the contemporary wooden hall that also shelters part of the covered market. Opposite the cathedral, a big wheel lets you see Ghent’s spires from above, including the belfry and St Nicholas’ Church. St Nicholas’ Church itself becomes an ice world over the holidays, where Santa welcomes children for a photo or a chat.

These attractions sometimes change from one edition to the next, depending on the operator chosen by the city. At the previous edition, prices ranged from €6 to €7 for a skating session with skates included, and €9 for an adult on the big wheel (€6 for a child under 12). For the 2026 edition, these prices are still to be confirmed on the official website as opening day approaches. The carousel on Sint-Veerleplein keeps a modest price, aimed at families.

The rink draws crowds in the late afternoon and evening, when teenagers and families come out of school or work. For a quieter session, a weekday morning is your best bet, or opening time at the weekend. Skates can be hired on site, in sizes for children and adults alike, and heated benches line the rink for those who would rather watch than glide.

Mulled wine and Flemish treats

The chalets mainly offer street food: Liège waffles, fries in a paper cone, Belgian cheeses and Trappist beers, speculoos and gingerbread. Mulled wine comes in a classic or fruit version, served in a deposit mug you can keep as a souvenir of your visit. Anyone with a sweet tooth will also find churros, roasted chestnuts and artisan chocolates at several stalls on Korenmarkt and Botermarkt.

Worth knowing: hot fruit jenever gives mulled wine a real run for its money at Ghent’s stalls, and a classic mulled wine recipe seems almost tame by comparison. The curious can also push open the door of the city-centre beer bars, where winter menus often add a hot version of kriek or an amber Trappist.

Several chalets showcase producers from East Flanders: honey, jams, farmhouse cheeses and charcuterie join the stalls selling trees and wooden decorations. The market is above all a place to wander and grab a bite standing up rather than sit down to a big meal: covered, heated tables do exist, but they are limited to the area around the Stadshal and a few chalet bars.

Ghent Christmas Market 2026: dates, hours and prices

The city of Ghent has confirmed the dates of the 2026 edition: from Thursday 3 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. It’s a calendar change announced by the city: from 2026, the Winterfeesten no longer stop on 31 December but run until the last Sunday of the Christmas school holidays, which makes the season slightly longer than in previous years.

Exact hours and attraction prices for this edition are still to be confirmed on gentsewinterfeesten.be. At the previous edition, the market opened around noon on weekdays and from 11am at weekends, until midnight or 1am depending on the day, with an early close on 24 December. Access to the chalets and squares is free; only the ice rink and the big wheel charge. As the city centre is a low emission zone, check that your vehicle is allowed in before driving up to the market.

Getting there from Paris and Lille: train and car

Ghent is easy to reach by train from France. From Paris, a Eurostar train reaches Brussels-Midi in about 1 hour 25 minutes, then an IC train takes you on to Gent-Sint-Pieters in about 35 minutes. From Lille, allow about 1 hour 15 minutes, via Kortrijk or Brussels depending on the day’s connections. By car, the city is about 1 hour from Lille or Dunkirk by motorway, with several car parks and P+R sites around the historic centre. The Flemish climate in December is damp and windy rather than freezing: a good waterproof jacket is more useful than a big down coat for walks along the quays.

Bruges, 25 minutes by train from Ghent, makes a good pairing for a two-day trip: the same Flemish markets in spirit, but a smaller city clustered around its medieval core, while Ghent keeps the pace of a university city that is busy all year. Many visitors think of Bruges first for Christmas in Flanders; Ghent plays a different tune: a student city, the Graslei and Korenlei quays lit up from late afternoon, and Van Eyck’s Mystic Lamb to admire at St Bavo’s between two sessions on the ice.

• The Bruges Christmas market makes a good add-on, barely 25 minutes away by train, to compare two historic Flemish centres.
• The Brussels Christmas market is less than an hour from Gent-Sint-Pieters, with the Grand-Place lit up for Winter Wonders.
• The Lille Christmas market is the closest on the French side, handy for comparing atmospheres from Hauts-de-France.
• The squares in the centre are cobbled but level, with no marked slopes between the chalets, which makes getting around easier in a wheelchair or with a pushchair.
• Booking your train ticket in advance, whether Eurostar or TER, is often cheaper than buying on the day.

Beyond the market, Ghent has an identity that reaches well past December. St Bavo’s Cathedral houses the Mystic Lamb by the Van Eyck brothers, a 15th-century polyptych on view all year, holiday season included. STAM tells the city’s story in a former abbey, Design Museum Gent shows furniture from the last three centuries, and Vooruit, a former workers’ hall where the Viernulvier arts centre puts on shows and contemporary music until late in the evening. Winter adds a layer of lights and mulled wine to a city that already lives at its own pace, between canals, student cafés and gabled façades.

For a weekend in Flanders, Ghent works as well for a first visit as for a return trip after Brussels or Bruges. The city has a good choice of places to stay in the lanes around the Graslei and Vrijdagmarkt, for one night or several. Many visitors combine a night in Ghent with a day in Bruges or Brussels, as the three cities are less than an hour by train from one another.