Saint Bavo’s Cathedral, Ghent

Saint Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent tickets: which one to buy

Saint Bavo's Cathedral stands on Sint-Baafsplein in the centre of Ghent, facing the belfry, and entry to the cathedral itself is free. The main reason most visitors come is the Ghent Altarpiece, the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by Jan and Hubert van Eyck, which is displayed in a dedicated visitor centre within the cathedral and requires a ticket; an augmented reality tour, using special glasses to show the history of the painting and the cathedral, is included.

Booking online in advance is recommended, especially at weekends and in summer. Walking tours of Ghent combine the cathedral with the belfry, the Graslei and Korenlei quays, Gravensteen castle and Saint Nicholas Church. Boat tours on the canals leave from the Graslei. Ghent is half an hour by train from Brussels and Bruges, and it makes an easy day trip. Visitors with a Ghent City Card have access to the altarpiece included, which pays off over two days.

Visiting Saint Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent: what to see

A chapel dedicated to Saint John the Baptist stood here in the tenth century, and the present Gothic church was built between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries; it became a cathedral in 1559 and was renamed after Saint Bavo. The tower, about eighty-nine metres tall, gives Ghent its famous skyline with the belfry and Saint Nicholas Church. The Ghent Altarpiece, completed in 1432, is one of the most important paintings in European art, a polyptych of twelve panels showing the Adoration of the Lamb in a paradise landscape, Adam and Eve, angels and donors, painted in oil with extraordinary detail;

it has been stolen and damaged several times, and one panel, the Just Judges, stolen in 1934, has never been found. The cathedral also holds a painting by Rubens of Saint Bavo entering the monastery, a baroque pulpit of oak and marble, and a Romanesque crypt with tombs and murals. The crypt holds the tombs of bishops, fragments of wall painting and an exhibition of treasures including reliquaries and vestments. The rococo pulpit, carved by Laurent Delvaux, shows the tree of life with figures of Time and Truth. The high altar is a baroque composition of marble with a statue of Saint Bavo ascending to heaven. The organ, built by Cavaille-Coll, is one of the largest in Belgium.

Saint Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent opening hours and the best time to go

The cathedral and the Mystic Lamb visitor centre are open daily with shorter hours on Sundays because of services. Mornings are the best time to visit the altarpiece without crowds, and timed tickets help to control numbers. Ghent is lively all year; the Gentse Feesten, a ten-day festival of music and theatre in July, fills the city. The Light Festival, held every few years in winter, illuminates buildings including the cathedral.

Christmas markets and an ice rink fill the squares in December. The belfry opposite can be climbed for a view of the cathedral tower. Allow about an hour for the cathedral and the altarpiece, and then walk to the Graslei along the river. Saint Nicholas Church, a short walk west, has free entry and a striking Scheldt Gothic interior.