Evening Tour of the Dark Side of Gent

Explore Ghent’s dark side on an evening tour. Uncover myths, legends, and hidden gems with a passionate local guide. Book now for an unforgettable experience.

Duration: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • St Michael’s Bridge - We start here with an introduction to the history of Ghent and the role the city played as a trading hub in medieval times. We also introduce you to the 3 towers of the Ghent skyline, which are best visible from this spot.

  • St. Bavo’s Cathedral (Sint-Baafskathedraal) - We’ll tell you the gruesome story of why the beautiful cathedral is also known as the ‘Devil’s Tower’.

  • Graslei and Korenlei - We take you to the heart of the bustling medieval harbour of Ghent, back when the city was an economic powerhouse in Europe, to tell you about the lucrative trading activities.

  • Appelbrugparkje - On this bridge overlooking the giant Butchers’ Hall, we tell you the legend about the execution of a father and son and the miraculous event that saved them.

  • Gravensteen - Built by Count Baldwin in the 9th century to protect the inhabitants from the Viking raids, it was around this impressive fortification that the city started to develop. Our guide will share its fascinating history with you.

  • Prinsenhof - Next, we take you to what once was a gigantic palace called the Prince’s Court. Today we need some imagination to envision it, but our guide will bring its history to life!

  • Rabot Sluice - Here, we will show you the only remaining tower of the 14 km long defence wall that was built around Ghent in the Middle Ages.

  • Keizer Karel V - We take you to the Bridge of Imperial Delights, which is flanked by 4 sculptures which depict legendary scenes of the life of Charles V. Our guide will explain you some of them.

  • Augustijnenklooster Gent - On this stop, we’ll tell you about the troublesome history of the Religious Wars and the effect the Calvinist rule has had on the history of the city.

  • Patershol - To finish the tour, we take you to the picturesque medieval quarter of the Patershol or ‘Monk’s hole’ to tell you about the social impact of the Industrial Revolution and the role it played in the revival of the city’s economy!

What's Included
  • All fees and/or taxes
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Join our evening tour of Ghent and uncover the intriguing history, myths, and legends of our city with a knowledgeable and enthusiastic local guide.

We’ll take you off the usual path to reveal some highlights and hidden treasures of our beautiful city. After 1.5 hours, we’ll conclude the tour in the medieval quarter of Ghent, very close to the city center, leaving you with a deeper appreciation of Ghent and perhaps some new friends!

If you cannot attend the tour for any reason, please let us know so we can offer your spot to other visitors. Thank you and enjoy the tour!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Our guides are volunteers who provide tours for tips, so please bring cash to tip the guide. The charged fee only covers the cost of booking through this platform.

Location
Saint Michael's Bridge
Sint-Michielshelling
We meet in front of Hostel Uppelink, Sint-Michielsplein 21. Look for the RED umbrella! IMPORTANT NOTE: Our guides are volunteers who offer tours for tips. The fee only covers the cost of booking via this platform.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(271 Ratings)
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792tusharr
Jul 17, 2024
Kenny the great guide! - Kenny was amazingggggg! He is a great storyteller, kept us all engaged. He also has nice wit and humor which really helps.
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Ayman
Jul 14, 2024
Recommend tour - Kenny was a great tour guide. He kept us all very entertained for all 2 hours and was incredibly kind. My daughter currently has a broken ankle and he was very patient with her as well as all of us taking pictures. 100% recommend.
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Carolinau100
Jul 11, 2024
Excellent - Excellent and stories of incredible and strong legends. Very interesting to know part of the history of the time and live for a few moments what they lived at that time
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D7793rpallisonb
Jul 8, 2024
Dark side of Ghent Evening Tour - Great tour...5* Guide, Kenny was both entertaining and knowledgeable. Great to hear historical stories whilst walking through the alleys and streets which are outwith the usual tourist areas. Our 18 year old proclaimed it the 'best tour she'd ever been on' and thought Kenny was a great guide!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wendy
Jul 7, 2024
Fantastic Ghent Night Tour - The tour was awesome. Our guide Kenny was fantastic and very entertaining! It was a great balance of history and the dark side of Ghent. I’ll definitely recommend it to others.
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Yvonnemy6853ri
Jul 6, 2024
10/10 - Valentina, has been the best guide I have had by far (and that I have done many tours). She is clear, funny, attentive and knowledgeable. I recommend it.
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Daydream54172042035
Jul 6, 2024
Ghent Night Walk With Isabell - Myself and my wife did the Ghent Night Walk on the 26th June with Isabell, and I have to say it was by far the best walking tour we have ever done. She was so polite, charming, bubbly, Knowledgeable, funny and full of enthusiasm which made the tour go so quickly. Our most unexpected surprise was Isabell told us she had only started the tours a short time ago, she came across with manner of professionalism, that we thought she had been doing these tours for years. At the end of the tour when the tips were been handed out we wanted to give more than what we were originally going to give, but we had no more money on us, (sorry Isabell) so we felt a bit bad. If you do a walking tour with Isabell you will be in for a 2hr treat.
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Andrewws4198ib
Jul 4, 2024
Great Ghent night time tour - Kenny the tour guide was very entertaining and knowledgeable about the history of the city and brought the dark side of Ghents history to life.
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Joshjn9244ce
Jul 2, 2024
Great guide, great experience - The tour was awesome! Kenny was an incredible guide. Had great energy and a warm personality. We learned a lot about the city and will definitely be taking more tours with this group
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Rowanj719
Jul 1, 2024
Great tour - Great tour around the centre of Ghent and some new places we hadn’t seen. Lots of history and our guide Isabel made it lots of fun telling us some Ghent legends. Would definitely recommend.
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