The Brooklyn
of Ghent is
Kunstenkwartier.

See the 23 venues →Where to stay
The case for Kunstenkwartier

Kunstenkwartier wraps around Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat like a long, slow exhale south of the city center. Record shops, natural wine bars, and a contemporary art museum all within a ten-minute walk. Students set the pace during the week. On weekends, the crowd skews older, better dressed, parked at sidewalk tables splitting bottles of pet-nat well into the afternoon. The whole strip feels like it was designed for lingering.

SMAK holds a collection of 3,500 works - Belgium's most significant contemporary art holdings - anchoring a neighborhood where two major museums sit less than 500 meters apart.
Close contenders

Other cool neighborhoods in Ghent.

Patershol

Patershol is a medieval knot of cobblestone alleys crammed with small restaurants. Feels like a film set, but the food is real. Best on a weeknight.

Prinsenhof

Prinsenhof is old-money Ghent. Quiet streets, grand facades, and a slower rhythm. Good for a morning walk when the light hits the canal houses just right.

DOK-Noord

DOK-Noord is a post-industrial stretch along the docks being reclaimed by coffee roasters and creative studios. Still rough around the edges. That's the point.

Three sides of the neighborhood

Where to go in Kunstenkwartier.

01
Stay

JAM and Yalo put you right in the arts quarter near Citadelpark, which means SMAK and the Museum voor Schone Kunsten are a short walk in any direction.
02
Eat & Drink

Bar Bougie pours serious natural wine in a candlelit room on Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat, VIERNULVIER runs cheap Vedett beside experimental theatre, and Thursday nights the whole strip comes alive before students clear out by Friday.
03
Do & Shop

Two major museums sit less than 500 metres apart in Citadelpark - Flemish masters at MSK, provocative contemporary work at SMAK.
All 23 spots mapped out

Kunstenkwartier, corner to corner.

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Our 23 top picks

The Kunstenkwartier guide.

Practical info

Good to know.

The boring numbers that decide whether you stay three days or four.

CurrencyEUR
LanguageDutch
Cost level $$Moderate
Best monthsMay, June, and September
Local time UTC+2
Plug type EU plug · 230V/50Hz
Emergency112
Local tip
Thursday nights on Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat are when the whole strip comes alive. Students disappear by Friday, so that's your window.
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Common questions

Things to know about Kunstenkwartier.

What is the Brooklyn of Ghent?
The Brooklyn of Ghent is Kunstenkwartier. Kunstenkwartier wraps around Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat like a long, slow exhale south of the city center. SMAK holds a collection of 3,500 works - Belgium's most significant contemporary art holdings - anchoring a neighborhood where two major museums sit less than 500 meters apart.
What is the coolest neighborhood in Ghent?
Kunstenkwartier is widely considered the coolest neighborhood in Ghent. Kunstenkwartier wraps around Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat like a long, slow exhale south of the city center. Record shops, natural wine bars, and a contemporary art museum all within a ten-minute walk. Students set the pace during the week. On weekends, the crowd skews older, better dressed, parked at sidewalk tables splitting bottles of pet-nat well into the afternoon. The whole strip feels like it was designed for lingering.
What is the hippest neighborhood in Ghent?
Kunstenkwartier is the hippest neighborhood in Ghent. Record shops, natural wine bars, and a contemporary art museum sit within a ten-minute walk of each other along Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat, where students set the weekday tempo.
What is the trendiest neighborhood in Ghent?
Kunstenkwartier is Ghent's trendiest neighborhood right now. On weekends the crowd skews older and better dressed, splitting bottles of pet-nat at sidewalk tables well into the afternoon, a sign the strip has graduated past student-only status.
Where do creatives live in Ghent?
Creatives in Ghent gravitate to Kunstenkwartier, the strip south of the city center along Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat. Students set the weekday pace and keep the area walkable and cheap to linger in. Two major museums sit close together here, anchoring the work that happens around record shops and natural wine bars.
What is the most bohemian neighborhood in Ghent?
Kunstenkwartier is Ghent's most bohemian neighborhood. The whole strip feels built for lingering - sidewalk tables, bottles of pet-nat split into the afternoon, a crowd that skews older and better dressed on weekends. Record shops, natural wine bars, and Belgium's most significant contemporary art holdings, all within a ten-minute walk.
Where should I stay in Kunstenkwartier, Ghent?
The best boutique hotels in Kunstenkwartier include Yalo Hotel, JAM Ghent, and B&B Expo 13. A 4-star boutique on Brabantdam with 92 rooms split between 'Uptown' and 'Downtown' vibes, each with parquet floors, vinyl record players, and Grown Alchemist products.
Is Kunstenkwartier in Ghent safe at night?
Kunstenkwartier is a lived-in creative neighborhood, not a tourist compound. Bars and restaurants here stay busy late, which keeps streets active. Use normal city awareness.
Is Ghent expensive?
Ghent rates $$ on a global travel scale. Affordable, with good value for food and drink.
When is the best time to visit Ghent?
May, June, and September are your windows, with temperatures around 18-22°C, midsummer daylight past 21:00, and lighter rain than autumn brings. July's Gentse Feesten fills the streets with music for ten days - fun but intense if you want quiet canal walks. Avoid November through February, when it's grey, wet, and dark by 17:00 with terraces shut.

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