Gent hospitality

KAA Gent (Koninklijke Atletiek Associatie Gent) are East Flanders' biggest football club and one of Belgian football's great modern over-achievers. Founded in 1864 as an athletics club and reorganised for football in 1900, Gent spent most of their history in the shadows of Bruges, Anderlecht and Standard Liege before a remarkable rise under coaches Hein Vanhaezebrouck and Yves Vanderhaeghe. The crowning moment came in 2014-15 when Gent won their first and so far only Belgian championship, qualifying for the Champions League where they reached the round of 16 before losing to Wolfsburg. The club has remained competitive in Europe ever since, with regular Europa League and Conference League appearances, and operates with one of the smartest recruitment and youth-development models in Belgian football. Notable graduates and signings include Jonathan David (sold to Lille for a Belgian record fee), Hugo Cuypers, Roman Bezus and Sven Kums. The Ghelamco Arena, opened in 2013, replaced the old Jules Ottenstadion and gave Gent a genuinely modern home. The rivalry with Club Brugge, the Slag om Vlaanderen (Battle of Flanders), is the biggest fixture; the smaller East Flanders derbies against Cercle and Lokeren generate regional heat. For visiting fans Gent offers a rare combination: a properly competitive top-six Belgian side, a modern stadium, and what many consider Belgium's most beautiful and least touristed medieval city.

The Ghelamco Arena opened in July 2013 on the southern edge of Ghent, replacing the much-loved but cramped Jules Ottenstadion. Capacity is 20,000, all-seater, four tight stands close to the pitch and no running track. The exterior is striking: a wave-form roof structure clad in panels that catch the East Flanders light. The Tribune 2 stand houses the Buffalos ultras, the home supporters' singing section, who keep up constant noise throughout matches. Sightlines are excellent throughout and the closed design traps sound effectively on European nights. Concourses are wide and the catering offer is well above typical Belgian league standards, with multiple beer options including local Ghent breweries. Away fans get a segregated corner section in Tribune 4 with their own entry. The stadium sits in a commercial and exhibition district near the E40 motorway, around 20 minutes by tram from the historic centre. On Champions League nights and against Club Brugge the place genuinely rocks; the comparatively modern design ages well.

Ghent is the medieval city that Bruges should have been: a working university city of 260,000 that wears its 12th-century heritage with confidence and zero of Bruges' tourist-trap feel. The Graslei and Korenlei quays along the Leie river are arguably more atmospheric than anything in Bruges, the Saint Bavo Cathedral houses Van Eyck's legendary Ghent Altarpiece (the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb), and Gravensteen castle looms in the centre with all the medieval menace you could want. The student population keeps the bars and music venues lively, particularly around Vrijdagmarkt and the Patershol district. Eat waterzooi (Ghent's signature chicken-and-cream stew) at one of the riverside restaurants; drink at Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant on the canal or Dulle Griet (where they keep your shoe as collateral for the Max beer); and walk the Graslei after sunset for one of Europe's great urban views. Brussels is 30 minutes by direct train, Bruges 25 minutes, and the Belgian coast under an hour away.

Gent Sint-Pieters station is the main hub with direct trains from Brussels Midi (30 minutes), Antwerp (50 minutes) and Eurostar connections to London via Brussels in around three hours and 30 minutes total. For the Ghelamco Arena, take tram 1 from Sint-Pieters station toward Flanders Expo and alight at Ghelamco Arena stop, around 15 minutes. The walk from the historic centre takes 45 minutes and is best skipped in favour of public transport. Stay in the historic centre around Graslei or Patershol; the cobbled streets are pure medieval atmosphere and you can walk to most key sights. For Slag om Vlaanderen fixtures against Club Brugge expect heavy police presence. Belgian beer prices are extremely reasonable; sample Gentse Strop and Augustijn as local options. Cycling is excellent in Ghent with extensive bike lanes; rental is available at multiple central locations.