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Arrival, information and accommodation
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Of Ghent's two
train stations
, the most useful is
St Pieters
, 2km south of the centre and connected by
trams
#1, #10, #11, #12 and #13. The
tourist office
is in the crypt of the old belfry, the Belfort, right in the centre on the Botermarkt (daily: April-Oct 9.30am-6.30pm; Nov-March 9.30am-4.30pm; tel 09266 5232,
www.gent.be
). The best way of seeing the sights is on foot, but Ghent is a large city and you may find you have to use a
tram
or
bus
at some point. Standard single fares cost a?¬1, a ten-journey
Rittenkaart
a?¬7.40 and a day pass a?¬2.90. Single tickets can be bought direct from the driver; passes are sold at shops and kiosks all over town. For
Internet access
, try Internet CafA©, Sportcentrum Stadium Coupure, Coupure Links 625 (tel 09266 1893) or The Globetrotter, Kortrijksepoortstraat 180 (tel 09269 0860, a?¬3.70/hr).
The plush, modern
De Draecke
A
HI hostel
is a few minutes' walk from the castle at Sint-Widostraat 11, just off Braderijstraat (tel 09233 7050,
youthhostel.gent@skynet.be
; A?5-10/$8-16/a?¬9-18). Between mid-July and the end of September,
student rooms
are let for a?¬15 per person including breakfast; ask at the tourist office for further details. Among several reasonably priced, central
hotels
there's
Ibis Gent Centrum Kathedraal,
Limburgstraat 2 (tel 09233 0000,
www.hotelibis.be
; A?20-25/$32-40/a?¬36-45), a handily situated hotel with comfortable modern rooms opposite the cathedral;
Ibis Gent Centrum Opera
, Nederkouter 24-26 (tel 09225 0707,
www.hotelibis.com
; A?20-25/$32-40/a?¬36-45), a spick-and-span, five-storey block five minutes' walk south of the Korenmarkt; and
Erasmus
, Poel 25 (tel 09224 2195,
www.bbb.proximedia.com
; A?20-25/$32-40/a?¬36-45), a charming, family-run hotel located in an old and commodious town house just off the Korenlei. The best
campsite
is
Camping Blaarmeersen
at Zuiderlaan 12, west of the centre (March to mid-Oct; tel 09221 5399,
camping.blaarmeersen@gent.be
) - take bus #38 from Korenmarkt. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Belgium,
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