Sustainable Tips for your Trip to Ghent

To make it extra easy for you, the city has established a digital platform where you can find all of the city's sustainable initiatives. Using the "my trip" function, you can easily create a customized eco-friendly city trip. We did some research and are sharing our favorite sustainable destinations and activities for a visit to the artistic city of Ghent.

Why is Ghent Such a Sustainable Destination?

What makes Ghent a perfect destination for a sustainable city trip? Not just the eco-friendly alternatives for what you want to experience during your city trip, but also the city's sustainable initiatives. The Ghent city government is committed not only to sustainable tourism but to a sustainable way of life for everyone in the city. Did you know, for example, that Ghent...

• Is atmospherically lit with energy-efficient lighting after sunset thanks to the Ghent Lighting Plan?
• Has had a car-free city center since 2017?
• Has been known as the veggie capital since 2009?
• Even has sustainable parties thanks to the strict waste requirements set by the government?

^{Photo: Ghent Light Plan Gravensteen / City of Ghent - Tourism Service}

Sustainable Shopping

In the mood for some guilt-free shopping? Visit the sustainable shops in Ghent. Don't buy clothes from large international fashion chains; instead, give vintage clothing from one of the second-hand clothing stores a second chance. The organization Think Twice has three such stores in Ghent, with the one on Brabantdam being the largest in Belgium. Vintage design can be found in the old flax factory, where in Depot 09 twenty specialized traders from home and abroad offer their unique finds.

^{Photo: Depot 09}

Vinyl enthusiasts can explore the stores Vynilla and Vinylkitchen in search of works by their musical heroes. More of a bookworm? Then the book café Le Bal Infernal is the perfect place for you to retreat for an afternoon. If you're already shopping sustainably, be sure to visit the zero waste shops of Ohne. Here, you'll find local and organic products that are also packaging-free. You can also purchase fair-trade skincare products and cleaning supplies here.

^{Photo: Ohne / City of Ghent - Tourism Service} 

Sustainable Partying

In the mood for a party? The environment doesn't have to suffer. At Ghent's sustainable parties, plastic disposable cups are banned, but reusable cups are handed out for free. Come enjoy culinary delights from the 26th to the 29th of May at the free culinary event Gent Smaakt and treat your taste buds during the cultural Ghent Festival (July 15th to 24th) at the many vegetarian and vegan food stands.

^{Photo: Gentse Feesten / City of Ghent - Tourism Service}

For 100% vegan enjoyment, visit the Vegan Summer Fest on August 21st. At this largest vegan festival in Belgium, you can not only enjoy delicious food from vegan food trucks, but also purchase vegan clothing, shoes, and cosmetics.

Sustainable Eating and Drinking

Does sustainable eating and drinking seem complicated and less tasty? Not in Ghent! The city's government and local businesses are working hard to make sustainable gastronomy the new normal. Thanks to the food strategy Gent en Garde, which minimizes the CO2 impact of the food system, the city even won the sustainable Eurocities award 2021.

One of the projects that falls under this initiative is Restorestje, which allows you to take leftovers home from restaurants in an eco-friendly box. Two Ghent-based entrepreneurs successfully introduced the reusable cup Billie Cup, which you can have filled at more and more (coffee) bars and other hospitality establishments in the city. Need a healthy piece of fruit with your coffee? Head to one of the fruit-picking spots.

^{Photo: Billie Cup / City of Ghent - Tourism Service}

^{Photo: Fruit-picking spots / Jolijn Degrande}

Fine Sustainable Restaurants

These four sustainable dining establishments in the city prove that sustainable eating doesn't have to be any less delicious:

• Epiphany’s Kitchen: the trendy vegan restaurant Epiphany, which received the award for Best Vegan Dinner Place 2021 at the Belgian Vegan Awards.
• Madam Bakster: the place to indulge healthily with pastries and a warm drink.
• De Frietketel: a Belgian fries joint serving award-winning vegan snacks and homemade sauces.
• Madonna: a luxury restaurant where plant-based ingredients are transformed into true culinary masterpieces on your plate.

^{Photo: Epiphany's Kitchen}

^{Photo: Madame Bakster / City of Ghent - Tourism Service}

Sustainable Traveling from Highlight to Highlight

Walking from highlight to highlight is certainly sustainable, but can be tiring and slow. Prefer to discover the city at a faster pace? Rent a bike or an electric Vespa and zip past all the sights on your wishlist. Want to explore Ghent from a different perspective? Travel by water. That's also sustainable, thanks to the electric hop-on-hop-off water tram. If you prefer to choose your own route and speed, rent a canoe or kayak. Combine boating with a good deed and go trash fishing via Dokano. The first to book gets free canoe rental.

Tip: get more inspiration here for sustainable activities in Ghent.

^{Photo: Electric water tram / City of Ghent - Tourism Service}

Sustainable Accommodations

Sustainable hotels actively strive to minimize the ecological footprint of your stay. Thanks to their efforts to be energy neutral, promote sustainable transportation, and offer as many organic and vegetarian dishes on the menu as possible, your stay in such a hotel may be even more sustainable than a night at home. In Ghent, you have many options for sustainable hotels certified with labels such as Green Key and Green Globe.

The Green Key sustainability label is awarded to tourist organizations that responsibly manage people and nature. Enjoy eco-friendly luxury, for example, at the Van der Valk Hotel Ghent, or stay in a historic green building at B&B Villa Emma. The Green Globe label, with 385 sustainability criteria and annual checks, is even stricter than the Green Key. There are only two hotels in Belgium that bear this label, one of which is in Ghent. The Yalo Urban Boutique Hotel is located in the heart of Ghent and boasts a stylish interior and a tropical rooftop bar with views over the city.

^{Photo: Van der Valk Hotel / VanderValkGent}

^{Photo: Yalo Urban Boutique Hotel / Alexandre Van Battle}

This article was written in collaboration with Visit Ghent. Want to take a sustainable city trip close to home? Visit the website for more travel inspiration for a weekend in Ghent.