Gent is Belgium's third largest city, with around 270,000 residents in East Flanders, yet Ghent University, founded in 1816, and its roughly 66,000 students at the university and its affiliated university colleges give the place its rhythm. The historic core survived largely intact, a mostly car free maze of canals, guild houses and cobbled squares, small enough that lectures, cafes and your room usually sit within cycling distance of each other. Add nearly 400 kilometres of cycle paths across the city and you get a place built around student life rather than tourism.
- Expect a compact, walkable city built around Ghent University's roughly 66,000 students.
- Get used to cycling everywhere, Gent has almost 400 kilometres of bike paths.
- Explore the mostly car free historic centre of canals and medieval guild houses.
