Hotels near Gravensteen

The Gravensteen (Castle of the Counts) is the only surviving medieval fortress in Flanders that still sits in the middle of a working city rather than out in the countryside. Built by Count Philip of Alsace in 1180 on the model of Crusader castles he had seen in the Levant, it has been used as a court, prison, weapons factory and cotton mill over 800 years, and was rescued from demolition in 1885 by a committee of Ghent citizens who saw the value of keeping a moated donjon in the middle of town.

Entry is EUR 13 and includes an audio guide voiced by the Belgian comedian Wouter Deprez that has become internet-famous - part serious history, part deliberately deadpan tour, and worth the ticket for the audio alone. The route takes you through the great hall, the count's private chapel, the medieval torture museum in the gatehouse (a working guillotine among the exhibits), and finally onto the crenellated roof for a full 360-degree view of Ghent's three medieval towers. Allow 90 minutes to 2 hours.

Pro Tip: Go weekday mornings before 11:00. On weekend afternoons the roof terrace becomes standing-room-only for the view. The narrow spiral stone staircase to the roof has no elevator and is unforgiving on knees; sensible shoes essential.