Hotels near Werregarenstraat

Werregarenstraat (also known as Graffitistraatje) is a legal graffiti alley 130 metres long, wedged between Onderstraat and Hoogpoort in the middle of the historic centre. In 1995 the city struck an unusual deal with local street artists: anyone can paint over anything else at any time, no permits, no consequences. The result is a wall that changes completely every few weeks. Ghent's home-grown street artist ROA (whose massive black-and-white animal murals are on walls from New York to Buenos Aires) still occasionally leaves work here.

The alley is technically part of the city street network so it's open 24 hours and free. Bring your own spray can and you're welcome to add your mark - most weekend afternoons in summer there is at least one artist working, and they're happy to explain what they're doing. The far end opens onto Hoogpoort, where the Gerard the Devil Castle (Geeraard de Duivelsteen), a rare surviving 13th-century town house, sits opposite. Combined with Patershol, this is the arty half of Ghent.

Pro Tip: Come between 15:00 and 17:00 on a Saturday if you want to see artists working - that's the busiest painting window. The alley is narrow so wide-angle photos work better than trying to fit whole murals in one frame.