Google Maps works very well to check public transport in Ghent. The closest bus stop to De Centrale is Gent Stapelplein (2 min. on foot). You can buy a ticket for € 2,5 at a ticket machine at the railway station or nearby a stop, in the app or contactlessly on the bus or tram. It’s valid for 60 minutes.

There’s almost no night transport. You can call a taxi but they are expensive (+32 9 333 33 33).

Ghent is very bike-friendly, renting a bike can be a very good idea. At the  railway station Gent-Dampoort you can rent for a day or longer. Or you can take an orange shared  Donkey bike ( app) or a blue electric Dott bike ( app) at various places in the city for a short trip.

Alternatively you could walk, Ghent is not so big! From De Centrale you can reach the railway station Gent-Dampoort in 11 min. on foot and it takes +/- 15 min. to the city centre.

Looking for a place to park your car? There are three options.

• Park-and-rides (P+R): perfect for long-term parkers, most of the P+R spaces are free and connected with public transport or bicycles.
• Street parking: you have to pay to park your car in the streets, there are different parking zones and tariffs. De Centrale is situated in the orange zone, during the day there’s a parking limit of 5 hours and on Sunday it’s for free.
• Parking garages

Low budget flights often fly to Brussels South Airport, which is located in a city called Charleroi, at 60 km from Brussels. From Charleroi Airport, you can take a  Flibco shuttle bus to Ghent. Alternatively, you can take a bus to Charleroi railway station and then take a train. Brussels Airport (Zaventem) is the main international airport. There’s a railway station in the airport where you can take the train to Gent-Sint-Pieters. Check which train you have to take on the  SNCB app or  website. If you’re coming or going to Brussels Airport, you always have to pay a so-called “Diabolo” supplement of € 6,7, which is usually automatically included when you buy the ticket. From this airport you can also take a Flibco shuttle bus to Ghent.

▷ Take care if you arrive late at night! In Belgium there’s almost no night public transport. The last trains from Brussels to Ghent are around midnight. There are not many night buses in Ghent. You could of course take an expensive taxi (+32 9 333 33 33), Uber doesn’t work.

Ghent has two main train stations: Gent-Sint-Pieters and Gent-Dampoort. Gent-Sint-Pieters is the biggest railway connection, but De Centrale is closer to Gent-Dampoort. However, Ghent is not big and you can easily take a tram or bus from Gent-Sint-Pieters. You can plan your train trip on the  SNCB app or  website.

▷ A ride from Brussels takes around 40 minutes. You arrive in Gent-Sint-Pieters where you can take a train direction Antwerp, and get off at the first stop Gent-Dampoort. The ticket to Ghent is valid for both Gent-Sint-Pieters and Gent-Dampoort, so no need to buy an extra ticket.

▷ A ride from Antwerp takes around 55 minutes. The first stop in Ghent is Gent-Dampoort.

You can buy a ticket in the station, on the  SNCB app or  online, but there’s no need to book in advance. The ticket is valid for any train on the day of the ticket. Antwerp-Ghent and Brussels-Ghent costs around € 10 to € 12. If you are under 26 you can buy a “Youth Ticket” for € 7,5. If you’re coming or going to Brussels Airport, you always have to pay a so-called “Diabolo” supplement of € 6,7.

You can book a ride with Flixbus straight to Ghent. The bus stop is close to railway station Gent-Dampoort, which is close to De Centrale. If there’s no straight ride to Ghent, try Brussels or Antwerp as destination, where you can take a train to Ghent.

Ghent is located on the intersection of two major European motorways: the E17 and the E40. From the E17 you take the ‘Gent Centrum’ turnoff. On the E40, from the motorway intersection in Zwijnaarde you first follow ‘Antwerpen’ (E17) and then take the ‘Gent Centrum’ turnoff.

To improve air quality, Ghent’s inner city has become a low-emission zone (LEZ). De Centrale is situated in this LEZ. Only vehicles with a ‘euronorm’ of 5 or higher are allowed into this zone. More poluting vehicles with lower euronorm can enter the city for a restricted period after buying a permit.

However, all cars with a foreign license plate have to register in order to be allowed in this zone, even if their euronorm number meets the conditions. You can check online whether your vehicle is allowed and register.