Prove your humanity


Ghent street art is one of the best things about the city. Don’t get me wrong, this old Belgian city is a multifaceted travel destination. It is filled with heritage treasures like the St-Baafskathedraal, has some really quirky museums, and is a vibrant metropolis, small enough to be called cozy. Containing some of Belgium‘s most stunning canal-side architecture, Ghent is younger, livelier, and grittier than fairy tale-perfect Brugge. There is a lived-in quality to Ghent and its young student population, make sure that the city has enough restaurants, cafes, bars, and pubs for fun and frolic. There is also a lot of creativity bubbling in the city and love for culture lurks at every corner. Needless, to say, there is a very active street art scene in Ghent, and here are some of the most beautiful ones I saw during my trip.

Graffiti lane in Ghent

Beautiful street art of Ghent

City’s approach towards street art

Ghent street art is scattered all over the city and its walls are covered in colour splashes, murals, and tags. As a young, freedom-loving, creative city, Ghent has a very balanced civic policy when comes to street art. The city actually tries to track people who are responsible for graffiti in places where it isn’t allowed to ask them to remove their works. It also offers free removal of art work from both private and public properties upon request. Finally, so as to promote an organized street art scene, Ghent allows certain areas within the city for being used for graffiti. It is also open to suggestions from people for providing more graffiti walls.

A street art route of Ghent

Due to this relaxed civil authority mindset, many renowned graffiti artists like ROA, Bue the Warrior mark the Ghent as the territory. Their combined artwork turns the city into a beautiful canvas for thoughts, expressions, and ideas. Thankfully, all these artworks have been curated on the Concrete Canvas Tour map and this is available at Tourist Offices, at the cultural center Vooruit, and in shops Zimba and Dope. A brainchild of Streetart Belgium, which has its headquarters in Ghent, the Concrete Canvas Tour was launched in May 2014. Taking visitors to over 50 locations during the 7.5 kilometers walk (14.5 kilometers by bike), this tour goes along some of the best of Ghent street art.

Ghent street art is organised

Ghent is a creative canvas for street art lovers.

Get the Ghent street art map or take a local tour

Revealing interesting works by the likes of Bue the Warrior, Chase,  ROA, Steve Locatelli, and Smates, almost all the well-known graffiti painters in the world have left their creative mark in this cool Belgian town. With luck, one might even happen to see an artist at work with his spray cans during this tour. Since the Street Art Belgium took a lot of pain to cover every inch of Ghent before coming out with the map, this DIY tour takes a visitor to offbeat areas of the city, which probably one would have skipped otherwise. It is also a great way of enjoying the less touristy trail of Ghent. However, if an easier experience with equal fun and inside local tips about the artists and their artwork is more preferred, then simply join one of Street Art Belgium‘s guided tours. Available on request, they can be booked them online on their official website.  It is also possible to download the tour map on Visit Ghent website.

A city or a giant canvas

Despite Ghent street art being scattered all across the city, finding their locations is often not easy. Anuradha of Travel Highway writes, “I almost missed the famous Graffiti Street called Werregarenstraat during my street art hunt in Ghent. An ongoing construction had blocked the entrance and by the time, I managed to get in and explore it not a soul was around. Both the walls of the tunnel were covered completely with paint, words, and art and the whole place seemed to have been created for me. It was a sort of Alice in Wonderland falling down the magical tunnel feeling and one of my best travel experiences ever.” To check out more of Anuradha‘s work, follow her on Facebook, and Instagram.

Ghent street art is bold

Ghent is a lovely

Ghent street art is all over the city

Belgian city, which is

Ghent street art is approved by the city

Being cosmopolitan,

Ghent street art tour

Youthful and

The Graffiti Lane of Ghent

Extremely creative.

Pavement sprayed with Ghent street art

Culture lurks in every corner there

Graffiti Lane in Ghent is famous for street art

And this reflects

Street art in Ghent

In Ghent‘s attitude toward street art.

Ghent street art at Graffiti Lane

Follow the Concrete Canvas Tour map

Graffiti Lane in Ghent

To enjoy the vibrant

Ghent street art can be enjoyed through a tour

Ghent street art

Enjoy Ghent street art

To the fullest.

Graffiti Lane is must visit in Ghent

It is one of the

Ghent street art

Best experiences of Ghent.

NOTE – “Writings on the Walls” is an ongoing series in which I hope to collate awesome street art from around the world. If you wish to collaborate, please email me at svetlanabaghawan@yahoo.com and we can take it from there.

Follow the rest of the street art series

RESPONSIBLE TRAVELING-BECAUSE I CARE