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In this video, I head to Ghent — one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Belgium — fully expecting a quiet wander through old streets, a proper castle, and maybe a coffee or two along the way. What I didn’t expect was to accidentally land right in the middle of a festival, stumble across some beautifully strange traditions, and learn about a medieval invention that quite literally changed the way people lived indoors.

Ghent sits about 20 kilometres from where I was staying, and after a tip from my hairdresser about a handy car park within walking distance of town, it felt like an easy van life day trip. I’d heard that Ghent and Bruges are two of the most genuinely preserved medieval cities in Belgium — not rebuilt replicas, but places that somehow made it through history largely intact.

As usual, the plan didn’t stay simple for long. There were surprise chapels, castles built out of pure ego, beer flowing like water, and a moment that turned one of the city’s darkest historical sites into something unexpectedly hopeful. Come along for the ride.

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🎥 Watch the Video

If you prefer watching rather than reading, the full video is here.

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🗺️ What This Video Covers

• Visiting Ghent, one of Belgium’s best-preserved medieval towns
• A stop at a hidden Flemish heritage chapel
• Exploring Gravensteen Castle — the “House of Stone”
• A medieval invention that changed house design forever
• Dungeons, dark history, and uncomfortable truths
• Accidentally arriving during a city-wide festival
• Ghent’s beer culture (and the most shocking waste of all 😅)
• A surprisingly beautiful tribute to life and death

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📍 The Story Behind the Scenes

Ghent instantly felt different. While much of Europe has been rebuilt to look old after wars and destruction, Ghent has managed to hold onto large parts of its original medieval structure. That sense of authenticity is everywhere — in the streets, the buildings, and especially in the castle that dominates the city.

Gravensteen Castle began as a 9th-century residence, but when Philip of Alsace returned from the Crusades in 1180 and noticed that wealthy traders were living in luxurious stone houses, he decided to make a point. The result was a fortress that was essentially medieval one-upmanship: bigger, stronger, and very clearly saying, “I’m in charge.”

Inside the castle was one of my favourite unexpected details of the trip — what may be the first fireplace in Ghent. Instead of a fire burning in the middle of the room, the idea of placing it against a wall with a channel for smoke to escape was revolutionary. It’s funny how something so ordinary now once changed everything about how people lived indoors.

The funnier part was that while I was sitting in the fireplace filming a bit for the video, I didnt realise that I was in fact flashing my bum to everyone in the room. I thought they were looking at me strangely because I was filming, not because I was flashing!!! I didn’t realise until I saw the footage when I was editing the video!

The timing of this visit couldn’t have been better (or worse, depending on your tolerance for crowds). Ghent was in full festival mode — music, performances, dancing, and beer absolutely everywhere. So much beer, in fact, that I watched it being poured down drains, which felt borderline criminal.

One of the most moving moments came in Lantern Square. Once a place of executions, it’s now connected to the maternity hospital — and every time a baby is born in Ghent, the lanterns light up. A quiet, powerful reminder that cities carry both darkness and hope, often in the same spaces.

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🧠 Things I Learned

• Medieval castles weren’t just defensive — they were political statements
• Small architectural changes can completely reshape daily life
• Festivals find you when you least expect them
• Crowds aren’t always bad if you lean into the chaos
• Even the darkest historical places can be reimagined into something beautiful

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💬 Over to You

Have you been to Ghent — or another medieval town that completely surprised you?
Let me know in the comments — I read every one.

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