Ghent (Bruges), Belgium
Cruise Port Guide

The port listed in CruiseMapper under 'Ghent (Bruges)' is operationally synonymous with Port Zeebrugge — the actual ocean cruise port serving the Bruges/Ghent region of Belgium. Zeebrugge sits on Belgium's North Sea coast at the mouth of the Baudouin Canal, approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) northwest of Bruges and 31 miles (49.9 km) west of Ghent. Under the Port of Antwerp-Bruges authority (formed by the 2022 merger of the Port of Zeebrugge and the Port of Antwerp), Zeebrugge is Belgium's largest cruise port and received 187 cruise ship calls and approximately 557,000 passengers in 2024 — a 5% increase over 2023 — with 180–190 calls projected annually through 2026. Cruise line shore excursions to Bruges, Ghent, and Brussels typically range from approximately $50–$80 USD for basic Bruges transfers to $120–$200 USD for full-day guided Brussels or Ghent combinations; independent passengers can access the same destinations for a fraction of that cost. Note: The coordinates provided (51.07581, 3.73098) correspond to the city of Ghent itself, not the cruise berth at Zeebrugge. The actual cruise docking facility is located at Zweedse Kaai (Swedish Quay), Zeebrugge (). Ghent functions as a popular shore excursion destination reachable from Zeebrugge, not as an independent ocean cruise berth. All logistics in this guide are measured from the Zeebrugge cruise terminal.

Exiting the ABC Terminal building at Zweedse Kaai, passengers emerge into an organized but industrial port environment — a taxi rank, a small public transport staging area, and often a line of private bus operators and tour vehicles. The immediate surroundings are functional rather than scenic: working port infrastructure, vehicle staging areas, and a marina to one side. There are no shops, cafés, or visitor services within easy walking distance of the gate itself; amenities are inside the terminal building, which you have already passed through. On days with two large ships in port, the queue for taxis and independent buses begins forming quickly after 8:30 a.m. and can reach 200+ people by mid-morning. Passengers who linger onboard and arrive at the terminal gate after 10:00 a.m. on a dual-ship day should expect meaningful delays in securing transport. Navigation from the gate is straightforward — signage directs passengers to taxis and buses — but the volume of people in a confined staging area can be disorienting.

Ghent's culinary identity is inseparable from its geography and medieval commercial power. Positioned at the confluence of the Scheldt and Lys rivers, the city was one of the wealthiest trading centers in northwestern Europe during the Middle Ages, and that history lives directly on the plate. The rivers once teemed with freshwater fish — the original basis for Waterzooi, the creamy stew that remains Ghent's most iconic dish — before overfishing and river pollution forced cooks to substitute chicken, which is how most visitors encounter it today. The city's 15th-century Groot Vleeshuis (Great Butchers' Hall), still standing on the Lys, tells the story of Ghent as a meat-trading capital; Ganda ham, cured using only sea salt and aged up to sixteen months, takes its very name from 'Ganda,' the Celtic word for Ghent. Flemish stoverij — beef slow-braised in dark Belgian ale — is the pub-kitchen anchor of every traditional brasserie in Patershol, the cobblestoned medieval quarter that concentrated the city's working-class gastronomy. Ghent is also the birthplace of cuberdons (called 'neuzekes,' or 'little noses,' locally), a raspberry-filled cone candy invented here in the early 20th century and still hand-produced by just a handful of makers. What makes modern Ghent unusual even within Belgium is the coexistence of this deep Flemish tradition with a nationally recognized progressive food culture: Ghent was one of the first cities in the world to institute a weekly voluntary 'Veggie Day,' and it consistently records the highest proportion of vegetarians and vegans of any Belgian city — meaning creative plant-based cooking sits alongside classic stew houses with genuine parity, not as an afterthought. The Gruut Stadsbrouwerij, the city's own urban brewery, revives medieval gruit ales flavored with herbs rather than hops, connecting the glass directly to pre-Reformation Ghent. The result is a port city whose food scene is one of the most historically layered and locally specific in all of Flanders.

Port Ghent serves as the river cruise gateway to two of Belgium's most celebrated medieval cities: Ghent itself and Bruges, approximately 35 miles (56.3 km) to the west. River cruise lines including AmaWaterways, Viking, Avalon, Uniworld, and APT dock directly in Ghent; ocean cruise passengers (P&O, Celebrity, Princess, MSC) use the commercial port of Zeebrugge, roughly 60 miles (96.6 km) from Ghent and about 15 miles (24.1 km) from Bruges. Both cities offer some of Europe's most concentrated authentic artisan shopping, centered on goods with deep local production heritage — not generic tourist retail. Ghent's Korenmarkt and Graslei quay areas anchor the city's shopping, while Bruges' Markt square and Steenstraat have been active marketplaces since the 10th century. Steenstraat in Bruges () and Ghent's Veldstraat () are the two main commercial shopping streets. Independent chocolatiers, lace workshops, and specialist beer shops are distributed throughout the historic centers of both cities. Credit cards are widely accepted in established shops; cash is useful at market stalls and smaller artisan vendors. USD is not accepted — euros only. VAT refunds are available for non-EU visitors on single-transaction purchases above €50 at participating retailers; look for the Tax Free Shopping logo at the point of purchase.

U.S. Customs duty-free allowance is $800 per person for goods purchased abroad and brought back in accompanied baggage. This allowance resets every 31 days. Goods commonly purchased at this port that may trigger U.S. declaration requirements include: alcohol (one liter duty-free per person age 21+; amounts above one liter are dutiable but not prohibited), food products including chocolate, cheese, cured meats, and packaged biscuits (most commercially sealed, shelf-stable food products from Belgium are admissible; fresh or minimally processed dairy and meat products face stricter scrutiny — declare all food at the port of entry and let CBP officers make the determination), and items with a combined value exceeding the $800 threshold. Belgian lace and textiles carry no specific U.S. import restriction. Beer and wine above the one-liter duty-free allowance may be subject to federal and state excise taxes. Belgium is an EU member state: non-EU visitors (including U.S. passport holders) are eligible for VAT refunds on purchases of €50 or more in a single transaction at participating shops. Request a Tax Free Shopping form at the time of purchase. The form must be stamped by EU customs at your last point of departure from the EU before returning home; refunds are then processed by mail or at a refund kiosk. Confirm the current $800 allowance and admissibility of specific food items with CBP at cbp.gov before your trip, as regulations are subject to change.

Euros are required throughout Ghent and Bruges — USD is not accepted at any retail establishment. Major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard) are accepted at established chocolate shops, lace boutiques, department stores, and most restaurants. Contactless payment is widely available. Cash is strongly preferred or required at: outdoor market stalls (Groentenmarkt and Vrijdagmarkt in Ghent, Markt outdoor vendors in Bruges), smaller artisan street vendors, some bakery counters, and cuberdons street carts. ATMs are available throughout both city centers; use bank-branded ATMs (ING, KBC, BNP Paribas Fortis) rather than standalone non-bank machines to avoid surcharge fees. For authentic local goods in Ghent: focus on Groentenmarkt () and the streets surrounding Gravensteen castle for smaller independent shops. In Bruges, the St. Anna neighborhood and streets away from the immediate Markt perimeter — particularly Katelijnestraat and Wollestraat — offer better-quality independent retailers compared to the high-turnover souvenir shops concentrated around the central square. Tierenteyn-Verlent on Groentenmarkt in Ghent () is a mustard shop operating since 1790 and is a confirmed local institution worth a visit for condiment-shoppers.