GRAVENSTEEN: A MYSTERIOUS CASTLE YOU MUST VISIT NOW!

Are you a person who enjoys strolling through old, medieval castles? Then Gravensteen is a place you cannot miss!

As one of the prettiest castles in the world, this fascinating place is so well-preserved that I spent most of my visit in awe of all the various things you can see here.

If you’re wondering how to get the best experience of the Gravensteen castle and want to know more about it, this blog post is for you, so stay a little longer! 😊

WHERE IS GRAVENSTEEN?

Gravensteen is the main landmark of a wonderful little Belgian city called Ghent. Ghent is easily reachable from Brussels, Brugge, or even Amsterdam, so if you’re going to be in any of those cities make sure you visit this fairytale town.

Read more >>> TOP 10 THINGS YOU MUST DO IN GHENT, BELGIUM

Gravensteen is a gem in the heart of Ghent’s old town and you can easily reach it by walking through the city center.

GRAVENSTEEN FACTS YOU MUST KNOW BEFORE VISITING

#1 Gravensteen actually means the Castle of the Counts in Dutch. The Count was the ruler of the county of Flanders, in which Ghent is situated.

#2 Gravensteen was built all the way in 1180 but because it was restored in the 19th century, the castle looks exactly how it did 800 years ago!

#3 Count Philip of Alsace was the one who built Gravensteen.

#4 After the Counts eventually left Gravensteen for another residence, the castle had several other purposes. It was a prison, a mint, and even a cotton factory. Today it’s a museum.

#5 One of the main rooms and one of the most popular ones in the castle is the torture room. The Counts often tortured and even murdered people of Flanders for various minor and major crimes they committed.

#6 The castle was built of Tournai limestone, a marble-like stone from South Belgium.

HOW TO BUY ENTRANCE TICKETS

Surprisingly, we were very pleasantly surprised by the cheap prices of this mysterious castle (now turned museum). You can either buy them online or in the castle, there is no difference. The tickets for adults are 12 Euros and the tickets for students 19-25 are only 7 Euros!

The castle’s opening hours are from 10 am to 6 pm, but the last entrance is at 4:40!

GRAVENSTEEN AUDIO TOUR

The BEST part of the whole Gravensteen experience is the audio tour. I’ve never been one of those people who walk around with their headphones in, especially if I have to pay extra, but this audio tour is free and a friend recommended it, so I said why not. And thank God I did!

The whole audio guide is voiced by Flemish comedian Wouter Deprez who talks about different situations that happened in this castle and Count Phillip’s life. It’s extremely funny so it’s a very enjoyable way to learn about the castle’s history. It even has some sound effects in the background which add to the ambiance.

As I said, the audio guide is completely free, you get a mobile-like device in the souvenir shop and start exploring! The guide is in English and Dutch, so you can choose your preferred language.

There are 18 stops throughout the castle and they are numbered very clearly. At each stop, you just put that number into the device and put it up to your ear. If you prefer headphones, you can bring your own or even buy them there for only 1 Euro!

PHOTO GALLERY OF THE CASTLE

Although I could write about many of the 18 stops you can find throughout the castle, I do not want to spoil the wonderful tour for you. Below is a gallery of my photos from the castle so feel free to take a look at what you might expect once you get to Gravensteen.