Walk Local with Ignaas Devisch

Wonderful walk with a lot of attention for the unique places in our city. Besides delicious culinary suggestions you will also learn more about the history of our city. Start in the neighbourhood of Portus Ganda and end in the new city quarter Ghent-North.

Ignaas Devisch (1970) is a Belgian professor of philosophy, medical philosophy and ethics at Ghent University. He is also a keynote speaker and a welcome guest at national media to give interpretation on philosophical issues. His work is often based on philosophical issues in healthcare. For example, he published Ziek van Gezondheid : voor elk probleem een pil? (2013), Rusteloosheid: pleidooi voor een mateloos leven (2019) et Doordenken voor Dooddoeners (2019). Devisch is also a regular columnist in the newspaper De Standaard

8,1 km - 10700 steps 

My contemplative tour will take you to places that really matter, including some culinary stops. We start on the Sint-Baafsplein and immediately take the Biezekapelstraat, with a mini courtyard adjacent to the music academy. If you're lucky you can hear musicians rehearsing through the open windows. 

Continue strolling along the Lys, passing Portus Ganda, Voorhoutkaai to Park Zonder-Naamstraat. A little further on you'll find the Willem de Beersteeg, a small street with a beautiful building: the Nemrod hall. Stop at the Sluizeken for an iced coffee at Simon Says. After exploring the Patershol, descend to the Kalandeberg for an apero in the sun. Or quench your appetite with a surprising lunch at Faim Fatale. Afterwards, stroll through the veins of Ghent - along Bagattenstraat, De Krook and Baertsoenkaai -, catch your breath on a bench at the Bijloke site before you hop into café de Karper: the pub of Ronie Keisse is an icon in Ghent with an impressive assortment of beers. 

Walk through to the Citadelpark, where you'll find a kiosk designed in 1885 by the then city architect Karel Van Rysselberghe. Nearby you turn into the Kunstlaan, a short street decorated with a double row of trees and houses that make you feel jealous - lucky number 41 was designed by architect Achiel Van Hoecke and later again by architect Mark Bernaert. Pass the Sint-Pietersplein, the Muinkpark and the Sint-Annaplein, and continue along the water and through the city centre towards Dok Noord, a neighbourhood that underwent a glitzy metamorphosis. Finish your walk in style with a beer at the water's edge.