Venue
The 2018 International Symposium on the Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes will take place at the Oude Vismijn. The Oude Vismijn, in the historic city center, is the oldest market in Ghent, dating to 1689. The entrance is monumental; but in 1872 the gate was partly destroyed by a fire. Only the statue of Neptune could be saved. Until that day the market had always been outdoors; after the fire, the city decided to build a roof above the market place. In the 19th century, with the revival of Gothic architecture, architect Pauli built the World Expo in 1913 in Ghent, and the façades were rebuilt in that style. For more information on the location, visit the Oude Vismijn Facebook page or the Oude Vismijn web site.
Accomodation
Ghent has numerous hotels, each with their own history and their own character. Most hotels, venues, museums are located in the historic city centre, within easy walking distance from each other. Ghent’s hotels are renowned for their personal service provided by multilingual staff.
Participants must book hotel rooms for themselves. PLEASE DO NOT DELAY IN MAKING HOTEL RESERVATIONS FOR YOUR VISIT. Ghent is a beautiful small town, and hotel rooms are filling fast for the end of September.
Following table was as of early May.
| Hotel | Location | Website | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 The Post | Korenmarkt | The Post | 17 rooms |
| NH Gent Belfort | Hoogpoort | Nh Gent | Yes |
| Hotel Harmony | Kraanlei | Hotel Harmony | 30 rooms |
| Ghent River Hotel | Waaistraat | Ghent River Hotel | Yes |
| Snooz Ap Holiday & Business Flats | Onderstraat | Snoop Ap Holidays & Business flats | 8 rooms |
| Novotel Gent | Hoogpoort | Novotel Gent | Yes |
| Hotel Gravensteen | Jan Breydelstraat | Hotel Gravensteen | 30 rooms |
| Ibis Gent | Sint Baafs Kathedraal | Ibis Gent | Yes |
Information about the full range of visitor accommodations from 4-star hotels to hostels and camping, please visit the Ghent visitor web site.
Travel
By Air
Ghent is only 45 minutes from the international airport of Zaventem “Brussel Airport” where flights arrive from and depart to more than 70 destinations. On the lowest level you will find the airport’s own railway station, Brussel-Nationaal-Luchthaven, accessible by lift and escalator from the arrivals hall. There are several connections to Ghent. Brussels South/Charleroi airport is 70 minutes from Ghent. There are more than 20 bus connections from the airport to the capital every day. From there frequent train connections to Ghent are available. There are also bus connections from the airport to Charleroi-Sud railway station. Trains for Ghent can also be boarded there. A ticket that combines the bus and train services can be purchased at the Airport Ticket Desk. The other Belgian airports (Ostend, Antwerp and Liège) receive flights from various European cities and have easy direct connections to Ghent.
By Train
Ghent is easy to reach by train from all Belgian and European cities and is only half an hour from Brussels South Station. The two main stations in Ghent are:
Gent-Sint-Pieters Station
From here tram no. 1 will take you direct to the city centre, temporary stop ‘Korenmarkt’ Visitors arriving in Ghent by train at the Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station can browse information at a digital 3D information point.
Dampoort Station
From here, buses 3, 17, 18, 38 and 39 will also take you direct to the city, stop ‘Korenmarkt’. From Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station you can reach the station Brussel Zuid in half an hour (by ‘IC’ Inter City or ‘IR’ InterRegio train). Here the Eurostar and Thalys high-speed trains can rush you to Paris (1½ hours) and London, Amsterdam or Cologne (2½ hours). For more information on travel to Ghent, visit the Ghent visitor information site.
