This article first appeared on My Travalogue by Bhushavali
ULTIMATE GUIDE TO VISIT FLORALIËN GENT 2022
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WHY IS FLORALIËN GENT SPECIAL?
I came to know of Floraliën Gent by chance when a Flemish friend mentioned it.
She said that it happens once in 4 years and this time it's happening after 6 years because it didn't happen in 2020 & 2021 due to lockdown and restrictions! So
obviously, I checked online and found yet another bewildering piece of
information - it happens only for 10 days! So just 10 days every 4 years!!! I mean, it is rarer than the Royal
Greenhouses of Laeken!!! So yes, I booked the ticket right away, and here's
your ultimate guide to visit Floraliën Gent.
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WHERE IS FLORALIËN GENT TAKING PLACE?
Floraliën Gent is taking place, of course, in Ghent, but in multiple venues.
The primary venue is the Citadel Park inside the
ICC Exposition Halls. There's another venue inside the Citadel park
itself, at the Botanical Gardens of Ghent University (Universiteit Gent
- Plantentuin). Flower displays are also at other places all over the city
including Hotel d'Hane Steenhuyse and Huis van Alijn.
FLORALIËN GENT VENUE 1 - CITADEL PARK:
Within the Citadel park, Floraliën Gent is happening in 2 venues - ICC
Exposition halls and Botanical Gardens of Ghent University.
My first stop was of course, the main venue ICC Exposition Halls. There's a
way-marked trail, so you can only is that way. Unfortunately, I didn't find the time to stop by at the University gardens.
As soon as I entered, there was an art installation with a blue piano and a
floral installation over it. As I went in, there were some displays followed
by what I was looking forward to, the most - Belgian florists versus the Mystic Lamb! Ghent is known for the Ghent Altarpiece at St.Bavo's Church, the Mystic
Lamb, painted by Jan Van Eyck & his brother in 1432CE. Various Belgian
florists have taken various portions of the painting, gotten inspired by it,
and made their own floral art installations. The first was the image of the
rays surrounding the Holy Spirit, recreated with barks & flowers! Then
were the musical instruments, reimagined with pipes and flowers! Another
installation was of floral displays on square boxes in various heights
inspired by the buildings in the background! So many more!!!
The next area was dedicated to Houseplants and the first display was by
Groenwand who use moss to create art! It was quite something.
They call it the carefree moss which can be used in the interiors on the walls
and doesn't need any maintenance, may it be bricks or logos or art! This was
followed by many more displays on how interiors can be improvised with plants
& floral decor.
This was followed by the section dedicated to Azaleas! Guess what?
Ghent Azaleas are protected by Geographical Indication! Some of the
stunning Azalea art installations by Tom de Wilde had a stunning
couch in the midst for the perfect photo-op. Seriously, for the next one week,
Floralien Gent is one of the most instagrammable spots in Ghent!
Beyond this was the main hall of the Exposition area with several
floral art installations and amongst them was a monumental Lamb, of the Mystic
Lamb, entirely made of flowers and leaves and barks, including the pouring
Holy blood & the chalice!!! Halfway through the main hall there's a
diversion to visit 'A Forest in the Cycling Paradise' section. Believe
me, it is literally that! In the central area of the indoor cycling race track
inside ICC, a mini forest has been set up complete with a humongous ball
light, signifying the moon!!! The path, then again leads to the main hall.
There are quite many interesting artworks. One of those seemed familiar -
Rise Above by Scheppers Institute in Wetteren - yes, I had
already seen that in Brussels, during the
Brussels in Bloom (Bloeiend Brussel) event last year! Tom de
Houwer's floral installation with a cube exterior and water dripping details
was handsdown Atyudarini's favourite.
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Where is Gent Citadel Park (on Google Maps)? Floraliënhal
How to reach Gent Citadel Park? The Citadel Park is located
about 1km from Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station which could be walked. If
not, the nearest bus stop to Floralien Gent is Gent Ledeganckstraat which
is connected by many buses including DeLijn bus routes 34, 58, 76, 77, 78,
etc. It is just 2 stops away from Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station.
Floraliën Gent at Citadel Park ICC tickets: €27 (more details
below)
Floraliën Gent at Citadel Park ICC map: via
Floralien Gent
Floraliën Gent at Botanical Gardens of Ghent University tickets: Free
Floraliën Gent at Botanical Gardens of Ghent University map: via Nature makes Healthy
FLORALIËN GENT VENUE 2 - HOTEL D'HANE STEENHUYSE
After a peaceful picnic lunch at the Citadelpark, we headed to the next
venue - Hotel d'Hane Steenhuyse. When I heard the name I thought it is
an actual hotel, but no; it was once the palace of the Counts of Ghent!!!
Currently, the building is being managed by the city. It is a typical
palatial building in 2 floors and various rooms like Count's room, Room of
the Countess, Italian room, Octagonal salon, Dining room etc, all with
stunning chandeliers, majestic frescoes, and grandiose furniture. Now, it is
all topped with a floral decoration!
The self-guided walking tour begins on the ground floor and continues to the
first floor and finishes at the cellars. The ceiling frescoes are an
absolute stunner, especially at the part just below the ceiling is always
the most confusing ones - are they stucco sculptures or are they
painted??!!! Here, they were all painted!
Where is Hotel d'Hane Steenhuyse (on Google Maps)? Hotel d'Hane-Steenhuyse
How to reach Hotel d'Hane Steenhuyse? Tram 1 (DeLijn) from Gent-Sint-Pieters takes you to Gent Kortemeer
from where Huis van Alijn is about 500m (7mins walk) away.
After visiting Floralien Gent at CitadelPark, get the same tram at Gent van
Nassaustraat tram stop which is about 200m (3mins walk) away from the exit
point of Floralien Gent in CitadelPark. 4 stops away is Kortemeer tram stop
and the tram runs once every 10 minutes or so and they are just 4 tram stops
apart.
Floraliën Gent at Hotel d'Hane Steenhuyse Ticket: Free
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FLORALIËN GENT VENUE 3 - HUIS VAN ALIJN:
My last stop was at Huis van Alijn. There's a temporary exhibition here as
well as a permanent collection. It is the permanent collection that is decked
with the plants of Floralien Gent and that's where I went first.
Huis van Alijn is called the Museum of Daily Life! It is a like a
Museum of People and Cultures! Huis van Alijn gives a walkthrough of
the daily life of a local family throughout a year from celebrating new years
day, taking a resolution to a depressing Monday morning to easter to the birth
of a child to a family wedding to the death of a family member to kids rooms
& toys to moving days to everyday objects from household items to lucky
charms and much more!!! It is quite an amusing museum!!! You might get so
amused and spend 2 hours here or you might get bored and get out of here in 30
minutes - it is truly that kind of a museum!!! I was pretty amused!!!
At Hotel d'Hane Steenhuyse, thanks to the palatial setting, the floral decor
was regal and exotic too. But here, at Huis van Alijn, since the setting is of
the daily life of common people, there wasn't much 'floral' decoration, but
more of plants that a typical local family, a commoner would have in their
house! So, don't visit Huis van Alijn, expecting something like Citadel Park
ICC or Hotel d'Hane Steenhuyse.
Huis van Alijn museum has a nice cafe too. Don't miss to taste the
Roomer elderflower drink, a typical local aperitif. It literally has the flowers floating in it! I've
always liked Elderflower flavor and since it was a sunny day, it was just the
perfect drink to wrap up the day with!
Where is Huis van Alijn (on Google Maps)? Huis van Alijn
How to reach Huis van Alijn? Tram 1 (DeLijn) from Gent-Sint-Pieters takes you to Gent Gravensteen
from where Huis van Alijn is about 500m (7mins walk) away.
After visiting Floralien Gent at Hotel d'Hane Steenhuyse, get the same
tram at Kortemeer or Korenmarkt tram stops, both of which are about 200m
(3mins walk) away from Hotel d'Hane Steenhuyse. Just 1-2 stops away is
Gent Gravensteen tram stop.
You may also choose to walk from Hotel d'Hane Steenhuyse to Huis van Alijn.
Huis van Alijn is about 750m (9mins walk) away from Hotel d'Hane
Steenhuyse.
Floraliën Gent at Huis van Alijn Ticket: €8 (included in
MuseumPASSmusées). If you show the ticket of Floralien Gent main venue, you can get €2 off
on this ticket!
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TIPS TO VISIT FLORALIËN GENT
1. The main citadel park venue is wheelchair/stroller friendly.
2. There is no baggage locker in the Citadel Park venues, so if you carry
a large backpack you'll have to lug it around. There is a baggage locker
in Hotel d'Hane Steenhuyse though.
3. The Citadel park by itself (apart from the ICC) is huge with lots of
greenery and water bodies. Close to the exit point of the Floralien Gent in
Citadel Park is a kids' playground as well. There are also a few picnic
benches. You could bring your packed lunch and have a picnic here!
5. Since entry at Hotel d'Hane Steenhuyse is free of cost, it can get a bit
crowded. However, the crowd is controlled by limiting the number of people let
in at a time. So there may be a queue and waiting time to enter the
place.
6. If you're really pressed for time, or you're there for the flowers only,
you could skip Huis van Alijn.
7. Kids get a free activity book at the main venue.
HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU NEED TO VISIT FLORALIËN GENT?
The Citadel Park ICC venue alone takes about 2 hours (or more if you stop a
lot to click photos or shoot Instagram reels)! Hotel d'Hane Steenhuyse takes about 30-45 minutes.
Huis van Alijn pretty much depends on your interest in the museum itself.
There are no decorative floral arrangements here like in Citadelpark or Hotel d'Hane
Steenhuyse. Depending on your interest in the museum itself, you could spend
just 30 minutes or 2 hours here!
A quick walk through the Botanical Gardens of Ghent University takes about 45
mins, but since it is an open space you can also choose to just see a portion
of it as a quick visit or sit there and enjoy nature for several hours
together!
WHERE TO EAT AT FLORALIËN GENT?
Inside the Floralien Gent Citadelpark ICC venue, there's a little cafe close
to the exit point. There are the basic light food varieties like sandwiches,
soups, drinks, etc. That said, there are quite a few restaurants of all
cuisines, available all over Ghent!
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FLORALIËN GENT TICKETS:
Floralien Gent ticket prices: Adults: €27 online (€32 at the ticket
office); Children under 6yrs - €1
Buy Floralien Gent tickets online from the
official website of Floralien Gent.
This ticket is for the main venue at CitadelPark ICC Exhibition halls. With
this ticket, you can get a €2 off on Huis van Alijn ticket if you choose to
visit there too.
The rest 2 venues are free to enter!
FLORALIËN GENT 2022 DATES & TIMINGS:
April 29, 2022 to May 08, 2022 - Everyday 8:00AM to 6:00PM (last entry at
5:00PM)
There's a special nocturnal walk on May 04 to May 08. All days from 7:00PM to
9:00PM (last entry at 8:00PM)
HOW TO REACH FLORALIËN GENT BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT:
The best way to reach Floralien Gent is to take the SNCB-NMBS train from
Brussels To Gent-Sint-Pieters and then walk or take a bus to Citadel Park and
then take a tram to the other venues. The local buses and trams in Ghent are
operated by DeLijn. Here's all about
DeLijn bus tickets. Here are some ways to get
cheap Belgian train tickets.
OTHER PLACES TO VISIT & THINGS TO DO IN GHENT
VIDEO OF FLORALIEN GENT 2022
PIN / BOOKMARK NOW, READ LATER
It is good to read about Floralien Gent before wanting to visit. With it only happening once in 4 years, we would definitely need to plan for this treat. A great reason to visit Ghent and enjoy all the flower displays. But I might be distracted with the amazing views inside the Hotel d’Hane Steenhuyse! What a charming spot. Linda (LD Holland)
ReplyDeleteThis is good to know. This is actually my first time to hear about it and would love to visit in the future. The flower displays are soooo beautiful. Thank you for sharing this detailed post. Enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteWOW! These displays are fabulous. I imagine keeping them fresh is a lot of effort and understand why the festival is only 10 days. This must be very expensive to create, I can’t believe adult tickets are only €27.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing flower show! It's unbelievable that it happens only every four years, which I believe makes it even more spectacular as the artists have time to come up with those gorgeous flower arrangements and designs. It's good to know that there are several locations where the flower show takes place, and that you can visit them all.
ReplyDeleteAlthough we have visited Ghent on a day trip from Brussels, wish we could be there again sometime during the Flower show. It certainly is such a refreshing experience. Thanks for a complete guide which makes it so much easier for a traveler to plan a visit. Your photographs depict so beautifully what to except in this multiple venue event.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I have read and heard about the Floralien Gent flower show! What an event! I love the combination of art and flowers. I will try to visit this show in the future for sure.
ReplyDeleteFloraliënt Gent is only held once every four years, therefore I wanted to see it as soon as possible! Congratulations to the organizers of this event; they did an outstanding job in creating such lovely floral arrangements! If I ever got the chance to visit Ghent, I'd definitely snap a lot of photos with these beautiful flowers. That's fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI have only been to Belgium once and we travelled past Ghent, but would love to visit for a long weekend as it seems stunning. So when I do arrange this trip I will make sure I will time it perfect for this flower/ art show. Being massively into architecture the flower displays and arrangements really satisfy me. Lovely blog and very helpful.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE flower shows and garden shows. So lovely! It's interesting that there are a variety of venues as the ones I've been to were all under one roof. However, I think this is a much more fun way to do it. It looks like you had a great time. It's gorgeous!
ReplyDelete