According to annual custom, North Sea Port will organise its traditional canal cruises in Ghent during the Gentse Feesten. From Saturday 19 July to Sunday 27 July 2025, the ship sails out no less than three times a day. The cruises are free, but registration is required.
In total, almost 2,000 passengers will experience the Ghent part of North Sea Port from the water: from the Rigakaai - on the edge of Ghent's city centre - to Zelzate at the Dutch-Belgian border.
Departure at Rigakaai: three departures per day
The tours depart from the North Sea Port Visitor Centre on Rigakaai in Ghent (opposite “Weba” and “Decathlon”). They take place daily at 10:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 3:30 pm. The trip takes an hour and a half. During the cruise, a guide talks about the port and what can be seen on the quays and in the water. Each canal cruise can host 70 passengers on board.
Free, but registration is compulsory
The round trips are free, but registration is compulsory via www.northseaport.com/gentsefeesten or by telephone via Gentinfo (tel. +32 (0)9 210 10 10). You can register a maximum of 6 people per reservation.
The ship “Jacob Van Artevelde” is accessible for wheelchair users. However, you must be able to make a few steps yourself, possibly accompanied, to enter the ship.
Sailing from dock to dock
The departure point of the cruise is the Rigakaai along the Grootdok at the southernmost point of North Sea Port in Ghent. The ship sails from the more than 100-year-old dock towards the Kluizendok and back. On the way, one sees, among other things, ocean-going vessels, ibarges, chemical companies, the Ring canal around Ghent, mountains of scrap metal, the Sifferdok with Volvo Car's assembly plant, the orange juice terminals and grain silos, the Mercatordok from where large ships sail on and off to Sweden and Norway, the companies at the Rodenhuizedok that make biofuel, ArcelorMittal Belgium, the Kluizendok with its container terminal and numerous transhipment quays.
Round trips, all year round
In previous years, these boat tours during the Gentse Feesten were quickly booked up. Not to worry, though, as throughout the year North Sea Port offers round trips in Vlissingen, from Terneuzen to Ghent, and from Ghent to Terneuzen. For those from Terneuzen and Ghent, you will return to the pick-up point by bus for free. These round trips are also often full. You can register via www.northseaport.com/rondvaarten.
A total of 10,000 people visit North Sea Port's cross-border port area every year via a canal cruise.
