excellent, bit rough around the edges…read more some prices are too high and 100% barter , starts at 7am , bring a large bag no card payments available , cash only

Accordian music on a chilly Sunday afternoon. Old books, old albums and cameras, beautiful…read moretaxidermy with a bit of dust. People sipping coffee and lots a beautiful paintings underneath the shade of a Gothic church. I'm in love. I love all these Belgian pop-up markets. Brocantmarkt of Saint Jacobs is probably the best antique market I've had the pleasure of stumbling into. Next to the Marché des Antiquaires du Sablon in Brussels. With that, Belgium's love of pop-up antique markets outpaces most to all antique shops I've been to internationally in price and collection. Some of the stuff I saw here, which I've seen otherwise going for double/triple digits, were in the single digits and all lovely items. We were hard-pressed to try to not spend our money and eventually caved over a gorgeous photo album of worn crimson leather, but soft and in great condition. Inside old photos and memories, but something for inspiration-- places in black and white. We also purchased a small set of forks with engravings for a few euros. There were lots of items I would have easily picked up if I wanted to splurge. Found a beautiful used paint palette, mounted animal hooves-- a boar and deer, a small collection of old cameras with leather cases, old coins from various places, old scarves in decent condition, a dried turtle, a mounted crocodile head. This is just a sampling of the oddities at this market. Along with were lots of old paintings and of course a large breath of books. If nothing at the market interests you, it's nice to just come out and sit at the cafes lining the side. Bistro & Antiek Montparnasse is a pretty nice antique shop and bar. Lots of people sat outside enjoying the weather and drinking coffee, and no beautiful antique market should go without a talented accordian player. You are truly a gem Brocantmarkt!

A hopping thrift store slightly off the beaten path. Great place for vintage finds and unique…read morelittle ensembles. I shopped fairly early and the shop was a bit packed. Difficult to get around and thankfully patrons are aware and friendly to let you squeak by if you need. If you love thrifting and you are looking for a memorable treasure, this is an excellent stop.

Nice reasonably priced department store chain. Got some odds and ends here while traveling. They…read moresell a lot of different things and have a food court upstairs. You can self checkout and tap to pay or use your smartphone.

*** CAFETERIA REVIEW ***…read more Hema is an everyday supply store popular in the Netherlands and Belgium. They sell things like basic clothes, umbrellas, food items, home supplies and stationery. But did you know that some Hema branches have cafeterias?? These cafeterias are a life saver in Belgium where traveling and eating out is quite expensive, an average sit down meal (even lunch) runs over 20 euros per person. Some days, especially as a traveler, you just want to sit down, have a square meal for not too much money, and catch up on the internet! If you agree with this sentiment and you are visiting Ghent, Hema is the lunch place for you! As an American the best comparison I can give is the Ikea cafeteria. I do think it was inspired from the Ikea model as an attempt to try and get more people through the door (you have to walk thru the whole store to get to the cafeteria.) You can get basic dishes like sandwiches, soups, pasta, and oddly enough, indonesian fried rice with satay, keropok and pickles (??????) Of course, the latter thing was so beguiling and so unexpected in Belgium that I had to get it. It ran me about 8 euros. Portion wise it was small, but then again, it is refreshing to get a square meal that is not America super sized. I definitely needed the small Coke I got to round out the meal. At the end of the day, definitely worth it and a refreshing savings over getting ripped off at even non touristy restaurants for a lot of money. You have the choice of eating indoors or on the balcony. I didn't try it, but the balcony seems nice as it looks out over Korenmarkt. I would recommend this for your coffee break in Ghent so you can have a great view while relaxing on a terrace. BTW, just like Ikea, when you are done you bus your table and store your tray in a rack. Wish we had this sort of place in the USA! ... and omitting Ikea, too far away from me :(

Where to begin?? After being in Europe for nearly two weeks and utilizing smaller style…read moregrocery/market places, it was almost overwhelming to wander this massive venue. We were specifically looking to get some French butter and chocolate before leaving the country. They will vacuum seal the butter for 1 euro/bag. Highly recommend.

Beautiful things for the home. Lots of Quilts, Linens, lavender scented items, gorgeous antique…read morejewellery.

The shop itself is very good and has multiple floors containing a lot of fascinating and good…read moreoutdoor equipment. One thing that was a bit strange is the fact that part of our group was able to get the student discount as students in another country, whilst we were denied such discounts (as students in the same country). Also, on the poster it just said you have to be a student between several ages, which we were part of. So it seemed a bit strange that we were denied this discount.

I am giving this rating and review purely because I had great customer service by 3 people in the…read morestore today. The young guy at the shoes was a little lackluster, but he did have dome knowledge of his products. So did the young guy at the backpacks and the girl at the cash register. AS Adventure as a whole firm is a little on the pricy side, but when you feel you've had good service like this then it doesn't hurt the wallet as badly. *Note, the store has moved to a new address at the corner of the old Veldstraat address.