Belgium · Flanders · Gent
Prinsenhof, Gent — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Prinsenhof is a quarter of Gent grown around Hof ten Walle, the palace of the Counts of Flanders where Charles V was born in 1500.
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Where to stay in Prinsenhof
The right area depends on your trip — here's what each neighbourhood is best for.
Prinsenhof reads as a residential corner of the old core of Gent rather than a lodging quarter, and the postern gate of Hof ten Walle fronts a street of houses instead of a run of reception desks. Hof ten Walle held counts, not guests. Rooms come easier in the lanes nearer the Belfry of Ghent and Saint Nicholas' Church, where the centre of Gent concentrates its hotels.
From there the postern gate is a few minutes on foot.
Few places to stay in Prinsenhof — most visitors book in Gent nearby.
About Prinsenhof
What are the main landmarks in Prinsenhof?
Hof ten Walle is down to one gate. The postern gate stands where Louis II, Count of Flanders rebuilt the palace, and it is the single piece of the counts' residence to outlast the rest. Beyond the counts' gate the sightseeing belongs to the wider centre of Gent.
Saint Michael's Church, the Belfry of Ghent, Huis van Alijn and Design Museum Gent stand within the same medieval core, along with the Caermersklooster and the Toreken.
What is the history of Prinsenhof?
The site began as the house of the financier Simon de Mirabello. After the Gravensteen fell into disuse, the Counts of Flanders took Hof ten Walle as their official residence in the 15th century, and Louis II, Count of Flanders had the whole complex rebuilt. Philip the Handsome and Joanna of Castile lived in it.
Charles V was born there in 1500. He used it as his Gent residence and summoned the States General of the Netherlands to sit in the castle in 1517 and 1521.
Where is Prinsenhof?
Prinsenhof holds a corner of the old core of Gent, in East Flanders, on ground the Counts of Flanders once kept as their palace quarter.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Prinsenhof?
Prinsenhof: travellers who want the birthplace of Charles V at the end of their street.
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More areas in Gent
Updated September 2026