Aalter (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈaːltər] ⓘ) is a municipality located between Bruges and Ghent in the Belgian province of East Flanders.

[4] Aalter is located on the border of the Meetjesland with the forest of Flanders.

Aalter was home to several small heerlijkheden (landed estates), some of which had motte-and-bailey castles.

[5][6] Between 1613 and 1623, the Ghent-Bruges Canal [nl] was dug, and several fortifications were built by Spanish against the Dutch.

In 1838, a railway station opened and Aalter started to develop into a town which nowadays has many commuters.