15 things to do in Ghent with kids

The thing that surprised me most about visiting Ghent was that more families haven’t discovered it already – because from its castle to its canals, chocolate, street art and history, there are so many things to do in Ghent with kids.

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Around half an hour from Brussels by train, Ghent – or Gent to use the Flemish spelling – is also just over half an hour from Bruges, so it’s not only a fantastic place for a city break in Belgium with kids, it’s a great base to explore the country more widely.

And while I’ve been to both Brussels and Bruges before, Ghent totally won me over: if you’re trying to decide whether to visit Bruges or Ghent with kids, however pretty the former, I’d pick the latter. Although see if you can fit in a day trip to Bruges as well, as we did.

Gravensteen castle 

Easily one my daughter’s favourite things to do in Ghent, the Castle of the Counts is just on the edge of the historic heart of the city – head around to see it reflected in the water before you cross through the stone arch to get in.

There are displays in some of the rooms as you wander around, including a few chances to get hands on, but what really made the visit was the audio guide, narrated by a local comedian, Wouter Deprez.

As we wandered through draughty stone chambers and out onto the roof of one tower, before strolling around the walls, he told tales of the castle’s inhabitants, from the area’s first notable knights to the man behind the Gravensteen.

Along the way, we discovered a sword bigger than my daughter (probably bigger than me – how could anyone lift that?!), the invention of the chimney, views down onto Ghent itself, and a harp begging to be strummed.

But the highlight for my daughter was the latest in 12th century open air toilets: two holes dropping into the moat and a picture painted by the audioguide of the assembled peasantry applauding from the other side of the water when their lord needed to use them.

If you’re visiting with younger kids, there are one or two moments later on in the audio guide with more gruesome tales and one or two ‘naughty words’ as I told my intrigued seven-year-old as we skipped one small section of commentary.

There’s also a torture chamber, although it’s easy to bypass that room, and it’s handled very well – one of the rooms before, with a particularly nasty medieval interrogation device was more explicit but kids who can handle Horrible Histories are more likely to lap it up than get nightmares.

We were given a Gent City Card for our visit, which included free entry into the castle – entry is also free for children under 12, and is only a couple of euros for teens, including the audioguide. You also can buy tickets online in advance

MSK Gent – Museum of Fine Arts

Even if your kids don’t normally enjoy visiting art galleries, I’d make an exception for MSK Gent, which has some impressively family-friendly activities to help enjoy its 40 galleries.

Home to big names including Old Masters from Hieronymus Bosch and Rubens to van Dijk, plus more modern artists including Rodin and Magritte – to name a few – there are paintings from the 14th to 20th centuries, as well as other artworks, including sculpture.

When we visited, Ghent was celebrating Jan Van Eyck, whose famous Ghent Altarpiece – otherwise known as the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb – has been on display in the cathedral for centuries with a special exhibition, including a booklet for kids with a stamp trail, ideas for them to draw, items to spot and more.

My daughter had taken pens and paper to hone her own artistic talents… with staff only asking very politely that she didn’t point her felt tips AT the art work. As my blood ran cold at the very thought, I promised faithfully that she wouldn’t.

Along with an audio guide for adults, there’s a version for kids – both just need to be pointed at the symbols on the wall to activate each section.

The kids’ version is marked by a pigeon symbol: it was only about two days later than my daughter corrected my assumption that a pigeon narrated it – apparently Van Eyck himself was doing her commentary.

So while we moved through the rooms slightly faster than I would have done alone, it was at least partly because my daughter was keen to see what was next rather than bored and longing to escape.

It’s an introduction too to just how important Flanders was in the Middle Ages, especially Ghent, when the Dukes of Burgundy ruled.

All in all, a visit to MSK with kids is a lovely mix of getting them to interact with the artworks and other pieces on display, inspiring them to get creative.

Entry to the permanent collection is free for under 18s and included in the CityCard Gent for adults.

Follow the street art trail

Tell my daughter we’re going for a walk around a city and the boredom sets in before she puts her shoes on. Tell her we’ve got a trail to follow and she’s first out of the door – and when it’s quirky street art, that’s so much the better.

Visit Gent has put together a series of street art trails – as well as the Sorry Not Sorry festival – which takes you all around the city spotting pieces by different artists. There’s a child-friendly street art walk, a city walk and Van Eyck street art walk among others.

On a distinctly windy grey February day, we stuck to spotting around half a dozen of them not far from the castle and the Design Museum, walking around the Patershol area and back into the centre.

It’s a great way to see more than the picturesque historic heart, and it’s easy to wander along the canalside for part of it too – some of our favourites were by Cee Pil, a mixture of two animals together including one that was part bear, part lion.

But where else could you discover a melting rhino, ROA’s giant black rabbits and Bart Smeets’ graffiti mural of the Ghent altarpiece, looking as if the side of the building is being peeled away to reveal the secrets inside – and that was only a small taste.

One thing you won’t find much of is graffiti, as opposed to street art. And that’s because it’s all tucked away in Graffiti Street – Werregarenstraat, or the ‘tolerance zone’ of the map.

Here, anything goes so you could find an unexpected treasure, or a string of brightly coloured tags: every now and then, it’s painted over to provide a blank canvas.

Take a boat tour

When you’re visiting a city set on canals, a boat tour has to be on the list – we’ve done them in Amsterdam and Copenhagen and had it on our list for our day trip to Bruges.

Not just a good way to rest any tired legs, I love sitting back and watching the old buildings from the water and in Ghent, you can follow a loop which takes you around the city, past Graslei and around the Gravensteen castle.

There are hop on, hop off versions (including a water taxi during the summer months) although as Ghent isn’t huge, most of the boat tours only last around 40-50 minutes. 

In February, when we visited, some of the covered boats were still running – but as one of this spring’s storms approached, we decided to postpone our own planned boat trip to another time. 

You can also buy tickets for the different boat trips on sites like Viator while Get Your Guide includes a 40-minute trip as well as a 50-minute cruise, both with commentary. A boat trip is also included in the Gent CityCard.

Walk around the old town

Ghent is the kind of city where you have to make time to stroll around. It’s very walkable – we were staying slightly outside the centre, so the buses came in very handy to get there and to MSK, as well as to and from the train station, but otherwise we just wandered wherever we wanted to go.

Because it’s very very pretty: in the centre, you can spot the tall medieval buildings from the city’s heyday but it’s still a living city rather than frozen in a bubble.

Bikes whizz along the cobbled streets (so watch out!) and that street art gives it a bit of an edge, while you’re as likely to see students hanging out as tourists.

We ambled up the canalside from MSK and the city museum towards Graslei as well as wandering through the old streets, but frankly you could just pick a direction and stroll.

One thing not to miss is a walk across St Michael’s Bridge, where you can see the three towers of St Nicholas’ church, the Belfry and the cathedral in a line, before heading along Graslei and into the Korenmarkt.

We spotted a man blowing giant bubbles here, which entertained my daughter as I gazed at the architecture, and you can easily pick up a waffle to go to keep you fuelled up as you wander.

Climb the belfry

You’ll spot the Belfry of Ghent – or Het Belfort – opposite the cathedral, and even if you decide not to climb up, look out for the dragon on the very top.

A whopping 91m tall, it was the city watchtower from the 15th century and guarded some of Ghent’s treasures as well, although the huge alarm bell which it once housed is now on Emile Braunplein.

Wander past on a Sunday morning, between 11am and noon and you can still hear the carillion ringing out. There’s a Little Guide for kids under eight if you are going inside too.

If you don’t fancy climbing over 350 steps to see the view, there’s a lift from the first floor as well.

You can buy skip-the-line tickets online in advance, and it’s free for under-12s, only a couple of Euros for under-18s. Included in the CityCard for Ghent.

Visit St Bavo’s cathedral

Home to the famous Ghent Altarpiece, the cathedral itself is astonishing – huge soaring arched ceiling, beautiful decorated side chapels and a very intricately decorated pulpit.

I was a bit sad to discover that the whale which was once in display in the cathedral seems to have moved on, but it’s a glorious building to walk around.

It’s free to enter, and apart from Sunday morning when it’s closed except for worship, you can wander in at any point during opening hours.

There’s an extra fee to see the Van Eyck panels, and a Ghent altarpiece AR tour on offer, but otherwise it’s free.

Wander along the canals

Ghent’s canals date back to its medieval heyday when a water route from the city’s river to the sea was essential for the trade between Flanders and the rest of Europe.

These days, there are more pleasure boats cruising along the waterways but it’s one of the things which makes the city such a lovely place to wander around.

Whether you’re taking one of the city boat trips, following the street art trail or just fancy ambling around in the sunshine, take some time to follow the water, cross over little bridges and watch out for the unexpected canal-front buildings and quirky details.

Stadsmuseum – STAM Ghent city museum

To get a sense of Ghent’s long history, pay a visit to the city museum in the south of the city, not far from the MSK art gallery.

Set in the buildings of a 14th century abbey and 17th century convent, as well as a modern extension, it’s a wander through time as well.

As we didn’t have long to spend, we turned down the audio guide – there’s no specific one aimed at kids here – but this might have been a mistake as there are limited signs in English.

EDIT: There is now a children’s trail available, designed to be more interactive for younger visitors

There were few notable child friendly aspects though: there’s a Lego table at the end to create your own buildings and a few more interactive sections.

But as it’s free with the Gent card, it’s worth a quick look around – for adults, it gives you a good background about the city from its early days on.

For kids, there are enough highlights to be worth a wander too especially on a rainy day in Ghent, starting with a huge aerial map of the city on the floor, which you can walk on while wearing protective overshoes.

There’s some royal history, as well as a historic tomb moved to the old refectory, and various displays of items ranging from products made in Ghent to royal portraits, and a reproduction of the Ghent Altarpiece too, for a chance to see the whole thing close up.

One of the best rooms was the focus on the work’s missing panel: stolen in the 30s (along with another which was recovered) it has never been found.

The room has headphones to listen to the story and is set up almost like a recreation of the police investigation – one section where I would have happily hung around for longer if we’d had chance.

Entry is free for under-18s, and included in the Ghent City Card

Design museum

You don’t have to be a design aficionado to enjoy wandering around the Design Museum in Ghent.

And while the temporary exhibitions and main collection are likely to appeal more to teens and adults than younger kids, they’ve come up with a clever way to make it child-friendly: a Playmobil trail around the museum.

A few of the rooms were closed while we visited, but armed with her booklet and a pencil, my daughter scampered through the three different floors (and a couple of other rooms) hunting down the little figurines to win her prize of a badge.

My husband, meanwhile, got to stroll more slowly, soaking up some of the fantastic pieces on display – and some of the ornate decoration and bright colours of the retro 50s pieces appeal to all ages.

Another great option if you’re visiting Ghent with kids in winter: it worked nicely as a stop as we followed part of the street art trail.

Free for under-18s and with the Ghent CityCard.

Eat cuberdons

Tasting this traditional Ghent sweet – also known as ‘little noses’ was on my list before we left, but while we managed more than a few other sweet treats in the city, we missed our chance to try these first time round. I made up for it on our second visit and wasn’t disappointed.

The triangular purple sweets have a hard outer shell and are gooey inside. The original sweet raspberry flavour has been joined with a string of other fruity versions (plus chocolate ones).

They don’t last long once they’re made, so grab a bag and scoff them rather than taking them home to eat weeks later.

We did spy one or two stalls on the street, but having left it to a chilly February Sunday, we quickly realised that we’d missed our chance as most were closed up – in summer, I suspect you’d have no chance buying a bag, and we found plenty on offer around the Christmas market in December.

You can also check out some of Ghent’s sweet shops, including The Candy Corner near the Vleeshuisbrug – the bridge that leads from the streets near the Korenmarkt to the castle.

Or a little further along the water, another traditional sweetshop, Confiserie Temmerman is on Kraanlei.

Have some chocolate

While you shouldn’t miss trying cuberdons, it’s chocolate that most people think of when they think of Belgium – and for good reason. Melted on waffles or filled with praline, you won’t be short of options.

Wander around the old centre and you’ll find endless cafes serving waffles as well as chocolate shops a truffle’s throw away from you, wherever you’re standing.

If you want even more, Mayana Chocoladebar is a cafe focused entirely around chocolate, while Huize Colette is a chocolate bar and book cafe – two of my favourite things in one.

You can even take a guided chocolate tour stopping at eight different chocolatiers as you explore.

St Peter’s abbey and vineyard

A perfect place for sunny days with kids in Ghent, this historic abbey – which dates back to the 7th century – has gorgeous gardens to wander around as well as its own vineyard.

You can also wander through some of the old abbey buildings, including the medieval dining hall and church, plus the cloisters, and there’s a permanent exhibition called ‘Between Heaven and Earth’.

If that all sounds a bit dull with kids, there’s a virtual murder mystery to entertain with a 90-minute guide aimed at children aged 10 and up.

Led by digital monk Jean-François Alison who’s searching for the killer of his young friend, the 17 episodes lead you from one part of the abbey to another.

Entry to the abbey is free with a Gent CityCard (and for under-13s), but doesn’t include the movie guide which costs 4 Euros. The abbey is closed on Mondays.

Ghent Botanic Gardens

Another lovely place to get outdoors in Ghent with kids, the Botanic Gardens are attached to the University of Gent and they’re free to visit so it’s easy to wander through and eye up the different plants.

It’s close to the MSK fine art museum – and there’s the Citadelpark opposite too – in case you need somewhere to burn off energy after wandering around looking at Old Masters.

The gardens also include a tropical and subtropical greenhouse, with over 10,000 different varieties of plants to look at. Open daily but only in the morning at weekends.

House of Alijn

The House of Alijn is another unusual spot with a focus on life as it was in Ghent during the 20th century – a museum of everyday life.

The little museum was once the ‘Children of Alijn hospice’, the only almshouse that’s been preserved in the city. Now it’s a chance to step back into the past, with lots of interactive touches, right down to smelling old washing detergent.

For those who grew up in Belgium, it’s a trip down memory lane – I can imagine this being very popular with grandparents visiting with their grandchildren.

But even if you didn’t, there are plenty of fun traditional touches like the chance to dip into a dressing up box or look through old photos, as well as classic games like hopscotch.

Free for children, but otherwise this is one museum which isn’t included in the Gent CityCard.

For more ideas of things to do in Ghent with kids, check out the tourist board’s website with tips for ‘little dragons’, including the fun digital trail, Find Fosfor the Dragon’s Glasses, aimed at 5 to 12-year-olds

Where to eat with kids in Ghent

If you’re looking for places to eat in Ghent with kids, you won’t be short of options, whether you fancy more traditional Flemish food or if – like me – you’re travelling with a rather fussier small companion.

Meme Gusta is a good option for traditional local dishes or if you’re looking for a child-friendly alternative (even if it’s not desperately Flemish), Eat Love Pizza near the canal was great – there’s a kids menu (and they happily adapted the basic margherita with some extras for my daughter) plus the included basket of waffles for dessert was so big that I was forced to help.

The same goes for Manhattn’s Burgers on Graslei – very friendly staff, who happily took all the extras off to give my daughter a very plain chicken burger, and whipped up a delicious one with lots of trimmings for me in its brioche bun. Get the truffle mayo with your fries too. 

Not exactly traditionally Flemish but after a cold Sunday exploring in the wind, they had blond beer, quick, friendly service, and although it was right on Graslei, it didn’t feel hugely touristy.

If you have time, you can also discover more about Belgian beer than just ordering the odd glass with a visit to the Ghent Gruut Brewery – or Gentse Gruut Stadsbrouwerij. There’s a kids’ play area and you can sample beer flights as well as taking a tour.

It’s worth knowing that the Holy Food Market, with various stalls serving different food, and which sounded like a great option with kids, has now closed.

Where to stay in Ghent with kids

We stayed at Aparthotel Castelnou which is a short walk from the historic centre – ideal for families as there’s a small kitchen with fridge and hobs to self-cater, as well as a dining table and living space.

Breakfast is included and there’s a restaurant in the hotel if you want lunch/dinner too, although we tended to eat out at lunchtime and have something in our room in the evening.

Don’t expect quirky stylish decor but we had everything we needed: the beds were very comfy after days walking around Ghent, and we found all the essentials in the bathroom – there was even a bath, which seems rarer and rarer in hotels these days.

With separate living space, there’s lots of room to spread out – this is where extra beds are put as well but even with my daughter’s bed added, it wasn’t cramped.

The aparthotel is slightly outside the centre but it’s very easy to get around. Several bus routes run from Gent Sint-Pieters stations (the main train station in Ghent, where can connect using Eurostar tickets) as well as into the centre, down towards MSK and over to Graffiti Street.

You can book via Booking.com here

If you’re staying in summer, it would be a lovely walk along the canal to get to most places you’d want to visit. In February, when we didn’t fancy too much hanging around in the cold, there were half a dozen bus routes whisking us wherever we might want to go.

Download the DeLijn app which has a route planner and gives accurate times of when the next buses or trams will arrive. You can also buy tickets using the app for less, if you don’t have a Gent CityCard. Ghent has a low emission zone, so if you do want to drive, you’ll pay a fee to do so.

If you want to be in the heart of the city, you can also find several chains in the city centre, including the Novotel Gent Centrum which has rooms with space for families, as well as the quirky Comic Art Hotel not far from Gravensteen Castle.

For more Belgium family travel inspiration check out my pick of the best things to do in Bruges with kids, the top things to do in Brussels with kids and things to do in Antwerp with kids

PIN FOR LATER: THINGS TO DO IN GHENT WITH KIDS

Disclosure: We were provided with free Visit Gent cards and accommodation at Aparthotel Castelnou by Visit Gent and Visit Flanders during our first visit. I paid for our Eurostar tickets and all food and loved it so much we came back at our own expense. Our choice of things to do in Ghent was my own – although my daughter insisted on there being waffles. Contains affiliate links – any purchases you make are unaffected but I may receive a small commission.

Images copyright MummyTravels

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