Lakes & swim
No photo yet
No photo yetBlaarmeersen (dog beach)
A large sports and recreation park by the Watersportbaan with a lake, sandy beach, trails and sports grounds on the west side of Ghent.
Off-leash areaSwim access
Free
City guide · Belgium · Europe
Pet-friendly places in Ghent
Canal-side parks and the Blaarmeersen dog beach pair with a brewery scene that rolls out the water bowl.
6 places5 categories6 neighbourhoods2 with an off-leash area
What is listed in Ghent
6 places, each checked against the venue's own information
Neighbourhoods covered: Watersportbaan, City centre south, Mariakerke, Gentbrugge, Dok Noord, Brabantdam.
Places in Ghent
Citadelpark
Ghent's largest central park, beside the MSK and SMAK museums, with mature trees, a grotto, waterfall and bandstand.
Shaded seatingWater bowls
Free
Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen
A 230-hectare nature reserve of wet grasslands, ditches and streams on Ghent's western edge, with marked trails and bird hides.
Shaded seating
Free
Gentbrugse Meersen
A developing green corridor along the Scheldt in east Ghent, with meadows, walking and cycling paths and community spaces.
Off-leash areaWater bowls
Free
BreweriesNo photo yet
No photo yetDok Brewing Company
An innovative micro-brewery in the Dok Noord industrial area, with an on-site taproom and two restaurants, RØK Barbecue and RØK Burgers.
Dogs indoorsWater bowls
$$ · Moderate
CafésNo photo yet
No photo yetTrappistenhuis
A cosy brown beer cafe near the city centre with over 170 Belgian speciality beers, anchored on the full Trappist line-up.
Dogs indoorsWater bowls
$ · Budget
Before you go
Leash rules, off-leash hours and whether dogs are allowed inside are set locally and change without notice. Each listing here says what the venue or the responsible authority publishes, and the listing page links to the page we checked, so you can confirm the current rule before you set out. Outside a signed off-leash area, keep the dog on a lead.
No venue can pay to be listed or to rank higher, and no listing carries an invented rating or a stock photograph standing in for the real place. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will re-check it.
Other cities in Europe
London, United Kingdom
Heath and common land where off-lead walking is written into the rules, plus pubs with a dog wash in the garden.
16 places · source-checked
Paris, France
A brasserie that says outright it welcomes dogs, dog cafes in the Marais, and one of the city's thirteen off-leash areas.
16 places · source-checked
Berlin, Germany
Beer gardens older than most countries, a forest where the lake is legally open to dogs, and the most dog-tolerant cafe culture in Europe.
15 places · source-checked
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Brown cafes with a dog under the table, a designated dog beach on the Gaasperplas, and a canal-house hotel that takes one small dog.
16 places · source-checked
Barcelona, Spain
Terraces where a leashed dog is welcome by law, the city's one official dog beach, and a brewery hall with room to spare.
16 places · source-checked
Lisbon, Portugal
Third-wave coffee with a water bowl, the first dog park in the old city, and a rooftop with a view over the Tagus.
6 places · source-checked
Know a place in Ghent that welcomes dogs?
Send it in and we will check it against the venue's own information before it goes live. Venue owners can also send a photograph of their place — free, with the credit kept.