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Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Ghent and Antwerp, Belgium
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Patershol, the Ghent car-free centre, the Antwerp old town and the Stadspark

Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Ghent and Antwerp

Belgium

19 dog-friendly luxury hotels.

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Where can my dog actually go?

At street level these are two of the easiest cities in Europe for a dog. De Lijn carries dogs on the trams and buses free with no ticket, including the Antwerp premetro. Cafes and brasseries take dogs inside as a matter of course, in winter too. The whole medieval core of Ghent is permanently closed to cars, so you can walk from the Gravensteen through Patershol to Graslei and Korenlei without meeting traffic. And Antwerp has the Sint-Anna tunnel, 572 metres under the Scheldt on 1933 wooden escalators, free and open day and night, which is the best dog walk in either city.

Then you try to book a room, and the gap between how these cities treat dogs and how their hotels do is the whole story. Ghent's luxury tier is closed, most of it in writing on its own sites. 1898 The Post, Pillows Reylof, the Ghent Marriott, Yalo, Hotel Harmony, the Ghent River Hotel, Monasterium PoortAckere, Hotel de Flandre and the Ghent Urbanist all say no. Antwerp's only five star, Botanic Sanctuary, refuses on its own site, and so does august. Nineteen properties across both cities do take dogs, and the operator that actually publishes access is Van der Valk. Their Ghent house lists room by room where she can be, Park Lane in Antwerp hands you a printed dog etiquette card at check-in, and their Mechelen hotel puts dogs at the table in Restaurant Ouwen Dok, which is close to unheard of here.

Weight is what decides most of it. The Residence Inn Ghent takes two dogs up to 30 kg each, the most generous limit in the region. The NH Collection pair in Ghent and Antwerp take two up to 25 kg. Van der Valk Gent goes by shoulder height, up to 50 cm, one per room. Then it tightens fast, with Sapphire House and the Crowne Plaza at 20 kg, BANKS small dogs only and the Hilton Antwerp Old Town capped at 12 kg, which is the catch on otherwise the clearest policy in the city. Fees run EUR 15 a night at BANKS, the Theater Hotel and Van der Valk Mechelen, EUR 22.50 at Van der Valk Gent, EUR 25 at Park Lane and the Crowne Plaza, EUR 34 at De Witte Lelie, EUR 35 at both NH Collections, EUR 45 at Sapphire House and EUR 50 non-refundable at the Hilton.

Two things to know before you plan a day. Ghent bans dogs outright from playgrounds and from the Blaarmeersen beach and sunbathing lawn, not even on a lead, and everywhere else in the city dogs stay on the lead unless you're inside one of the twenty-odd fenced off-lead meadows. And in Ghent the hotels that take dogs are mostly not in the pretty bit. The NH Collection Gent on Hoogpoort and Hotel Gravensteen in Patershol are the two inside the car-free centre, and the rest sit out at Gentbrugge. That's a real trade, because a car-free medieval core is the best thing either city gives a dog.

Daisy's picks

Where Daisy would book

  1. Van der Valk Hotel Park Lane Antwerpen, dog-friendly hotel in Ghent and Antwerp01
    Van der Valk Hotel Park Lane Antwerpen

    The only hotel here that hands you the rules in print. The Paws and Laws card sets out dogs in the bar, not in the restaurant, lead on in all public areas, off the furniture and never left alone in the room. Two dogs per room at EUR 25 a night with a welcome surprise for her at check-in, and the 13-hectare Stadspark straight across Van Eycklei.

    EUR 25 · max Unknown kg

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  2. Van der Valk Hotel Gent, dog-friendly hotel in Ghent and Antwerp02
    Van der Valk Hotel Gent

    The fullest written access matrix in Belgium. Dogs inside Limoncello and on its terrace, on the terrace of Restaurant Cocotte and in the Lobby Bar, but not inside Cocotte, the Skybar Mr Sato, the spa or the gym. EUR 22.50 a night, one dog per room, up to 50 cm at the shoulder, with a written instruction to put the do not disturb sign up if she's alone. Out at Gentbrugge with the Gentbrugse Meersen and the Schelde towpath nearby.

    EUR 22.50 · max Up to 50 cm shoulder height kg

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  3. Van der Valk Hotel Mechelen, dog-friendly hotel in Ghent and Antwerp03
    Van der Valk Hotel Mechelen

    Dogs at the table in Restaurant Ouwen Dok, stated in writing, which almost nothing else in this part of Belgium will do. EUR 15 a night, in the Monument Rooms, on the Dijle with the riverside path starting at the door and the Kruidtuin botanical garden ten minutes away.

    EUR 15 · max Unknown kg

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Before you go

What happens when you get there

Trams and buses
This is the most useful thing to know here. De Lijn carries dogs free with no ticket, on the Antwerp trams including the underground premetro stations and on Ghent's trams. A dog small enough to sit on your lap without being a nuisance travels free, and a bigger dog also travels free on a lead, on the floor, muzzled only if it might pose a danger to other passengers. Guide dogs and police dogs are admitted. The driver can refuse an animal likely to endanger, soil or inconvenience other passengers, and you're liable for any mess.
Trains
SNCB takes dogs. A small dog in a closed carrier or bag travels free, and a bigger dog on a lead needs its own dog ticket and has to be muzzled. Buy the ticket before you board rather than on the train. The fare changes, so check it at the machine or the counter instead of trusting a figure you read somewhere. Brussels Airport is about 45 minutes by train to Antwerp Central and 55 to Gent-Sint-Pieters.
Ghent's lead rule and the two bans
The city puts it plainly: leads everywhere except in the fenced off-lead meadows, of which there are more than twenty, plus a dog swimming spot at the Yachtdreef with its own off-lead zone. Two places are a flat no. Dogs aren't allowed on playgrounds, and they aren't allowed on the Blaarmeersen beach or sunbathing lawn at all, not even on a lead. The Citadelpark, Baudelopark, Muinkpark and the Coupure canal path are all normal leads-on walking.
Antwerp parks
The Stadspark behind the Frankrijklei is the central one, 13 hectares of lake and winding paths, and Park Lane looks straight at it. Rivierenhof in Deurne is the big one, a provincial estate with a castle, a lake and long avenues, on tram 10 or 24. The Nachtegalenpark joins Den Brandt, Vogelenzang and the Middelheim sculpture museum into one green block, and Middelheim is free and unticketed with seasonal hours of 10:00 to 17:00 in winter and 10:00 to 20:00 from May to August. It publishes no rule about dogs, so leads on and ask at the entrance. Flanders keeps dogs on the lead in public space by default, so look for a marked hondenlosloopzone rather than assuming.
The Sint-Anna tunnel
Free, open day and night, and 572 metres under the Scheldt between Sint-Jansvliet in the old town and Frederik van Eedenplein on Linkeroever, with the original wooden escalators and lifts at both ends. Cyclists have to dismount. There's no published dog rule, which in practice means dogs on leads use it all day. Come up on the left bank for the whole Antwerp skyline across the water and the Sint-Annastrand riverside path. The escalators are maintained on Thursdays and may be stationary, though you can walk them.
Cafes, restaurants and shops
Belgium has no national rule keeping dogs out of the dining room, so it's the operator's call, and in both cities the usual answer is yes, inside as well as out. Brown cafes, brasseries and coffee bars are the safest, and many carry a honden toegelaten sticker. Food-handling areas are always out and so are supermarkets and food halls. In the Antwerp fashion district around Nationalestraat and Kammenstraat it's shop by shop and the independents are usually relaxed. The diamond quarter around Hoveniersstraat and Pelikaanstraat is not, several premises run access control at the door, so don't plan on taking her in.
Fees and weight caps
EUR 15 a night at BANKS Antwerp, the Theater Hotel and Van der Valk Mechelen. EUR 20 per stay at Hotel Rubens and the Lindner, EUR 22.50 at Van der Valk Gent, EUR 25 at Park Lane, the Crowne Plaza and the Leonardo. EUR 30 per stay at the Mercure City South and EUR 30 a day at the Residence Inn Ghent, EUR 34 at De Witte Lelie, EUR 35 at both NH Collections, EUR 45 at Sapphire House and EUR 50 non-refundable at the Hilton Antwerp Old Town. On caps, the Residence Inn allows 30 kg, the NH Collections 25 kg, Sapphire House and the Crowne Plaza 20 kg, and the Hilton 12 kg.
Vets
In Antwerp, AniCura Spoedkliniek te Berchem at Borsbeeksebrug 34, +32 3 235 73 85, is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with a vet and an assistant on duty at all times, and it's where the daytime practices refer between 20:00 and 08:00. AniCura Randstad te Borsbeek, +32 3 322 78 11, covers emergencies 08:00 to 20:00. For Ghent, the round-the-clock option is AniCura Hond en Kat te Deinze, emergency line +32 9 277 89 91, about 20 km out, so it's a drive. AniCura Malpertuus at Destelbergen, +32 9 210 23 00, is closer and takes emergencies until 23:00, then an on-call vet by phone.
Best walks
In Antwerp, start with the Sint-Anna tunnel from Sint-Jansvliet, come up on Linkeroever and walk the Sint-Annastrand riverside path with the skyline opposite, then back over and along the Scheldekaaien promenade. The Stadspark is the central green, Rivierenhof in Deurne is the long one, and the Nachtegalenpark links Den Brandt, Vogelenzang and the free Middelheim sculpture park into several kilometres without crossing a road. Park Spoor Noord near the Eilandje is the flat open one. In Ghent, the car-free core itself is the walk, from the Gravensteen moat through Patershol to Graslei and Korenlei, with the Coupure canal path, the Citadelpark and the Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen nature reserve west of the city for longer legs. Out at Gentbrugge the Gentbrugse Meersen and the Schelde towpath give you meadows and a flat riverside run. Both cities are flat, compact and cobbled throughout, so an older dog or a short-legged breed will thank you for the quaysides and the parks over the medieval setts.
When to go
April to June and September to October are the best of it, dry enough for the quays and the terraces and warm enough to sit out. Winter works better here than in most places, because the cafes take dogs inside and the Sint-Anna tunnel and the parks don't care what month it is, though Middelheim drops to 10:00 to 17:00 and the light goes early. High summer is the one to think about in Ghent, because the Blaarmeersen beach and sunbathing lawn are closed to dogs completely, so the Yachtdreef dog swimming spot is where she gets in the water instead. Whatever the season, the cobbles are the constant.

Dog-friendly hotels in Ghent and Antwerp

Questions we get asked

Dogs in Ghent and Antwerp

Is Ghent dog friendly?+

On the street, very. The medieval centre is permanently car-free, the trams carry dogs free, the cafes take them inside and there are more than twenty fenced off-lead meadows. The hotels are the hard part, because the whole luxury tier refuses, most of it in writing. The NH Collection Gent and Hotel Gravensteen are the two dog-accepting beds inside the car-free zone, and the rest sit out at Gentbrugge.

Is Antwerp dog friendly?+

Yes, and the Sint-Anna tunnel under the Scheldt alone is worth the trip. Dogs ride the trams and the premetro free, the brasseries take them inside, and the Stadspark, Rivierenhof and the Nachtegalenpark give you proper walking. The hotel picture is thin at the top, because the only five star, Botanic Sanctuary, refuses on its own site, and so does august.

Can dogs travel on trams and buses in Belgium?+

Yes, and free. De Lijn's own conditions allow a lap-sized dog free, and a larger dog free too on a lead and on the floor, muzzled only if it might be a danger to other passengers. That covers the Antwerp trams and premetro and the Ghent trams. The driver can still refuse an animal likely to soil or inconvenience others. On the trains, SNCB takes a small dog in a carrier free and charges a dog ticket for a larger one on a lead, which has to be muzzled.

How much do Ghent and Antwerp hotels charge for dogs?+

From EUR 15 a night at BANKS Antwerp, the Theater Hotel and Van der Valk Mechelen up to EUR 50 non-refundable at the Hilton Antwerp Old Town. In between it's EUR 22.50 at Van der Valk Gent, EUR 25 at Park Lane and the Crowne Plaza, EUR 35 at both NH Collections and EUR 45 at Sapphire House. Watch the basis, because some of these are per night and some are per stay.

Where should I stay in Ghent or Antwerp with a big dog?+

The Residence Inn by Marriott Ghent has the highest allowance in the region at two dogs up to 30 kg each, out at Gentbrugge. The NH Collection Gent and NH Collection Antwerp Centre both take two up to 25 kg. Van der Valk Gent measures at the shoulder and allows up to 50 cm. Rule out the Hilton Antwerp Old Town at 12 kg and BANKS, which takes small dogs only.

Which hotels in Ghent take dogs?+

The NH Collection Gent on Hoogpoort inside the car-free centre, Hotel Gravensteen in Patershol facing the castle, and out at Gentbrugge the Van der Valk Hotel Gent and the Residence Inn by Marriott. That's the practical list, because 1898 The Post, Pillows Reylof, the Ghent Marriott, Yalo, Hotel Harmony, the Ghent River Hotel, Monasterium PoortAckere, Hotel de Flandre and the Ghent Urbanist all refuse.

Can dogs go in restaurants and cafes in Antwerp and Ghent?+

Usually yes. There's no national rule keeping them out, so it's up to the operator, and in both cities the normal answer is that dogs come inside, winter included. Brown cafes, brasseries and coffee bars are the safest bets, and many display a honden toegelaten sticker. Food-handling areas, supermarkets and food halls are always out.

Can dogs go to the Gravensteen, Antwerp cathedral or the MAS?+

None of them publishes a rule on the pages that would carry one, which in Belgium means assistance dogs only and no general admission, so plan around it. The free outdoor parts are the compensation. The MAS rooftop boulevard and its escalators are public outdoor space, the Middelheim sculpture park is free and unticketed, and the Gravensteen photographs as well from the bridge as from the battlements.

Are dogs allowed on the beach at the Blaarmeersen in Ghent?+

No. Ghent bans dogs from the Blaarmeersen beach and the sunbathing lawn outright, and the ban applies even on a lead. Playgrounds are the same. For swimming, the city runs a dog swimming spot at the Yachtdreef with its own off-lead zone, which is where to take her instead.

Research updated 2026-09-21. Policies change, always confirm with the hotel.