FAQ

The CityCard Gent is an advantageous card that gives you access to the principal monuments, museums and attractions in the city. You only pay 42 or 48 euro and you can explore the city for 48 or 72 hours respectively. Children and adolescents up to the age of 18 have free access to most of the Ghent museums.  This means that a CityCard may not be advantageous for them. Check here whether the citycard is advantageous for you. Keep this in mind when purchasing your cards and also check when certain monuments or museums are closed. The opening times of each monument or attraction are indicated on our website. This way you can get the most out of your purchase!

The CityCard Gent is sold at numerous locations throughout the city: the tourist office, hotels, B&Bs, museums, etc. This is a list of all points of sale. Looking for the point of sale nearest to you? View all points of sale on a handy map. 

No, the CityCard Gent is only sold in brick-and-mortar shops. However, the card is available at many locations throughout the city. View a list of all points of sale. Looking for the point of sale nearest to you? View all points of sale on a handy map. 

Of course you can! Select the ‘CityCard’ option in the ticket module of the attraction you want to visit and have both you ticket and your CityCard scanned at the entrance.  

Do you want to visit the Ghent Altar Piece with your CityCard? Then you have to book your tickets in advance. You can do so by selecting the 'CityCard' option in the ticket module of the visitor centre. When you get to the entrance, have both your ticket and CityCard scanned. 

You do not need to book tickets in advance for the Castle of the Counts, the Belfry or for exhibitions at St Peter’s Abbey. CityCard holders can always gain entrance (even when all tickets are sold out).   

There are several points of sale near Ghent’s two train stations. Consult the map with all points of sale.  

With the CityCard Gent you can visit numerous museums and attractions. The complete list can be found here. In addition, you also enjoy a considerable discount on your visit to the Ghent Altarpiece. Take a look at the list of all museums and attractions. 

The CityCard Gent gives you free access to all temporary exhibitions in Ghent’s museums. Here you can consult the list of all exhibitions included in the offer. 

With the CityCard Gent, you can freely use all trams and buses within the city of Ghent. In addition, you can rent a bike and travel with the Hop-on Hop-off water tram for one day. Do you prefer a guided boat tour? You can also use your CityCard Gent once for this purpose. Here you can read all about the means of transport included in the offer. 

With the CityCard Gent, you can freely use all trams and buses operated by De Lijn within the city of Ghent. You cannot use the CityCard Gent to travel outside the city of Ghent. 

Each CityCard includes a two-day or three-day ticket for public transport. This offer is only valid from and commences on the start date of the card. The start date and start time must always appear on the reverse of the card. 

No, you can freely use public transport for the duration of the CityCard, and the card only has to be shown when public transport tickets are checked. 

The period of validity of the CityCard Gent starts the first time you use the card. You are requested to indicate the date and time on the back of the card. The card will be scanned every time you enter a museum or attraction. If you make use of public transport, you don’t need to validate the card, but the conductor may ask you to show it.

Do you want to visit the Ghent Altar Piece with your CityCard? Then be sure to book your ticket in advance by selecting the "CityCard" option in the web shop. You can even do this before you have actually bought your CityCard. When you get to the entrance, have both your ticket and CityCard scanned. The reduced rate will not be granted for tickets bought at the reception desk.  

You do not need to book tickets in advance for the Castle of the Counts, the Belfry or for exhibitions at St Peter’s Abbey. CityCard holders can always gain entrance (even when all tickets are sold out).   

Please note: be sure to fill in the date and time of your first use on the reverse of the card. This is not just important for checks, but also handy as a reminder! 

The card’s period of validity depends on the formula you have chosen: 

• CityCard Gent 48h: is valid for exactly 48 hours from the first use (= the first time the card is scanned for one of the activities such as visiting a museum, attraction, boot tour, etc.)
• CityCard Gent 72h: is valid for exactly 72 hours from the first use (= the first time the card is scanned for one of the activities such as visiting a museum, attraction, boot tour, etc.) 

No, the CityCard does not have an expiry date. This means that it is the perfect gift for friends or relatives. Once the card has been used for the first time (= the first time the card is scanned for one of the activities such as visiting a museum, attraction, boot tour, etc.), it can be used for 48 or 72 hours (depending on the formula chosen).   

The CityCard Gent provides access once to the various museums, attractions and activities during the period of validity of the CityCard Gent. The card also enables you to make use of the Hop-on Hop-off water tram and rent a bike for one day. You can make unlimited use of public transport during the period of validity of the card. 

The answer to this question is very simple! All you need to do is scan the card when visiting a museum or attraction or doing an activity. You do not have to scan the card when using public transport, but you do need to show it when public transport tickets are checked. 

A stolen or lost CityCard cannot be reimbursed or replaced.  

No, the CityCard Gent is strictly personal and cannot be used by several people. In addition, the card only provides a single person with access to the various museums, attractions and activities. 

The reception staff of the tourist office will gladly assist you.  

The treasure hunt takes about two hours. Be sure to start before 3 pm, so that you reach the finish by 5 pm for an additional surprise. You can find the entire route here.

The route is approximately 3 km. You can find the entire route here.  

The treasure hunt starts at the Old Fish Market at Sint-Veerleplein square in Ghent. Fosfor the Dragon then shows you the way and takes you on a journey along various highlights of the city centre.  You can find the entire route here.  

The treasure hunt is suitable for children aged between 5 and 12, but younger children can also take part with the help of an adult.

It’s perfectly possible to go on the treasure hunt with a pram.  The route passes 2 flights of stairs, but they can easily be avoided by making a small detour.  You can see the detours here (dotted lines).    

You can download the application free of charge via the Google Play Store (Android) or the Apple App Store (iOS).The tourist office of VisitGent (starting point of the treasure hunt) has free WiFi to download the app.  

Fosfor the Dragon has lost his glasses in Ghent and needs your help. Together with him, you go looking for them along the route he took yesterday. Along the way, you complete a series of task and find out some interesting facts about Ghent. 

• Open the game.
• You'll see a map with all of the locations where Fosfor the Dragon was yesterday (little flames on the map). He must have lost his glasses at one of those places.
• Do you see Fosfor the Dragon on the map? Click on his nose to go to the first location. Follow the blue arrow and walk to the location (marked with a red icon on the map). The application will count down how many metres you are away from this spot.   
• As soon as you reach the location, you’ll get your first task. 
• Complete the task. No glasses found? Fosfor the Dragon will change the flame into crossed out glasses. That way, you can keep track of where you’ve looked for his glasses. 
• Go to the next location by clicking Fosfor the Dragon’s nose again and repeat the steps above.

• Click on the Fosfor the Dragon icon on the map
• Go the suggested location
• The task will open as soon as you reach the location 

You can set the language of the game by clicking on the flag in the bottom left corner of the home screen. The application is available in the following languages:  

• Dutch
• French
• English
• German
• Spanish

• Close the application completely and restart the game. 
• No luck? Restart your smartphone or tablet and try reopening the application.
• If the above steps don’t work, delete the application from your device and reinstall it. 

• Check if your location setting is enabled: 
• Open your devices’ settings
• Click on privacy > location setting > Fosfor
• Activate ‘when using the app' and 'exact location’
• Go back to the application
• No luck? Close the application and open another application that uses your location setting (maps for example). Reopen the Fosfor the Dragon application and check your location.
• If the above steps don’t work, use the SOS button on the bottom of the map. 

You can reach Ghent in various ways.  You can take a train or a bus, for instance. Do you prefer coming by car anyway? You can buy a permit / day pass of park your car at a  P+R at the edge of the city. Parking is free, and quick and easy tram or bus connections to the city centre are available! 

A few other Belgian cities, e.g. Brussels and Antwerp, also have a low emission zone. However, the admission conditions are not the same in every one of these cities.  Here you can find 5 tips if you want to enter several low emission zones.

Buses and coaches are to meet the applicable requirements as well. Only buses for transporting people with disabilities are exempt from the entry requirements.

It goes without saying that foreign vehicles also have to meet the requirements of the LEZ. In addition, foreign number plates (with the exception of Dutch number plates) must always be registered!

Form Stad Gent

There are several car parks where you can park a coach. View all car parks for coaches here. 

There are several kiss-and-ride zones for coaches. Dropping travellers off by coach in other locations is only possible if the driver finds a free spot where stopping is allowed according to the highway code, and if the parked coach does not cause any hindrance or danger to other road users.   

If the police find that a coach is parked/waiting for travellers who haven’t arrived yet, they can impose a fine. It is therefore important that the coach does not stop longer than necessary for travellers to get on or off.  

Note:a large part of the historical centre is a car-free zone.   

Coaches (and other means of transport) must strictly adhere to the rules for the car-free zone in line with the Mobility Plan (which has been in effect since 3 April 2017).  
All licence plates of vehicles entering the car-free zone are scanned. If you do not have a valid permit, you will be fined. 

Exception: dropping off or picking up overnight tourists at their hotel in the zone is allowed, provided you have a permit. This permit can be requested from the hotel in question. 

Coaches may drop off or pick up hotel guests at their hotel, if they have received a permit from the hotel (located in the car-free zone). This permit can only be requested from the hotel. 

There are many local coach companies to choose from. You can consult a list with various coach companies here. 

There are various companies that have scheduled international bus routes to Ghent. You can find them here.  

Yes. More information about bus transfers between Ghent and the airports can be found here: 

• From Brussels Airport to Ghent
• From Brussels South Charleroi airport to Ghent 

If you have your own boat, you can easily reach Ghent via the rivers Lys and Scheldt and the Ghent-Terneuzen and Ghent-Ostend canals. View waterway maps here. 

Please note: foreign pleasure craft need a waterway vignette to enter the waterways. 

Boating is permitted everywhere on Ghent’s inland waterways, but boating in the (tourist) city centre is discouraged due to the commercial shipping (city tours) taking place. Moreover, there are plenty of alternative navigation routes available outside the city centre. Boating on the Lieve canal is also discouraged because this waterway is too narrow and unsafe. Only commercial shipping by the city tour boats takes place on the Lieve canal. Rafts are preferably not used on Ghent’s inland waterways. 

Non-motorised vessels (canoes, rowing boats, etc.) are allowed as indicated by the signs. 

At Hoofdbrug bridge (near the Castle of the Counts), there is a sign that says passing through is prohibited for motorised watercraft, except for commercial shipping. So no private motorised vessels are allowed to pass under this bridge. It is also forbidden to moor at the Castle of the Counts. 

Watercraft powered by human effort are allowed to navigate everywhere, but this is not advisable because of the narrow waterways and low bridges.  In addition, the operators of tourist excursion boats cannot hear the canoes, kayaks and other non-motorised vessels coming, which may lead to hazardous situation. So although it is not prohibited, it is strongly advised against. 

If you want to boat with a motorised vessel, you need to contact the Martime Police. 
Both the vessel and the skipper must meet a few requirements. 

For waterways outside Ghent, you must contact De Vlaamse Waterweg. 

Yes, Ghent has several marinas. 

Yes, this way, boats can sail all the way around Ghent. 

The Scaldissluis lock 
A lockkeeper manually opens and closes the lock: 

• Weekdays and Saturdays: open at 9 am, 1 pm and 3 pm.
• Sundays and public holidays: open at 1 pm and 2 pm. 

The Sint-Jorissluis lock 
The same lockkeeper also manually opens and closes this lock: 

• Weekdays and Saturdays: open at 10 am, 2 pm and 4 pm.
• Sundays and public holidays: open at 2 pm and 3 pm. 

You can check the most up-to-date operating times here. 

Near the marinas at Langerbrugge and Snepdijk, boats can be launched at a slipway. 

Individual water sports enthusiasts are allowed to sail on the rivers, but large groups or event organisers need to ask permission from De Vlaamse Waterweg.  

Please always sail on the right and take account of other waterway users. Never block the waterway with your boat! 

Individual water sports enthusiasts are allowed to sail on the rivers, but large groups or event organisers need to ask permission from De Vlaamse Waterweg. For example, large groups of water recreationists are no longer allowed during the breeding season. 

You can launch a canoe at Gentse Roei- en Sportvereniging vzw, Vissersdijk 1, 9000 Ghent. 

The safest locations to embark and disembark are the Krommewalbrug bridge and Baudelokaai quay. 

The water stairway is meant for embarking and disembarking, not for mooring. The staircase must always remain clear for other waterway users or for people who accidentally end up in the water. 

The Maritime Police regularly monitor compliance with these guidelines. 

Canoes or kayaks must not be left unattended. Otherwise, De Vlaamse Waterweg will remove these canoes and kayaks. It is therefore advisable to put a mobile phone number or telephone number of the owner on the vessel. 
 
You can leave your canoe or kayak in a marina. Never leave it at a water staircase or quay wall. 
Applications for this can be submitted to De Vlaamse Waterweg, but these moorings can only be authorised for events or group visits. 

Paddling (Stand Up Paddle, SUP) is allowed, but you have to behave according to the shipping regulations: shipping has priority at all times. Activities on Watersportbaan are the competence of the Sports department.