Gravensteen timed-entry ticket — the moated 1180 stone castle in the heart of Ghent, with a free audioguide voiced by Flemish comedian Wouter Deprez: knights, beheadings and battles, told to make you laugh.
See ticket optionsLive availability
Full castle admission incl. the comedian's audioguide, timed entry
€27
Live availability
Reduced rate, timed entry, photo ID required
€16
“The comedian audioguide is the best thing — we laughed the whole way round, and even the kids listened. The view of Ghent from the ramparts is gorgeous.”
“A proper medieval castle right in the middle of the city — the dungeon, the armoury, then up to the wall-walk for the rooftops and canals. Booked ahead and walked straight in.”
“About an hour and a half with the full audio tour. Wear decent shoes, the spiral stairs are steep — but that rooftop panorama over the old town is worth it.”
5-minute audio guide
Hand-written, narrated by a heritage host, sent to every customer the day before their visit — a short primer that sets up the castle before you arrive. On the day, the castle's own free comedic audioguide by Wouter Deprez takes over and turns the history into the funniest hour in Ghent.
Our primer is sent before your visit; the castle's full comedic audioguide is included free with every ticket. No app, no download.
The Gravensteen — the Castle of the Counts — is a moated stone fortress in the very centre of Ghent, built in 1180 by Philip of Alsace, Count of Flanders, on the site of older fortifications. With its grey curtain walls, battlements and central keep rising straight out of the water, it is the most complete medieval castle in Flanders, and one of the few in Europe still standing in the middle of a working city. You climb the ramparts, walk the count's residence, and look out over the rooftops of the old town from the top of the keep.
What sets a visit apart is the audioguide, and it is unlike any other castle's. It is voiced by the Flemish comedian Wouter Deprez, who walks you through the castle's blood-soaked past — knights, sieges, beheadings, the count who built it and the people who suffered in it — and tells the whole grim history to make you laugh. It is included free with every ticket, never a paid extra, and it is the reason so many visitors say Gravensteen is the most fun they had in Ghent. Children and adults alike come down the ramparts grinning.
A visit takes roughly an hour to ninety minutes and sits naturally in any day in Ghent — the castle is a few minutes' walk from the Korenmarkt, the canals and St Bavo's Cathedral, in the heart of the medieval centre. We are a concierge service that books your timed-entry ticket for you, in English and in your own currency, so you choose your day and slot and simply show your phone at the gate. To be clear, the Gravensteen itself is not a UNESCO World Heritage Site — that distinction belongs to Ghent's separate belfry — but it is the city's defining medieval landmark.
Gravensteen Tickets acts as a facilitator to help international visitors book timed-entry tickets for the Gravensteen, the Castle of the Counts, in Ghent. We are not the castle's operator — we provide a personalised booking and English-language support service, and our concierge service fee is included in the displayed price. Visitors who prefer to buy directly can do so at the monument's own ticket channel.
Plan your visit
When to go for the quietest ramparts, the best light and the smallest crowds at Ghent's medieval Castle of the Counts.
Every easy route to the castle — on foot from the Korenmarkt, by tram, and from Ghent's main railway station.
The ramparts, the keep, the count's residence and the comedian's free audioguide — what to see and how to enjoy it.
The Gravensteen, or Castle of the Counts, is a moated medieval stone castle in the centre of Ghent, built in 1180 by Philip of Alsace, Count of Flanders. It is the most complete castle of its kind in Flanders, with curtain walls, a central keep and ramparts you can walk, all rising straight out of the water in the heart of the old city.
Yes — the audioguide is included with every ticket and is never a paid add-on. It is voiced by the Flemish comedian Wouter Deprez, who tells the castle's history of knights, sieges and beheadings with humour, and it is the highlight of the visit for most people.
Wouter Deprez is a well-known Flemish comedian. He narrates the Gravensteen audioguide, turning the castle's grim medieval history into something genuinely funny — visitors of all ages tend to come down the ramparts laughing. The comedic tour is included free with your ticket.
On the Sint-Veerleplein, in the very heart of Ghent's medieval centre. It is about a 5-minute walk from the Korenmarkt and the canals, and an easy walk from St Bavo's Cathedral and the main squares, so it is simple to reach on foot from anywhere in the old town.
The castle is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, with last admission at 16:40. It is closed on 24, 25 and 31 December and on 1 January. Because the slot you choose must fall within these hours, we confirm your timed entry against the current schedule when we book.
Yes. Entry is timed — you choose a day and a time slot, and your ticket reserves that window. We book your preferred slot for you so you can arrive and walk straight in rather than queue for whatever's left, which matters most on busy summer weekends.
Allow about 60 to 90 minutes for the castle and the full audioguide. You can spend longer on the ramparts and at the top of the keep, where the views over Ghent's rooftops and canals are worth lingering over.
It is a genuine medieval building, with steep, uneven stone staircases up to the ramparts and the keep and no lift. Reasonably mobile visitors of most ages manage it comfortably, but it isn't suitable for those who can't manage stairs, and good footing helps on the worn steps.
No. You receive a mobile e-ticket with a QR code that you simply show on your phone at the gate — nothing to print and nothing to collect in advance. You pick up the audioguide handset inside the castle.
Yes. There is a reduced young-adult ticket for visitors aged 19 to 25, which includes the same full access and the comedian's audioguide. Please bring photo ID showing your age, as it may be checked at the gate. Children under 12 and certain other groups have their own arrangements at the castle.
No. The Gravensteen is not a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ghent's medieval belfry is separately inscribed by UNESCO as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France, but that is a different monument. The castle is Ghent's defining medieval landmark in its own right.
Easily — it's one of the best stops on a day on foot. From the castle you're minutes from the Korenmarkt, the Graslei and Korenlei canals, St Bavo's Cathedral with the Ghent Altarpiece, and the belfry. Booking a morning slot lets you do the castle first and wander the old town afterwards.
The audioguide is offered in several languages. The comedic version voiced by Wouter Deprez is the one most international visitors choose in English, and it is what makes the visit so memorable. You collect the handset inside the castle; there is nothing to download.