Museum visit - GUM
At GUM & Botanical Garden, you can delve into the mind of the inquisitive and research-minded individual. How do scientists go about their work, and what challenges do they face? Which remarkable objects illustrate this story? In the museum, you’ll discover that research is the result of trial and error, doubt and imagination. As well as individual visits, GUM also offers guided tours, family treasure hunts, workshops and talks.
Step into the mind of a researcher
In the permanent exhibition, you’ll be introduced to the scientific research process. Across these themes, you’ll find scientific artefacts from various disciplines such as biology, archaeology and criminology. The academic artefacts engage in a dialogue with one another through key concepts such as Chaos, Doubt and Imagination. They are not organised by discipline, but demonstrate precisely how the research process unfolds in a similar way across disciplines. What’s more, at the GUM you’ll discover how scientific research continues to evolve, and you’ll leave with new questions!
In addition, a new temporary exhibition opens every two years at GUM & Botanical Garden, which also features artistic research. Following PHALLUS: Norm & Form and Wunderkammer of TRUTH, the exhibition BORDERS opened in March 2026. In this exhibition, scientists and artists question, challenge and rethink boundaries. BORDERS is open until 11 April 2027, so do pop in and push your boundaries.
Botanical Garden
In addition to the non-living collection at the GUM, the Botanical Garden houses a very large living collection comprising around 7,500 different species. The botanical garden is divided into various zones, such as the Mediterranean zone, the rock garden and the marsh. It also features four greenhouses that are open to the public. The Botanical Garden is open daily free of charge and constantly reveals its beauty in new ways, thanks to the changing weather and the flowering cycles of the countless flowers.
Guided tours and groups
Both the GUM and the Botanical Garden offer a wide range of guided tours, which you can book for a group or join as part of a public tour. There are tours covering the permanent and temporary exhibitions, as well as the Botanical Garden. In addition, there are tours suitable for families with young children, people with mild intellectual disabilities, and tours in Flemish Sign Language. Guided tours can be adapted (to a limited extent) to suit the group.
Groups are not required to visit with a guide. You can also visit the museum freely as a group, or with an external guide. Please let us know you’re coming by emailing info.gum@ugent.be.
Every third Sunday of the month, you can join a guided tour of the BORDERS exhibition or Boundless Green; a guided tour of the Botanical Garden exploring the theme of borders. A guided tour of BORDERS also takes place on every Late Thursday.
Activities for families and children
GUM is for curious and questioning people of all ages, which is precisely why we are keen to make the museum particularly accessible to our youngest visitors. As well as the family tour, we also offer various free treasure hunts for children. With Professor DOUBT (ages 4 and up) and the reSEARCHtour (ages 9 and up), children can explore the permanent exhibition in an interactive way. We also have a family game for BORDERS that guides you through the four themes. All three are available free of charge, and at the end you can pick up a little surprise from the shop!
Activities
GUM & Botanical Garden offers a wide variety of activities. These range from guided tours and book presentations to talks and workshops such as taxidermy or cyanotype printing. We’ve even hosted theatre performances and concerts in the Botanical Garden! Much of the programme ties in with the temporary exhibition or relates to science and the Botanical Garden, but anyone who enjoys music, drawing or colouring is sure to find something to their liking in our range of activities.
In addition, every first Thursday of the month (except during the summer holidays) is Late Thursday, when the museum is open free of charge until 10 pm and an extra activity is sometimes on offer.
The first Thursday in December is Museum Night, when Ghent’s museums are open free of charge until 1 am and there is plenty to do at both the GUM and the Botanical Garden. This unique event is an annual highlight!
Most of our activities are in Dutch.
Practical information
Opening Hours
Mon - Tue - Thur - Fri: 9.30 am till 5.30 pm
Wed: closed*
Weekends - Holidays - School holidays: 10am till 18pm
The Botanical Garden is open on every day.
The greenhouses of the Botanical Garden close daily at 4:30 PM.
Even if public holidays or school holidays fall on a Wednesday, the GUM is closed.
Every first Thursday of the month, GUM & Botanical Garden are open until 10 p.m. during Late Thursday at Ghent Museums.
The GUM is closed on Wednesdays and on December 24, 25 and 31 and January 1.
Ticket information
You can book a ticket online in advance, but tickets are also available at the reception desk. A ticket grants you access to both the permanent and temporary exhibitions. The Botanical Garden and its greenhouses are open daily and free to visit; you do not need a ticket for these.
The standard individual admission price is 12 euros. Discounts and free tickets are also available. For further details, please see the ticket information page.
Getting here
Address: Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent
GUM & Plantentuin is easily accessible by bike, car or public transport. It’s about a ten-minute walk from Sint-Pieters Station to GUM & Plantentuin, but De Lijn also operates a number of bus services that pass nearby.
Food and drinks
GUM & Botanical Garden does not have its own bar or café where you can have a drink or a bite to eat. You can enjoy your picnic in the Botanical Garden, or visit one of the many restaurants and cafés in the neighbourhood.
Accessibility
GUM & Botanical Garden does its utmost to ensure accessibility for everyone, adapting where possible to visitors’ individual needs. We provide our museum texts in several languages.
More information about accessibility.
Museum Shop
At the end of your visit to the museum, you’ll find yourself in the shop, where you’ll discover a wide range of science-related goodies. There’s a wide selection of books for all ages, as well as posters, jigsaw puzzles, games and merchandise such as bags, notebooks and magnets.
More information about the museum shop.
