Dog-Friendly Things to Do in Groningen, Martini Tower & Vismarkt Squares

The Grote Markt with its 96 m Martinitoren (the tallest church tower in the Dutch north, built in three phases between 1469 and 1627) and the adjoining Martinikerk anchor Groningen's centre. The cobbled Martinikerkhof square and the Vismarkt fish-market square just west, dominated by the neoclassical 1865 Korenbeurs corn exchange, host dog-friendly café terraces around the perimeter. Leashed dogs are welcome on every square and on the Vismarkt during the Tuesday-Friday-Saturday market days, including the Saturday flower market. The church interior and the tower stairs admit assistance dogs only.

The Hoge der A and the Lage der A are the most photogenic canal quays in Groningen, lined with patrician 17th and 18th-century gabled merchants' houses and anchored by the 1247 Akerk (rebuilt in the 16th century after fires). The cobbled quay is dog-walkable on leash 24/7 and the small Akerkhof square at the foot of the church hosts dog-friendly café terraces. The Akerk interior is closed except for concerts (assistance dogs only). One of the calmest dog walks in the centre, parallel to the busier Grote Markt-Vismarkt axis.

A small but exquisite Renaissance garden laid out in 1626 between the city walls and the Martinikerkhof, with formal box parterres, a rose garden, a herb garden and a wisteria-covered pergola. Leashed dogs are welcome on the gravel paths year-round, and the on-site tea pavilion has a dog-friendly outdoor terrace. Combine with the Academiegebouw of the 1614 Rijksuniversiteit (oldest university outside of Leiden) and the Martinikerkhof for a 1.5 km leashed loop through the most historic streets of the centre. Garden interior admits leashed dogs; tea pavilion interior assistance dogs only.