15 Great Things to Do in Antwerp, Belgium

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Antwerp, the large city in Belgium’s north, was the “big city” when I temporarily lived in Belgium as a young kid. Not that I remembered it that well or all the things to do in Antwerp before returning to visit Flanders as an adult.

As Belgium’s 2nd largest metropolitan area after the capital, Brussels, visiting Antwerp felt like an essential part of exploring Belgium. And it is, as even with one day in Antwerp you can soak up a lot of the culture, history, and beauty of this thriving city. Start planning your own visit with this mix of popular and unusual places to visit around Antwerp.

 

Travel Tips for Visiting Antwerp

When planning to visit Antwerp, I genuinely think you need several days to make the most of your visit. That way, you can visit the city’s many museums and get to the city’s outer neighbourhoods without being rushed. This is based on my experience just doing a day trip to Antwerp.

Antwerp is serviced by a small airport, but only really has flights from London and Spain. You’re far better off looking at flights to Brussels Zaventem Airport and then taking the train direct to Antwerp Central Station. Once you’re there, you can walk through the city centre with ease, but Antwerp’s buses and trams make getting about even easier.

When staying more than one day in Antwerp, you’ll find plenty of hotels, hostels and guesthouses that range from budget to luxury accommodation.

And if you plan on doing lots of sightseeing and visiting multiple museums, consider purchasing the 24/48/72hr Antwerp City Card. With it you get access to all the museums listed above, and many more, plus free public transport.

Taking a walking tour is a great way to start your visit. Their routes/itineraries will vary, but you’ll typically see several of the Antwerp attractions below on them.

 

1. Stand in the Grote Markt

I always think that the best part to start any visit to a European city is its main square and Antwerp is no exception.

The Grote Markt of Antwerp is a great place to start your visit, both because of its central location and the wondrous sights you find already on display. It’s surrounded by plenty of attractive Renaissance buildings, but also the distinguished City Hall. The building dates from 1565 and is another of Antwerp’s landmarks on the UNESCO heritage list.

In the middle of the square is the evocative Brabo Fountain, which depicts the story around the city’s founding.

The tale goes that a giant tormented the city and would throw the hands of sailors into the river if they did not pay his toll. This was until the giant was defeated by the hero Silvus Brabo, who cast the giant’s hand into the river in turn. It is from this story that the city is said to owe its name, hand werpen in Dutch meaning “to throw a hand”. There you go!

 

2. Attend the Cathedral of Our Lady

A dominant fixture on Antwerp’s cityscape and skyline, the Cathedral of Our Lady is one of the city’s main landmarks.

Originally a church, it was built between 1352 and 1521 and after almost being destroyed a decade later, was converted into the city cathedral. It has managed to survive plenty of crises and troubles, although it stands resplendent today thanks to substantial renovation works undertaken by the city in the ’60s.

Beyond its ornate exterior door, there is plenty to admire inside the church. From the numerous vibrant stained glass windows to the detailed woodwork of the choir, the cathedral is quite the sight. That it hosts an art exhibit of 16th-17th Century Flemish masters is just another feather in its cap.

Here you’ll find wonderful works of art by Quentin Massys and famed local, Peter Paul Rubens.

One of the more striking elements of the Antwerp Cathedral though is the below sculpture by Jan Fabre. Named The Man who bears the Cross, the mesmerizing and modern bronze sculpture encourages patrons to contemplate keeping their faith in balance. Entry to the church costs €12 per person, with more information available at the cathedral website.

 

3. Stop a Moment in the Handschoenmarkt

After visiting the Cathedral, it’s worth taking a moment to look around the small Handschoenmarkt square that sits before it. Yet another beautiful European square complete with more great narrow buildings. Off to one side is an old well with a beautifully detailed wrought metal top.

Across the square is a clever statue about a boy Nello and his dog Patrasche, taken from the novel A Dog of Flanders. Here the cobblestones run over the statues like a blanket. The novel is quite big in Japan and the company Toyota actually donated the statue to the city.

 

4. Descend into St Anna’s Tunnel

While most large modern cities build big grand bridges over their rivers, Antwerp went the other way.

Instead, to cross the Scheldt River to Antwerp’s Linkeroever, you must take the 500-metre-long St Anna’s Tunnel. 30 metres below the surface, this tunnel provides pedestrians and even cyclists access under the river.

What really charmed me though, were the distinguished and historic wooden escalators that transport you down into the tunnel.

Installed in 1933, the escalators work well enough and together with the surrounding decor, give your descent into the tunnel an air of elegance. Even if you don’t plan to cross the river, I’d suggest going down to see these old-fashioned escalators.

 

5. Walk over to Het Steen

Sitting by the shores of the Scheldt River, you’ll find the medieval Het Steen fortress.

Antwerp’s oldest building, the spot has been fortified since the 7th Century but this castle dates from the early 13th Century. With its name meaning “the Stone”, the fortress was used to control the river, but also as a prison from 1549 to 1823.

The keep hosts the National Maritime Museum, but you can freely walk around its open courtyards.

 

6. Find the Vlaeykensgang Alley

One of the more picturesque spots in Antwerp, you need to find the hidden Vlaeykensgang alley that runs between buildings in the centre of the city.

Running between the Oude Koornmarkt and Pelgrimstraat, the alley provides visitors with a reprieve from the big city. Once a medieval alley home to shoemakers and one of many, it is sadly one of the few historic alleys to survive to the modern-day.

 

7. Explore the Rubenshuis Museum

Certainly, a museum not to miss in Antwerp is the home of famed artist Peter Paul Rubens, now the Rubenshuis Museum.

While you can find his artwork in other parts of the city, here you can actually visit his family home and learn about his life. One of the most successful and wealthy artists of his time, the house not only features plenty of Ruben’s work but also pieces collected from his contemporary peers.

The house also includes multiple works from the artist’s studio as he had numerous assistants and pupils. For art enthusiasts, this museum is a must! Entry to the museum costs €12 for non-concession adults.

 

8. Learn in the Plantin-Moretus Museum

Another of Antwerp’s world-class museums is the extensive Plantin-Moretus Museum.

With a strong focus on the history of the printing presses and the printed book, the Plantin-Moretus Museum is actually the only UNESCO world heritage listed museum.

Housed in a 16th-century mansion that was once the house of Christophe Plantin, you can find some of the world’s oldest printing presses inside. Many of the museum’s rooms are lined with bookshelves of antique letters and books, many collected by Plantin himself. Entry to the museum costs €12 for non-concession adults.

 

9. Admire Antwerp’s Architecture

Throughout the city of Antwerp, you’ll find assorted architectural styles and plenty of buildings worth seeking out.

One such building is the Bourla Theatre, an unusual neoclassical theatre in the depths of the city. While I didn’t venture inside, photos I’ve seen do make it look quite lavish. There are also multiple palaces scattered throughout the city centre, one in particular worth checking out is the Palais Op De Mar, just around the corner from the Rubenshuis.

One other building that properly gets overlooked is the Boerentoren, an Art Deco high-rise. Built in the 1920-30s, it’s the second tallest building behind the Cathedral of Our Lady. Quite a restrained style but still effective I think.

 

10. See the Saint Carolus Borromeus Church

Just a few blocks from Antwerp’s Cathedral is an equally miraculous building, the Saint Carolus Borromeus Church.

Built in 1626, the church was renowned for its abundance of Rubens’ pieces that were sadly lost in a fire. After the fire in 1718, it was restored and the results are pretty astounding.

Looking down the nave there’s a great contrast between the bright white columns and ceiling against the copious amounts of dark along the walls and pulpit. The woodwork throughout really is something worth slipping in.

 

11. Wonder at the MAS – Museum aan de Stroom

The big new architectural addition to Antwerp, the box-shaped Museum aan de Stroom is definitely eye-catching.

There are so many little quirks and details to the building, from the skull mosaic courtyard to the 3,185 little hands adorned to the side of the building. However, sitting on the edge of the city’s docks, this growing icon is not just an architectural curiosity but also a truly fascinating museum.

The museum hosts over 470,000 pieces that share not only Antwerp’s story but many other unusual and unlikely ones. Some of the moving permanent exhibits focused on “Display of Power”, the “World Port” and “Art of Pre-Columbian America”. With exhibits on floors 2-9, you could easily spend the better part of a day solely exploring the MAS.

Beyond the exhibits, a visit to the MAS is incomplete without heading to the building’s roof for spectacular sweeping 360° views out over the city. Best of all, entry to the rooftop is completely free to the public. Overall, it’s worth planning your visit to the MAS and it would be wise to use their website to help plan your visit.

 

12. Sneak into the Felix Passage

Another of Antwerp’s secret passageways, the FelixArchief passage leads from the Willemdok by the MAS through some renovated warehouses. The building is now an event venue but the passageway through the building is open to the public and shows a stylish take on the city’s important shipping history.

 

13. Marvel at Antwerp Central Railway Station

Even if you’re not arriving in Antwerp by train from Brussels or Ghent, you really need to visit the city’s Central Railway Station.

Following in the grand tradition of wondrous train stations, the Antwerp Central Station looks statuesque from the outside and stunningly beautiful inside. From its ostentatious glass windows and ceilings to elegant staircases, you feel like you’ve arrived at a palace, not a train station. If you do arrive by train, have your camera ready aside as you leave your train.

 

14. Venture to the Zurenborg District

A little removed from the rest of the above sites in Antwerp, the Zurenborg District is worth the trip for its stunning Art Nouveau houses.

Situated just by the Antwerpen-Berchem train station, this neighbourhood hides a distinctive architectural style relative to the rest of the city.

Nowhere else in the city will you find house after house designed in such a grand and elaborate style.

If you’re looking for where to start, head for the Cogels-Osylei street and you can wander from there. This was one of many great tips given to me by the city’s Visitor Centre on the Grote Markt.

 

15. …And Many, Many More

Fair to say, that there’s too much to do in Antwerp to try to fit in a day.

While the above is a great start, there’s so much more to see and do. For instance, there’s the city’s renowned MOMU Fashion Museum right in the heart of the city.

Further afield, there are areas like the Diamond District, Begijnhof and Jewish Quarter that speak to different aspects of the city’s history and culture. One architectural landmark I also missed was the city’s redesigned Palace of Justice, which was sadly a little too far out of the centre.

Not to mention I missed out on all the city’s shopping, cafes, restaurants and even the De Koninck Brewery. Gah, next time I visit Antwerp I guess!

 

Before You Go

Plan out the rest of your time in Belgium and Flanders, with these Belgium blog posts covering other can’t-miss destinations:

• 17 Essential Sights to See in Ghent, Belgium
• A Lengthy Sightseeing Guide to Leuven, Belgium
• Visit Mechelen, A Quintessentially Belgian City
• The Many Compelling Things to See in Ypres, Belgium

 

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Have you had the opportunity to travel to awesome Antwerp? If you haven’t, where would you be most excited to visit? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

*Disclosure: I received a free Antwerp City Card from the Visit Antwerpen Tourism Office. As always, my opinions are my own.

This article is now available as a mobile app. Go to GPSmyCity to download the app for GPS-assisted travel directions to the attractions featured in this article.