Belgium · City break

Antwerp City Guide

Diamonds, Rubens and fashion. Antwerp is a port city and a Flemish city of art at once, with a splendid old town on the Scheldt and a station that looks like a cathedral. One ready-made day route from Antwerpen-Centraal leads you along the Meir to the Cathedral of Our Lady, the Grote Markt and the water.

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Our walking tour of Antwerp

One ready-made route shows you Antwerp, from the cathedral-like station hall via the Meir and the Rubens House to the Gothic Cathedral of Our Lady, the Grote Markt with the Brabo fountain, down to Het Steen castle and along the water to the Museum aan de Stroom. Starting at Antwerpen-Centraal.

Bahnhof, Kathedrale & Schelde

From the magnificent Antwerpen-Centraal station hall along the Meir shopping street to the Rubens House, on to the Gothic Cathedral of Our Lady and the Grote Markt with its Renaissance city hall and the Brabo fountain. Down to the water to Het Steen castle and north along the Scheldt quay to the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS) with its free rooftop panorama.

Antwerp Central & Rubens House. The walk begins in one of the world's most beautiful station halls, Antwerpen-Centraal of 1905, with marble, a dome and a steel-and-glass hall, dubbed the 'railway cathedral'. Along the Meir shopping street, one of Belgium's busiest, you reach the Rubens House, the splendid home and studio of Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens.
Cathedral of Our Lady. At 123 metres, the Gothic Cathedral of Our Lady has the tallest church tower in the Benelux and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It has seven aisles; only Córdoba Cathedral has more. Inside hang four monumental masterpieces by Rubens, including the famous 'Descent from the Cross'. A filigree landmark rising over the whole old town.
Vlaeykensgang. An inconspicuous archway on Oude Koornmarkt opens into one of Antwerp's most atmospheric corners, the Vlaeykensgang, a narrow cobbled alley from the 16th century. Between whitewashed walls, old lanterns and ivy-clad nooks time seems to stand still. Once home to poor cobblers, today lined with quiet courtyards, restaurants and galleries. On Sunday evenings the cathedral carillon drifts across.
Grote Markt & City Hall. The heart of the old town is a triangular square lined with richly decorated guild houses topped by gilded figures and the magnificent Renaissance city hall of 1565. In the middle splashes the Brabo fountain, telling the legend of the giant and the severed hand. Said to be the origin of the name 'Antwerp'.
Het Steen. On the bank of the Scheldt stands Antwerp's oldest castle, the medieval Het Steen from the 13th century. Once part of the city walls, now a visitor centre. From the promenade in front you get a wide view over the broad river and the ships; to the south the Sint-Annatunnel leads under the Scheldt as a historic pedestrian tunnel.
Sint-Annastrand. Through the historic Sint-Annatunnel. Wooden escalators lead down beneath the Scheldt. You reach the left bank in minutes. There lies the Sint-Annastrand, a real sandy beach on the river, and above all the finest view of Antwerp. The whole skyline with cathedral tower, Ferris wheel and historic waterfront spreads across the broad stream. Loveliest at sunset.
Museum aan de Stroom (MAS). To finish, the MAS in the Eilandje harbour quarter, a modern tower of red sandstone and glass telling the story of the city and its port. Escalators lead up a freely accessible route to the rooftop at 60 metres. With a superb panorama over Antwerp, the Scheldt and the harbour. The crowning finale of the route.
Het Eilandje. The former docklands of Het Eilandje have turned into a trendy quarter of design shops, street art, waterside promenades and little bars. From the free MAS rooftop you get a 360-degree panorama over the port and the city. On TikTok and Instagram it's touted as Antwerp's coolest neighbourhood.

Planning your visit

One day is enough. The route from Antwerpen-Centraal runs 4.8 kilometres and strings together eight stops, from the Rubens House past the cathedral and the Grote Markt down to the water. With only half a day, turn round at the Grote Markt and leave out the Museum aan de Stroom. Antwerp grew rich on its harbour, and the centre still shows it. If time is left, Ghent is a quick train ride away, and eight addresses are ready for the evening.

Going out & nightlife

Rooftop bars

Zuiderterras. Elegant brasserie with a terrace right on the Scheldt (in Bofill's striking pavilion). The loveliest spot for a drink with a view of the river and the passing ships.

Nightlife quarters

Het Zuid. The trendy southern quarter with broad boulevards, art museums, design shops and a dense scene of bars and restaurants around Vlaamsekaai and Marnixplaats. The city's liveliest part at night.
Grote Markt & Oude Stad. Around the Grote Markt and the cathedral, historic guild houses, cafés and brasseries with terraces line up. For strolling by day and atmospherically lit by night.

Food & restaurants

Belgische Fritten (Frituur). No visit to Antwerp without Belgian fries from a frituur. Double-fried, crisp, with mayo or one of many sauces. You'll find good spots on Groenplaats and around the old town.
De Koninck - Antwerp City Brewery. The city brewery south of the centre brews Antwerp's 'Bolleke'; the round beer glass is as much part of the city as the Grote Markt. Tour, tasting and beer hall under one roof.

Bars & clubs

Het Zuid mit Vlaamsekaai & Marnixplaats. In the south, cocktail bars, brewery pubs and clubs line up. This is where Antwerp's nightlife runs late, easy-going and lively.
De Vagant (Jenever-Bar). A traditional bar near the cathedral specialising in Belgian jenever (juniper spirit) in dozens of varieties. Characterful and typically Flemish.

Stage & concerts

Opera Antwerpen (Vlaamse Opera). The opulent opera house of 1907 near the station stages opera and ballet beneath a richly gilded ceiling. One of Belgium's finest theatres.

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Practical information for Antwerp

Public transport

Operator. De Lijn is the transport company for the Flanders region and is responsible for tram, premetro, and bus services in Antwerp. The company operates a single flat fare with no zone boundaries across the entire Flemish network, so one ticket applies regardless of distance traveled. The network is complemented by the free Veerdienst Sint-Anna, a pedestrian and cyclist ferry run by De Lijn across the Scheldt between Het Steen in the old town and Linkeroever.

Network. Trams, partly underground as a premetro, plus buses.

Modes of transport. Tram · Premetro (underground tram line, including Diamant station right at the main station) · Bus · free Veerdienst Sint-Anna pedestrian and cyclist ferry across the Scheldt

Operating hours. Local transport in Antwerp starts early. On regular weekdays, the first premetro on line A3 departs Astrid station, directly beneath the railway station, around 4.25 am. Tram 8 follows shortly after at around 4.32 am, tram 10 at around 4.35 am, and tram 11 at around 4.38 am. Service continues late into the evening. The last trams from Centraal run between roughly 1.20 am and 1.30 am, with lines A9, 10, and 6 last. Bus 32 sets off around 1.33 am, and express bus X41 to Turnhout around 1.45 am. Service then pauses for about three hours before early-morning departures resume. These times come from the official departure boards for the stops at Antwerpen-Centraal, checked across several weekdays in August 2026.

Night service. On its official overview page for evening and night services, De Lijn lists Ghent, Bruges, Brussels, and Ostend with daily late-night service, the Leuven region with Friday and Saturday evening runs, plus Kortrijk, Roeselare, and the Westhoek. Antwerp does not appear in this list, and no dedicated tram or bus night network is designated for the city. Anyone traveling after midnight should rely on a taxi or the last regular runs of the daytime lines.

Buying tickets. De Lijn accepts as a ticket a MOBIB card, a contactless debit or credit card, an electronic card, an SMS ticket, a digital ticket through the De Lijn app or website, and tickets from authorized partners. Regular tickets must be activated or bought before boarding, the exception being contactless payment directly on board, where the fare is billed afterward. Sales points include ticket machines and De Lijn's Lijnwinkels, including one at the main station.

App and payment. Through the free De Lijn app or website, you can buy a digital ticket and activate it for the first ride, after which it remains valid for 60 minutes including transfers. Anyone who prefers not to use an app can tap a contactless debit or credit card on the yellow scanner when boarding and at every transfer, De Lijn then automatically calculates the appropriate fare and debits it from the account within a few days. For a seamless fare, the same card must be used consistently across all transfers.

Which ticket. De Lijn sells a single ticket for 3 euros, valid 60 minutes from first activation including transfers. A round-trip ticket for two rides costs 6 euros, a ten-ride card costs 22 euros (2.20 euros per ride), and a fifty-ride card costs 95 euros (1.90 euros per ride, valid three months, intended for two to three round trips per week). For longer stays there's the day ticket for 9 euros (24 hours, children aged 6 to 11 pay 4.50 euros) and the three-day ticket for 18 euros (72 hours, children 9 euros). Mathematically, the day ticket pays off from the fourth ride in a day, and the three-day ticket from the seventh ride in three days. Groups of 10 to 30 people pay 2.20 euros per person, children under 6 travel free.

Fare zones. No fare zones, one ticket applies across the entire De Lijn network at the same price regardless of distance traveled, as long as the journey stays within the validity period.

Tip. The 1933 pedestrian tunnel under the Scheldt still has its original wooden escalators.

Getting there

Main station

Location. Reckoned one of Europe's finest stations, with four track levels stacked above one another.

Long-distance trains. Eurostar has taken over the Thalys brand and has announced future direct trains from Paris to Antwerp, but by its own description, travel currently still routes through Brussels. Travelers book a through Eurostar service to Brussels and then buy a separate ticket from the Belgian railway company NMBS for the onward journey to Antwerpen-Centraal.

Opening hours. The first long-distance train leaves Antwerpen-Centraal on weekdays around 4.35 am, an IC service to Poperinge. IC trains to Hasselt and Charleroi follow shortly after. The last IC departs in the evening around 11.35 pm for Ghent, with a suburban train to Essen still running at 12.10 am.

Airports

ANR

Into the city. Bus 51, 52, or 53 gets you to Antwerpen-Berchem station in 10 minutes, from where a train continues to Antwerpen-Centraal every five minutes. Alternatively, bus 21 and 32 or tram 9 and 11 also run from Berchem toward Rooseveltplaats near the main station.

Frequency. Buses 51, 52, and 53 run every 15 minutes from the stop right in front of the terminal, and bus 33 stops less than 100 meters from the terminal.

BRU

Into the city. Direct train to Antwerpen-Centraal, around forty minutes.

Local quirks

Diamonds for Centuries. Around the main station lies the Diamond District, through which a large share of world trade passes.
Free Scheldt Ferry, Day and Night. The Veerdienst Sint-Anna takes pedestrians and cyclists across the Scheldt for free between Het Steen in the old town and Linkeroever, carrying up to 150 people per crossing. It runs continuously, every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes at night, and almost non-stop during heavy demand.
Premetro Station Right at the Main Station. The underground Diamant premetro station sits right next to Antwerpen-Centraal on Pelikaanstraat, connecting the station directly to the tram network toward the city center.

Good to know

Currency: EUR €
Emergency number: 112
Plug type: C · E
Time zone: Europe/Brussels
Driving: right

Speed limits. built-up areas 50 km/h, generally 30 km/h in the Brussels-Capital Region, outside towns 70 km/h in Flanders and Brussels, 90 km/h in Wallonia, motorway 120 km/h

Since 2021, almost all of Brussels has been a 30 km/h zone, only a few major arteries allow more. Outside built-up areas, the limit is higher in Wallonia at 90 km/h than in Flanders and Brussels at 70 km/h, which surprises travelers passing through who expect one uniform national rule.

Tipping. Service is included. Rounding up is enough.

Tolls. No tolls for cars. The Liefkenshoek tunnel near Antwerp charges a fee.

Access restrictions. Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent have low emission zones. Foreign vehicles must register online in advance, otherwise even a clean car risks a fine.