3 days in Antwerp

Day by day

1. Day 1: Cathedral of Our Lady and Grote Markt and City Hall

   Cathedral of Our Lady, Grote Markt and City Hall and Museum Plantin-Moretus, then Around the cathedral in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Cathedral of Our Lady

      Belgium's largest Gothic cathedral, begun in 1352 and finished in 1521, has a 123-metre spire visible across the city.

   2. Late morning

      Grote Markt and City Hall

      Come at dusk, when the guildhouses are lit and terraces fill up.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Belgian fries

      Frituur (fry shops) across the city, including around the Groenplaats and the Meir.

   4. Afternoon

      Museum Plantin-Moretus

      The home and printing business of Christophe Plantin and his Moretus descendants, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, keeps its 16th-century workshops, two of the oldest surviving printing presses, original typefaces and a library of rare books, around a courtyard garden.

   5. Evening

      Around the cathedral

      Historic beer cafés and pubs in the old town lanes.

2. Day 2: Antwerp Central Station and Antwerp Zoo

   Antwerp Central Station, Antwerp Zoo and KMSKA (Royal Museum of Fine Arts), then Het Zuid in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Antwerp Central Station

      Look up at the dome from the main staircase, then walk onto the upper platform level to see the full train shed.

   2. Late morning

      Antwerp Zoo

      Founded in 1843 next to what is now Central Station, Antwerp Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in the world, with 19th-century animal houses such as the Egyptian temple-style elephant building, an aquarium and a planetarium, alongside modern enclosures.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Moules-frites

      Brasseries around the Grote Markt and in the old town.

   4. Afternoon

      KMSKA (Royal Museum of Fine Arts)

      Start in the Rubens rooms, then move to the bright modern galleries built inside the old building's courtyards.

   5. Evening

      Het Zuid

      Wine bars, cocktail bars and late restaurants around the museum quarter.

3. Day 3: MAS (Museum aan de Stroom) and Red Star Line Museum

   MAS (Museum aan de Stroom), Red Star Line Museum and Port House, then Eilandje in the evening.

   1. Morning

      MAS (Museum aan de Stroom)

      Opened in 2011, the red sandstone and glass tower of the MAS stacks galleries on the city, the port and world cultures.

   2. Late morning

      Red Star Line Museum

      Climb the museum's tower for a view over the Eilandje and the river.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Stoofvlees

      Traditional brasseries and cafés across the city.

   4. Afternoon

      Port House

      Zaha Hadid Architects placed a faceted glass extension, shaped like a ship's bow, on top of a restored former fire station to create the port authority's headquarters, completed in 2016.

   5. Evening

      Eilandje

      Waterfront bars and clubs in former docks and warehouses.

Before you go

• KMSKA (Royal Museum of Fine Arts): Booking a timed slot online is recommended at weekends.

If it rains

• Swap in MoMu Fashion Museum (Sint-Andries): Follow it with a browse along Nationalestraat and Kammenstraat's boutiques.
• Swap in Vleeshuis (Oude Stad): Look at the building's banded façade from Vleeshouwersstraat for the best angle.
• Swap in Museum Mayer van den Bergh (Oude Stad): It is small and quiet, a good counterpoint to the larger museums.

Where to stay for this itinerary

With 3 nights, Oude Stad keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, Sint-Andries ($$$) suits shopping, couples and food lovers. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 12–16 hours of visiting over 3 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 7.9 hours in December to 16.6 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

More or fewer days

• One day in Antwerp
• 2 days in Antwerp

Questions travellers ask