7 best museums in Antwerp

Museums in Antwerp

Museum · Het Zuid

1.KMSKA (Royal Museum of Fine Arts)

Reopened in 2022 after an 11-year renovation, the KMSKA displays Flemish masters including Jan van Eyck, Rubens and Jordaens in its 19th-century galleries, and the world's largest James Ensor collection, along with Magritte and other modern artists in new white galleries inside the old building.

Time needed

2–3 hours

Cost

Mid-priced

• Art
• Iconic
• Rainy day
• Architecture

Museum · Oude Stad

2.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.

Time needed

2 hours

Cost

Mid-priced

• History
• Art
• Rainy day
• Off the beaten path

Museum · Eilandje

3.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.

Time needed

1–2.5 hours

Cost

Low cost

• Views
• Free
• Kids
• Rainy day
• Architecture

Museum · Eilandje

4.Red Star Line Museum

In the warehouses where the Red Star Line processed passengers, this museum follows the journeys of some two million emigrants who sailed from Antwerp to North America between 1873 and 1934.

Time needed

1.5–2 hours

Cost

Mid-priced

• History
• Rainy day
• Views

Museum · Sint-Andries

5.MoMu Fashion Museum

Antwerp's fashion museum on Nationalestraat shares a building with the Royal Academy of Fine Arts' fashion department, which produced the 'Antwerp Six' designers in the 1980s.

Time needed

1.5 hours

Cost

Mid-priced

• Art
• Shopping
• Rainy day

Museum · Oude Stad

6.Vleeshuis

The striking striped brick-and-stone Butchers' Hall from the early 16th century now houses a museum of musical instruments and sound, including harpsichords made in Antwerp by the Ruckers family.

Time needed

1 hour

Cost

Low cost

• History
• Architecture
• Rainy day

Museum · Oude Stad

7.Museum Mayer van den Bergh

A collector's house museum near the Meir displaying medieval and Renaissance art, including Pieter Bruegel the Elder's Dulle Griet (Mad Meg), in intimate period rooms.

Time needed

1 hour

Cost

Low cost

• Art
• Rainy day
• Off the beaten path
• History

Grouped by area

Booking and timing

Of these 7, 3 low cost, 4 mid-priced. Book ahead for KMSKA (Royal Museum of Fine Arts). The longest visit is KMSKA (Royal Museum of Fine Arts); group the rest by area to save travel time.

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

How to fit them into 3 half-days

Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.

• Half-day 1 (Het Zuid and Oude Stad): KMSKA (Royal Museum of Fine Arts) → Museum Plantin-Moretus, at least 4 hours.
• Half-day 2 (Oude Stad and Eilandje): Vleeshuis → Museum Mayer van den Bergh → MAS (Museum aan de Stroom), at least 3 hours.
• Half-day 3 (Eilandje and Sint-Andries): Red Star Line Museum → MoMu Fashion Museum, at least 3 hours.

The quietest months for queues

• February: highs of 7°C (45°F), about 10 rainy days, quiet crowds. One of the quietest months; good for museums and cafés.
• March: highs of 11°C (52°F), about 11 rainy days, quiet crowds. Days lengthen and terraces reopen on sunny afternoons.
• January: highs of 6°C (43°F), about 12 rainy days, quiet crowds. Cold and grey, but museums are quiet and sales start in shops.

The neighbourhoods they are in

• Oude Stad — Guildhouses, the cathedral and cobbled lanes around the Grote Markt
• Sint-Andries — The fashion district of designer boutiques, vintage shops and MoMu
• Het Zuid — Wide 19th-century avenues, the KMSKA and stylish restaurants
• Eilandje — Converted docks with the MAS, the Red Star Line Museum and waterfront bars

More of Antwerp

All things to do in Antwerp · Where to stay · When to go.

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