Things to do · Antwerp · Belgium
18 best things to do in Antwerp
18 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Maros M r a z ( Maros ), CC BY-SA 3.0
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Quick answer
The essential sights in Antwerp are Cathedral of Our Lady, Grote Markt and City Hall and Antwerp Central Station. Of the 18 picks below, 8 are free, 8 work on a rainy day and 5 suit children. Allow about 3 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Cathedral of Our Lady
- Free sights
- 8
- Good on a rainy day
- Cathedral of Our Lady
- Time to see the highlights
- 3 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cathedral of Our Lady | Oude Stad | 1 hour | Mid-priced |
| Grote Markt and City Hall | Oude Stad | 30 minutes | Free |
| Antwerp Central Station | Stationsbuurt and Diamond Quarter | 30 minutes | Free |
| KMSKA (Royal Museum of Fine Arts) | Het Zuid | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Museum Plantin-Moretus | Oude Stad | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| MAS (Museum aan de Stroom) | Eilandje | 1–2.5 hours | Low cost |
| Red Star Line Museum | Eilandje | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| MoMu Fashion Museum | Sint-Andries | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Het Steen | Oude Stad | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Antwerp Zoo | Stationsbuurt and Diamond Quarter | Half a day | Expensive |
| St. Charles Borromeo Church | Oude Stad | 30 minutes | Free |
| St. Paul's Church | Oude Stad | 45 minutes | Free |
| Vleeshuis | Oude Stad | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Sint-Annatunnel | Linkeroever | 1 hour | Free |
| Cogels-Osylei and Zurenborg | Zurenborg | 1.5 hours | Free |
| Port House | Eilandje | 30 minutes | Free |
| Middelheim Museum | Wilrijk | 2 hours | Free |
| Museum Mayer van den Bergh | Oude Stad | 1 hour | Low cost |
The 18 best things to do
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Religious site · Oude Stad
1.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. Inside hang four Rubens altarpieces, including The Elevation of the Cross and The Descent from the Cross, made famous in Europe through the novel A Dog of Flanders.
Stand in front of the two Rubens triptychs in the transepts, then step outside to the Handschoenmarkt for the best view of the spire.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Art
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Landmark · Oude Stad
2.Grote Markt and City Hall
Antwerp's main square is lined with gabled guildhouses topped with gilded statues and dominated by the Renaissance City Hall of the 1560s. In the centre, the Brabo fountain shows the legendary Roman soldier throwing the giant's severed hand, a story linked to the city's name.
Come at dusk, when the guildhouses are lit and terraces fill up.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
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Architecture · Stationsbuurt and Diamond Quarter
3.Antwerp Central Station
Louis Delacenserie's station, completed in 1905, has a domed stone hall of marble and gilt, a vast iron-and-glass train shed and, since the 2000s, tracks on three levels beneath it. It is often called the railway cathedral.
Look up at the dome from the main staircase, then walk onto the upper platform level to see the full train shed.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Iconic
- Photo spot
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Museum · Het Zuid
4.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.
Start in the Rubens rooms, then move to the bright modern galleries built inside the old building's courtyards.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Booking a timed slot online is recommended at weekends.
- Art
- Iconic
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Oude Stad
5.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.
Allow at least two hours and pick up the audio guide for the print workshops.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Eilandje
6.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. Escalators wind up through a glass gallery to a free rooftop with a 360-degree view over the docks, river and old town.
Even if you skip the galleries, ride the free escalators to the rooftop at sunset.
- Time needed
- 1–2.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Free
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Eilandje
7.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. A tower added to the warehouses has a viewing platform over the docks.
Climb the museum's tower for a view over the Eilandje and the river.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Views
Museum · Sint-Andries
8.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. It stages changing exhibitions on fashion and design.
Follow it with a browse along Nationalestraat and Kammenstraat's boutiques.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Shopping
- Rainy day
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Castle · Oude Stad
1.Het Steen
The oldest building in Antwerp, a medieval fortress on the Scheldt, now houses the city's visitor centre and an exhibition on Antwerp's story. In front of it stands a statue of Lange Wapper, a giant from local folklore.
Walk the raised riverside promenade beside it for views along the Scheldt.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Kids
- Views
Zoo · Stationsbuurt and Diamond Quarter
2.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.
Combine it with the station; the zoo entrance is on Koningin Astridplein, right next to the station's main hall.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Architecture
- Outdoors
Religious site · Oude Stad
3.St. Charles Borromeo Church
This Jesuit church on the elegant Hendrik Conscienceplein was built in the early 17th century with Rubens involved in its decoration. A fire in 1718 destroyed most of his ceiling paintings, but the Baroque façade, the marble Lady Chapel and carved confessionals remain.
Sit for a drink on the Hendrik Conscienceplein afterwards, one of the city's quietest squares.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Art
- History
Religious site · Oude Stad
4.St. Paul's Church
A Gothic church with a Baroque interior and paintings by Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens, including Rubens's Flagellation in a series of 15 paintings of the Mysteries of the Rosary. Its outdoor Calvary garden has dozens of life-size statues.
Look for the Calvary in the courtyard on the way in.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- History
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Oude Stad
5.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.
Look at the building's banded façade from Vleeshouwersstraat for the best angle.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Historic site · Linkeroever
6.Sint-Annatunnel
A pedestrian and cyclist tunnel opened in 1933 runs about 570 metres under the Scheldt to the left bank, reached by original wooden escalators and tiled entrance halls. On the far side, the riverside gives the classic view back to the old town skyline.
Walk across in the late afternoon and watch the sun set over the old town from the left-bank riverside.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Views
- Off the beaten path
- Kids
Street · Zurenborg
7.Cogels-Osylei and Zurenborg
The Cogels-Osylei and nearby Waterloostraat and Transvaalstraat are lined with exuberant townhouses built around 1900 in Art Nouveau, neo-Renaissance and eclectic styles, including the Huis Zonnebloem and the houses of the Vier Seizoenen (Four Seasons) at the Waterloostraat junction.
Start at Berchem station and finish with a drink on the Dageraadplaats.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- Off the beaten path
Architecture · Eilandje
8.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. It is a short walk from the MAS, at the edge of the working docks.
Combine it with the MAS rooftop, from where you can see it across the docks.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Park · Wilrijk
9.Middelheim Museum
An open-air sculpture museum in a large park on the city's southern edge, with works by Rodin, Henry Moore and contemporary artists placed among lawns and woodland. Entry is free.
Bring a picnic on a fine day and allow time to wander the whole park.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Outdoors
- Kids
Museum · Oude Stad
10.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.
It is small and quiet, a good counterpoint to the larger museums.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
- History
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Cathedral of Our Lady, KMSKA (Royal Museum of Fine Arts), Museum Plantin-Moretus and MAS (Museum aan de Stroom) |
| History | Cathedral of Our Lady, Grote Markt and City Hall, Museum Plantin-Moretus and Red Star Line Museum |
| Views | MAS (Museum aan de Stroom), Red Star Line Museum, Het Steen and Sint-Annatunnel |
| Outdoors and nature | Antwerp Zoo and Middelheim Museum |
| With children | MAS (Museum aan de Stroom), Het Steen, Antwerp Zoo and Sint-Annatunnel |
| On a rainy day | Cathedral of Our Lady, Museum Plantin-Moretus, MAS (Museum aan de Stroom) and KMSKA (Royal Museum of Fine Arts) |
What to book ahead
- KMSKA (Royal Museum of Fine Arts): Booking a timed slot online is recommended at weekends.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Antwerp?
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.
+What can you do for free in Antwerp?
Grote Markt and City Hall, Antwerp Central Station, St. Charles Borromeo Church, St. Paul's Church and Sint-Annatunnel. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Antwerp when it rains?
Head indoors to Cathedral of Our Lady, Museum Plantin-Moretus, MAS (Museum aan de Stroom) and KMSKA (Royal Museum of Fine Arts).