Things to do in Antwerp
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Antwerp
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring is arguably the best all-round window, mild with terraces from April and fewer crowds.
Summer is the festival city, with long daylight and peak MAS rooftop and Linkeroever evenings.
Autumn is the food traveller's season, with restaurants at full strength and softer hotel prices.
Winter is underrated and cheapest outside Christmas week, best for warm and empty museums.
Best months overall are mid-May to late June and September.
Worst are late July without Tomorrowland for prices and crowds, and February for weather.
What's on
- Zomer van Antwerpen June-August
City-wide summer festival of open-air theatre, circus and music in unexpected locations.
- Live is Live late June
Antwerp rock and pop festival in late June.
- Tomorrowland final two weekends of July
In Boom, with Antwerp as a primary overflow base and prices surging.
- Antwerp Pride 6-9 August
Pride weekend events, with parade and a Cockerillkaai closing party in Het Zuid.
- Night of the Proms 20-22 November 2026
The big indoor fixture at the Sportpaleis.
Best things to do in Antwerp
Cathedral of Our Lady
Antwerp's main Rubens stop now, with four altarpieces in the largest Gothic church in the Low Countries.
Grote Markt
Renaissance city hall, guildhouses and the Brabo fountain in the old town's main square.
KMSKA
Seven centuries of art from Van Eyck to contemporary work in a restored neoclassical palace.
MAS
Docklands museum tower with city and port exhibitions and a free rooftop panorama.
Antwerp Central Station
A neo-baroque station hall and vault that is a sight in itself and costs nothing to enter.
DIVA
The diamond museum explaining Antwerp's trade before you walk the working trading streets.
MoMu
The largest collection of contemporary Belgian fashion, centred on the Antwerp Six.
Saint Anna Tunnel
A 1930s pedestrian tunnel under the Scheldt on wooden escalators to the Linkeroever skyline view.
Where to stay in Antwerp
Historic Centre
first trip, all-round base
Walk to the cathedral, Grote Markt, riverfront and most museums, with Centraal fifteen minutes away.
Het Zuid
art, food and couples
KMSKA and the densest cluster of good restaurants and wine bars, residential in the evening.
Eilandje
waterfront and design hotels
Redeveloped docklands around the MAS and marina, quieter at night than the old town.
Sint-Andries / Fashion Quarter
local-feeling central stay
Kloosterstraat antiques and MoMu on foot, central without being in the tourist funnel.
Central Station / Diamond District
rail logistics and day trips
Arrive, drop bags and reach Ghent, Brussels or Mechelen with zero friction, with the zoo next door.
Zurenborg / Berchem
architecture lovers and repeat visitors
Cogels-Osylei on your doorstep and better value, but limited hotels and tram dependent.
Think twice about
- Station forecourt, De Keyserlei and Seefhoek / Antwerp-Noord (2060)
The scruffiest central quadrant, where begging, petty crime and drug activity concentrate after dark and streets feel rougher.
- Schipperskwartier
Still contains the window prostitution street, so a base there means sex tourism foot traffic outside at night.
- Borgerhout as a base
Great for a gig and dinner, but few hotels and a twenty minute walk or tram to Centraal make it a poor base.
- Hoboken
A residential suburb with nothing wrong with it, but a poor commute for a three day visitor trip.
Best restaurants in Antwerp
The Jane
Nick Bril's two star flagship, the special occasion and hardest booking in Antwerp.
Hertog Jan at Botanic
A two star intimate counter inside Botanic Sanctuary with a kitchen led omakase format.
Zilte
A starred tasting menu on top of the MAS with the port and city spread below the windows.
Le Pristine
Sergio Herman's starred Italian seafood flagship, with a more accessible cafe attached.
Nathan
A one star French restaurant in the centre, part of Antwerp's strong second rank.
Fine Fleur
A one star creative restaurant at Botanic Sanctuary, a classic pick in the starred bench.
Misera
A newer, energetic one star room on the Het Zuid edge, a favourite of the local food crowd.
Nebo
A newer energy one star room in Eilandje by Panamarenko Square.
Best bars in Antwerp
Dogma
The cocktail bar on Wijngaardstraat named on local eating and drinking maps.
Bar Brut
A natural wine bar popular with Antwerp's creative crowd.
BarBel
A natural wine bar popular with local creatives, in the same spirit as Bar Brut.
Outdoor things to do in Antwerp
Guided Bike Tour of Antwerp
A two hour guided highlights ride that orients you faster than any walking first day.
Biking Through a World Port
A full day guided cycle through docks, locks and polders combined with Waterbus crossings.
Waterbus
Ferries along the Scheldt and into the port that work as cheap transport and sightseeing.
Old Harbour Boat Tour Antwerp
A private old harbour boat tour with drinks and snacks, the paid upgrade on the river.
Royal Antwerp Golf Club
Belgium's oldest and top ranked club, a Tom Simpson championship course through heath and pine.
Rinkven International Golf Club
Two well rated courses, North and South, in the accessible Antwerp championship cluster.
Ternesse Golf & Country Club
Twenty-seven parkland holes just east of the city, the easiest quality round from the centre.
Brasschaat Open Golf
An accessible nine hole course plus a par three course, ideal for mixed ability groups.
Best hotels in Antwerp
Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp
The city's flagship five star sanctuary in a former monastery around the botanical garden.
Hotel August
A design luxury hotel in a restored Augustinian convent, with calm the centre cannot offer.
De Witte Lelie
A small luxury townhouse hotel with suites around a courtyard in the centre.
Hotel 't Sandt
A luxury stay by the cathedral and the Scheldt for travellers who want the postcard address.
Hotel de Gulde Schoen
Grote Markt suites in the luxury tier for a postcard address in the old town.
Hotel Pilar
A design forward Het Zuid base facing KMSKA, with a restaurant and bar on site.
Hotel Julien
A calm design led townhouse hotel minutes from the cathedral, with a courtyard feel.
Hotel FRANQ
A former bank by the centre, a strong mid range option in the same tier as Hotel Julien.
Is Antwerp expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €85 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €185 a person |
| Splurge | €350 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- KMSKA: a few days ahead
- MoMu: a few days ahead
- Royal Antwerp Golf Club: weeks ahead
- The Jane: weeks ahead
- Hertog Jan at Botanic: weeks ahead
- Zilte: weeks ahead
- The Jane, Hertog Jan at Botanic and Zilte need three to six weeks or more.
- Book timed tickets for KMSKA and MoMu special exhibitions in busy weeks.
- Book De Roma gigs and opera or ballet on announcement.
- Book hotels for festival weekends when you book the festival ticket.
- Tomorrowland tickets sell out in hours and Antwerp hotels fill as overflow.
Is Antwerp safe?
- Pickpockets work Central Station, the Meir and crowded trams, keep bags closed there.
- After dark the station's northern fringe toward Seefhoek and Noord feels roughest centrally.
- The old town, Het Zuid, Eilandje and Zurenborg are comfortable late.
- Tap water is excellent. Emergency number 112.
Antwerp travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not build a day around the Rubenshuis or Plantin-Moretus before their reopenings.
- Avoid generic tourist restaurants and discount chocolate around Grote Markt and Groenplaats.
- Kulminator entry is at the owners' discretion, hours are short and treatment can be brusque.
- Many museums close Mondays and much of independent Antwerp shortens on Sundays.
- Diamond retail for walk-ins is not a bargain, buy only from established houses with certification.
- Het Steen's interior is a modern visitor centre, not a medieval interior.
Getting around Antwerp: public transport and more
- Walk first, then use De Lijn trams with contactless or app tickets.
- Use Velo Antwerpen city bikes for Eilandje and Het Zuid hops.
- Do not rent a car for the city, parking is scarce and the Low Emission Zone catches visiting cars.
- Direct trains from Brussels Airport to Antwerpen-Centraal take about thirty to forty-five minutes.
Who Antwerp suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Great |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Great |
Make Antwerp your trip
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