Antwerp on a rainy day

Museums

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  DIVA Diamond Museum · Old town · Thu–Tue 10:00–18:00 (closed Wed) · €12
  Five centuries of Antwerp diamonds, jewellery and silver, just off the Grote Markt.

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  MoMu Fashion Museum · Old town · Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00 (last tickets 17:00, closed Mon) · €13
  Antwerp's fashion museum; 'The Antwerp Six' runs until 17 Jan 2027.

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  Rubens House · Meir/Rubens · Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 10:00–17:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–18:00 (closed Wed) · €12 (garden only €8)
  Rubens Experience and baroque garden at the painter's home; the house itself is under restoration.

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  Snijders&Rockoxhuis · Meir/Rubens · Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00 (closed Mon) · €10
  Two neighbouring patrician houses with Flemish Baroque art, incl. Bruegel and Snijders.

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  Red Star Line Museum · Eilandje · Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00 (closed Mon) · €10 (€12 with temporary exhibition)
  Emigrant stories in the old shipping-line halls, with a viewing tower over the port.

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  MAS (Museum aan de Stroom) · Eilandje · Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00, closed Mon); free rooftop Tue–Sun 09:30–22:00 (Apr–Oct until 24:00) · €12 (rooftop free)
  Red stone tower of stacked galleries on the docks, crowned by a free panoramic rooftop.

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  KMSKA Royal Museum of Fine Arts · Zuid · Mon–Fri 10:00–17:00 (Thu until 22:00), Sat–Sun 10:00–18:00 · €20
  Seven centuries of art from Van Eyck and Rubens to Ensor and Magritte.

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  FOMU Photo Museum · Zuid · Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00 (closed Mon) · €12
  Belgium's photography museum, with changing exhibitions in a former warehouse.

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  Chocolate Nation · Station/Zoo · Sun–Tue 09:30–18:30 (last tour 17:00), Wed–Sat 09:30–20:00 (last tour 18:30) · €19.90
  Large Belgian chocolate museum opposite Central Station: 14 themed rooms from cocoa bean to praline, with tastings along the way.

Careful on Mondays: 5 of these museums are closed. Which museums are open today? →

Churches

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  Cathedral of Our Lady · Old town · Mon–Fri 10:00–17:00, Sat 10:00–15:00, Sun 13:00–17:00 · €12
  Belgium's tallest Gothic cathedral, home to four Rubens masterpieces.

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  St Charles Borromeo Church · Meir/Rubens · Mon–Sat 10:00–12:30 and 14:00–17:00 (closed to visitors Sun) · €5
  Lavish Baroque Jesuit church on a quiet square, its facade designed with Rubens.

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  St James' Church · Meir/Rubens · Daily 14:00–17:00 (not during services) · Free
  Restored Gothic church with a rich Baroque interior and the chapel where Rubens is buried.

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  St Paul's Church · Old town · Daily 14:00–17:00 (1 Apr–1 Nov); weekends only in winter · Free
  Gothic church with a Baroque interior and paintings by Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens; outside, a grotto of Calvary statues.

Shopping under cover

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  Stadsfeestzaal · Meir/Rubens · Mon–Sat 08:00–20:00; first Sunday of the month 10:00–18:00 · Free
  Shopping centre inside a 1908 festival hall: 30-plus shops and cafés under a gilded neo-classical hall with a glass roof.

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  The Chocolate Line (Paleis op de Meir) · Meir/Rubens · Tue–Sat 09:30–18:30, Sun–Mon 10:30–18:30 · Free
  Dominique Persoone's chocolate shop in the 18th-century royal palace on the Meir, with a workshop in the old tiled kitchen.
• Désirée de Lille · Old town · Daily 10:00–18:00 · €6
  Old Antwerp tearoom for waffles and lacquemants, the thin syrup-filled wafers born at the Antwerp carnival in 1903.

Beer and chocolate

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  De Koninck – Antwerp City Brewery · Zuid · Tue–Sun 11:00–17:30 (tour); bar until 19:00 Tue–Wed, 22:00 Thu–Sun · €19.90
  Antwerp's city brewery, home of the 'bolleke': a self-guided interactive tour with two tasters, then the bar and beer shop.

More to see indoors

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  Antwerpen-Centraal station · Station/Zoo · Always open (station hall) · Free
  The 'railway cathedral': a domed 1905 hall of marble, iron and glass.
• Frituur No 1 · Old town · Daily 11:00–22:00 · €5
  Popular chip shop just off the Grote Markt: fresh-cut Belgian fries, double-fried, with a long list of sauces.