Antwerp with kids
Travelling with children? Antwerp has more for kids than you might think. Here are 9 family favourites, with ages, prices and opening hours, plus ideas for a rainy day and practical tips.
ZOO Antwerpen Outdoor
One of the oldest zoos in the world, right next to Centraal station, with hundreds of animals among historic 19th-century buildings. Easy to fill a whole day with kids.
- 👧 Ages: all ages
- 🎟️ Price: Price depends on the day: adults €30.50–€38.50, ages 12–17 €28.50–€36.50, ages 3–11 €23.50–€31.50, under 3 free (October 2026: €35.50 / €33.50 / €28.50); €2 off per adult and €1 per child online at least a day ahead
- 🕗 Hours: Open every day of the year from 10:00; closing time varies with the season (17:00 in October)
- ⏱️ Visit: ~4 h
- 💡 Tip: You can rent a stroller at the entrance (€4 a day, €10 deposit), there are changing tables in all toilets, and the restaurants have a microwave for baby bottles.
- 📍 Koningin Astridplein 20-26, 2018 Antwerpen
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near ZOO Antwerpen: 🚶 0.1 km · 1 min walk
Chocolate Nation Indoor
The story of Belgian chocolate in 15 themed rooms, from cocoa bean to praline, with a tasting of 10 kinds of chocolate along the way. A sweet rainy-day plan right across from the station.
- 👧 Ages: 4+
- 🎟️ Price: €19.90 adults, €18.50 ages 12–25, €14.50 children 4–11, under 4 free
- 🕗 Hours: Mon–Tue and Sun 09:30–18:30, Wed–Sat 09:30–20:00
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h
- 💡 Tip: Book a time slot online: it's not required, but it guarantees your entry. The audio guide (8 languages) and lockers are free.
- 📍 Koningin Astridplein 7, 2018 Antwerpen
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Antwerpen-Centraal station: 🚶 0.5 km · 6 min walk
MAS (Museum aan de Stroom) Indoor
Kids ride the escalators up the red tower floor by floor, each with a new view of the port and the city, ending on a free rooftop with a 360° panorama.
- 👧 Ages: all ages
- 🎟️ Price: Museum €12 adults, €8 ages 18–25, under 18 free; the boulevard and rooftop are free
- 🕗 Hours: Museum Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00), closed Mon and 1 Jan, 1 May, 25 Dec. Boulevard and rooftop Tue–Sun 09:30–22:00 (until midnight 1 Apr–31 Oct)
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h
- 💡 Tip: The way up to the roof is free, even without a museum ticket, so it's a great quick stop. Payment is cashless only.
- 📍 Hanzestedenplaats 1, 2000 Antwerpen
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near MAS (Museum aan de Stroom): 🚶 0.1 km · 1 min walk
Red Star Line Museum Indoor
The real story of the emigrants who sailed from here to America. Little ones help Gup the gull move house (ages 3–6), and older kids play the Family Suitcase game (6+).
- 👧 Ages: 3+ (family games for ages 3–6 and 6+)
- 🎟️ Price: €10 adults (€12 with the temporary exhibition), €6 ages 18–25 (€8), under 18 free
- 🕗 Hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00, closed Mon and 1 Jan, 1 May, 25 Dec; 24 and 31 Dec until 15:00
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h
- 💡 Tip: On the first Sunday of the month there's a family workshop from 13:00 to 16:00 (book ahead). Payment is cashless only.
- 📍 Montevideostraat 3, 2000 Antwerpen
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Red Star Line Museum: 🚶 0.1 km · 1 min walk
Het Steen & The Antwerp Story Indoor
A real medieval castle on the Scheldt. Inside, The Antwerp Story takes you room by room through the city's history, and the free roof terrace looks out over the river.
- 👧 Ages: all ages
- 🎟️ Price: Visitor centre and rooftop free; The Antwerp Story €7 adults, €5 ages 6–17, up to 5 free
- 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–18:00 (rooftop terrace until 22:00); closed 25 Dec and 1 Jan; 24 and 31 Dec until 16:00
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h
- 💡 Tip: Short on time or money? The visitor centre, the roof terrace and some rooms of The Antwerp Story are free.
- 📍 Steenplein 1, 2000 Antwerpen
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Het Steen: 🚶 0.1 km · 1 min walk
KMSKA (Royal Museum of Fine Arts) Indoor
Rubens, Van Eyck and Ensor in a spectacular museum, and kids aged 6 to 12 get a free sketchbook and pencil with the family trail to draw their favourite paintings.
- 👧 Ages: 6–12 (family trail), all ages welcome
- 🎟️ Price: €20 adults, €10 under 26, under 18 free
- 🕗 Hours: Mon–Fri 10:00–17:00 (Thu until 22:00), Sat–Sun and holidays 10:00–18:00; in Flemish school holidays weekdays until 18:00 and no late Thursday; closed 25 Dec and 1 Jan
- ⏱️ Visit: ~2 h
- 💡 Tip: Pick up the family trail for free at the information desk. Book your time slot online (required). There are changing tables on levels 0, 1 and 4, and gardens to run around in.
- 📍 Leopold De Waelplaats 1, 2000 Antwerpen
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near KMSKA Royal Museum of Fine Arts: 🚶 0.1 km · 1 min walk
Middelheim Museum (sculpture park) Outdoor
A huge park full of more than 200 sculptures, some big, some strange, some you can walk around or into. Kids treat it like a treasure hunt, and you can picnic on the lawns.
- 👧 Ages: all ages
- 🎟️ Price: Free, no ticket needed
- 🕗 Hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00 (Oct–Mar), 10:00–19:00 (Apr and Sep), 10:00–20:00 (May–Aug); closed Mon and 1 Jan, 1 May, 25 Dec
- ⏱️ Visit: ~2 h
- 💡 Tip: Bring a picnic: the café is temporarily closed for restoration. There are water points and changing tables in the pavilions, and free parking on Beukenlaan, 300 m from the entrance.
- 📍 Middelheimlaan 61, 2020 Antwerpen
- MapWebsite
Stadspark Outdoor
Antwerp's best-known park, a green oasis in the centre with a pond, winding paths, a suspension bridge, a playground and a skatepark.
Rivierenhof Outdoor
A 135-hectare provincial park on the edge of the city, with playgrounds, a sandpit, a petting farm and plenty of room to run.
Rainy day? Go indoors
Tips for families
Under-18s often go free
The city museums are free for under-18s: MAS, the Red Star Line Museum and KMSKA cost nothing for kids. Middelheim is free for everyone, and the MAS rooftop and Het Steen's roof terrace are free too.
Kids under 6 ride free
On De Lijn trams and buses, children under 6 travel free. A regular ticket costs €3 and is valid for an hour; buy it in the De Lijn app before boarding.
Mind Mondays
MAS, the Red Star Line Museum and Middelheim are closed on Mondays. Open every day: the ZOO, Chocolate Nation, Het Steen and KMSKA.
Rainy-day plan
Around Centraal station, combine Chocolate Nation with the indoor animal houses of the ZOO next door. On Eilandje, MAS and the Red Star Line Museum are a 10-minute walk apart.
Book a time slot and bring a card
KMSKA, MAS and the Red Star Line Museum work with online time slots, also for free children's tickets, and MAS and the Red Star Line Museum only accept card payments.
Plan your trip → Put these places in a day plan with walking times.
More guides
Checked: 1 October 2026. Prices and hours can change; check the official site before you go.