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Things to do in Antwerp

Antwerp packs a lot into a compact centre. Here are all 32 sights in our planner, starting with the must-sees and then grouped by theme, each with opening hours, price and the time you need.

Last updated: 7 November 2026

Don't miss

Grote Markt & City Hall, AntwerpOld town

Grote Markt & City Hall

Guildhall-lined main square with the Renaissance City Hall and the Brabo fountain.

Cathedral of Our Lady, AntwerpOld town

Cathedral of Our Lady

Belgium's tallest Gothic cathedral, home to four Rubens masterpieces.

Sightseeing: squares, landmarks and viewpoints

St James' Church, AntwerpMeir/Rubens

St James' Church

Restored Gothic church with a rich Baroque interior and the chapel where Rubens is buried.

Stadspark, AntwerpMeir/Rubens

Stadspark

14-hectare 19th-century park with a pond, bridges and a new playground, a short walk from the Meir and the station.

Museums and galleries

DIVA Diamond Museum, AntwerpOld town

DIVA Diamond Museum

Five centuries of Antwerp diamonds, jewellery and silver, just off the Grote Markt.

MoMu Fashion Museum, AntwerpOld town

MoMu Fashion Museum

Antwerp's fashion museum; 'The Antwerp Six' runs until 17 Jan 2027.

Rubens House, AntwerpMeir/Rubens

Rubens House

Rubens Experience and baroque garden at the painter's home; the house itself is under restoration.

Snijders&Rockoxhuis, AntwerpMeir/Rubens

Snijders&Rockoxhuis

Two neighbouring patrician houses with Flemish Baroque art, incl. Bruegel and Snijders.

Red Star Line Museum, AntwerpEilandje

Red Star Line Museum

Emigrant stories in the old shipping-line halls, with a viewing tower over the port.

MAS (Museum aan de Stroom), AntwerpEilandje

MAS (Museum aan de Stroom)

Red stone tower of stacked galleries on the docks, crowned by a panoramic rooftop.

KMSKA Royal Museum of Fine Arts, AntwerpZuid

KMSKA Royal Museum of Fine Arts

Seven centuries of art from Van Eyck and Rubens to Ensor and Magritte.

FOMU Photo Museum, AntwerpZuid

FOMU Photo Museum

Belgium's photography museum, with changing exhibitions in a former warehouse.

Architecture

Het Steen, AntwerpOld town

Het Steen

Medieval riverside castle, now the visitor centre with a rooftop terrace and the Antwerp Story.

Vlaeykensgang, AntwerpOld town

Vlaeykensgang

Hidden 16th-century cobbled alley tucked away behind the cathedral.

St Charles Borromeo Church, AntwerpMeir/Rubens

St Charles Borromeo Church

Lavish Baroque Jesuit church on a quiet square, its facade designed with Rubens.

Antwerpen-Centraal stationStation/Zoo

Antwerpen-Centraal station

The 'railway cathedral': a domed 1905 hall of marble, iron and glass.

Port House, AntwerpEilandje

Port House

Zaha Hadid's glass 'diamond ship' perched on a former fire station by the docks.

Cogels-Osylei (Zurenborg), AntwerpStation/Zoo

Cogels-Osylei (Zurenborg)

Belle Époque street in Zurenborg lined with Art Nouveau and eclectic townhouses from around 1900, such as 'De Zonnebloem'.

St Paul's Church, AntwerpOld town

St Paul's Church

Gothic church with a Baroque interior and paintings by Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens; outside, a grotto of Calvary statues.

Food and markets

Frituur No 1, AntwerpOld town

Frituur No 1

Popular chip shop just off the Grote Markt: fresh-cut Belgian fries, double-fried, with a long list of sauces.

Désirée de Lille, AntwerpOld town

Désirée de Lille

Old Antwerp tearoom for waffles and lacquemants, the thin syrup-filled wafers born at the Antwerp carnival in 1903.

Beer

De Koninck – Antwerp City BreweryZuid

De Koninck – Antwerp City Brewery

Antwerp's city brewery, home of the 'bolleke': a self-guided interactive tour with two tasters, then the bar and beer shop.

Chocolate

Chocolate Nation, AntwerpStation/Zoo

Chocolate Nation

Large Belgian chocolate museum opposite Central Station: 14 themed rooms from cocoa bean to praline, with tastings along the way.

The Chocolate Line (Paleis op de Meir), AntwerpMeir/Rubens

The Chocolate Line (Paleis op de Meir)

Dominique Persoone's chocolate shop in the 18th-century royal palace on the Meir, with a workshop in the old tiled kitchen.

Shopping

Diamond quarter, AntwerpStation/Zoo

Diamond quarter

The streets beside the station where most of the world's rough diamonds are traded.

Meir shopping street, AntwerpMeir/Rubens

Meir shopping street

Belgium's busiest shopping street: chain stores in grand 18th- and 19th-century buildings from Groenplaats to the station.

Stadsfeestzaal, AntwerpMeir/Rubens

Stadsfeestzaal

Shopping centre inside a 1908 festival hall: 30-plus shops and cafés under a gilded neo-classical hall with a glass roof.

Kloosterstraat, AntwerpOld town

Kloosterstraat

Street of antiques, vintage, design and interior shops near the Scheldt, and one of the few places in Antwerp busy on Sundays.

Fashion district & Het Modepaleis, AntwerpOld town

Fashion district & Het Modepaleis

Nationalestraat and side streets with Belgian designer shops, led by Dries Van Noten's flagship in the 1881 Het Modepaleis.

With kids

ZOO AntwerpenStation/Zoo

ZOO Antwerpen

One of the world's oldest zoos (1843), with historic buildings next to the station.

Sint-Anna pedestrian tunnel, AntwerpOld town

Sint-Anna pedestrian tunnel

1933 tunnel under the Scheldt, reached by wooden escalators; on the left bank, skyline views and the Sint-Anna beach.

Zuidpark, AntwerpZuid

Zuidpark

New 7-hectare park on the old Zuiderdokken by the Vlaamse Kaai: three playgrounds, a splash fountain and lots of green.

Plan your trip → Put these places in a day plan with walking times.

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