🇧🇪Belgium · Places to discover

What to see in Antwerp?

24 places selected by the community - landmarks, nature, hidden restaurants and activities.

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Map of places in Antwerp, numbered like the cards below
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Antwerp operates at its own pace, somewhere between industrial port and global diamond capital. The city has built its identity on Flemish commerce and art-Rubens lived and worked here, and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts houses a substantial collection, presented without fanfare. This mixture of mercantile pragmatism and cultural ambition gives neighbourhoods like Zurenborg a rare coherence, where Art Nouveau sits alongside converted warehouses.

Two days are enough to grasp the essentials, three if you want to explore the Scheldt quays without rushing. Spring and early autumn offer light that suits the city well, without summer's crowds. From Brussels, the train takes thirty-five minutes-there's no need to hire a car. Avoid confining your stay to the Grand Place and its immediate surroundings: Antwerp's real interest lies in what happens a little further afield.

Landmarks & heritage

5 places

  • Steen (Het Steen)1Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

    Landmark

    Steen (Het Steen)

    Antwerp's oldest building, a 9th-century medieval fortress on the banks of the Scheldt. After renovation, it houses a visitor centre with commanding views over the river.

  • Antwerp Central Station2Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Landmark

    Antwerp Central Station

    Known as the 'cathedral of railway stations', its 1905 Neo-Baroque dome is one of the world's finest railway stations. The multi-level interior is worth exploring even without catching a train.

  • Antwerp Stock Exchange3Wikimedia Commons

    Landmark

    Antwerp Stock Exchange

    The world's first stock exchange, built in 1531 and rebuilt several times. Today an events venue, its Neo-Gothic interior courtyard is open to the public.

  • Rubens House (Rubenshuis)4Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

    Landmark

    Rubens House (Rubenshuis)

    Rubens' house-studio, built by the master himself in 1610, blends Flemish Baroque with Italian Classicism. Its interior courtyard garden is an unexpected haven of peace in the city centre.

  • 5

    Landmark

    Landmark

    Grote Markt of Antwerp

    The central square surrounded by Renaissance guild houses and dominated by the Brabo Fountain. Less crowded than Brussels' Grand-Place, it retains remarkable authenticity.

Museums

4 places

  • South District – Royal Museum of Fine Arts (KMSKA)6Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Museum

    South District – Royal Museum of Fine Arts (KMSKA)

    The royal museum reopened after 11 years of renovation, housing 7,000 works including the world's largest Rubens collection. The integration of the contemporary wing into the neoclassical building is masterful.

  • MAS – Museum aan de Stroom7Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

    Museum

    MAS – Museum aan de Stroom

    A ten-storey tower of red sandstone and glass overlooking the docks; the roof offers the finest free panorama of the city. The collections trace Antwerp's maritime and colonial history.

  • 8

    Museum

    Museum

    Vleeshuis – Museum of the Sounds of the City

    A 16th-century Gothic meat market converted into a museum of Antwerp music. The architecture of alternating red brick and white stone is spectacular.

  • 9

    Museum

    Museum

    Plantin-Moretus Museum

    Belgium's only museum listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its building: the world's oldest printing house still intact. The 16th-century hand presses are still there.

Religious sites

2 places

  • Antwerp Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Anvers)10Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Religious site

    Antwerp Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Anvers)

    Belgium's largest Gothic cathedral, housing four masterpieces by Rubens including the Descent from the Cross. The 123-metre spire dominates the rooftops of the old town.

  • Saint Paul's Church11Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

    Religious site

    Saint Paul's Church

    17th-century Baroque Dominican church housing 200 sculptures and 50 paintings, including works by Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens. Less well-known than the cathedral, but equally rich in art.

Nature

3 places

  • Rivierenhof12Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0

    Nature

    Rivierenhof

    A vast 230-hectare estate in Deurne, with castle, ponds and English gardens – the favourite park of Antwerp families. Far from tourist circuits, entirely authentic.

  • 13

    Nature

    Nature

    Scheldt Quays (Scheldekaaien)

    The redesigned quays along the Scheldt have become the favourite promenade of Antwerpians. Wooden benches, temporary urban beaches in summer and views of giant cargo ships.

  • 14

    Nature

    Nature

    Antwerp City Park

    The green heart of the city centre with its ponds, ducks and sculptures. Ideal for a break between the central station and the Meir, frequented by families and students.

Parks & gardens

1 place

  • Middelheim Park15Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Park

    Middelheim Park

    Open-air sculpture museum spanning 30 hectares featuring works by Rodin, Moore and Rik Wouters alongside contemporary installations. Antwerp residents bring their families here on Sundays.

Viewpoints

4 places

  • Cogels-Osylei – Art Nouveau Avenue16Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

    Viewpoint

    Cogels-Osylei – Art Nouveau Avenue

    Belgium's most extravagant avenue: a kilometre of eclectic Art Nouveau and neo-Renaissance villas built by Antwerp's bourgeoisie around 1900. An overlooked open-air museum.

  • Linkeroever – Left Bank of the Scheldt17Wikimedia Commons

    Viewpoint

    Linkeroever – Left Bank of the Scheldt

    The left bank, accessible via the pedestrian tunnel beneath the Scheldt, offers the finest view of Antwerp's skyline. Locals come here to picnic with a view of the skyscrapers and cathedral.

  • 18

    Viewpoint

    Viewpoint

    Eilandje – Docks District

    Former harbour basins converted into a trendy neighbourhood with rehabilitated warehouses and waterside terraces. The Bonaparte Dock and Willem Dock are perfect for an evening stroll.

  • 19

    Viewpoint

    Viewpoint

    MAS Rooftop

    Free access to the Museum aan de Stroom rooftop: 360° views over the Scheldt, dock cranes, Flemish rooftops and the cathedral. The sunset from here is unforgettable.

Activities

5 places

  • De Roma – Art Deco Concert Hall20Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

    Activity

    De Roma – Art Deco Concert Hall

    A former neighbourhood cinema from the 1920s fully restored and now one of the city's best concert venues. The Art Deco interior architecture is worth the visit alone.

  • Pedestrian Tunnel under the Scheldt (Voetgangerstunnel)21Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

    Activity

    Pedestrian Tunnel under the Scheldt (Voetgangerstunnel)

    A 572-metre tunnel opened in 1933, with original wooden lifts still in service. Walking or cycling across the Scheldt beneath the river is a unique Antwerp experience.

  • 22

    Activity

    Activity

    Friday Market

    Picturesque square with a weekly flea market and permanent antique shops. Locals browse here on weekends, away from the hustle of the Meir.

  • 23

    Activity

    Activity

    Diamond Quarter

    Antwerp controls 80% of the world's raw diamond trade: this neighbourhood around Hoveniersstraat is fascinating to explore, with its Hasidic diamond dealers and glittering shop windows.

  • 24

    Activity

    Activity

    FOMU – Antwerp Photography Museum

    One of Europe's finest photography museums, housed in a converted warehouse in the dock district. The temporary exhibitions are always cutting-edge and often overlooked by tourists.

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