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How many days in Antwerp? 3 days of Rubens, printers, fashion and the port
By Tony Panopoulos · travel-agency planner in Greece · Updated
Antwerp is Belgium's second city and its great port, rich since the 16th century, when it was one of the busiest trading cities in Europe. It is the city of Rubens, of the printing house of Plantin-Moretus, of the diamond trade and, since the 1980s, of avant-garde fashion. It is also smaller and less crowded than Bruges. Give it three days: one for the medieval centre and the cathedral, one for the docks and the old port, and one for the fine-arts museum, Het Zuid and the station. The centre is walkable, and trams cover the rest.
Short answer
Two days covers the Grote Markt, the cathedral, Plantin-Moretus, the MAS and the station. Three days adds KMSKA, Het Zuid, the fashion museum and a walk under the Scheldt.
The 3-day plan, day by day
Day 1: Grote Markt, the cathedral and Plantin-Moretus
Morning. Start at the Grote Markt, framed by tall guild houses and the Renaissance Stadhuis (town hall, on the UNESCO list with the belfries of Belgium and France). In front stands the Brabo fountain, showing the hero who, in the city legend, threw the giant's hand into the river. Walk 3 minutes to the Cathedral of Our Lady (about €12), the largest Gothic church in the Low Countries, with four Rubens paintings including 'The Elevation of the Cross' and 'The Descent from the Cross'.
Afternoon. Visit the Plantin-Moretus Museum (about €12-15; closed Mondays), the house and workshop of a printing family from the 16th to the 19th century, now on the UNESCO list. It keeps two of the oldest surviving printing presses in the world, type foundries and a library. Allow 2 hours.
Evening. Walk to Het Steen, the riverside castle on the Scheldt, and along the quays at sunset. Order a bolleke, the round glass of De Koninck, Antwerp's own amber beer, in a café on the Grote Markt or at Kulminator, a beer café with a long list of aged beers.
Many Antwerp museums are closed on Mondays; plan the cathedral and the churches for that day.
Day 2: MAS, the old docks and the Port House
Morning. Walk 15 minutes north to the Eilandje (little island) district and the MAS (Museum aan de Stroom), a tower of stacked red stone and glass. Its exhibitions cost about €10-12, but the escalators up to the rooftop, with a view over the city and the port, are free (check hours).
Afternoon. Visit the Red Star Line Museum nearby (about €10-12), in the warehouses where emigrants boarded ships for New York between 1873 and 1934. Then take a bus or bike 10 minutes to the Port House, the former fire station topped by a faceted glass extension by Zaha Hadid; it can be seen from outside, and guided visits run on some days.
Evening. Return to the centre through the Vleeshuis, the old butchers' guild hall, and Sint-Pauluskerk, a church with paintings by Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens. Dinner on the Hendrik Conscienceplein, a quiet square in front of the Baroque Carolus Borromeus church.
Rent a Velo shared bike for a day pass of about €5-7; Antwerp is flat and the docks are much faster by bike than on foot.
Day 3: KMSKA, Het Zuid, the station and the tunnel
Morning. Take a tram to Het Zuid for the KMSKA, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, reopened in 2022 after an 11-year renovation (about €20). It has Flemish Primitives, Rubens, Jordaens, the world's largest collection of works by James Ensor and Belgian modern art. Allow 2.5 hours.
Afternoon. Walk to the MoMu fashion museum on Nationalestraat (about €12-15), whose shows trace the 'Antwerp Six' designers who studied at the city's Royal Academy. Then cross the river on foot through the Sint-Annatunnel, a pedestrian tunnel of 1933 about 570 metres long, reached by original wooden escalators, for the view of the skyline from the left bank.
Evening. Take a tram to Antwerpen-Centraal, the station finished in 1905 with a domed hall of stone and iron, often listed among the most beautiful in the world. Walk past the diamond district behind it, where a large share of the world's rough diamonds is still traded, and end with Belgian fries in a paper cone (about €4-5).
The Rubens House has been under a long renovation; check what is open (the new visitor building and garden) before you go.
Only have 2 days?
With 2 days, do Day 1 as written and use Day 2 for the MAS rooftop in the morning and the station and diamond district in the afternoon. You lose KMSKA, MoMu and the port.
Got extra days?
A 4th day can go to Ghent (about 50 minutes by train) for the Ghent Altarpiece and the Graslei quays, or Bruges (about 1.5 hours). In summer, the Middelheim open-air sculpture museum in a park south of the centre is free.
Where to stay in Antwerp
| Budget | Area | Why | Typical double/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Around Antwerpen-Centraal | Cheapest hotels, direct trains to Brussels and the airport, trams to the old town. | €80-120 |
| Mid-range | Old town / Grote Markt | Walk to the cathedral, the river and the best cafés. | €130-200 |
| Mid-range | Het Zuid | Quieter streets, restaurants and the KMSKA on your doorstep. | €120-190 |
| Comfort | Meir / Sint-Andries design hotels | Boutique hotels in historic buildings near the fashion streets. | €220-380 |
Getting around
The old town is walkable: Antwerpen-Centraal to the Grote Markt is about 25 minutes along the Meir shopping street, or 5 minutes by premetro tram. De Lijn trams and buses cover the city; buy tickets in the De Lijn app or by SMS (about €3 for a 60-minute ride, cheaper in multi-ride bundles). Velo shared bikes are everywhere. Trains reach Brussels in about 40-50 minutes and Brussels Airport in about 30-35 minutes. The city centre is a low-emission zone; foreign cars must be registered first.
What to eat in Antwerp
Antwerp eats well and without fuss. Try stoofvlees (beef stewed in beer) with fries, mussels in autumn and winter, and waterzooi. Look for Antwerpse handjes, hand-shaped biscuits recalling the Brabo legend, and finish with a glass of Elixir d'Anvers, a local herbal liqueur. Beer is serious: besides the bolleke of De Koninck, Belgian Trappist and abbey beers cost about €4-7 a glass. A brasserie main costs €20-28; the many small restaurants around Het Zuid and the Kloosterstraat offer good lunch menus for €18-25.
Best time to visit
May to September, with highs of 18-24°C and long evenings for terraces. Spring and autumn are fine for museums, and rain is possible in any month, so carry a jacket. December brings a Christmas market on the Grote Markt and around the cathedral. Winters are grey and around 2-6°C but quiet and cheaper.
What a day costs
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing a double) | €45 | €80 | €150 |
| Food & drink | €30 | €55 | €95 |
| Sights & tickets | €15 | €35 | €50 |
| Local transport | €5 | €8 | €25 |
| Total per person, per day | about €95 | about €180 | about €320 |
Approximate 2026 prices. Antwerp charges a city tax on overnight stays, usually a few euros per room per night depending on the type of accommodation.
Before you go
Common questions
Is Antwerp worth it if I am also visiting Bruges and Ghent?
Yes. Bruges and Ghent are mostly medieval; Antwerp adds Rubens, a major fine-arts museum, the Plantin-Moretus printing house, fashion, a working port and a more lived-in city atmosphere. It is also less crowded with day-trippers. With trains of under an hour between Antwerp and Ghent, you can base yourself here and visit the other two.
Is there a city museum pass?
Antwerp has offered a city card in recent years that covers many museums and public transport for 24, 48 or 72 hours. Check the current price and list of included sites on the official Visit Antwerpen website, and compare it with the tickets you actually plan to buy; it pays off if you see three or more museums a day.
Can I visit the diamond district?
You can walk through the streets around Hoveniersstraat, next to the central station, but the trading buildings themselves are closed to the public and heavily secured. To learn about the trade, visit DIVA, the diamond and silver museum near the Grote Markt. Buy jewellery only from established shops with certificates.
What is the best way to get from Brussels Airport to Antwerp?
Direct trains run from the station under Brussels Airport to Antwerpen-Centraal in about 30-35 minutes, often twice an hour. Tickets include an airport supplement, so the fare is higher than for an ordinary trip of the same length. Buy them in the SNCB/NMBS app or at the machines.
How this guide was made
Compiled by TonyPlan from official tourism, transport and attraction sources and on-the-ground travel knowledge. Prices are approximate for 2026 and change with season; anything we could not confirm is marked as approximate.
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