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Back to Antwerp

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Voykit pocket guide · Belgium

Antwerp

Antwerpen

Give Antwerp 1–2 nights: the station, the old centre and the museums fit one full day, and a second day covers the port or the fashion district.

Antwerp is Belgium's second city and its biggest port, 40 minutes from Brussels by train. The historic core is compact and walkable, the cathedral and the Rubens houses sit within 15 minutes of each other, and the fashion and diamond trades give the city a working edge that Bruges and Ghent do not have. Most visitors see it as a day trip; one night is enough to see the centre without rushing, two if you add the museums or the Left Bank.

AalstArlonAthBeverenBrugesCharleroiDe HaanDeinzeDinantEupenGhentGrimbergenHalenHasseltAntwerp50 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Belgium
Local name
Antwerpen
Best months
Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
Avoid
Nov–Feb (grey and wet); check the Christmas-market weeks if you dislike crowds
Stay
1–2 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
EUR
Money
Currency is the euro (EUR). Cards work widely; a few cafés, market stalls and toilets still want coins.
Daily spend
Budget €55–85 excl. bed · Mid €95–150 excl. bed · High €180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data
Proximus, Orange Belgium and Telenet/BASE; prepaid SIMs need ID registration.
Emergency
Police 101 · Ambulance and fire 112 · Out-of-hours doctor 1733
Plugs
Types C, E · 230 V · 50 Hz · Same as France; UK and US plugs need adapters.
Tipping
Café: Round up.; Restaurant: Service included; add 5–10% for good service if you like.; Taxi: Round up.
Water
Tap water is safe, though many Belgians drink bottled; restaurants rarely serve free tap water.
Toilets
Often paid (€0.50–1) in stations and some cafés; carry coins.

What things cost

ItemPrice
Coffee€2.50–4
Beer, café / supermarket€3–5 / €1–2
Museum entry (cathedral, Rubens House, KMSKA)€10–20
Tram or bus single fare€2.10 (valid 1 h)
5 km (3.1 mi) taxi€15–20
eSIM or data SIM, about a week€10–20

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

ANR · Antwerp International Airport
Small airport 3 km (1.9 mi) south of the centre; bus to the centre, taxi about €10
BRU · Brussels Airport
Direct train to Antwerpen-Centraal in about 25 min (45 min at weekends); single €11.30
AMS · Amsterdam Schiphol
EuroCity Direct to Antwerpen-Centraal in about 1 h 13 min; Eurostar faster but dearer and reservation-only

Typical fares

Brussels Airport → Antwerpen-Centraal, train
€11.30, 25 min
Antwerpen-Centraal → Grote Markt, tram
one fare, valid 1 h
De Waterbus, one way
about €4
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card

Get around

The centre is walkable: Grote Markt to the cathedral is 3 minutes, the station to the Grote Markt about 25 minutes on foot. De Lijn runs trams, buses and the pre-metro; a single fare is valid for one hour, and cards or day tickets are bought in the app or at fixed points, not with cash on board. De Waterbus links the quays and the Left Bank, about €4 one way.

See and do

Known for

  • Cathedral of Our Lady and Rubens altarpieces
  • Antwerp-Central station
  • Diamond district
  • Fashion and design shopping
  • Het Steen and the Scheldt quays

Day trips

WhereHowTime
MechelenIntercity train from Antwerpen-CentraalAbout 30–40 min
LierTrain from Antwerpen-Centraal or Antwerpen-BerchemAbout 30–45 min
TurnhoutTrain from Antwerpen-Centraal, change at Herentals on some servicesAbout 1 h–1 h 15 min
HerentalsTrain from Antwerpen-CentraalAbout 45 min–1 h
BrusselsIntercity train from Antwerpen-CentraalAbout 45–50 min

Sleep

Old centre (Grote Markt, Groenplaats, Meir)
Walk to the cathedral, museums and the Scheldt; noisier at night.
Antwerpen-Centraal and Diamond district
Best for a one-night rail stop; 10–15 min walk or a short tram to the old centre.
Het Zuid
Museum quarter (KMSKA, FotoMuseum) with bars and restaurants; 20–25 min walk from the station.
Left Bank (Linkeroever)
Cheaper rooms across the river; reach it by pre-metro tunnel or the Sint-Anna foot tunnel.

Phrase card

EnglishSay or show
HelloHalloHAH-loh
Thank youDank udahnk oo
PleaseAlstublieftals-too-BLEEFT
How much is it?Hoeveel kost het?hoo-VAYL kost ut
Can I pay by card?Kan ik met de kaart betalen?kan ik met duh kaart buh-TAH-lun
Where is the toilet?Waar is het toilet?vaar is ut twah-LET

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Handshake; one cheek kiss among friends (three in some places); avoid: Overfamiliarity with strangers
  • Language: English or the local language; avoid: French in Flanders, or Dutch in Wallonia, as a default
  • Punctuality: Be on time; avoid: Late arrivals for dinner reservations
  • Conversation: Food, beer, football and cycling; avoid: Flemish-Walloon politics unless invited

Scams and watch-outs

  • The whole centre is a low-emission zone: foreign cars must be registered before entering, and driving in unregistered risks a €150–350 fine.
  • Street parking in the centre is for residents and permit holders; visitors use underground car parks (about €2–4.80 per hour) or a park-and-ride at €1 with public transport into town.
  • Do not board a Eurostar with a regular intercity ticket, or the reverse: the fine is heavy and the platforms are shared.
  • Pickpockets work the Meir, the station and tram stops; keep bags zipped in crowds.

Antwerp is a safe city by day and mostly by night; the real risks are pickpockets on the Meir and around the station, and the low-emission-zone fine if you drive in unregistered.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Antwerp yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Cathedral of Our Lady and Rubens altarpieces
  • Antwerp-Central station
  • Diamond district
  • Fashion and design shopping
  • Het Steen and the Scheldt quays

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

AntwerpAntwerpen

Naar dit adres, alstublieft

To this address, please

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

  • Police101
  • Ambulance and fire112
  • Out-of-hours doctor1733

The US, UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland have embassies in Brussels, not Antwerp; consulates in Antwerp are honorary (check).

Dutch is the everyday language; English is widely spoken in hotels, museums and restaurants.

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/antwerp). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.