Antwerp Sights: First Visit or Return
Antwerp Sights: First Visit or Return
What counts as essential Antwerp depends on whether you have been before. First-time visitors want the postcard core in a day; returnees can skip it and look at the outer districts. Both routes are below.
First visit: the central loop
Begin in the Grote Markt, a triangle of 16th-century guild houses with stepped gables. The Stadhuis, finished in 1564 by Cornelis Floris de Vriendt, closes one side, and Jef Lambeaux’s 1887 Brabo fountain shows the Roman soldier hurling a giant’s severed hand into the river, the story behind the city’s name. The language here is Dutch, so you will see street signs in Flemish and hear English everywhere.
The Cathedral of Our Lady is next. Built between 1352 and 1521, it is the largest Gothic church in the Low Countries, and its single spire is 123 metres high. A 49-bell carillon rings above Rubens altarpieces. Admission is €12 for adults, and hours are Monday to Friday 10:00 to 17:00, Saturday 10:00 to 15:00 and Sunday 13:00 to 17:00; see dekathedraal.be .
From there, walk to Het Steen, the 800-year-old riverside fortress, where the courtyard and rooftop terrace are free. Finish at the MAS, where the rooftop panorama is free from Tuesday to Sunday and is closed on Mondays. If you arrive by train, take a moment in Antwerpen-Centraal, opened in 1905 beneath a 75-metre dome, and watch your pockets near the station and along De Keyserlei and the Meir.
Return visit: beyond the centre
Zurenborg is the first place to go back to. Cogels-Osylei, Transvaalstraat and Waterloostraat have some 170 protected facades from the 1890s and 1900s, all free to admire, and the five-minute walk from Antwerpen-Berchem station makes it easy.
Middelheim, the 30-hectare sculpture park south of the centre, has some 200 works and costs nothing. It is closed on Mondays.
KMSKA, in Het Zuid, is the repeat-visit museum. Adults pay €20 (€10 under 26, free under 18) and book a free timed slot at kmska.be ; the collection includes Flemish Primitives, a Rubens gallery and a large Ensor collection.
On the Eilandje, look at the Port House by Zaha Hadid, a faceted glass structure perched on a historic fire station. Het Steen also holds a ticketed exhibition, The Antwerp Story, at about €7. Sint-Pauluskerk with its Calvary garden is under restoration, so check opening times on visit.antwerpen.be first.
Crossing the river
Trams do not run across the Scheldt until about March 2027. The free Sint-Annatunnel and the free Sint-Anna ferry both reach the left bank, and the tunnel’s wooden escalators are from 1933. Public transport inside the city costs €3 per ride or €9 for a day ticket.
Guided help
If you want context on the first loop, browse Antwerp sightseeing tours on GetYourGuide . The walking routes page lays the same streets out with distances.
Tip: do the central loop early in the morning on a Tuesday to Friday, when the cathedral and MAS are both open and the Grote Markt is quiet.