Plan Your First Trip to Antwerp in 2026
Antwerp rewards a little planning. This is the practical version for a first visit: how long to stay, when to come, how to arrive, and the two 2026 closures that catch people out before they have even left the station.
How many days do you need
Two days covers the real spine: the Grote Markt and its guild houses, the Cathedral of Our Lady with its Rubens altarpieces, and the free rooftop panorama at the MAS. Four or five days lets you add the Diamond District, the UNESCO-listed Plantin-Moretus press, the MoMu fashion museum, and a proper De Koninck session without rushing. For a full day-by-day plan, our 2 day Antwerp itinerary and the longer versions map it out stop by stop.
When to visit
The weather is best from May to September, which is also when the Zomer van Antwerpen program runs (18 June to 30 August in 2026), filling parks and squares with free and ticketed outdoor events. Winter brings the “Winter in Antwerpen” Christmas market across the Grote Markt and Groenplaats; the 2025-26 edition ran early December to early January, and the 2026-27 dates were not confirmed at the time of writing, so check closer to your trip.
Getting there: you arrive through Brussels
Antwerp has no major airport of its own. Almost everyone flies into Brussels Airport (BRU) and takes a direct train, roughly 25 to 40 minutes into Antwerpen-Centraal depending on the service. The budget hub Charleroi (CRL) needs a shuttle bus into Brussels plus a train, closer to two hours in total. Antwerpen-Centraal itself, the 1905 “spoorwegkathedraal,” is worth arriving a few minutes early to look at.
Getting around, and the 2026 river-crossing gotcha
The historic centre is compact and walkable; a single De Lijn tram or bus ticket runs about EUR 3 (verify at delijn.be), valid 60 minutes. One 2026 gotcha matters: the premetro tunnel under the Scheldt is closed for renovation from May 2026 to roughly the end of March 2027, so no tram crosses the river for most of the year. To reach the left bank, use the free Sint-Annatunnel or the free Sint-Anna ferry instead.
Two 2026 closures to plan around
First, the Rubenshuis (Rubens’ own house) is closed for renovation and is not expected to reopen until around 2030; only its garden, library, and a substitute “Rubens Experience” are open. See his altarpieces in the Cathedral of Our Lady instead. Second, the premetro tunnel closure above. Neither derails a trip once you know about them.
Money, language, and staying safe
Belgium uses the euro, and Antwerp’s working language is Dutch (Flemish), not French, so a “dank je” lands better than a “merci.” English is widely spoken in the tourist core. The city is safe by major-European standards, with ordinary pickpocket caution warranted at Centraal Station and along Meir; the area directly north of the station is best skipped after dark in favour of lit main streets.
Read more: the full Antwerp travel guide goes deeper on every sight named here.