2 Days in Antwerp: The First-Timer Itinerary

Two days built for a first-timer: Day 1 covers the Grote Markt and the Cathedral of Our Lady’s Rubens altarpieces, Day 2 covers the MAS museum’s free rooftop and the diamond district. That’s the real spine of Antwerp in a tight weekend, and it extends cleanly if you decide to stay longer (see our 3 and 7 day versions).

Book these before you go

  • Hotel near Centraal or the old town: check rates on Booking.com
  • A diamond district walking tour: book on GetYourGuide
  • KMSKA’s timed online entry, don’t assume a walk-up: reserve via Viator
Day Focus Neighborhood
1 Grote Markt and the cathedral Historic centre
2 MAS rooftop and diamonds Eilandje / Diamond District

Day 1: Grote Markt and the cathedral

Start at the Grote Markt, ringed by 16th and 17th-century guild houses and the Renaissance Stadhuis (1564). At its center, the 1887 Brabo Fountain depicts the city’s founding legend: the giant Antigoon severing the hands of anyone who wouldn’t pay his river toll, until the Roman soldier Brabo cut off one of the giant’s own hands and threw it into the Scheldt, “hand werpen,” the folk origin of “Antwerpen.” It’s also why the local biscuit is shaped like a tiny hand.

Two minutes off the square, walk into the Cathedral of Our Lady (EUR 12 adults), the largest Gothic building in the Dutch-speaking world and home to several Rubens altarpieces, including The Descent from the Cross and The Elevation of the Cross, both painted specifically for this building. One correction before you go looking for more Rubens: his actual house and studio, the Rubenshuis , has been closed since January 2023 and isn’t expected to fully reopen until around 2030. This cathedral stop is your Rubens fix for the day.

In the afternoon, walk the twenty minutes up Meir toward Antwerpen-Centraal, the “spoorwegkathedraal” (railway cathedral), a domed 1895-1905 waiting hall stacked directly above modern through-tracks. It’s worth the detour even if you’re not catching a train.

In the evening, find a real cafe and order “een bolleke,” De Koninck’s amber Spéciale Belge served in its signature round glass, alongside a paper cone of frites (EUR 3-5) from a stand-up frituur.

Day 2: The MAS rooftop and the diamond district

Head to the Eilandje district for the MAS (Museum aan de Stroom). The rooftop panorama is completely free, a 360-degree view over the port, the river, and the old town from a spiraling glass-and-sandstone tower, and it’s the one thing on this itinerary you genuinely shouldn’t skip. The galleries themselves run EUR 10, plus EUR 2 for whatever temporary exhibition is on.

In the afternoon, walk to the Diamond District, a compact square kilometer near Centraal Station with roughly 380 workshops and 1,500 companies handling around 84% of the world’s rough-diamond trade. Antwerp mostly trades diamonds now rather than cutting them, that shifted to India, so treat this as a trading-hub walk rather than a workshop tour, and stay respectful; it’s a working district, not a photo backdrop. The DIVA museum (EUR 12 adult, EUR 8 age 18-25) tells that trading story properly, a better hour than the tourist-facing “diamond experience” storefronts nearer the station.

In the evening, head back toward the old town for a proper sit-down Belgian dinner. Moules-frites runs roughly EUR 20-30 for a shareable pot, budget standing fish-bar versions from EUR 12-15.

Practical notes

Belgium runs on the euro, and Antwerp’s working language is Dutch (Flemish), not French, worth knowing since it’s a genuine trip-up for Belgium content generally. A single De Lijn tram or bus ticket runs around EUR 3 with 60-minute transfers. One 2026 gotcha: the premetro tunnel under the Scheldt is closed for renovation from May 2026 to roughly the end of March 2027, so if your route needs to cross the river, use the free Sint-Annatunnel or the free Sint-Anna ferry instead of a tram.

If DIVA’s line looks long on Day 2, walk past it first and circle back after 4pm; foot traffic drops noticeably once the tour groups clear out.