# Antwerp The central station, the cathedral with its Rubens paintings, the Grote Markt, the free viewing terrace at the MAS and the Bolleke brewery. About 45 minutes by train from Brussels. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/belgium/antwerp · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Antwerp is Belgium's second city and its most different one: a great port, the capital of diamonds and fashion, and at the same time the city of Rubens and of Golden Age printing. It is less picture-postcard than Bruges and more of a real city, and arriving by train at its central station is already a sight in itself. From Brussels it is a comfortable day trip; with one night, you enjoy it more. ## How do you get there from Brussels? By train, 40 to 50 minutes from the Brussels stations, with very frequent trains that stop at Mechelen. You arrive at Antwerp Central, and from there it is a twenty-minute walk to the historic centre along the Keyserlei and the Meir, or a few minutes by tram. By car it is about 45 km on the A12 or the E19, but Antwerp is a low-emission zone and you have to register your car before entering. On a day trip, the train is far more practical. ## What to see in a day? Start with the station itself and walk down the Meir to the Cathedral of Our Lady, with Rubens's great triptychs; under-18s do not pay. Next to it is the Grote Markt, with the Renaissance town hall and the Brabo fountain. Have a quick lunch in the fashion district and, in the afternoon, walk to the Eilandje and go up the free viewing terrace of the MAS, with the port and the Scheldt at your feet. With more time, the Plantin-Moretus Museum, the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century printing house with the oldest printing presses in the world, reopens on 5 December 2026 after a refurbishment. And if you like beer, the De Koninck brewery, in Berchem, shows how Bolleke is made, Tuesday to Sunday. ## What about Rubens's house? The Rubenshuis, the painter's house and studio, is closed for a major refurbishment and will not reopen until 2027. Until then, you can see Rubens in the cathedral, which keeps the works he painted for it. ## Where to eat? Antwerp is a restaurant city, and the centre has a bit of everything. For something quick and very Belgian, Frites Atelier, chef Sergio Herman's chips, is open every day from 11:30 to 20:00, five minutes from the cathedral. If you are going to De Koninck, the brewery bar serves its beers until late in the evening from Thursday to Saturday. Order a Bolleke in any bar: it is the city's beer. ## Where to stay? In the historic centre, between the cathedral and the river. The Hotel Julien occupies two sixteenth-century houses with Belgian design, a private spa and a roof terrace. The Hotel Rubens, a minute from the Grote Markt, has garden-facing rooms and covered parking with advance booking. ## Antwerp, Ghent or Bruges? If you are after canals and a medieval postcard, Bruges or Ghent. If you are interested in art, design, fashion or simply a city with a working port, Antwerp. From Brussels they combine well by train: Antwerp and Mechelen on the same day, or Antwerp and Ghent over two days. ## Dónde está - Zonas: Beers of Belgium - Cerca: Lier (a 15.3 km), Mechelen (a 22.0 km), Brussels (a 41.6 km), Leuven (a 43.2 km) ## Qué hacer - **Antwerp Central Station** (20 min · All ages · Free): The first sight in Antwerp begins as you step off the train. The central station, opened in 1905, has a marble concourse with a stone dome and an iron and glass hall above the platforms, which are now spread across three levels. It is one of the most spectacular stations in Europe. What to see Go up to the concourse gallery to see the dome and the staircase up close. Next door is Antwerp Zoo, and from the door starts the Keyserlei, the avenue that leads to the Meir, the shopping street, and the historic centre, about twenty minutes on foot. - **The Cathedral of Our Lady and the Rubens paintings** (1 h · Adults and teenagers · €12 · €10 students and over-60s · free under 18): Antwerp's Gothic cathedral has the tallest tower in the southern Low Countries, at 123 metres, and inside it keeps Rubens's great triptychs, painted for this very church, including the Descent from the Cross. Opening hours and tickets It is open on weekdays from 10:00 to 17:00, on Saturday from 10:00 to 15:00 and on Sunday from 13:00 to 17:00, every day of the year except 1 January. Admission costs €12, €10 for students and over-60s, and is free for under-18s. Next to the main works there are QR codes with audio description. Prices change on 1 January 2027: check the website. What you cannot see now Rubens's triptych of the epitaph of Jan Moretus is being restored and is not on display in the cathedral. - **The Grote Markt, the town hall and the Brabo fountain** (30 min · All ages · Free): Antwerp's main square, with guildhalls with gilded facades and the sixteenth-century Renaissance town hall. In the centre, the Brabo fountain: a Roman soldier hurling the severed hand of the giant who charged tolls on the river, the legend that gives the city its name ("hand werpen", to throw the hand). Around it Two minutes away are the cathedral and the Vrijdagmarkt, where the Plantin-Moretus museum reopens, and five minutes away the Steen, the castle beside the Scheldt. The streets between the square and the river are the oldest. - **The MAS and its free viewing terrace over the port** (2 h · All ages; the viewing terrace, with children of any age · €12 · €8 for ages 18 to 25 · free under 18 · viewing terrace and boulevard free): The Museum aan de Stroom is a tower of red stone and undulating glass in the Eilandje, the former port district. It tells the story of Antwerp and its relationship with the world through the port, in rooms stacked floor by floor. Tickets and viewing terrace Admission to the exhibitions costs €12, €8 for ages 18 to 25 and nothing for under-18s, with access from 10:00 to 17:00. But the best part is free: the escalators on the boulevard go up floor by floor, with windows onto the city, to the roof-terrace viewpoint, with a 360-degree view over the port, the Scheldt and the cathedral, with no ticket needed. On the top floor there is a gastronomic restaurant. Getting there About twenty minutes' walk north of the Grote Markt, through the Eilandje district. - **The Plantin-Moretus Museum, the printing house of the Golden Age** (1 h 30 · Adults and teenagers): The house and workshop of Christophe Plantin and the Moretus family was the most important printing house in Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Today it is a museum and a World Heritage Site: it keeps the two oldest printing presses in existence, from around 1650, a 36-line Gutenberg Bible and the family's rooms around a courtyard with a garden. Reopens in December 2026 The museum closed on 3 August 2026 for a refurbishment and a new permanent exhibition, which will include the house's kitchen. It reopens with a festive weekend on 5 and 6 December 2026. Tickets are bought at its online ticket office; check there for prices and hours in the new phase. Getting there It is on the Vrijdagmarkt, five minutes' walk from the Grote Markt. - **The De Koninck brewery, home of the Bolleke** (1 h · Adults; with children, free up to age 12 · €19.90 adults · €17.90 ages 13 to 15 and students · free up to 12): De Koninck is Antwerp's brewery, the home of the Bolleke, the amber beer served in a round glass in every bar in the city. It is in Berchem, south of the centre, in the old factory, converted into the Antwerp City Brewery with a bar, shop and event rooms. The tour It is interactive and self-guided, without a guide, and lasts about an hour, with texts subtitled in four languages. It includes two beers, one before and one during the tour. It costs €19.90, €17.90 for ages 13 to 15 and students, and nothing up to age 12. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 17:30; the bar stays open later, until 22:00 from Thursday to Saturday. Closed on Mondays. Tastings On Sundays there are mixed-group tastings, with compulsory booking, and from Thursday to Sunday tastings with cheese, charcuterie and chocolate. ## Dónde comer - **Amadeus Antwerpen 2** (Restaurant, Antwerp · Suikerrui, €€). Qué pedir: the all-you-can-eat ribs and an Irish coffee for dessert - **Frites Atelier** (Takeaway, Antwerp · fashion district, €). Qué pedir: a cone of chips with Flemish stew on top, or with the house sauce of your choice ## By plane: Flight to Brussels and train to Antwerp Antwerp has a small airport with no scheduled flights from Spain. The usual thing is to fly to Brussels-Zaventem, with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities, and continue by train to Antwerp Central, the most beautiful station in the country. From Charleroi, bus to Brussels and train. You do not need a car. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **Hotel Julien** (Small hotel): Two renovated sixteenth-century houses on the Korte Nieuwstraat, five minutes from the cathedral and the Grote Markt. The interior was designed by Peter Ivens and Bea Mombaers: restrained architecture, designer furniture, vintage pieces and photography. The house Twenty rooms and one suite, a bar and lounge, a roof terrace and a private spa and massage area. Breakfast is à la carte, in a spacious, bright bistro that is also open to non-guests, with no compulsory booking. The hotel organises gatherings, brunches and small celebrations. Getting there From the central station, about twenty minutes on foot along the Meir, or a few minutes by tram. The centre of Antwerp is a low-emission zone: if you come in your own car, register it beforehand. - **Hotel Rubens - Grote Markt** (Hotel): A hotel on the Oude Beurs, a quiet street less than a minute from the Grote Markt, in the historic heart of Antwerp. The cathedral, the museums and the shopping streets are all within walking distance. The rooms The standard rooms face the street; the deluxe rooms, quieter, look onto the courtyard or the garden, and the garden rooms and junior suites have their own terrace. There is also a penthouse suite. All have air conditioning and free wifi. The buffet breakfast, hot and cold, is served in good weather in the courtyard, beside the Pagaddertoren, a sixteenth-century tower. If you come by car It has 16 covered spaces 150 metres away, booking compulsory, and some with an electric car charger. Beforehand, register your car on the Antwerp low-emission zone website: it is compulsory for all foreign plates except Dutch ones. ### Servicios - **Train from Brussels to Antwerp Central**: About 40–50 minutes from Brussels · very frequent trains · tram and light metro to the centre ## Car-free: Antwerp by train and tram Antwerp can be explored on foot from the central station, and the tram covers what is further away: the MAS in the port and the De Koninck brewery in Berchem. You do not need a car: low-emission zone and paid car parks. Presupuesto orientativo: 110–200 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir without a car - **Hotel Julien** (Small hotel): Two renovated sixteenth-century houses on the Korte Nieuwstraat, five minutes from the cathedral and the Grote Markt. The interior was designed by Peter Ivens and Bea Mombaers: restrained architecture, designer furniture, vintage pieces and photography. The house Twenty rooms and one suite, a bar and lounge, a roof terrace and a private spa and massage area. Breakfast is à la carte, in a spacious, bright bistro that is also open to non-guests, with no compulsory booking. The hotel organises gatherings, brunches and small celebrations. Getting there From the central station, about twenty minutes on foot along the Meir, or a few minutes by tram. The centre of Antwerp is a low-emission zone: if you come in your own car, register it beforehand. - **Hotel Rubens - Grote Markt** (Hotel): A hotel on the Oude Beurs, a quiet street less than a minute from the Grote Markt, in the historic heart of Antwerp. The cathedral, the museums and the shopping streets are all within walking distance. The rooms The standard rooms face the street; the deluxe rooms, quieter, look onto the courtyard or the garden, and the garden rooms and junior suites have their own terrace. There is also a penthouse suite. All have air conditioning and free wifi. The buffet breakfast, hot and cold, is served in good weather in the courtyard, beside the Pagaddertoren, a sixteenth-century tower. If you come by car It has 16 covered spaces 150 metres away, booking compulsory, and some with an electric car charger. Beforehand, register your car on the Antwerp low-emission zone website: it is compulsory for all foreign plates except Dutch ones. ### Servicios - **Train from Brussels to Antwerp Central**: About 40–50 minutes from Brussels · very frequent trains · tram and light metro to the centre ## As a family: Antwerp with children Antwerp is not the first city you think of for children, but it works: the station impresses them, the MAS viewing terrace is free and under-18s do not pay at the cathedral or the MAS. The legend of the severed hand at the Brabo fountain tells itself. ### What works best The central station, with its dome The MAS viewing terrace, free, by escalator The Grote Markt and the Brabo fountain Chips at Frites Atelier ### Where to sleep Hotel Rubens, next to the Grote Markt ### Where to eat Frites Atelier, every day ### Bear in mind The De Koninck tour is free up to age 12, but it is about beer Antwerp Zoo is next to the station ### Qué hacer as a family - Antwerp Central Station - The Grote Markt, the town hall and the Brabo fountain - The MAS and its free viewing terrace over the port ## With teenagers: Antwerp with teenagers Antwerp is the city of fashion, design and the port, and that gets through to teenagers more than churches do. Mix it with Rubens in the cathedral, free for them. ### What works best The MAS and its viewing terrace The cathedral, free up to age 18 The Plantin-Moretus, since its reopening in December 2026 The fashion district around Frites Atelier ### Where to sleep Hotel Rubens, in the centre ### Where to eat Frites Atelier ### Bear in mind On Saturday the cathedral closes at 15:00 ### Qué hacer with teenagers - Antwerp Central Station - The Cathedral of Our Lady and the Rubens paintings - The MAS and its free viewing terrace over the port - The Plantin-Moretus Museum, the printing house of the Golden Age ## Consejos ### Go up the MAS even if you do not go in The viewing terrace is free and has the best view of the city. ### Cathedral on Saturday morning It closes at 15:00; on Sunday it opens at 13:00. ### Do not go on a Monday if you want De Koninck The brewery is closed. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take from Brussels to Antwerp? Between 40 and 50 minutes by train, with very frequent departures. ### What is there to see in Antwerp in a day? The central station, the cathedral with its Rubens paintings, the Grote Markt and the MAS viewing terrace. ### Is Rubens's house open? No, it is closed for refurbishment until 2027. ### Is the MAS viewing terrace free? Yes, the boulevard and the roof terrace can be visited without a ticket. ### Do you have to register your car to enter Antwerp? Yes, if it has foreign plates, before entering the low-emission zone.