糖心传媒

These are the best places to travel this summer

Antwerp

Belgium & Luxembourg Travel Guide

Shop

Get even more with a 糖心传媒 guide.

The train station in Antwerp city, Belgium 1393370540

Getty Images/iStockphoto

LONELY PLANET鈥橲 RECOMMENDED eSIM

Stay connected in Antwerp

with

Saily is an affordable eSIM service that helps you stay connected and secure, anywhere in the world.

Overview

Antwerp (Antwerpen/Anvers in Dutch/French) is Belgium鈥檚 second city, biggest port and capital of cool. It has long been a powerful magnet for everyone from fashion moguls and club queens to art lovers and diamond dealers. In the mid-16th century it was one of Europe鈥檚 most important cities and home to baroque superstar painter Pieter Paul Rubens 鈥� as many a museum will regularly remind you. Despite many historical travails thereafter, and severe WWII bombing, Antwerp retains an intriguing medieval heart with plenty of caf茅-filled cobbled lanes, a riverside fortress and a truly impressive cathedral. Today, however, Antwerp鈥檚 top drawcards are its vibrant fashion and entertainment scene, along with its startling architectural and cultural contrasts.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Belgium, Antwerp, garden in Peter Paul Ruben's house

    Rubenshuis

    Antwerp

    This delightfully indulgent 1611 mansion was built as a home and studio for celebrated painter Pieter Paul Rubens. It was rescued from ruins in 1937 and鈥�

  • Interiors of Notre dame d'Anvers cathedral, Anvers, Belgium

    Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal

    Antwerp

    Belgium鈥檚 finest Gothic cathedral was 169 years in the making (1352鈥�1521). Wherever you wander in Antwerp, its gracious, 123m-high spire has a habit of鈥�

  • Museum Plantin-Moretus

    Museum Plantin-Moretus

    Antwerp

    The medieval building and 1622 courtyard garden alone would be worth a visit, but it's the world's oldest printing press, priceless manuscripts and鈥�

  • Museum Mayer van den Bergh

    Museum Mayer van den Bergh

    Antwerp

    Styled as a 16th-century town house, this superb place was actually constructed in 1904 as one of the first museums in the world built around a single鈥�

  • 500px Photo ID: 83525221 - The MAS ( museum ) in Antwerp, Belgium. It has an observation deck on the 10th floor witch you can visit every day for free until midnight in the summer and 10 in the winter. It gives you a great view over Antwerp city and its harbour.

    MAS

    Antwerp

    Opened in 2011, MAS is a 10-storey complex that redefines the idea of a museum-gallery. Floors are designed around big-idea themes using a barrage of鈥�

  • ANTWERP, BELGIUM, MARCH 5, 2014: Red star line museums attracts a lot of visitors willing to know history of one upon a time famous transport company.; Shutterstock ID 224863564; Your name (First / Last): Daniel Fahey; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Red Star Line Museum POI

    Red Star Line Museum

    Antwerp

    Over two million passengers sailed from Antwerp on Red Star Line ships between 1873 and 1934, the great majority of them immigrants bound for America鈥�

  • Snijder-Rockoxhuis

    Snijder-Rockoxhuis

    Antwerp

    Combining the impressive 17th-century houses of artist Frans Snijders and of Antwerp lawyer, mayor and Rubens-patron Nicolaas Rockox, this recently鈥�

  • Brabo fountain and medieval houses in the Grote Martk in Antwerp. (Photo by: Loop Images/UIG via Getty Images)

    Grote Markt

    Antwerp

    As is the case with every great Flemish city, Antwerp鈥檚 medieval heart is a classic Grote Markt (market square). Here the triangular, pedestrianised space鈥�

View more attractions

Planning Tools

Expert guidance to help you plan your trip

Best Things to Do

Antwerp is a hub of culture, fashion and top-notch dining. Here are the city's unmissable experiences.

Read article

Get a book. Get inspired. Get exploring.

  • $24.99 USD

in partnership with getyourguide

Book popular activities in Antwerp