Living in the Netherlands makes Belgium a stone’s throw away and an easy destination to visit. And boy, am I enjoying that benefit now when I’m back there. A few weeks ago, I spent a weekend in Antwerp, which was likely my fifth or sixth visit to that beautiful city. So, I finally gathered here a guide with the best places to see during a weekend in Antwerp (including some extra tips for art lovers).

How to Spend a Perfect Weekend in Antwerp

This post contains some affiliate links. Read my Privacy Policy for more info.

Antwerp is home to numerous great museums, many of which were recently restored or newly opened. You can definitely expect to see some high-class art during your 48 hours in Antwerp. It’s also the city of fashion, with many local designer shops to browse through. And, last but not least, it’s the city of chocolate, with some of the best chocolatiers in the world having their shops there.

The city experienced its golden age and was one of the most important places in the world during the 16th century. You’ll find traces of that prosperity in many Antwerp buildings constructed during that time. It’s also present in the large amount of the 16th and 17th centuries artworks you’ll stumble upon in Antwerp museums and churches.

Although you could spend even more time there, if you only have two days in Antwerp, check out my tips for a perfect weekend in Antwerp.

⤷ Read more: Cultural tourism explained – How to be a cultural tourist

What to see during the two days in Antwerp

Let’s start with a tip first. Antwerp is a rather compact city, and its wonderful to be explored on foot. To get the most out of it during your weekend in Antwerp, stay in a centrally located hotel. During my last visit, I stayed in Hampton by Hilton, which is conveniently located right across of the Antwerp Train Station. I also stayed in HotelO Kathedral a few times before, which is located right next to the Antwerp Cathedral.

⤷ TIP: If you’re visiting Antwerp with a car, you can park it in a large garage right next to the Antwerp Train Station. That was super convenient for me during my last visit, because my hotel was just across the street from it.

Weekend in Antwerp: Day 1

Antwerpen-Centraal train station

If you’ll travel to Antwerp by train, don’t leave the train station right away because it’s widely considered to be one of the most beautiful train stations in the world. Designed by the architect Louis Delacenserie, and built between 1895 and 1905, it’s one of the most famous landmarks in Antwerp.

Consisting of four levels of platforms, the Antwerp train station is not only renowned for its beautiful architecture, but also for its fantastic engineering.

⤷ Read more: History of travelling – How people started to travel

Start by exploring the city centre

Taking a stroll through the city is my favourite way of starting any visit to a new destination. After checking in at my hotel, I took a nice 15-minute walk towards the Antwerp town hall.

I visited at the end of December when the square in front of it became home to a lovely Christmas market. It was filled with wooden stalls selling chocolate, honey, and local products. The smell of freshly baked waffles and mulled wine put me in a holiday mood immediately.

The Brabo Fountain in the centre of the square represents the legend by which the city got its name. Although the gabled houses surrounding it look as if they were built centuries ago, the majority of them is actually quite new, built in the revival styles during the late 19th century.

⤷ TIP: Have lunch at Bubble Waffle Cafe. I was looking for a nice lunch somewhere in the city centre and stumbled upon this place. They serve delicious salads and waffles. If you won’t find a place there,  several nice restaurants surrounds it. A smart move with Antwerp restaurants is to reserve them in advance. I haven’t done that and have had a bit of an issue getting a table.

Antwerp Cathedral of Our Lady

One of the architectural highlights in Antwerp is the Cathedral of Our Lady. The building’s construction started in 1352, making it the largest Gothic edifice in Belgium, with its tower being 123 metres (404 feet) tall.

Something which always surprises me inside the Antwerp Cathedral is how bright it is. With its elegant white arches and pillars, it almost looks as if its builders were inspired by the famous Flemish lace.

The Cathedral is home to many altar paintings made by Pieter Paul Rubens. If you’re familiar with his work, you’ll recognise those paintings immediately because they are among some of his most famous artworks.

Nello and Patrasche Statue in front of the Cathedral

One of the most unique statues in Antwerp is located right in front of the Cathedral. Created in 2016, it shows characters from the 1872 novel set in this Belgian town. The story follows an orphan boy, Nello, and a stray dog, Patrasche, who form an unusual friendship. They roam the streets of Antwerp together and spend a lot of their time admiring Rubens’s paintings inside the Cathedral. A series of unfortunate events brings them to death in the cathedral, and the statue shows them in their final hug.

⤷ TIP: If you’d like to explore more locations in Antwerp linked to this story, follow this link to learn more about them.

KMSKA Museum

One of the main reasons for my visit to Antwerp was to visit its recently restored and reopened Royal Museum of Fine Arts (also known as KMSKA). Strolling from the city centre to the museum provided a view of Antwerp I didn’t know before. Charming cobbled streets I walked through were home to numerous small galleries, designer and antique shops.

KMSKA is located in a grand neoclassical building completed in 1894, which is today home to artworks made between the 14th and 20th centuries. The museum is large enough for you to be mesmerised by art, but not too big for a visit to leave you overwhelmed.

Some of my favourites were paintings by Pieter Paul Rubens, Jan van Eyck, Pieter Bruegel, and a beautiful painting by Van Gogh from his early years. I also loved surprising contemporary art installations within the museum galleries, like the giant hand which would start spinning from time to time, mesmerising (and frightening some) visitors.

⤷ Read more: Where to see the paintings of Pieter Bruegel the Elder in Belgium

The KMSKA is also a must-see place during your weekend in Antwerp if you’re interested in the work of James Ensor. The museum holds a fantastic collection of his artwork displayed in special galleries dedicated to him within the museum.

⤷ TIP: If you’d like to visit this museum on a guided tour, book this KMSKA private tour.

I finished my first day with a nice stroll back to the city centre and dinner. Once again, my tip is to book a table for dinner, because I tried my luck in a few restaurants until I was finally able to get a table.

Weekend in Antwerp: Day 2

Besides all the art and culture, my favourite thing in Belgium is a delicious Belgian food! So, one of my favourite things in Antwerp was starting the day slowly with a nice, relaxing breakfast. My hotel had a view of Antwerp train station which made me feel like those early 20th-century travellers; slowly sipping their coffee while waiting for the whistle of a steam engine to mark their train departure.

Antwerp City tour

But, I couldn’t take things too slowly because I was joining a city tour in the morning. This is something I regularly do on all of my trips, because it’s such a great way to learn about the city’s history. We were a small group of five people, and our guide was full of interesting stories about Antwerp.

Although I visited the city a few times before, we stoped by some places I wasn’t familiar with. I learned so much more about Antwerp’s history. If you’d like to book a tour during your visit, too, here is the Antwerp city walking tour I took (and strongly recommend).

⤷ TIP: Have lunch at De 7 Schaken restaurant! We got a tip for this restaurant from our guide. They serve hearty Belgian food, which you can pair nicely with some of the numerous delicious Belgian beers. Although I’m not a big beer fan, I tried Tripel Karmeliet beer and loved it! A big, big recommendation for this place!

Antwerp Stock Exchange

Antwerp Stock Exchange or Handelsbeurs was one of the new places I discovered during the city tour. It’s quite a unique place because it was made as the first purposely built stock exchange house in the world, all the way back in 1531.

It’s one of the places which witness the wealth of Antwerp during the 16th century. Nowadays, it’s turned into an events venue, and it doesn’t serve its original purpose anymore. However, it’s open to the public. If there are no events happening in a moment, you can walk inside and admire its beautiful interior.

Buy Chocolate at the Chocolate Line

Belgium is home to some of the finest chocolates in the world. There is a whole museum in Antwerp, called Chocolate Nation, dedicated to that sweet part of Belgian cultural heritage. However, you should also visit some of the Antwerp chocolate shops during your visit and try some of these delicacies.

I’ve done my fair share of the research over the years and have some favourites. The place I love and visit each time I’m in Antwerp is the Chocolate Line. The second I entered their beautiful shop on the famous Meir shopping street, I was enchanted with the rich smell of cocoa.

I bought a box with mixed chocolates this time, and each one I tried was better than the last one. Although they are on a bit of a pricier side, the Chocolate Line products are worth every cent.

Museum Plantin-Moretus

If you’ll visit only one museum during your weekend in Antwerp, make it Museum Plantin-Moretus. It was my first time in that museum, but it quickly became one of my favourite places there.

It’s a printing museum located in the former residence of the 16th-century printers Christophe Plantin, who was one of the leading figures in printing of his day, and his son-in-law, Jan Moretus. The house is a piece of art itself, with richly decorated rooms and a beautiful courtyard.

The museum is a great place to visit for anyone even remotely interested in the history of printing and the art of book creation. It’s home to two of the oldest printing presses in the world and a fantastic collection of typographic material. I especially enjoyed seeing all the old books, especially some of the first world atlases. It’s listed as a UNESCO World heritage Site since 2005.

⤷ Read more: 25 Beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe

Some additional tips for art lovers in Antwerp…

Van Gogh in Antwerp

Vincent van Gogh lived in Antwerp from December 1885 until January 1886. It was at a point in his career when Van Gogh has left the Netherlands and wanted to attend art classes at the Art Academy in Antwerp.

Although his time there was rather brief, you can still find many locations linked to Vincent van Gogh in Antwerp (for example, the house in which he lived, the Art Academy he attended, and locations of some paintings that inspired him).

I explored those places during my trip to Antwerp a few years ago, and you can read about them in my article below.

⤷ Read more: Vincent van Gogh locations in Belgium

Locations from the “Following Van Gogh” book

A big portion of my book “Following Van Gogh” is set in Antwerp, including the Antwerp Cathedral and the Antwerpen-Centraal Train Station. There is also quite some action happening there involving criminals chasing the main character, Lizzy, around the streets of Antwerp.

A whole paragraph of the book is dedicated to Van Gogh’s life in that city, as well. So, grab a copy of the book, and follow in the footsteps of its protagonists in Antwerp. And let me know which ones have you spot.

⤷ TIP: Check out the Following van Gogh book’s official website here to order your copy.

More cultural places to visit during your weekend in Antwerp

There is so much to see and do in Antwerp that it’s hard to squeeze everything within just two days. Here are some of my additional tips for places I’ve seen during my previous visits to Antwerp.

Het Steen

Het Steen is a 13th-century medieval fortress and the oldest building in Antwerp (although it’s not the oldest structure that was built in that place). The building was used as a prison between 1303 and 1827.

The statue in front of it represents a giant accompanied by two people. The giant’s name is Lange Wapper and, by the legend, he used to terrorise the people of Antwerp in the past.

The building houses a visitor centre today and The Antwerp Story, which is a great place to learn about the city’s history.

Rubens House

The painter Peter Paul Rubens was one of the most famous Antwerp inhabitants. His former centrally located house was turned into a museum, and it’s one of the places you shouldn’t miss in Antwerp. However, it’s not included in this Antwerp weekend guide because it’s undergoing an extensive renovation in a moment and it’s closed to the public.

I had a chance to see it in 2015 before the renovation and loved it! So, if you’ll visit Antwerp after 2030 (when it’s planned to reopen), be sure to include it in your Antwerp itinerary.

Snijders&Rockox House

This small museum is such an art gem in Antwerp! The museum is located in two adjacent townhouses formerly owned by the painter Frans Snijders and the city mayor Nicolaas Rockox. You should visit it if you’re interested in the Flemish art of the 16th and 17th centuries. Among them, you’ll find paintings made by Peter Paul Rubens, Jan Sanders van Hemessen, Jacob Jordaens, Frans Snyders, and many others.

Extra tips for visiting Antwerp

Waffles, chocolate & beer: Belgium has a wonderful cuisine, so be sure to eat local while there. Try some waffles, buy lots of chocolates and enjoy in local (especially fruit) beers during your stay.

Make reservations in restaurants: Restaurants in Antwerp get quite busy both in lunch and dinner time, so be sure to book a table in advance.

Ubigi eSIM: Are you visiting Antwerp from outside the EU? Then getting an eSIM might be a good idea. You can read my whole article about it and why to buy Ubigi eSIM for your next trip abroad here.

There is so much to see and do during a weekend in Antwerp! Hopefully this Antwerp travel guide will help you in planning your visit.

More places you should visit in Belgium:

Cover photo by Zoë Gayah Jonker on Unsplash

,