Antwerp, Belgium: A Complete Travel Guide

Antwerp is a port city located in the north of Belgium and it’s the second-largest city in the country after Brussels. Known as the Diamond Capital of the world, Antwerp holds a long history with its role as a leading trade center. Today, it’s also known for its vibrant atmosphere, remarkable art scene, and fashion-forward character. It’s this incredible diversity that makes this city a unique destination to visit. In this travel guide, we share 10 of the best things to do in Antwerp as well as great places to stay, eat, and drink.

Grote Markt

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Check out our video about Antwerp to see the best things to do through our camera!

Best Things To Do In Antwerp

• Admire The Central Train Station

• Shop At The Meir (Check out the Stadsfeestzaal), Nationalestraat, Kammenstraat, Schuttershofstraat, Hopland, and Korte Gasthuisstraat

• Explore the Grote Markt & Cathedral Of Our Lady (Go on a Free Walking Tour)

• Explore The Green Spaces Of Antwerp (Stadspark, Park Spoor Noord, Zuidpark, en Plantentuin)

• Take In The atmosphere At Het Zuid

• Visit The Plantin-Moretus Museum (Alternatively: Red Star Line Museum, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA), the Museum of Contemporary Art (MuHKA), the Photo Museum of Antwerp, Choco Nation, the MAS, or the Rubenshuis)

• Catch Views From The MAS (Museum Aan De Stroom)

• Visit Fortress ‘t Steen

• Eat, Drink & Shop At PAKT

• Go Underground At De Ruien

Download our Google Map with all the places to go, eat, drink, and stay here.

The MAS

Places To Stay In Antwerp

• YUST Antwerp ($): This hostel is located in near the train Station of Antwerp-Berchem, within walking distance of the historic city center. It has modern, functional rooms with private bathrooms, as well as a shared kitchen, a bar, and a roof terrace. This is our favorite place to stay in Antwerp, although the location could be better.

• Astoria Hotel ($). This hotel is located in a quiet street in the historic center of Antwerp near the Stadspark. It has simple rooms with private bathrooms, some of which have terraces. This one has the best location of the 3 hotels in this list...

• B&B Hotel Antwerpen Zuid ($): This hotel is located in het Zuid of Antwerp. It's a great location, within walking distance of the historic center. The breakfast is absolutely delicious here! The rooms are clean but a little small overall.

Places To Eat And Drink In Antwerp

• Café Local: is a cozy cafe that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They have a focus on using sustainable and local ingredients

• Mjams by Mr. Higgins: is a hip tapas bar that serves small plates of Belgian and international cuisine

• De Pottekijker: is a traditional Belgian restaurant that serves classic dishes such as steak, frites, and moules-frites

• De Bomma: is a traditional Flemish restaurant with local Belgian dishes. Try vol-au-vent, stoofvlees, or mosselen here!

• Cafématic: is a popular local coffee bar with great breakfast and lunch

• Pasta Hippo Vino: is an Italian restaurant with amazing pastas

• Pura Vida vegan tacos: is a vegan restaurant serving tacos, quesadillas, and burrito's

• CAMION Antwerpen: is another vegan restaurant with high-quality biological ingredients

• Standard Pizza: is located in PAKT and offers sourdough pizzas with delicious local ingredients

• Spéciale Belge Taproom: is a Belgian beer café with a variety of local beers in PAKT

• Camionette: is a vegan restaurant that is located in PAKT

• Plein Publiek: is a great nightclub a bit outside the city center, it attracts mainly locals

• Café au lait: is a coffee bar located in the heart of the city center

• Bar Chapel: is a cozy cocktail bar to enjoy with friends or family. They also have a different food catering partner each week.

• Bistro Chicane: is a restaurant with delicious local food, it's located near De Koninck Brewery

• Extra Fika: is a vegetarian bistro with a few delicious dishes

• Simone's kitchen: is a restaurant that is more like a living room than anything else, with a friendly reception and great, vegan, regional and seasonal food options.

• BÚN Bar & Restaurant: is a Vietnamese restaurant with delicious noodle soups

• Nuoc Mam: another good Vietnamese restaurant that serves pho and rice noodles

• Umamido Antwerp: is a Japanese restaurant serving ramen, sushi, sashimi, etc.

• Yamato Belgium: another good Japanese restaurant

• Boker Tov Zuid: is a Jewish restaurant that serves Middle-Eastern dishes, like falafel, hummus and baba ganoush

• Wijnbistro Patine: is a great wine bar that also has an assortment of meats and cheeses to go with the wines

• Chatleroi: is a bistro with Belgian dishes, such as stoofvlees and steak-frites

• Fiskebar: is a fish restaurant, serving lobster, shrimps, etc.

• Cremerie Germaine: is an ice cream shop that also serves Belgian waffles

• Batavier: is a local beer café with a variety of Belgian beers

• Ijssalon 't Bieke: is another ice cream shop that serves delicious Brussels waffles

• Panos: is a Belgian sandwich shop that is popular with locals. Try a "worstenbroodje" or "broodje martino" here.

• Vitrin: is specialized in cheeses, meats, and charcuterie

• Local Store: serves dishes with seasonal and local ingredients

• Frites Atelier: is a fancier "fries" shop

• Baron: is a local bar that comes especially alive in the evening

• Den Engel: is a local bar at the Grote Markt. You should try the local beer "Bolleke" here.

• Revista: is a great tapas and pinchos bar

• LIMA Nikkei Izakaya: is a fairly new restaurant that offers a fusion of Peruvian and Japanese cuisine

Map Antwerp

Find all the places to go, eat, drink, and stay in Antwerp on Google Maps. To follow and save the list, do the following:

1. Tap on the link to open it (click button below)

2. Tap Follow. This list will now be added to the group of lists you follow.

3. Optional: To unfollow a list someone shared with you, tap the list Saved.

If you follow the list we made, all our saved places of Antwerp will show up in Your Places. The places will also appear as suggested locations in Google Maps.

Save Google Maps Places

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Use These Websites To Save Money On Your Trip To Antwerp

• Booking.com for places to stay

• Skyscanner for cheap flights

• GetYourGuide for local tours

• Rentalcars.com for affordable car rentals

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Are you having a hard time planning your trip to Antwerp? Get our Interactive Travel Planner to keep it all organized.

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Need more travel inspiration? Check out our other destinations and articles about Belgium:

• Brussels, Belgium

• Ghent, Belgium

• Bruges, Belgium