One day in Antwerp is enough if you accept two things: you will not get inside more than two paid attractions, and you should walk in one direction rather than doubling back. This is a route that runs from the station to the river and ends on a roof, which is the right shape for a day here.
Morning: arrive and walk out of the station
Start at Antwerp Central. Do not walk straight out, go down to the lower platform levels and look up. The station has four levels stacked inside a 1905 stone shell, and the view up through them is the best thing about it. Then come up into the main hall, stand under the dome, and leave through the front.
Walk down the Meir, the main shopping street, which takes fifteen minutes and is pleasant enough without needing a stop.
Late morning: the cathedral
The Cathedral of Our Lady is the one paid interior to prioritise. Four major Rubens paintings hang here, in the church they were painted for, including the Descent from the Cross. Give it forty minutes. Go before noon; the coach groups arrive after lunch.
Come out onto the Handschoenmarkt, the small triangular square at the foot of the tower, and then round into the Grote Markt for the guild houses and the fountain of Brabo throwing the giant's hand.
Lunch
Not on the Grote Markt itself, where you are paying for the view. Walk two minutes into the streets behind it, the area around the Vlaeykensgang and the Hoogstraat, where the same lunch costs less and the tables are quieter. If it is a fine day, buy something and eat it by the water instead.
Early afternoon: the river
Walk to Het Steen, the small castle on the quayside, and then along the Scheldt. If you have an hour to spare, take the Sint-Anna pedestrian tunnel under the river, the wooden escalators down are from the 1930s and still running, and walk to the far bank for the view back at the skyline. That view is the photograph of Antwerp; you cannot get it from the city side.
Mid afternoon: choose one
You have time for one more interior. Pick according to what you like:
Plantin-Moretus if you care about books, printing or how things were actually made, a preserved printing works and the only museum on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
The Rubens House if you want the painter rather than the paintings, though check first whether it is open; it has been undergoing major renovation.
The fashion museum if the Antwerp designers are the reason you came.
Do not try to do two. You will rush both.
Late afternoon: the MAS roof
Walk north along the docks to the Museum aan de Stroom. You do not need a museum ticket: an escalator route runs up the outside of the building to a rooftop terrace, free of charge, and it gives you the city, the river and the port at once. Time it for the last hour of daylight.
Evening
Eat in the streets around the Grote Markt or, if you want somewhere less obvious, walk south into Het Zuid, which is where the city goes rather than where visitors go. Antwerp stays up late and does not get as crowded as Brussels.
What to skip on a single day
The diamond quarter, unless it interests you specifically, it is offices and security, not a sight. Zurenborg, which is wonderful but is twenty minutes each way and needs an unhurried hour. And any attempt to see the port properly, which is a half-day boat trip in itself.
Doing it with a group
A group of eight moving through a city on a schedule is the hardest version of this day. A city game solves the coordination problem: everyone follows the same route of puzzles, in smaller teams, at their own pace, and it explains each stop as they reach it. You meet at the end rather than herding all day.
Not sure how it works? Read how to play first.
Frequently asked questions
Is one day enough for Antwerp?
For the centre, yes, the station, the cathedral, the Grote Markt, the river and the MAS roof fit comfortably. Two days if you want the outer districts.
Is Antwerp walkable in a day?
Yes. The route above is about five kilometres from the station to the MAS, all flat, and there are trams if you run out of energy.
What is the one thing to see in Antwerp?
The Rubens paintings in the cathedral, seen in the building they were made for.
Where is the best view of Antwerp?
The MAS rooftop, which is free, or the far bank of the Scheldt through the pedestrian tunnel.
Do I need to book anything in advance?
In high season, yes for the cathedral and the museums. The MAS roof and the tunnel need nothing.
Can a group do this in a day?
Yes, with a route everyone is following rather than a leader everyone is chasing. See the options for companies and groups.
One direction, one roof at the end
Station, cathedral, river, roof. Do it in that order and the day works. Want help planning it for a group? Get in touch. Want the fuller picture first? Our guide to what to do in Antwerp covers everything this route leaves out.
