One Week in Antwerp: An Offbeat Itinerary
A full week keeps the six-day core from the 6 day itinerary intact and spends the last day outside the city, a half-day trip and back. See also the 2 day , 3 day , 4 day and 5 day versions, or the guide to Antwerp’s hidden gems .
Book these before you go:
- Check rates near Centraal on Booking.com
- Book a diamond district tour for Day 3
- Book an old town walking tour for Day 1
- Browse more Antwerp tours on Viator
Day 1: Grote Markt and the railway cathedral
Grote Markt, the Brabo Fountain’s hand-throwing legend, and Antwerpen-Centraal, the “railway cathedral” Mashable named the world’s most beautiful station in 2014. Afternoon: the Cathedral of Our Lady (EUR 12, free under 18) for Rubens’ own altarpieces, since the Rubenshuis stays closed until 2030. Evening: a Bolleke of De Koninck, roughly EUR 2.50-3.50.
Day 2: The river, for free
The MAS rooftop, free with no ticket (galleries EUR 10 plus EUR 2 for temporary shows), then Het Steen’s free courtyard and rooftop. Afternoon: the free Sint-Annatunnel (1933, 572 meters) out and the free Sint-Anna ferry back, running 24/7 since September 2025. De Lijn’s premetro tram tunnel closes under the river from May 2026 to roughly the end of March 2027, so this pedestrian crossing is the reliable route this year.
Day 3: Diamonds and prints
The Diamond District on a weekday (much closes Saturdays), then the DIVA museum (EUR 12) for the trading-hub story; Antwerp trades roughly 84 percent of the world’s rough diamonds but does not cut most of them today. Afternoon: the Plantin-Moretus Museum (EUR 12, free first Wednesday), the only individually UNESCO-listed museum in the world, then a walk down Meir shopping street.
Day 4: Art Nouveau and the Rubens redirect
Cogels-Osylei in Zurenborg, a free Art Nouveau street with 170 protected facades built 1894-1906, near Antwerpen-Berchem station. Late morning in Het Zuid. Afternoon: KMSKA, reopened 2022 after an 11-year renovation, timed online entry, roughly EUR 12.
Day 5: Fashion and craft
Morning at MoMu for “The Antwerp Six,” its 40th-anniversary show (28 March 2026 to 17 January 2027), roughly EUR 12. Afternoon: De Koninck’s self-guided brewery tour (EUR 16-20) or a jenever proeflokaal instead, plus Antwerpse Handjes from Philip’s Biscuits.
Day 6: A slower day in Eilandje
Morning at the Red Star Line Museum, telling the story of the transatlantic emigration port Antwerp once was. Afternoon free for a repeat visit to whichever neighborhood earned it, plus the Zomer van Antwerpen program (18 June to 30 August 2026) or the Christmas market window if the season fits.
Day 7: One day trip, then a slow goodbye
Take an early train out for the morning. Mechelen is the lightest option, 17 to 20 minutes each way with very frequent service, enough for a compact old town and St Rumbold’s Cathedral before lunch. Ghent is the fuller option, 46 minutes to just over an hour direct, trading a longer ride for canals, the Gravensteen castle and the Van Eyck altarpiece, with noticeably fewer coach-tour crowds than Bruges. Either way, this is a genuine gateway question the Antwerp-as-a-base guide and its own day-trip itineraries cover in far more depth, since Ghent, Bruges, Mechelen, Brussels, the coast and even Lille all run from Antwerp.
Be back in the city by mid-afternoon. Spend the last few hours the way the week started: a Bolleke at a real cafe, not a tourist terrace, and a final stop at Philip’s Biscuits for Antwerpse Handjes to take home.
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Grote Markt, Antwerpen-Centraal, Cathedral of Our Lady |
| Day 2 | MAS free rooftop, Het Steen, the free Sint-Anna tunnel and ferry |
| Day 3 | Diamond District, DIVA museum, Plantin-Moretus UNESCO print house |
| Day 4 | Cogels-Osylei Art Nouveau street, Het Zuid, KMSKA |
| Day 5 | MoMu and the Antwerp Six show, De Koninck or a jenever proeflokaal |
| Day 6 | Red Star Line Museum, a slower repeat neighborhood |
| Day 7 | A half-day trip to Mechelen or Ghent, back to Antwerp by afternoon |