Attractions in Antwerp

Antwerp Central Station (Antwerpen-Centraal) is a monumental railway station regularly named among the world's most beautiful. Its eclectic blend of Neo-Baroque stone facade, vast iron-and-glass train hall, and modern multi-level platforms makes it an architectural destination in itself.

The Cathedral of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal) is the largest Gothic church in the Low Countries and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its single completed spire rises 123 metres over Antwerp's skyline. Inside, four masterpieces by Peter Paul Rubens command the nave and transepts.

The Port House (Havenhuis) is the headquarters of the Port of Antwerp, dramatically redesigned by Zaha Hadid Architects. A gleaming, faceted glass extension — shaped like a diamond — appears to float above a restored 1922 fire station.

The Grote Markt is Antwerp's magnificent central square, dominated by the ornate Renaissance City Hall (Stadhuis), a ring of gilded guild houses, and the Brabo Fountain with its legend of the city's founding.

The Sint-Annatunnel is a 572-metre Art Deco pedestrian and cyclist tunnel under the River Schelde, connecting the city centre to the Linkeroever (Left Bank). Its original 1933 wooden escalators — among the oldest in Belgium — are protected monuments.

The Vlaeykensgang is a hidden 16th-century passageway connecting Oude Koornmarkt to Pelgrimstraat, tucked behind an unmarked doorway in the heart of the Altstadt. Stepping through is like entering a time capsule of medieval Antwerp.

Sint-Pauluskerk (St. Paul's Church) is a late-Gothic Dominican church that hides extraordinary Baroque furnishings and an astonishing collection of paintings by Rubens, Van Dyck, Jordaens, and Caravaggio behind an unassuming exterior.

Cogels-Osylei is a grand residential boulevard in the Zurenborg quarter, widely considered the finest street of eclectic and Art Nouveau architecture in Belgium. Each mansion competes with its neighbours in a riot of turrets, bay windows, mosaics, and wrought-iron work.

The Left Bank (Linkeroever) of the River Schelde offers the best panoramic view of Antwerp's skyline — the cathedral spire, MAS tower, and Port House are all visible in a sweeping riverfront panorama.

The Sint-Carolus Borromeuskerk is one of the most exuberant Baroque churches in the Low Countries, built by the Jesuits in 1615–21. Rubens contributed to its design and painted 39 ceiling panels (destroyed by lightning in 1718). The surviving facade and interior remain dazzling.