58 Best Sights in Antwerp and the Northeast, Belgium

One relatively recent addition to the dynamic Antwerp skyline is the Port House, home of Antwerp's Port Authority. Located at the northern end of Het Eilandje, the shiny diamond-shape lozenge on stilts actually rests on top of a beautifully restored old fire station. It was designed by renowned architect Dame Zaha Hadid, and completed shortly before her death in 2016. You can only visit the neo-futurist construction by joining a tour (which run irregularly on some Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the first Saturday of each month—see the website or call for available dates), but its stunning exterior appearance has made it a noteworthy showstopper even if you don't go in.

This place has gobs of atmosphere; it's crammed with more than 400 plaster saints and angels salvaged from old churches. Het Kathedraalcafé is tucked into a tiny street between the Grote Markt and the cathedral and serves traditional, hearty Vlaamse fare with a large selection of Trappist beers. It also has a pleasant terrace.

The Steen is more than 1,000 years old. A 9th-century waterfront fortress, it was built to protect the western frontier of the Holy Roman Empire. It was partially rebuilt 700 years later by Emperor Charles V. You can distinguish the darker, medieval masonry extending midway up the walls from the lighter upper level of 16th-century work. The only survivor of the original waterfront, the Steen was used as a prison for centuries. Today it houses Antwerp's visitor information center, as well as The Antwerp Story, a permanent exhibition that serves as a good introduction for anyone new to the city. Through a series of rooms, interactive multimedia displays give you an overview of Antwerp's people, industry, monuments, and its museums. You can also head up to the roof terrace for a panoramic view.

This crowded former warehouse is dominated by a series of shiny vats used to brew the café's three house beers; the Antwerp Blond (5.1%) is a particularly dry, flavorsome pint. The building's conversion is slightly sterile (its vast, redbrick bar can seat around 350), but the ales and 60-minute tours can't be faulted. Prices are set for groups of 10, but phone ahead and you might be able to squeeze onto the end of another tour; a personal guide is €125.

Just east from the city center, the delightful 6-acre Japanese Garden (Japanse Tuin) is the largest of its kind in Europe. As you'd expect, everything is serenely ordered and precise, with a maze of paths surrounded by lush greenery, streams, waterfalls, koi carp ponds, and delicate pavilions. It was designed by the Japanese architect Takayuki Inoue and built when the Japanese city of Itami became twinned with Hasselt in 1985. At quiet times, the silence is only broken by the sound of trickling water, and the occasional chiming of a Peace Bell, which was installed in 2016.

Perpetuating Hasselt’s slightly raffish distinction of having had jenever as its major industry, the museum occupies a building that was a commercial distillery from 1803 until 1971, and the original equipment is still in use and on display. On a tour of the installations, you’ll learn about the production process, while other exhibits include glassware and advertising posters. In the paneled tasting room you can sample jenever of various ages, flavors, and proofs from two dozen Belgian distilleries—your entry ticket includes one free drink.

This former Belgian army barracks was used as a holding center and deportation camp by occupying Nazi forces during World War II. Of the more than 25,000 Jewish people who were processed and deported from here, very few made it back to Belgium. Today the buildings house a moving Holocaust memorial dedicated to those people, as well as a documentation center, and a museum explaining Jewish life in Belgium before and during the war.

The chapel and entrance gateway of the Maagdenhuis (Maidens' House), a foundling hospital for girls of the poor, was constructed from 1564 to 1568 and closed in 1882, when more modern institutions became available. Normally it houses a museum that reflects its former role, but for the next several years (until at least 2027), the building has has a new temporary role—it's being used to exhibit 60 or so paintings on loan from the nearby Museum Mayer van den Bergh, while that gallery undergoes its own essential restoration and renovation work.

To get up to speed on the latest clothing designers, head to MoMu for a fashion crash course. Inside the early-20th-century building you’ll find comprehensive exhibits, some highlighting the avant-garde work of contemporary Flemish designers. Rotating exhibits also make the most of the museum’s collections of clothing, accessories, and textiles dating back to the 18th century; you can ponder the workmanship of delicate antique lace alongside deconstructed blouses from the late 1990s.

Tongeren was once guarded by no fewer than six city gates, but this one—built in 1379—is the sole survivor. There's little to see inside, but you can climb to the top for excellent views across the rooftops. There's no entrance fee, but you will need to contact the tourist office to be given a "secret" access code that will open the main door.

This museum, in a flamboyant 16th-century Renaissance palace, has an extensive collection of artworks and period bric-a-brac that illustrate life during the height of the Burgundian Netherlands in the 15th and 16th centuries. One particularly noteworthy treasure is a gorgeously illustrated choir book that once belonged to Margaret of Austria.

In one of Belgium's most important contemporary art venues, you'll find paintings, installations, video art, and experimental architecture from a range of international artists. Among its collection are works by Antwerp-born Flemish polymath Jan Fabre, whose often bizarre sculptures and installations have established him as a leading figure in the Belgian art world. The museum, which also contains an art house cinema and library, is housed in a renovated grain silo. There's also a rooftop café.

In one of Belgium's most important contemporary art venues, you'll find paintings, installations, video art, and experimental architecture from a range of international artists. Among these works is a collection by the Antwerp-born Flemish theater director/choreographer/artist Jan Fabre, whose often bizarre sculptures and installations have established him as a leading figure in the Belgian art world. The museum, which also contains an arthouse cinema and library, is housed in a renovated grain silo. There's also a rooftop café.

A 10-minute train ride, or drive, northeast from Hasselt, this huge open-air museum features around 150 mostly agricultural buildings, in different architectural styles, that were brought here stone by stone from all over Flanders, and rebuilt in a series of regional clusters across a largely wooded site. Many of the buildings date back to the 17th century, and they are furnished and decorated with thousands of pieces of period furniture, farm equipment, and general bric-a-brac. There are themed events here throughout the year, including Sunday walks even during the winter shutdown when the museum buildings are closed. Bring walking shoes: the whole site covers a whopping 5 square km (2 square miles).

Although the Port of Antwerp is 88 km (53 miles) from the sea, it is Europe's second-largest port (after Rotterdam) and the 10th largest in the world. Giant locks facilitate navigation up the River Scheldt; the Berendrecht measures 546 yards by 74 yards. Every year, 178.2 million tons of goods are shipped here, serving a vast area stretching across half of Europe. Surprisingly, in the midst of all this hustle and bustle is a traditional fishing village, Lillo, nestled in an old fort among the enormous refineries, tankers, and buildings of the chemical industries. It's worth exploring and has a museum that explains the history of the area.

An exceptionally thoughtful museum for our times, the Red Star Line operated the old steamers that would cross to the New World from Antwerp, carrying some 2 million passengers to new lives between 1873 and 1934. The museum follows the stories of the emigrants who made that journey, leaving the familiar behind for a life of uncertainty, putting a human face on immigration that is sorely needed these days.

In 1874, the city set about connecting the left and right banks of the Scheldt. The importance of shipping meant a bridge just wasn't feasible at the time, so nearly 60 years later they eventually decided to dig down instead. The tunnel's rare wooden escalator and almost hypnotic tiling make it a reason to enter in itself, though it's worth spending some time exploring Linkroever, across the water. A trail leads from the exit on the left bank up to a petite stretch of beach known as Sint-Annastrand that looks out over the Scheldt—a bizarre splash of nature amid the docks.

This late-Gothic church dedicated to St. Andrew dates from 1514 but reflects substantial Baroque influences from its extension during the 18th century. The church is notable for the magnificence of its Baroque high altar, stained-glass windows, and columns. Its most striking feature is the pulpit depicting Peter and his brother Andrew, created by Jan-Baptist Van Hoof and Jan-Frans Van Geel in 1821. The church is closed to visitors during services.

This late-Gothic church dedicated to St. Andrew dates from 1514 but reflects substantial Baroque influences from its extension during the 18th century. The church is notable for the magnificence of its Baroque high altar, stained-glass windows, and columns. Its most striking feature is the pulpit depicting Peter and his brother Andrew, created by Jan-Baptist Van Hoof and Jan-Frans Van Geel in 1821. The church is closed to visitors during services.

Like so much of Antwerp, the Jesuit St. Charles Borromeo Church bears the imprint of Rubens. The front and tower are generally attributed to him, and his hand can certainly be seen in the clustered cherubim above the entrance. The church’s facade suggests a richly decorated high altar, inviting the observer inside. The interior was once magnificent, but most of Rubens’s frescoes were destroyed by fire, and other works were carted off to Vienna when the Austrians banned the Jesuits in the 18th century. The square is one of the most attractive in Antwerp, flanked by the harmonious Renaissance buildings of the Jesuit convent, now occupied by the City Library.

The church where Philip and Joanna were wed is a product of the De Waghemakere–Keldermans architectural partnership that worked so well in building the cathedral in Antwerp. The interior is notable for its stained-glass windows from the 15th and 16th centuries—those in the choir were the gift of Maximilian of Austria (father of Philip the Handsome), who visited in 1516 and is depicted in one of the windows, along with his wife, Mary of Burgundy.

Peter Paul Rubens is buried in the white sandstone St. Jacob's Church. A painting depicting him as St. George posed between his two wives, Isabella Brant and Helena Fourment, hangs above his tomb. The three-aisle church blends late-Gothic and Baroque styles. The tombs are a who's who of prominent 17th-century Antwerp families.

The late-Gothic St. Paul's Church, built 1530–71, houses more than 50 outstanding paintings, including a series known as the 15 mysteries of the Rosary by Antwerp's finest painters of the time. There are three by Rubens, including a visceral depiction of Jesus's flagellation, as well as works by Jordaens and Van Dyck. The church is further enriched by more than 200 17th- and 18th-century sculptures, including the 10 Baroque confessionals attributed to Peeter Verbruggen the Elder. A Baroque altar completed in 1639 towers over the more somber Gothic nave. Sint-Pauluskerk was restored in 1968 after a major fire.

Nicolaas Rockox and Frans Snijders were pivotal figures in Antwerp's art scene during the Baroque period. Rockox (1560–1640) was Rubens's friend and patron, as well as being seven-time mayor of Antwerp; Snijders (1579–1657) was a skilled painter of animals and still lifes. Together they lived side by side for 20 years in a pair of beautiful town houses on Keizerstraat, which have now been turned into a museum. It was here that humanist and art collector Rockox built an enviable art collection, and on display are two of Rubens's works: one is Madonna en Kind (Madonna and Child), a delicate portrait of Rubens's first wife, Isabella, and their son, Nicolaas, and the other is a sketch for the Kruisiging (Crucifixion). The collection also includes works by Van Dyck, Joachim Patinier, Jordaens, Pieter Bruegel (including his infamous Proverbs), and, of course, Snijders himself. The paintings are shown in the context of a pair of upper-class Baroque homes, furnished in the style of the period. Handheld tablets give you information on each painting.

Located in the Chapter House and cloisters of the adjacent church, the Teseum is the treasury of the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwebasiliek, and it contains arguably the the richest collection of religious art in the country. Highlights including a 6th-century ivory diptych of St. Paul, a Merovingian gold buckle from the same century, and a truly magnificent head of Christ sculpted in wood in the 11th century.

This quiet cobblestone lane in the center of Antwerp seems untouched by time. The mood and style of the 16th century are perfectly preserved here. There is no better time to linger than on a Monday night when the carillon concert is pealing from the cathedral. The alley ends in Pelgrimsstraat, where there is a great view of the cathedral spire.

This 14th-century tower was renamed for Louis Zimmer, who designed its astronomical clock with 11 faces in 1930. His studio, where 57 dials show the movements of the moon, the tides, the zodiac, and other cosmic phenomena, is inside the tower. A small museum beside the tower contains an exhibition on time and space.

Southeast of the city center, past Centraal Station, lies the most beautiful neighborhood in Antwerp: Zurenborg. It was one of few parts of the modern city that was actually planned—and not simply a result of industrial necessity—when it was transformed in the early 20th century with street after street of Belle Époque, Neoclassical, and Art Nouveau town houses. The highlight is Cogels-Osylei, a street famed for its elaborate Art Nouveau "flower" houses, all named after different flora. Its urban palaces once housed the city's bourgeoisie, while the larger Dageraadplaats was designed for the middle classes but remains no less ambitious and has long since been adopted by Antwerp's "bobo" set, with plenty of hip bars and cafés nearby. Historical walking tours are a good way to explore the area and are easily booked at the tourist information center.