Day Trip to Antwerp
Antwerp is a great little city to take a day trip to from other more popular cities. It can easily be reached in a day from Amsterdam or Brussels.
There doesn’t seem to be a huge selection of hostels if you are planning on staying in Antwerp for longer than just a day. As usual Hostelworld is a good place to start and offers some decent budget options.
Train Station
Since you are most likely arriving by train, the first thing you will notice is the beauty and scale of the train station. The Antwerp train station was the first time that I’ve seen trains practically stacked on top of each other on different levels of tracks (apparently 4 levels even though it felt like more) instead of having the tracks arranged side by side. There is a large modern addition to the beautiful historical building that has many nice shops and even a fancy restaurant or two. Definitely a place worth walking around for a bit before heading out into the city.
Grote Markt
The most memorable part of my visit was the Grote Markt which is the central area in the old town. The town hall is especially beautiful and seemingly free to explore the inside of. There are a few restaurants where you can sit outside and admire the old architecture.
Het Steen Fortress
Walking along the river is also pleasant. Eventually you will reach the oldest structure in Antwerp, the Het Steen fortress. This is a pretty cool looking castle and is interesting to explore. Making it to the top gives you a good view of the river and nearby Ferris wheel.
Tintin
As a Tintin fan it was a lot of fun to go into the shops with Tintin merchandise and collectibles. If you are a Tintin fan and staying in Antwerp (or Brussels) for longer than a day, don’t forget that the Herge museum is in reach! It is located to the southeast of Brussels.
Other Stuff
Antwerp is home to an old and fairly large zoo that I unfortunately did not have the time to visit. Other activities include going to the Rubenshuis museum, the Cathedral of Our Lady, and the museum on printing, the “Plantin-Moretus Museum”, in one of the oldest buildings in Antwerp.
Antwerp was a lot of fun, especially in the old town. I feel like it is often skipped over for Brussels or Ghent, and I don’t think it should be. I would have like to have one extra day here, so if you were planning on a day trip consider staying for a night.
