Antwerp in 2 Days: Budget Belgium Day Trips

Antwerp in 2 Days: Budget Belgium Day Trips

Two days is barely enough to settle into Antwerp itself, let alone add a full day trip, so this itinerary only adds one: Mechelen, 17-20 minutes away and cheap enough that the round trip barely dents a day’s budget. Longer stay planned? The 4 day , 5 day , 6 day and 7 day versions all build on this same spine, adding Ghent, Brussels, Bruges, Ostend and Lille one at a time.

Book these before you go:

Day Focus Travel time / cost
Day 1 Antwerp orientation on foot Home base
Day 2 Mechelen half-day, Antwerp diamonds in the afternoon 17-20 min each way, €6-9 one way

Day 1: Antwerp Orientation

Land at Antwerpen-Centraal, the “railway cathedral” itself, worth ten free minutes under its dome before you go anywhere else. Walk Meir toward Grote Markt (20-25 minutes) or ride a De Lijn tram, about €3 a trip (current fares at delijn.be ).

Grote Markt, the guild houses, and the Brabo Fountain cost nothing to see. The MAS rooftop panorama, also free, gives a full 360-degree view over the port and river without a museum ticket. Lunch is a frituur cone, €3-5; dinner, a budget bistro plate with a Bolleke, runs €20-25.

Day 1 spend: roughly €25-32, hotel not included.

Day 2: Mechelen Half-Day, Then Antwerp’s Diamonds

Morning: the train to Mechelen takes 17-20 minutes, roughly €6-9 one way, the shortest and cheapest of any Belgian day trip from Antwerp. St Rumbold’s Cathedral and its carillon anchor a compact, walkable old town, genuinely covered by lunchtime; don’t plan a full day around it. Check current hours at visitmechelen.be .

Afternoon: back in Antwerp by early afternoon, walk the Diamond District for free, respectfully, since much of it closes Saturdays and Jewish holidays given the neighborhood’s large Orthodox Jewish community.

Evening: a Bolleke at a real De Koninck cafe, €2.50-3.50, closes out the day cheaper than a sit-down dinner.

Day 2 spend: roughly €20-30, including the Mechelen round trip.

Is 2 days in Antwerp enough for a Belgium day trip?

Enough for exactly one, and Mechelen is the right pick. Ghent and Bruges both eat most of a day in transit alone, which leaves too little time for Antwerp itself on a 2-day trip. Mechelen’s round trip takes well under an hour total, so it fits without crowding out the city you actually came to see.

See the Antwerp Belgium day trips guide for the full cost breakdown of the 4 trips this itinerary skips.