Things to Do in Antwerp, From Free to €20

Things to Do in Antwerp, From Free to €20

Plenty of Antwerp’s best moments cost nothing: a ferry across the Scheldt, a tunnel with 1933 wooden escalators, a sculpture park with Rodin. Then comes a short list of paid sights that are worth the money. Sorting the city by price makes it easy to build a day around your budget. Every figure is in euros.

Free all day

  • MAS rooftop. Take the glass escalators to the open-air panorama at the top of the Eilandje museum. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:30 to 22:00, and until midnight between 1 April and 31 October. Closed Mondays.
  • Sint-Annatunnel and Sint-Anna ferry. Both cross the Scheldt for free. The 572-metre tunnel is open at all hours, and the ferry leaves from Het Steen every 15 minutes in daytime.
  • Het Steen. The courtyard and rooftop terrace of the 800-year-old riverside fortress are free to enter.
  • Cogels-Osylei in Zurenborg. A street of Belle Epoque and Art Nouveau houses, about five minutes’ walk from Antwerpen-Berchem station.
  • Middelheim. An open-air sculpture park of 30 hectares at Middelheimlaan 61, free and closed on Mondays.
  • Cathedral of Our Lady, €12. Rubens painted the Descent from the Cross for this church. It is free for under-18s, and Saturday hours are 10:00 to 15:00 with Sunday 13:00 to 17:00. See dekathedraal.be for closed dates.
  • KMSKA, €20. Under-26s pay €10 and under-18s nothing, but a timed slot has to be reserved at kmska.be .
  • Red Star Line Museum, €10. It is open Tuesday to Sunday with timed online tickets, and costs €12 during special exhibitions.
  • MAS museum, €12. Ages 18 to 25 pay €8, and under-18s are free.
  • Brouwerij De Koninck, about €16 to €18. Includes two tastings of the house Bolleke ale.

Rubens fans

The historic rooms of the Rubens House are closed for renovation, with a return planned around 2030. The garden, the library and the Rubens Experience at Wapper are open from 10:00 to 17:00, and the paintings themselves are at the cathedral and KMSKA.

Passes and transport

The Antwerp City Pass costs about €45 for 24 hours, €55 for 48 hours and €65 for 72 hours. Add up your own list of paid sights before buying it. De Lijn tickets are €3 for a single, €9 for a day and €18 for three days, and the De Lijn site has the full tariff. Tram lines do not run under the Scheldt until about March 2027.

Small stops

Philip’s Biscuits at Korte Gasthuisstraat 11 sells Antwerpse handjes, butter biscuits shaped like the hand in the city’s founding legend. Pick up a box for the train home.

Keep an eye on your belongings around Centraal station, De Keyserlei and the Meir. If you would like company on a route, compare Antwerp experiences on Viator . For museum planning in more detail, see the attraction tours page .

Tip: do the paid sights Tuesday to Friday and keep the free ones for the weekend, when the cathedral closes early.