A spire to steer by, and a river with no tram
Antwerp tells drivers where not to park before anything else. Once you are on foot, the cathedral spire is the landmark you steer by. And from 4 May 2026 until the end of March 2027 the trams that used to run under the Scheldt are gone; shuttle buses marked P5 run between Opera and Linkeroever in their place.
The Meir on a Saturday, and the diamond windows
I would not drive in for the Meir on a Saturday afternoon. It is a long shopping street of the chains you have at home, and the garages around it fill first.
My second skip is the diamond quarter beside the station. Unless you are buying, it is shop windows behind security doors; look on your way to the train.
A bolleke at Den Engel, since 1902
Café Den Engel sits on the corner of the Grote Markt in one of the oldest buildings in the city, and has been a café since 1902. Order a bolleke, the De Koninck beer everyone here drinks, and take a window seat. It opens at 9 on weekdays, so it is my first coffee too.
Register the plate before the R1
The one rule not to skip: register a foreign plate for the LEZ on the Flemish system, free, at the latest the day after you enter. One registration covers Ghent too. Ghent, on the same system, warns approval can take 14 days, so do it at home. Dutch plates need nothing.
The fine is €150, €250 for a second offence within 12 months, €350 after that. If your car met the standard and you only forgot, paying €75 within 30 days replaces the fine. Diesel below Euro 5 and petrol below Euro 2 are banned; a day pass for such a car is €45, twelve a year. Third-party sites charge for the same free form.
A square, a spire, a warehouse tower and a tunnel
The Grote Markt is best seen from Den Engel's window. The city hall fills one side and the Brabo fountain, by Jef Lambeaux, throws water in front of it. The Groenplaats garage is a short walk away.
The cathedral is for the Rubens paintings. Four of them hang inside, the Raising and the Descent from the Cross among them; the entrance is on the Handschoenmarkt.
The MAS is for the view. Its boulevard and panorama stay open until 22:00, until midnight from April to October. Go at dusk. The MAS itself points drivers to the Godefriduskaai car park at Zeevaartstraat 11.
Antwerpen-Centraal is worth a walk-through without a ticket. Trains stack on several levels under the domed hall; the Centraal garage is next door.
Het Steen is where the free Sint-Anna ferry leaves for Linkeroever. Walk back through the Sint-Annatunnel under the river, free and open day and night. My favourite ten minutes in the city.
Frites, stew and the city's own beer
The classic plate is stoofvlees, beef stewed in beer, with frites and mayonnaise.
The beer is the bolleke, De Koninck in its round glass. Drink it at Den Engel, or go to the source: De Koninck, the Antwerp City Brewery, runs tours Tuesday to Sunday 11:00–17:30 and keeps its bar open until 22:00 from Thursday to Sunday. I find the brewery bar the better evening.
Marathon Sunday and Winter in Antwerpen
On Sunday 18 October 2026 the TREK Antwerp Marathon finishes at the MAS. Q-Park Handelsbeurs will have no entry or exit 08:00–16:30; I would leave the car at Centraal.
Winter in Antwerpen, the Christmas market, runs 4 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 according to the guides I found. Last winter the city spread it over seven squares, with a covered ice rink on the Groenplaats and the Ferris wheel on the Steenplein. The Groenplaats garage sits right under the rink; I would park at Meir.
What's on
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 18 October 2026 | TREK Antwerp Marathon, finishing at the MAS; Q-Park Handelsbeurs has no entry or exit 08:00–16:30 |
| 4 December 2026 – 3 January 2027 | Winter in Antwerpen, the Christmas market across seven squares from the Grote Markt to Groenplaats (dates from guides) |
| End of March 2027 | Planned end of the tram-tunnel renovation under the Scheldt; until then shuttle bus P5 links Opera and Linkeroever |