Belgium
Antwerp, the Short Belgian Day
The closest Belgian city to Amsterdam, and the one most visitors skip on their way somewhere else.
AntwerpBelgium
The route from Amsterdam
~159 km, about 1 hour 45 each way. For comparison, direct trains run in roughly 1 hour 10 minutes.
Antwerp is an hour and three quarters away, which makes it the shortest international day we run. That matters more than it sounds: you leave at nine instead of half past seven, and you are back for dinner rather than after it.
It is also a genuinely good city rather than a consolation prize. A cathedral with four Rubens altarpieces still in the building they were painted for. A main square of guild houses. A shopping street, the Meir, that runs for a kilometre. And a railway station that architecture writers routinely call one of the finest in the world, which you can walk into for nothing.
Why take a private driver
Antwerp's centre is compact and walkable, so the vehicle earns its place differently here: it gets you there without a change at Rotterdam, it holds your shopping from the Meir, and it lets you add the docklands and the MAS museum, which are a long walk from the old town.
A sample day
This is how we would plan it. Nothing here is fixed — the point of a private day is that it bends to you.
Pickup at your hotel
A later start than any other international day.
Arrive in Antwerp
Dropped near the old centre; the core is pedestrian.
Grote Markt and the cathedral
Guild houses, the Brabo fountain, and the Cathedral of Our Lady with its Rubens paintings in situ.
Lunch
The streets behind the square rather than on it.
The Meir and Central Station
A kilometre of shopping, ending at the station hall — free to walk into and worth the detour.
Het Eilandje and the MAS
The old docklands, ten minutes by car. The MAS rooftop is free and gives you the whole city.
Drive back
An hour and three quarters.
Back at your hotel
Door to door.
What is included
- Private vehicle and driver for about 8 hours
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Amsterdam
- Fuel, tolls, parking and all road costs
- The drive out to the docklands, which is awkward on foot
What is not included
- Cathedral and museum entry
- Lunch and drinks
- Gratuity
Questions
Why Antwerp rather than Bruges or Brussels?
It is two hours closer than Bruges and the day is three hours shorter. If you want one Belgian city without an eleven-hour day, this is it.
Is the diamond district worth seeing?
As a street, not really — it is an office district next to the station and most of the trade happens behind closed doors. If you are buying, that is a different visit and you should make an appointment in advance.
Can we combine Antwerp with Ghent?
They are forty minutes apart, so yes in principle. In practice that is two short visits instead of one proper one. If you want two Belgian cities we would suggest Bruges and Ghent instead.
Is there a low emission zone?
Yes, Antwerp has one, camera-enforced. Dutch-registered vehicles are checked automatically against the RDW register, so there is nothing for you to do.