Which day trips from Antwerp are easy by train?

You are staying in Antwerp for a week or a month and want to see more of Belgium. Belgium is small and its cities are linked by frequent direct trains, so you can see a city or two without a car. One guest summed up our part of town as “easy for city trips to Gent and Bruges”.

How do you get to Antwerpen-Centraal or Berchem from Antwerp South?

From Antwerp South, trams 2 and 6 run straight to Antwerpen-Centraal, the city’s main station. De Lijn describes both lines as running via Harmoniepark and Antwerpen-Centraal, with 8 trams an hour at daytime peaks and 6 off-peak. Both stop near our building.

Berchem station is about 3.5 km from the building in a straight line, and Antwerpen-Centraal about 4.3 km. Neither tram 2 nor tram 6 serves Berchem station. For most guests, Centraal is therefore the simpler place to board. If the NMBS app shows a better train from Berchem, use the De Lijn planner to find the connection.

Tickets for the tram are explained in getting around Antwerp by tram. For the wider neighbourhood, see our guide to Antwerp South and Middelheim Park.

Tip

Check the NMBS app for your train before you leave the apartment. It shows the platform, delays and works on the line.

Which day trips from Antwerp are quickest by train?

Mechelen is the quickest day trip from Antwerp, then Brussels, Ghent and Bruges. NMBS publishes average journey times and daily train numbers for each route. All four cities have direct trains from Antwerp, so you do not need to change.

Day trips from Antwerp by train (NMBS averages)

The Bruges figure combines two NMBS averages, Antwerp to Ghent and Ghent to Bruges. Real journey times vary by train, time of day and works, so always check your exact train.

Is Ghent worth a day trip from Antwerp?

Ghent is a day trip from Antwerp that takes under an hour each way on a direct train. NMBS lists direct trains from Antwerp to Ghent at an average of 58 minutes, with 56 trains a day.

Get off at Gent-Sint-Pieters, the main station. Visit Gent says trams 1 and 3 leave from there for the city centre every 10 minutes. Gent-Dampoort, in the north of the city, is the other station, with buses into town.

Ghent also works well for a second visit if you are staying for a month. If you are still choosing a base, our comparison of Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels for a month of remote work may help.

How do you do a Bruges day trip from Antwerp?

A Bruges day trip from Antwerp is easy on the IC-02 line, which NMBS runs directly from Antwerp via Ghent to Bruges and Ostend. Visit Bruges says that 1 to 4 direct trains an hour run to Bruges from cities including Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels.

Get off at the station called Brugge. Visit Bruges explains that Brugge-Sint-Pieters is in the north-east and not the stop for the centre. From Brugge station, a city bus runs to the centre every few minutes, or you can walk.

Because Ghent lies on the same line, you can combine both cities in one long day. Start early and stop in Ghent on the way back.

Brussels as a day trip from Antwerp: which station?

For sightseeing in Brussels, Brussels-Central is usually the best stop. NMBS gives an average of 45 minutes from Antwerp to Brussels, with 71 direct trains a day. Visit.brussels says the Grand-Place is a few minutes on foot from Brussels-Central.

Brussels has several main stations, including Central, South (Midi) and North. International high-speed trains use the South station. If you combine a day in Brussels with an airport run, our guide on Brussels Airport to Antwerp explains the train to the airport.

Why Mechelen is the shortest day trip from Antwerp

Mechelen is the shortest day trip from Antwerp: NMBS gives an average of 20 minutes, with 112 direct trains a day. That makes it ideal for a half day, or for an evening out after work.

You can get off at Mechelen or Mechelen-Nekkerspoel, the two stations NMBS lists for the city. Plan the rest of your day around a return train in the NMBS app.

When Hoost is not the right choice

Our apartments in Antwerp South suit travellers who are happy to take the tram to Antwerpen-Centraal before each trip. They are not the right choice in these cases:

• You want to walk out of the door and onto a train within moments.
• You want to stay in the historic centre of Antwerp itself.
• You need a single night: our minimum stay is 2 nights.
• You need daily housekeeping or hotel services.

For a longer stay with day trips in between, the kitchen, workspace and shared laundry make the routine easy. See which of our apartments near trams 2 and 6 suits your group, and read more about living on the south side of Antwerp.