How many stops are on the Family Friendly walking tour in Antwerp?

The Family Friendly route in Antwerp includes 8 curated stops.

How long does the Family Friendly tour in Antwerp take?

The Family Friendly walking tour in Antwerp takes approximately 4 hours at a leisurely pace.

Is the Family Friendly walking tour in Antwerp free?

Yes, Promenario's Family Friendly tour in Antwerp is free to download and use, with full offline support.

🇧🇪 Antwerp, Belgium

Family Friendly in Antwerp

Easy-access places suitable for mixed-age groups. Explore 8 curated stops in Antwerp, including Antwerpen-Centraal, Rubenshuis, and Het Steen. Highlights include Antwerpen-Centraal, rated 4.8/5 by 31,000 visitors.

8 stops ~4h Available in app

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8 places in this collection

Family Friendly places

8 places in this collection

Image by Paul Hermans, CC BY-SA 3.0

Antwerpen-Centraal

The original station building was constructed between 1895 and 1905 as a replacement for the original terminus of the Brussels-Mechelen-Antwerp Railway. The stone clad terminus buildings, with a vast dome above the waiting room hall, were designed by Louis Delacenserie. The viaduct into the station is also a notable structure designed by local architect Jan Van Asperen. A plaque on the north wall bears the name Middenstatie. In 2009, the American magazine Newsweek judged Antwerpen-Centraal the world's fourth greatest train station. In 2014, the British-American magazine Mashable awarded Antwerpen-Centraal the first place for the most beautiful railway station in the world. Antwerp Central is one of the few railway stations in Europe with its own IATA code (IATA: ZWE). Many airlines therefore can offer integrated tickets directly to Antwerp.

Image by Davidh820, CC BY-SA 4.0

Rubenshuis

The Rubenshuis ('Rubens House') is the former home and workshop of Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) in Antwerp. Purchased in 1610, Rubens had the Flemish townhouse renovated and extended on the basis of designs by Rubens himself. After the renovations, the house and its courtyard garden had the outlook of an Italian palazzo, which reflected Rubens' artistic ideals. The ensemble is now a museum dedicated mainly to the work of Rubens and his contemporaries. The city bought the house in 1937, and after an extensive restoration, the Rubenshuis was opened to the public in 1946. Dozens of paintings and artworks by Rubens and his contemporaries were installed in the rooms, as well as period furniture. Paintings include his early Adam and Eve (c. 1600) and a self-portrait made when he was about fifty. The Rubenianum, a centre and archive dedicated to the study of Rubens, is in a building at the rear of the garden.

Image by Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas

Het Steen

Het Steen is a medieval fortress in the old city centre of Antwerp, Belgium, one of Europe's biggest ports. Built after the Viking incursions in the early Middle Ages as the first stone fortress of Antwerp, Het Steen is Antwerp's oldest building and used to be its oldest urban centre. Previously known as Antwerpen Burcht (fortress), Het Steen gained its current name in around 1520, after significant rebuilding under Charles V. The rebuilding led to its being known first as 's Heeren Steen' (the King's stone castle), and later simply as 'Het Steen' (the stone castle). At the entrance to Het Steen is a bas-relief of Semini, above the archway, around 2nd century. Semini is the Scandinavian God of youth and fertility (with symbolic phallus). A historical plaque near Het Steen explains that women of the town appealed to Semini when they desired children; the god was reviled by later religious clergy. Inhabitants of Antwerp previously referred to themselves as 'children of Semini'. At the entrance bridge to the castle is a statue of a giant and two humans. It depicts the giant Lange Wapper who used to terrorise the inhabitants of the city in medieval times.

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Image by G.Lanting, CC BY-SA 4.0

Meir

Meir is the main shopping street in Antwerp, Belgium. It is the most important shopping area in the country, both by number of shoppers and by rent prices. The street has been mostly pedestrianised since 1993. Between 2002 and 2004, it was the most expensive shopping street in the Benelux. Since the opening of the historic Stadsfeestzaal shopping centre in 2007, Meir regained that position. It has the highest rents of any street in Belgium, at 1,700 €/square metre/year. The name comes from the old Dutch word 'meere' (lake). Meir used to be a so-called 'wood lake' (houtmeer), where wood destined for use in furniture would be kept wet for a time.

Image by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0

St. Charles Borromeo Church

St. Charles Borromeo Church (Dutch: Sint-Carolus Borromeuskerk) is a church in central Antwerp, located on the Hendrik Conscience square. It was built in 1626 as the Jesuit church of Antwerp, which was closed in 1773. It was rededicated in 1779 to Saint Charles Borromeo. The church was formerly known for 39 ceiling pieces by Rubens that were lost in a fire when lightning struck the church on 18 July 1718.

Image by Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0

St. Paul's Church

The St. Paul's Church or Sint-Pauluskerk (in Dutch) is a Roman Catholic church located at the Veemarkt in Antwerp. Its exterior is mainly Gothic with a Baroque tower, while the interior is characterized by its rich Baroque decoration. The exterior is mainly executed in the Brabantine Gothic style and is characterized by the austere architecture with little exterior decoration, which is common in churches of mendicant orders. For the interior walls, brick was used, while the outer vestments and structural components are in Ledian sandstone. The tower was rebuilt in the late 17th century with a Baroque top. The Baroque portal on the angled corner of Veemarkt and Zwartzustersstraat dates from 1734. In the arch above the gate is a tympanum sculpture by Jan Claudius de Cock of 1734 depicting Our Lady of the Rosary giving the rosary to Saint Dominic and Catherine of Siena, the reformer of the Dominican Order. The interior columns in St. Paul's Church are cylindrical and are topped by a capital with cabbage leaf motif. The interior decoration is a good example of the Flemish Baroque style in painting as well as church furniture.

Image by Fred Romero from Paris, France, CC BY 2.0

Vlaeykensgang

The hidden street Vlaeykensgang connects Hoogstraat, Oude Koornmarkt, and Pelgrimsstraat. It is a real street, but only accessible through unassuming medieval front doors in the streets. Originally, it was the medieval equivalent of a gated community. Today, it houses informal restaurants and chic, discrete flats. The easiest entrance is through a porch on Hoogstraat.

Image by Torsade de Pointes, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Vlaamse Opera

The first public opera performances in Antwerp date back to 1661. Performances took place on the stage of the Schouwburgh van de Oude Voetboog (Theatre of the Guild of Crossbowmen) at the Grote Markt. The theatre gradually lost its popular Flemish character as French artists were engaged and the performances were no longer performed in the local (Dutch) language, but in French, the adopted language of the Flemish elite.

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