Solo Era Download Solo Era on the App Store

City guide · Solo living

Things to Do Alone in Antwerp

Written by the Solo Era team · Solo living · Last updated

Download Solo Era on the App Store More like this

Antwerp is a port city, and the easiest way to understand it on your own is to start high and work down to the water. A tower on the old docks has a free viewing floor open until 22:00, and most of the rest of this guide sits within a tram ride of it: the emigration museum, fashion and photography museums, a cathedral with Rubens, and a sculpture park that charges nothing.

Start at the top of the MAS

The MAS (Museum aan de Stroom) stands at the old docks in the Eilandje district. Its boulevard and rooftop panorama are open Tuesday to Sunday from 09:30 to 22:00, and the museum states you can visit them for free, without a ticket (MAS tickets). If the weather is bad the panorama may be temporarily closed, and on 24 and 31 December everything closes at 15:00.

Why it works alone: you ride the escalators up at your own pace, nobody expects company, and the view tells you where everything else is. The museum galleries are a separate ticket (EUR 12 standard, EUR 8 for ages 18 to 25), open 10:00-17:00 with last access at 16:00, and the museum asks you to reserve a time slot online. Tram 7 runs to the last stop, MAS.

Walk down to the old docks

From the tower you are already in the Eilandje, the former port area of warehouses and docks. Visit Antwerpen describes it as the place where the city tells its story as a world port and lists guided walks along the Scheldt, a guided visit of the Port House that ends in a panoramic view, and port tours by bus or boat (Explore the old port and the Eilandje). Guided formats are the low-effort way to do this alone, because a guide gives the walk a shape. Book the day before and read the times on that page.

The Red Star Line Museum is the one to pair with it. It tells the story of the emigrants who left from these docks and is open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-17:00. A temporary exhibition, Between Languages, runs from 20 November 2026 to 11 April 2027 and asks what words you carry when you move to a new country. That is a good theme if you are new in a city yourself.

Fashion, photographs and a film

Two museums sit in different parts of the city and both work as a rainy-afternoon pair.

The city arthouse cinema, Cinema Lumiere, is inside the FOMU building and shows a daily programme. Check the film listing for your night. If cinema is your thing, our guide to going to the cinema alone has the practical side.

A sculpture park that costs nothing

The Middelheim Museum (Middelheimlaan 61) is an open-air sculpture park with free admission and no ticket. From October to March it is open 10:00-17:00, every day except Monday, and it asks you to head for the exit half an hour before closing. The park may close in stormy weather.

It is easy alone because the sculptures are arranged by four themes (Motion, Human Nature, Urban Nature and Entanglement) and the park map includes short and long walking loops. The visitor pavilion has free lockers and a water station, and you are welcome to picnic. The museum cafe MIKA is closed for restoration works, so bring something. The nearest Velo shared-bike station is at the corner of Middelheimlaan and Beukenlaan.

Rubens, a cathedral and two closures

The Cathedral of Our Lady is open weekdays 10:00-17:00, Saturdays 10:00-15:00 and Sundays 13:00-17:00, and the site lists exceptions on its visit page. Admission is EUR 12. The cathedral says you can rest on benches and chairs throughout, and it provides audio description of highlights, including the Rubens works, through QR codes next to the artwork. One Rubens piece, the epitaph triptych, is under restoration and not on display.

At the Rubenshuis, the historic residence is temporarily closed, but Rubens Experience and the garden are open Monday to Friday 10:00-17:00 and Saturday and Sunday 10:00-18:00, closed every Wednesday. A combined ticket is EUR 12, the garden alone is EUR 8, and Rubens Experience has fixed start times, so arrive 15 minutes before yours.

The Museum Plantin-Moretus is closed for renovation from 3 August to 4 December 2026, although its reading room remains open. Save it for December.

Something to taste or read

If it is Monday or Wednesday

Closing days decide your plan more than the weather does. The MAS galleries, MoMu, FOMU, Middelheim, Red Star Line and De Koninck are all closed on Mondays. On a Monday, the cathedral is open, and so are Rubens Experience and the garden. On a Wednesday, the Rubenshuis is the one that is shut.

Getting around

De Lijn says you can pay contactless on all its buses and trams with a bank card, phone or smartwatch. A ride costs EUR 3, and transfers are free within 60 minutes if you use the same payment method (De Lijn: contactless payment). For short hops, Velo shared bikes have a 24-hour pass for EUR 5. If you came from the capital, our Brussels guide covers another Belgian city, and Amsterdam is the neighbouring-country comparison.

First solo outings

  1. Easy: ride up the MAS escalators for the free view before 22:00, then walk back along the docks.
  2. Medium: take a Tuesday to Sunday afternoon for MoMu or FOMU, and finish with a coffee on the FOMU terrace or a book at Luddites.
  3. Bold: spend half a day at the Middelheim park, then book a time slot at the Red Star Line Museum for another day, and do both without a plan for who to talk to.

Solo Era for iPhone

Try it with Solo Era

The Solo Era iPhone app has a movement mission, level 2, worded "Walk a public sculpture trail." The Middelheim Museum is one place to try it, since the park is free and has marked walking loops. Free to download. A subscription is required to start missions. Prices and any free trial are shown in the app and depend on the offer and eligibility.

Download Solo Era on the App Store

More in this series: the cities hub, the new-city guide and how to eat alone in public.

Details change; check the venue before you go.

More cities in Belgium and Europe

All city guides

FAQ

Is the MAS panorama free?

Yes. The MAS says the boulevard and the panorama can be visited for free without a ticket. They are open Tuesday to Sunday 09:30-22:00 and may close in bad weather. The museum galleries need a paid, reserved ticket.

What is closed in Antwerp on Mondays?

The MAS galleries, MoMu, FOMU, the Middelheim Museum and De Koninck are closed on Mondays. The cathedral and Rubens Experience with the garden are open.

Can I see the Rubens house in Antwerp now?

The historic residence is temporarily closed for renovation. Rubens Experience and the garden are open, closed on Wednesdays, and you can book a fixed start time.

Is the Plantin-Moretus Museum open in November?

No. It is closed for renovation from 3 August to 4 December 2026, and only the reading room stays open.

How do I pay for trams in Antwerp?

De Lijn accepts contactless payment on buses and trams with a bank card, phone or smartwatch, at EUR 3 per ride, with free transfers within 60 minutes.

Sources (checked 2026-11-01)

Solo Era for iPhone

Try it with Solo Era

Solo Era gives you one realistic mission a week, records how nervous you felt before and after, and keeps a photo journal of what you did. An iPhone app. A subscription is required to start missions; any free trial depends on the offer and eligibility shown in the app.

Download Solo Era on the App Store
Solo Era mission library with difficulty levels