Antwerp with kids

Het Steen to the Stadspark

• 7Sights
• 1Kid stops
• about 3 kmDistance
• 2 hoursWith play time

This walk is about 3 km and links seven of Antwerp's sights: Het Steen, the Grote Markt, the Cathedral of Our Lady, Saint Charles Borromeo Church, Meir, Rubens House and Antwerp Central Station. It starts at the castle on the river bank and heads into the old centre. One playground breaks it up: the one in the Stadspark.

The Grote Markt and the cathedral are only a few minutes apart, so the first stretch is short and easy to take slowly. The playground comes later, after Rubens House, and the Stadspark is close to Central Station, where the walk ends. Give the children time there before the last stretch to the station.

1. 

   Het Steen

   The medieval castle on the river bank, with its small gateway.

   Photo: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT · CC BY-SA 3.0

2. 

   Grote Markt

   The Brabo fountain in front of the guild houses and the town hall.

   Photo: Maros M r a z (Maros) · CC BY-SA 3.0

3. 

   Cathedral of Our Lady

   The single tall Gothic spire of the cathedral.

   Photo: Yair Haklai · CC BY-SA 4.0

4. 

   Saint Charles Borromeo Church

   The baroque church façade on the Hendrik Conscienceplein.

   Photo: Rolf Kranz · CC BY-SA 4.0

5. 

   Meir

   The busy pedestrian shopping street lined with grand façades.

   Photo: G.Lanting · CC BY-SA 4.0

6. 

   Rubens House

   The painter's baroque house and courtyard garden.

   Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0

7. Stadspark playground Playground

   A playground in the Stadspark on Quinten Matsijslei, with a sandy floor and a range of play equipment.

   On the map

8. 

   Antwerp Central Station

   The grand station hall with its big dome, seen from the square.

   Photo: Fred Romero from Paris, France · CC BY 2.0

Tips for parents

• A family guide points to the Brabo statue in front of the City Hall on the Grote Markt, throwing the giant's hand, and to a giant statue of a hand on Meir. It calls the one on Meir an obligatory photo stop with kids.
• The same guide says you will be fine with a stroller in Antwerp, but that there are lots of cobblestones and some works in the centre, so big inflatable wheels are recommended.
• The Stadspark, where the playground is, is just a stone's throw from Central Station according to a family guide, and has a pond.
• OSM maps a public toilet about 43 m from the Cathedral of Our Lady.

Public toilets

• About 40 m from Cathedral of Our Lady · On the map