How do I get from the airport to Antwerp?

Most international flights land at Brussels Airport in Zaventem, about 45 km south of Antwerp. The NMBS train from the airport's underground station runs direct to Antwerp-Centraal roughly every 15 to 20 minutes. The ride takes 33 minutes and costs around €13 in second class, about $15 USD at current rates. No transfer is needed between the airport platform and Antwerp-Centraal. Buy your ticket at the yellow NMBS machines on the platform level. They accept contactless cards, and the Diabolo supplement for using the airport station is already included in the displayed fare.

First trains from Brussels Airport toward Antwerp leave around 5:00am, and the last direct service departs close to midnight. If your flight arrives in that gap, a pre-booked taxi to Antwerp will cost €120 to €150 through the official desk on the arrivals level. Terminal-hall drivers at Brussels Airport tend to quote 30 to 50 percent above the dispatched desk price, so walk past them to the signed taxi rank. Belgian trains don't require seat reservations on domestic routes, which means you can step onto whichever Antwerp-bound departure appears first on the board. Mind you, weekend service runs less frequently, closer to every 30 minutes on some Sunday morning stretches.

A small number of flights, mainly TUI fly holiday charters, land at Antwerp International Airport (ANR) in Deurne, about 5 km southeast of the Grote Markt. De Lijn bus 51 connects ANR to Antwerp-Berchem station in roughly 15 minutes for around €3. From Berchem, a local train covers the one stop to Centraal in 4 minutes. A taxi from ANR to the city center tends to cost €15 to €20. That said, ANR currently handles fewer than 10 scheduled routes, so most visitors will find themselves arriving at Brussels Airport instead.

Antwerp-Centraal deserves 5 minutes of attention before you rush to your hotel. The neo-baroque main hall dates from 1905, and its cool stone walls still carry that faint mineral smell of old European terminus stations. Light falls through the iron-and-glass train shed, which dates from the same 1905 completion, in wide pale shafts. Walk out the front entrance onto Koningin Astridplein. The Antwerp Zoo, open since 1843, sits immediately to your left. The Diamond Quarter begins across the square, where Hasidic traders have cut and polished stones since the early 20th century. Two blocks southwest, the Meir shopping street leads toward the Grote Markt, about a 12-minute walk. Trams 2, 6, and 9 depart from the stop outside Centraal and reach most central neighborhoods in under 15 minutes.