Getting around Antwerp & Belgium

Getting around Antwerp

Once you've arrived in Antwerp, there are plenty of ways to get around both the city and the country.

There are many different ways to get around the city.

Obviously, you can always walk. If you're in the city center, nothing is ever truly far away. Which is why walking is often the easiest way of getting around.

Antwerp by bicycle

If your destination is a bit farther away, you may want to consider taking a bike.

There are two types of bike rental systems in Antwerp. The shared bikes and the personal bikes.

The most popular bike sharing service in Antwerp is Velo. Velo is an initiative by the City of Antwerp itself, who placed bicycle stations all over the city and it's outer regions. Use your membership card to loan a bike, cycle to where you need to go and then return it to a bicycle station of choice.

An annual subscription costs €58. With this, the first 30 minutes of every ride is free. If a ride takes between 30 and 60 minutes, you'll be charged an extra €0,5. You can find the rates for even longer rides on their website. These 30 free minutes are plenty for getting around the inner city. If you put your bike back in a station, you need to wait 5 minutes before using your card again.

Swapfiets is a popular bike rental service that you can find in many different cities. They offers more freedom compared to Velo, but come with a bigger price tag. For €21,90 a month, you get your personal bike, that you can take and ride everywhere. If something is wrong with it and you need repairs, this is included in the fee of your bike. They even have an app for easier help and contact.

If you want to do your own study information on all bike sharing and renting services in Antwerp can be found on the website 'smart ways to Antwerp'.

Antwerp by bus or tram

De Lijn is our national bus and tram company.

Taking the bus or the tram is a great way to travel farther distances quickly. Through the app, you can easily check your best route and at what time your bus or tram is going to be there. It will also keep you updated on possible delays or other disturbances.

If you don't use the bus or tram that often, a 10-uses card will be plenty. These go for €17,00, meaning a ticket costs you €1,7 compared to the €2,5 for a single trip.

For frequent users, we recommend looking into getting a membership pass. If you're under the age of 24, you can apply for a Buzzy Pazz. If you're over the age of 25, it's called an Omnipas.

Antwerp Tram street students AMS Antwerp Management School

Getting around Belgium

Belgium is a beautiful country, with a lot to see on comparatively small area. You can easily visit other cities and even countries by train. Departing from Antwerp Central Station, you're only 20 minutes away from Mechelen and about an hour away from Ghent, Leuven and Brussels. Cities like Bruges and Hasselt are a bit farther away, but still within 'Daytrip' distance.

Antwerp is also an amazing starting hub to visit neighbouring countries like The Netherlands. Rotterdam and Breda are only half an hour away, while Amsterdam takes only between 1 - 2 hours, depending on the track you take. France and Germany are further away, but

On the website of the NMBS, the national railway company, you can find more information on prices and tickets. For easier access and use, we recommend downloading the app.

In the weekends, you should definitely look into getting a weekend ticket. This gives you a 50% discount to any outward and return trip between Friday 7pm Sunday.

If you're travelling while under the age of 26, make sure to compare the price for a standard ticket and the weekend ticket with that of the Go Pass. This is the special youth ticket, that offers you a flat rate of €7,10 per trip. Depending on where you're going, this might be a better price.