Greentraveller's Guide to taking the train from London St Pancras International Railway Station to Antwerp, Belgium.
It is possible to travel by train from London to Antwerp in less than 3 hours if you take the Eurostar train to Brussels and change to a local train to Antwerp.
Antwerp is Belgian’s second city and is an effervescent fashion centre that's is great for a weekend’s shopping break. Before heading into town, it’s worth admiring the late 19th century train station, one of the city’s main landmarks. On the Meir, there’s a wide range of shops and many more chi-chi boutiques on Schutterhofstraat and Nationalestraat, including the famous Antwerp fashion designers Dries Van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester. Head to Kloosterstraat for antiques and galleries and stroll along the river to the contemporary art museum, Muhka. The museum in the mansion where Rubens lived between 1610 and his death in 1640, at Wapper 9-11 has 10 of the artist's works and gives an absorbing insight into Flemish fine living in the 17th century.
Flight-free travel from London to Antwerp:
Journey Time: from 2 hours 56 mins
Sample timetable: Depart London 08.16pm, arrive Antwerp 12.27pm
Changes: 1
Transfer: Quick same-station change of platform within Brussels Midi station
Frequency of Departures: 20/day
Carbon emissions: 7.1kg (flight would be 115.3kg)*
Car hire at Antwerp Railway Station: Yes
Tickets provided by Trainline, which allows you to buy tickets for multiple train operators in multiple European countries. It does charge a small booking fee, but offers several useful facilities, such as a free email alert service to let you know as soon as bookings open for your chosen route so you can snap up the cheapest tickets when they become available.
How to book train tickets as part of a package with accommodation
If you want someone to book the whole journey for you or combine it with staying in hotels en route, get in touch with the travel agent Byway through its page for booking enquiries.
What's the journey like?
Take the Eurostar to Brussels Midi station where there's an easy same-station platform change to board the intercity train to Antwerp. Keep an eye out on the platform at Brussels for the handy guide to the layout of incoming trains, which shows you where your carriage will arrive into the station so you can make your way to the correct part of the platform before the train arrives.
Stopover hotels to break the journey in Brussels
If you want to break the journey and stay overnight to see a bit more of Brussels while you're travelling through, there are lots of lovely places to stay near Brussels Midi. Here are some examples of hotels that are conveniently nearby: Hotels near Brussels Midi
For more overland train (and ferry) routes across Europe, see our Flight-Free Journey Planner.
On arrival
Welkom in Antwerpen! International rail services and mainline trains from across Belgium stop at Antwerp Central Station: this spectacular piece of architecture is not only an auspicious gateway to the city, but also well located – just east of the centre, it is on numerous tram and bus routes. There are plenty of places to stay near to the main railway station, see below:
Hotels near Antwerp Central Station:
You could easily walk around much of central Antwerp, but the city is also served by a huge network of trams and buses, co-ordinated by De Lijn. Perhaps the easiest to use part of the transport network is the ‘pre-metro’, an underground section of the tram system that runs through the city centre – wikipedia has a map of the premetro, and you can see a map of all the transport routes in the inner city on the De Lijn website. The city’s official tourist website offers more information on public transport for visitors to Antwerp, including tickets and fares.
Antwerp is flat and compact, so a good option for getting around is by bike: the city has joined the ranks of metropolises boasting a self-service bike sharing scheme. Velo Antwerpen has docking stations all over the city (map), and a range of different passes are available, allowing you to pick up a bike near your starting point and drop it off by your destination with only a minimal amount of effort.
For more information about where to stay and eat and things to to in the city, see our: Green Travel Guide to Antwerp
Bon Voyage!
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