Antwerp Half-Day Trip from Brussels

Brussels, Belgium

Spend an afternoon in Antwerp, Belgium's second largest city on Europe's largest harbor. You'll discover the city of Peter Paul Rubens and see how diamonds are cut and polished at a gem workshop

Leaving Brussels, you'll drive through the countryside to Antwerp's city center. Your first stop is Marquet Square with its ancient houses and Our Lady's Cathedral. Amongst other treasures, the cathedral contains two of Rubens' master works: "The Elevation of the Cross" and "The Descent from the Cross".

Antwerp is also the world's diamond center, and you'll visit a diamond workshop to learn more about the diamond industry.

After taking a drive through Antwerp's famous harbor, you'll return to Brussels in time for dinner.

USD $39.45

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Tatiana N	March 2012
Nice trip. It would be quiet interesting for people who is not familiar with diamond industry. Antverp's downtown and Cathedral are interesting as well.

Review by: Laurie W	March 2012
Antwerp was nice, but the diamond factory was not interesting to me at all. It might be for someone else.

Review by: Anette E	February 2012
Excellent guide - he guided us through Antwerp in a brillant and personal way. Could not be better.

Review by: DR PEDRO M	January 2012
An excellent way of getting the most significant highlights of Antwerp and even a supplemental information about Brussels because the guide was kind enough to give us a lot of information while leaving Brussels towards the highway._br/_ Visiting the diamond factory was interesting and did not request too much time._br/_ The guide – Stephan – was just 5 stars!_br/_ We were dropped at our hotel (like all the other members of the group) which was very comfortable at the end of a somewhat tiring excursion… _br/_ I definitely recommend the program!

Review by: MARIAN V	January 2012
Time was spent mostly to see the Cathedral and not the city and downtown Antwerp. I wish we did not visit the diamond center and we could have spent some more time walking freely in the center of the city. Not enough time to see the place and have lunch. If the tour finished one hour later it would not matter to anyone really but it would have added more value to the tour. Also since the little xmas houses were still there we could have walked to see them - it is a local custom and it is nice to experience it.

Review by: Gustavo B	January 2012
very nice tour. The guide had lots of knowledge and gave lots of historical informations. Extreamly interesting. Highly recommended.

Review by: Mei Qi C	November 2011
Antwerp was all right. We spent half a day there just to be away from Brussels. The proce included the entrance to the cathedral. Three of Rubens's paintings were on display. There were plenty of restaurants in Antwerp. Overall, it was just another city with a market square, shops etc. We also had a tour to a Diamond factory/shop, known as Diamondland. The tour was fairly informative, giving info on the grade, clarity, colour and cut of the different diamonds.

Review by: Nathan J	October 2011
Nice half day tour. The cathedral in Antwerp was lovely. Could have done without all the explanations in 4 different languages though. The diamond factory was interesting but too short and I wish they would have some souvenirs instead of just really expensive diamonds that no one is going to buy in the 10 minutes you have to look around. Hotel pick and drop off were nice feature though.Would have liked a little more free time to look at shops and buy things though.

Review by: Merc	October 2011
you may not want to post this. the bus smelled awful. there was a strong urine smell. an hour was wasted at the diamond place and the historical points were passed over. we ended up dumping the tour and visiting the city of antwerp on our own.

Review by: Estelle B	October 2011
We enjoyed the tour to Antwerp and to see the how diamonds are made!

Review by: Jayanthi M	October 2011
This half day trip to Antwerp from Brussels was a bit of a disappointment since the emphasis was more on the diamond district and less on the beautiful city. Would have loved to spend more time in the city...

Review by: Lilly	October 2011
It was a nice city, but if you don't have much time to spend in Belgium then you can skip this.

Review by: KERRIE L	October 2011
It was OK but listening to the commentary over and over in four different languages was a bit much which again created a lot of 'standing around' time.

Review by: Jadwiga L	September 2011
I was very disappointed that I paid for English speaking tour and got mostly Spanish. When I mention that he changed for a minute or two. So, actually for my money I got only transportation which could be cheaper on my own. I didn't learn anything interesting. It's nothing memorable abot this trip I should be careful in the future.

Review by: marcilio	August 2011
Very nice

Review by: ANDY O	August 2011
I hadn't researched Antwerp before visiting so I did not know what to expect. But I was not disappointed. I particularly liked the church with the very tall steeple, and the river that runs by. The trip to the diamond factory/shop could have been better. On the day we went there were no people working (cutting, polishing) so all we had was a talk. And the prices of the jewellery!! Not sure many tourists go on holiday looking to buy a ring that costs more than a new car! Of course diamonds are expensive - it would just be good if there were some more affordable souvenir one could take as a memento of one's visit._br/_ The one thing that annoyed me was that when we got back to Brussels, where we were staying, the coach did not drop us off at our hotels, as promised, but at various centres downtown. In my case I had a fairly long walk, up a hill, to get back to my hotel. This sort of ruined what had otherwise been an enjoyable day trip to Antwerp.

Review by: Heather R	July 2011
Choose Brussels or Bruges...they are more interesting.

Review by: Gary C	July 2011
My husband and I would have enjoyed this trip much more if the guide didn't have to repeat everything in 5 different languages.

Review by: Julka G	June 2011
Enjoyed the trip very much. Great city, worth seeing. Well organized tour.

Review by: NIKOLAOS I	May 2011
Good review of the city.

Review by: Milagros L	May 2011
Tour de, Gabriel was so informative. A great tour!!

Review by: Vince C	May 2011
I enjoyed the tour very much my pick up was as planned at the hotel but it would have been appreciated if the driver had dropped us back to the hotel at the end of the day as it was dark by the time we arrived. Ididn;t feel quite safe trying to find the hotel again.

Review by: Brenda A K	May 2011
Stay away from this tour group. Poor treatment of Americans. Poor service...

Review by: Mr L	May 2011
Cheap trip but all we did was visit the Cathedral, River frontage and a diamond factory. Very little time to expore on your own. It would be just as easy to have taken a train. Guide was very knowledgable

Review by: MyWorld	May 2011
The guide smoked a lot! The bus had some problems and we had to swap it with another one. Guiding service was poor. The guide lacked enthusiasm. He had a draining effect. Wish I had a better guide who cared about the service his customers were getting and could muster up some good cheer for his own country. Felt he was utterly bored.

Review by: Vincent W	April 2011
Excellent

Review by: Maureen R	March 2011
Was excellent!

Review by: Melissa A	November 2010
My husband and I were rather disappointed with this tour. The guide was knowledgeable and the excursion to the Antwerp cathedral okay, but the stop at the diamond factory which was our primary interest in this tour was extremely underwhelming. The tour guide quickly handed us over to the establishment director who, after less than 5 minute introduction to the industry, suggested we tour the shop and feel free to purchase the merchandise. We were hoping to learn more about the industry, see part of the process other than the retail end which is what we could experience by going to any shop on our own. We were left with the impression we could have seen more for less by booking our own train tickets and wandering around the city on our own. It was definitely a disappointing exception to what has otherwise been a brilliant experience with Viator.

Review by: Danilo S	November 2010
The trip was excellent! The tour guide was very good.

Review by: Michael C	October 2010
I wish it was a full day an included more of the maritime history of the city

Review by: MANJIT SINGH D	October 2010
It was a very well coordinated and conducted tour which we thoroughly enjoyed. Your staff was very courteous and did their best to make the tour educative and enjoyable.

Review by: Arkady K	September 2010
I liked the trip - it was a reasonably short drive from Brussels to Antwerp, provided good overview and still left some free time to explore the very center of the city. I did not value much the excursion to the dimond factory - it is definitelly not the polace to shop for diamonds as you can get them cheaper in other places. As far as information about the diamonds industry - that was pretty basic general knowledge.

Review by: ELOISE D	September 2010
The tour guide was good. He knew the history of the place. The diamond factory was not necessary.

Review by: Andrew E	August 2010
Excellent pickup and drop off from hotel, but disappointed that the diamond workshop was empty, the diamond shop wasn't.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	July 2010
The antwerp trip was a good experience. Kind of a dirty little town but some interesting architecture and the main town square offers a nice place to sit and enjoy some beer and chocolate and a smaller euro town.

Review by: MARJA S, Finland	June 2010
Your Guide was excellent, easy to understand when speaking. Diamond visiting too long, reason was american lady who tried to show she is expert. Otherwise very succesful tour.

Review by: Anonymous	December 2009
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Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	November 2009
We booked our trip for a Saturday and unfortunately on Saturday the diamond center although open does have not diamond polishers and finishers working - so in effect the tour of the diamond center amounted to a sales push. The church we visited also had a mass going on when we were there so we couldn't see it. The town, however, was very nice - nice little cafes and restaurants and scenic too - along the river.

Review by: Phyllis Z, United States of America	October 2009
This was a wonderful tour of the city. I only wish we had more time!

Review by: BRENDA D	October 2009
This was a wonderful tour of the city. I only wish we had more time!

Review by: Jaroslav B, Czech Republic	September 2009
very convenient trip, good selection of visited places

Review by: Ee Him O, Singapore	August 2009
Only a slight walking tour plus a visit to a diamond factory. If you are looking to buy diamonds, take this trip.

Review by: Natasha M, United Kingdom	July 2009
The trip was good & the travel guide was good too, but I did not enjoy going to the diamond shop as we wasted so much time there as some people were shopping. It could have been better as I'm sure Antwerp has better history.

Review by: Anonymous, Singapore	May 2009
Guide should let us have time at the harbour front and old castle to feel the atmosphere of the place and take photos. We only managed to look at the castle from the opposite side of the road. Didn't get to step onto the harbour. What a shame. The visit at the diamond factory can be cut short. The place and the products are not impressive, and we waited so long there for the tour to resume.

Review by: Clarence G, United States of America	September 2008
Was quite impressed by the city as I knew little about it.

Review by: Gema V, Spain	May 2008
The guide was not as good as one would expect. Antwerp is the best city in Belgium.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	May 2008
We spent too much time at the docks and the diamond cutting. The churches and the artwork were all beautiful. Some of us would have liked to have had something to eat. We were beginning to get hungry after all the walking and needed more than just a drink.

Review by: Alice T, United States of America	April 2008
This was a wonderful day trip! The ancient main squares in the city of Antwerp with cobblestone streets, outdoor cafes, and stunning cathedral were a pleasant surprise to us. Our tour guide was outstanding. This half-day bus tour from Brussels was one of the highlights of our week in Belgium.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	December 2007
The tour was great, however, I have been on tours that were better organized. Also, I felt as if the tour guide did not provide us all of the interesting information that most likely existed regarding our tour sites.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	August 2007
Excellent tour guide and beautiful city.