This 5-mile ‘runseeing’ tour is a neat way to see the highlights of Old Town Antwerp, enjoy a loop around Stadstpark, and the paths around the iconic Museum aan de Stroom. Old Town compact and is a maze of mainly pedestrianized streets and squares.
War Memorial, Stadspark. Flickr Alan Stanton
Start at the gorgeous City Hall (Stadhuis van Antwerpen) and run away from the river, passing by the gothic Cathedral of Our Lady Antwerp. Run through the square at Elermarkt, to Meir, a largely pedestrian shopping street. At the Paleis op de Meir, RIGHT on Wapper, passing the Rubens mansion, which will take you by the theater district. Use Stoopstraat to cross over the N1 into Stadstpark, a triangular park built on the remains of the 16th century Fort Herentals. A loop of the pretty paths is 1.5 km. Exit the park onto Meistraat/Eikenstraat, heading straight to Sint-Jacob Antwerpen, an important Gothic church. Continue north to see some of the pretty buildings of the University of Antwerp, continuing north on Falconplein to do a tour of paths around the ‘moat’ of the iconic sandstone Museum aan de Stroom. The final 1 km return is along the river to the Museum Vleeshuis.
Add-Ons: From the Museum aan de Stroom, it’s a quick jaunt east to the modern Park Spoor Noord. Or, do more running along the riverfront paths. See our East Scheldt River route.
This 5-mile ‘runseeing’ tour is a neat way to see the highlights of Old Town Antwerp, enjoy a loop around Stadstpark, and the paths around the iconic Museum aan de Stroom. Old Town compact and is a maze of mainly pedestrianized streets and squares.
War Memorial, Stadspark. Flickr Alan Stanton
Start at the gorgeous City Hall (Stadhuis van Antwerpen) and run away from the river, passing by the gothic Cathedral of Our Lady Antwerp. Run through the square at Elermarkt, to Meir, a largely pedestrian shopping street. At the Paleis op de Meir, RIGHT on Wapper, passing the Rubens mansion, which will take you by the theater district. Use Stoopstraat to cross over the N1 into Stadstpark, a triangular park built on the remains of the 16th century Fort Herentals. A loop of the pretty paths is 1.5 km. Exit the park onto Meistraat/Eikenstraat, heading straight to Sint-Jacob Antwerpen, an important Gothic church. Continue north to see some of the pretty buildings of the University of Antwerp, continuing north on Falconplein to do a tour of paths around the ‘moat’ of the iconic sandstone Museum aan de Stroom. The final 1 km return is along the river to the Museum Vleeshuis.
Add-Ons: From the Museum aan de Stroom, it’s a quick jaunt east to the modern Park Spoor Noord. Or, do more running along the riverfront paths. See our East Scheldt River route.
A route highlighting the east side of the Scheldt River, from the Sint-Annatunnel in central Antwerp to the Noordkasteel park, up to 6.5 km one-way. Nearly all off-road. Includes a loop around the Museum aan de Stroomm. Good add-on and side options.
A route highlighting the west side of the Scheldt River, from the Sint-Annatunnel to Sint-Annabos Park, up to 5.25 km one-way. Nearly all off-road. Great views of the river, marina, Old Antwerp. Can add on with park & preserve paths, and our east side route.
Modern park built on a former railbed has a an open and industrial feel. A loop of the paved/gravel paths is ~2.5 km. Can combine with our route along the east side of the Scheldt River for a longer run.
A large park in eastern Antwerp, located on the former estate of the Sterckshof Castle. Numerous gravel paths wind around nicely landscaped grounds of this 130-hectare park, passing numerous small ponds and rivers. Easy to stitch together a 5-7 km run.
This is one of our favorite runs in Antwerp. Gorgeous paths around the properties of former estates are now a 90 hectare park and open-air sculpture museum.
Combine these two parks for a pleasant run in eastern Antwerp. Boekenbergpark is known for its natural outdoor pool and castle, while Te Boelaerpark has straight gravel paths framed by nice trees. The parks are 0.5 km apart. Add Rivierenhof for a longer run.
A fun 10 km run around two forts. Only an 8-minute train ride from central Antwerp to the Mortsel-Oude God station. Paths around the old forts and moats that are now parks, and a 1.5 km connection between the forts on decent roads and bike paths.
The Hobokense Polder Nature Preserve, bordering the Scheldt River is a lovely spot for a run. There's a nice variety among the 9 km of paths: woods, grasslands, a riparian swamp, and a 2 km section along the river. Only 15 minutes by train from central Antwerp.
A worth-it destination run. This 60 km² nature preserve has many km of gorgeous trails, through stately tree-lined 'avenues', heathland, grassland, dunes, & more. There are several well-marked hiking loops that make for a fabulous run.
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