Rubenshuis (Rubens House)
One of the city's most popular attractions. There are beds, desks, and various bits of paraphernalia relating to the artist's life. Antwerp was the birthplace of Rubens, so it’s a shame to visit and not devote a little time to the artist. The baroque mansion in which he lived, now preserved as a museum, offers an insight into the painter's personal life.
Wapper 9-11

Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten (Royal Museum of Fine Art)

The Museum is divided into two sections, one for the works of the Old Masters (15th - 17th centuries) and one for artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. Between them, they contain a superb collection of European painting, including works by Van Eyck, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Rubens, Hals, Magritte, Delvaux, Ensor and Van Gogh. Plaatsnijdersstraat 2. (00 32 (0)3 238 7809).

Nationaal Scheepvaartmuseum (National Maritime Museum)

The museum is housed in the Steen, overlooking the broad Sheldt River. This is the city's old fortress, which dates back to the 10th century and has long been a symbol of the city. Once a prison, it now boasts one of the world's best collections of ships, models, naval and maritime artefacts, which bring to life Antwerp's history as a powerful port.
Steenplein 1. (00 32 (0)3 232 08 50).

MUHKA (Museum voor Hedendaaagse Kunst Van Antwerpen),

The museum is dedicated to contemporary art from the 1970s onwards and displays temporary exhibitions of contemporary art.
Leuvenstraat 32. (00 32 (0)3 238 5960).

Fotomuseum Provincie Antwerpen (Photography Museum)

The exhibits relate the history of photography and there is also a superb collection of classic images by artists like Man Ray and Cartier-Bresson. The museum occupies a renovated warehouse opposite MUHKA. Waalse Kaai 47. (00 32 (0)3 242 93 00).

Museum Plantin-Moretus
This former private house belonged to one of the early masters of printing, the French-born Christopher Plantin, and includes a good library, a printers' workshop and various Rubens engravings.