Things to do in Antwerp, Mechelen & Leuven

Antwerp's Cathedral of Our Lady, a UNESCO-listed Gothic masterpiece, displays several altarpieces by Rubens, and more highlights by Peter Paul Rubens, James Ensor and Jules Schmalzigaug fill the KMSKA Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Het Zuid. On the Eilandje, the MAS tells the city's story floor by floor up to its rooftop panorama, and the nearby Red Star Line Museum shares the stories of the millions who emigrated via Antwerp; on Koningin Astridplein, Antwerpen-Centraal, the 'Railway Cathedral' crowned by a 75-metre dome, stands right beside Antwerp Zoo and opposite Chocolate Nation, with 15 themed areas and 10 chocolate tastings, while the Middelheim Open-Air Sculpture Museum sets its sculptures in a large park. In Mechelen, climb the 538 steps of St Rumbold's Tower to a glass skywalk, then visit the Toy Museum beside the station and Museum Hof van Busleyden, which shows the city at its Burgundian heyday. In Leuven, M Leuven presents Dieric Bouts' 'The Last Supper' in its original setting in St Peter's Church with mixed reality, and in winter Flanders' largest Christmas market, Winter in Antwerp, spreads from the Grote Markt to Groenplaats with an ice rink and thousands of lights.

Good to knowEveryone books a half-hourly time slot online for the KMSKA, under-18s enter the MAS free but need a reservation, and buying Antwerp Zoo tickets online at least a day ahead saves adults money. The MAS, the Middelheim Museum (which may also close in stormy weather) and the Red Star Line Museum are closed on Mondays and Museum Hof van Busleyden on Mondays and Tuesdays, while the Cathedral of Our Lady closes at 15:00 on Saturdays and opens only from 13:00 on Sundays. From October to March St Peter's Church in Leuven is closed on Wednesdays, and tickets are sold via M Leuven.