About the Stads-GR Antwerpen: Rondom

country
Belgium
length
25 km(16 mi)
Type of trail
Day hike
difficulty

Difficulty is highly personal. Be aware of the weather conditions as bad weather turns easier trails in difficult trails especially in the mountains.

Easy
accommodation

Lodging means a mix of hotels, hostels or AirBnB’s.

Lodging
Elevation gain
80 m(262 ft)
terrain
Urban, Flat
remoteness
None of the time
Show more

Situated in the northern part of Belgium lies Antwerp, one of Flanders’s bigger cities. With its 2nd largest port in Europe and its famous trade in diamonds, Antwerp is one of the most important economic cities of Belgium. However, that’s not the only thing this lively city has to offer. Next to hundreds of stores, boutiques, and catering establishments, the city also includes beautiful historical and astonishing architecture, well-known museums, and even a city zoo.

Taking this all into account, it is no wonder that the city attracts around 2 million tourists a year. It is therefore not a surprise that the creators of the GR network thought a trail connecting all these impressive sights and numerous parks would be a big asset to Antwerp. That’s why the GR network in Antwerp, stads-GR Antwerpen, has been created.

Women holding hiking pasport
Author

Hanne Govaerts

Hanne Govaerts is a Belgian outdoors enthusiast. During the week she works a full-time office job but every moment of spare time she tends to spend outdoors, on trail. Her passion for hiking started at the early age of 16, when she impulsively went on a summer camp hiking the Wicklow Way in Ireland. Ever since, her holidays have been filled with hiking trips such as the Matterhorn Trek in Switzerland and the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi Route in Japan. Hanne’s main goal is to hike all the Belgian long-distance trails. With its +/- 10.000 kilometers of trails throughout the country, it’s a challenge that should not be taken lightly. You can follow her hiking adventures on her Instagram account @hannehikes.

View profile

The Trail

Antwerp is the only city in Flanders with its own small GR network, called stads-GR Antwerpen. This network combines 3 trails: Stads-GR Antwerpen Rondom, Stads-GR Antwerpen East to West, and Stads-GR Antwerpen North to South. This last one fully runs along a section of the GR12, which is therefore not seen as a separate ‘Stads-GR’ route.
The ‘Stads-GR Antwerpen: Rondom, is a trail that runs around the city center and that connects quite a few parks.

The trail starts at the castle of Rivierenhof, a park located a bit outside of Antwerp. The trail follows the lush parks and forests next to the highway to eventually enter Park Spoor Noord, a bustling park in the Northern part of Antwerp. You can follow the walking route through the park and cross the Italiëlei using a modern pedestrians and cyclists bridge. The trail will lead you to ‘het Eilandje.’

‘Het Eilandje’ is considered one of the coolest neighborhoods. It is well-known for its museum ‘MAS’, where you can take the escalator to the rooftop terrace to get a free view of the city. Heading further south, following the ‘Scheldekaaien’ the trail passes ‘Het Steen’ (a centuries-old fortress where one can enjoy another view from the free rooftop terrace). After taking in all the sights of the River ‘Scheldt’, the trail leads you through the beautiful neighborhoods in ‘Antwerpen Zuid’ and passes the museums MHKA, FoMu, and KMSKA, this last one has had a thorough renovation over the last 10 years and is now open for the public. Next to the beautiful artwork here, the combination of the old- and new architecture is worth the visit if you’re planning to stay longer in the city.

After passing through quite a few neighborhoods, and crossing the highway again, the trail enters the Nachtegalenpark. This park used to be private property of rich merchants but has since 1910 been open to the public. A few kilometers further, the trail will run along the Station of Berchem before ending its journey back in Rivierenhof. Make sure to drink a coffee or a hot chocolate on the terrace of ‘Kasteel Rivierenhof’ and enjoy the supplementary cookie ‘Antwerpse handjes,’ an artisanal cookie that can only be bought in Antwerp itself (and so delicious!).

Accommodations

Since the trail passes through the heart of Antwerp and because the trailhead and finishing point are both very easy to get to with public transport, there are many accommodation options. For example, one can stay in a hotel like ‘Hotel O Kathedral,’ a B&B like ‘B&B Maryline,’ a hostel like ‘YUST Antwerp,’ or a campsite like ‘City Camp Antwerp.’

Best time of the year

Belgium has moderate temperatures year-round. Therefore this trail can be walked any time of year. During the winter, around December until February/March it can be cold and occasionally snowy. During the summer months, from June until September, the temperatures are higher. However, the weather can be unpredictable so one should always be prepared for rain.

Safety & Gear

The ‘Stads-GR Antwerpen’ runs through Antwerp’s city center, making the trail very accessible and not technically or physically demanding. The trail is marked in both directions but due to the numerous streets and alleys, it’s easy to miss one. Do make sure to download the GPX file to make sure you don’t get lost. There is no official map or Topoguide.

Good to know

Due to the short hiking trails, it is easy to combine this trail with the ‘Stads-GR Antwerpen: East to West’ during a weekend getaway or combine it with one of the many other activities this city has to offer.

Because the trail runs through the city center of Antwerp, there are plenty of water resources. You won’t need to carry too much!

Route
Circuit

Want to submit a trail or make this page more complete?

Comments

Be the first one to comment on this trail!

Reply to this trail

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Reply to this trail

Log in to comment on this trail
Always read the disclaimer

Terms of Use: important to all visitors on this website. We strive to publish high quality content and information on this website. However it’s always possible that we’re missing out on some crucial information. In spite of the fact that this route, associated GPS track (GPX and maps) were prepared under diligent research by the specified contributor and/or contributors, the accuracy of such and judgement of the author is not guaranteed. Therefore, hiking-trails.com and contributors are in no way liable for personal injury, damage to personal property, or any other such situation that might happen to individuals hiking or following this route. Should you choose to hike this trail, this is always at your own risk. Check out our guidelines for safety hiking and Leave No Trace principles at the hiking 101 page.

Download GPX

Join the community!

Login or create a FREE account 😊

With an account you can:

Download GPX files

Pin trails to your wishlist

Mark trails as hiked by you

Rate hiking trails

Comment on trails, blogs and gear reviews

Happy trails!
Login

Don't have an account yet? Register here