Antwerp Central Station

Antwerp Central Station stands on the Koningin Astridplein, about a kilometre east of the old town, on the edge of the Diamond District and next to the zoo.

Thanks to its lavish architecture the station is often ranked among the most beautiful in the world and nicknamed the 'railway cathedral'. Even a brief stop is worthwhile to admire the dome, the marble staircases and the four stacked platform levels.

The monumental terminus was built between 1895 and 1905 to designs by Louis Delacenserie, with a stone reception hall and an imposing glass-and-steel train shed. A major modernisation in the early 2000s added several underground levels for through traffic.