From the railway cathedral to Brabo's fountain, riddle by riddle
The Antwerp scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk a 3.5 km route through the historic centre, solve a riddle at each of 10 landmarks by looking closely at what is in front of you, and unlock the stories and legends behind them. Allow roughly 3 hours for the whole game: the walking itself adds up to only about 44 minutes, and the rest belongs to the riddles, the stories and whatever catches your eye along the way.
Highlights include the domed Central Station, Saint James' Church, where Rubens married and is buried, the Cathedral of Our Lady with its 123-metre tower, the Plantin-Moretus printing house, Het Steen on the Scheldt and the Brabo Fountain on the Grote Markt. The route runs from the station quarter into the old town and down to the river, so you see how the port city grew.
- Durationabout 3 hours
- Walkingabout 44 min · 3.5 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
Riddles in Rubens' city, from the station to the Scheldt
Look up at domes, saints and stripes
Every stop sets one riddle, and the answer is somewhere in front of you: on the dome of the station, the carved front of the Jesuit church, the striped walls of the Vleeshuis. Sharp eyes and some reasoning crack each one, and no reading on the Duchy of Brabant is required in advance.
Giants, painters and a severed hand
Each solved riddle opens a story: how Rubens married in Saint James' Church and lies buried there, why lightning in 1718 cost the Jesuit church 39 of his ceiling paintings, and how, according to legend, Silvius Brabo threw a giant's hand into the Scheldt. The audio narration reads them aloud if you prefer to keep your eyes on the buildings.
3.5 km from the station quarter to the river
In all you walk about 44 minutes, west from Antwerpen-Centraal through the old town, down to Het Steen on the Scheldt and back to the Grote Markt. Google Maps points the way between stops, and the streets around the cathedral are largely cobbled.
Time out for fries or a coffee
No clock runs during the game, so stop for a cone of fries or a coffee near the Groenplaats whenever you feel like it. You can also put the game away and pick it up later that day or on another one.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Rail travellers, young legend-hunters and office teams
Off the train, straight into the game
The game begins at the station itself, so you can step off a train from Brussels or Amsterdam and open the first riddle right away. In about 3 hours you see the cathedral, the Plantin-Moretus house, Het Steen and the Grote Markt before heading home.
Kids who want giants
Young players get a giant's severed hand, a statue of the giant Lange Wapper at the castle gate, a butchers' hall striped like bacon and a station grand enough to be called a cathedral. Every team needs an adult, and the cobbles make a pushchair hard work.
Office outings that end on the Grote Markt
Split into teams of no more than 5, one phone per player, and send them out from under the station dome a few minutes apart; Brabo and his fountain mark the finish. Everything happens on public streets, so beyond one ticket per person there is nothing to arrange.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Kerstin (verified owner) –
Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
erg Leuk!
Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Wir konnten viel entdecken und erfahren. Ohne die Tour hätten wir nicht so viel gesehen.
Pedro Correa– Spain –
Collected on GetYourGuide