Belgium · Flanders · Antwerp
Borgerhout, Antwerp — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Borgerhout is Antwerp's smallest district, a tight grid of streets east of the old centre and a short walk beyond Antwerpen-Centraal.
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Where to stay in Borgerhout
How the choice of base plays out on the ground.
Antwerpen-Centraal marks the western edge. Streets on that side of Borgerhout put the Antwerp Zoo and the platforms within a few minutes on foot, which suits anyone stepping off a train with luggage. Southward the grid runs into Zurenborg, and eastward it thins toward Deurne.
If you want a working Antwerp neighbourhood a short walk from the centre, this district answers.
Find hotels in Borgerhout
Direct booking searches for these neighbourhoods.
Antwerpen-Centraal side
The western streets of Borgerhout stop at the Antwerpen-Centraal platforms and the Antwerp Zoo gates, so both are a walk rather than a ride.Find hotels in Antwerpen-Centraal sidequiet nights on the Zurenborg sideZurenborg edge
The southern streets give onto Zurenborg, where the blocks quieten and the through traffic falls away from the main axis.Find hotels in Zurenborg edgelonger stays out toward DeurneEastern Borgerhout, toward Deurne
Past the middle of the district the grid loosens toward Deurne, trading the pull of Antwerpen-Centraal for wider streets and easier parking.Find hotels in Eastern Borgerhout, toward DeurneHotel links are affiliate links: booking through them may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects how places are ranked. How this works
Things to do in and around Antwerp
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Museums & Galleries
8- Museum Plantin-Moretus UNESCO
- Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal Heritage
- Het Steen Heritage
- Rubenshuis Heritage
- Museum Mayer van den Bergh Heritage
Show 3 more →
- Vleeshuis Heritage
- Snijders&Rockox House Heritage
- Hessenhuis Heritage
Churches & Religious Sites
4- Carolus Borromeuskerk Heritage
- St. James' Church, Antwerp Heritage
- St. Paul's Church Heritage
- St. Andrew's Church, Antwerp Heritage
worth knowingacross 2 categories in and around Antwerp
About Borgerhout
What are the main landmarks in Borgerhout?
The big names sit west. Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal, Rubenshuis and Museum Plantin-Moretus stand in the historic core of Antwerp, while Het Steen and Museum aan de Stroom hold the waterfront a little further on. Closer in, the Antwerp Zoo backs onto Antwerpen-Centraal at the district's western edge.
Borgerhout itself carries its weight in ordinary streets rather than monuments, which is what makes the walk between the two worth taking.
What is the history of Borgerhout?
Borgerhout sits outside the old core. Antwerp's oldest monuments, Het Steen and Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal among them, stand west of the district on the ground the city first occupied, which left Borgerhout to fill in later as the built-up area pushed outward. Antwerpen-Centraal stands between the two, and Borgerhout begins just past its platforms.
Deurne carries the same eastward line further out, so the district reads as one step in a city that kept expanding away from its historic centre.
Where is Borgerhout?
Borgerhout occupies a compact stretch of ground east of Antwerpen-Centraal, with Zurenborg along its southern edge and Deurne carrying on eastward.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Borgerhout?
Antwerpen-Centraal side: train arrivals who want the Antwerp Zoo on the doorstep. Zurenborg edge: quiet nights on the Zurenborg side. Eastern Borgerhout, toward Deurne: longer stays out toward Deurne.
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Updated October 2026