6 Design-Led Boutique Hotels in Antwerp

Antwerp makes an easy weekend away. Its old town is compact, walkable and full of design shops, and the best boutique hotels in Antwerp sit in restored merchant houses within a few minutes of the cathedral. These picks suit couples and design lovers who want somewhere with real character and everything on foot.

Boutique Hotels in Antwerp

Every hotel here is rated 9 or higher by Booking.com guests, has real character (a converted townhouse, a designer interior, a small number of rooms) and is within an easy walk of the Cathedral of Our Lady and the Grote Markt. We read the reviews so you don’t have to: what guests love, and the one thing they complain about.

---

• Top Pick: Flora, seven gemstone suites in a 15th-century merchant’s house.
• Next Best: Hotel De Witte Lelie, eleven eclectic rooms near the Grote Markt.
• Cool and Unique: SKIPR Hotel, a family-run, adults-only hotel by the river.
• Good Value: Paulus41, a stylish guesthouse with the best value scores on this list.
• Classic: Hotel Julien, two 1500s townhouses with a cellar spa and roof terrace.
• Classic Inn: The Greenhouse, three big rooms in a house from 1550.
• Where to Stay: Antwerp’s neighbourhoods and who each one suits.

---

Hotel De Witte Lelie

Address: Keizerstraat 16-18, Antwerp
Area: Historic centre, a 5-minute walk from the Grote Markt
Guest rating: 9.4/10 on Booking.com
Check Availability

Behind its pink front door, De Witte Lelie joins three 16th-century townhouses into eleven individually designed rooms and suites. Interior designer Ann Dierick went bold and eclectic, with mosaic and patterned tile bathrooms, art on every wall and one-off furniture in the lounges. It’s a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, and breakfast moves out to the garden terrace in the warmer months.

Reviewers single out the young, attentive staff and the decor, which several describe as a welcome change from beige hotel rooms, along with the quiet street just off the centre. The recurring complaint is value: it’s pricey, and a few rooms are showing their age.

SKIPR Hotel

Address: Sint-Pietersvliet 15, Antwerp
Area: Riverside old town, about 600 metres from the MAS museum
Guest rating: 9.2/10 on Booking.com
Check Availability

SKIPR is an independent, adults-only hotel founded by the Antwerp-based Van Weert family and run by third-generation hotelier Deborah Van Weert. Its 53 rooms sit near the Scheldt, between the old town and the Eilandje docks, so the MAS and the cathedral are both under ten minutes on foot. The look is calm and pared back, with rooms designed to make clever use of a small footprint.

Guests consistently mention the warm, proactive staff, very comfortable beds and rooms that feel airy despite their size, and it scores well for value. Rooms are compact, though, and small gripes include the lack of an in-room safe and Wi-Fi that’s a little slow for work.

Paulus41

Address: Sint-Paulusstraat 41, Antwerp
Area: Historic centre, about 500 metres from the Grote Markt
Guest rating: 9.4/10 on Booking.com
Check Availability

Paulus41 is a small, adults-only guesthouse in a renovated historic building on the quieter north side of the old town, near Sint-Pauluskerk. Rooms have parquet floors and walk-in showers, and there’s a terrace and a balcony with city views. It has the highest value-for-money score on this list (9.7), which is rare this close to the Grote Markt.

Reviewers praise the stylish rooms, excellent bathrooms and a helpful, responsive host, and note that it’s central without being noisy. The one thing to know is the stairs: they’re steep with no handrail, and sound carries from the stairwell.

Hotel Julien

Address: Korte Nieuwstraat 24, Antwerp
Area: Historic centre, a 3-minute walk from the Cathedral of Our Lady
Guest rating: 9.0/10 on Booking.com
Check Availability

Julien opened in 2004 as one of Antwerp’s first boutique hotels, and it still holds its own. Its 20 rooms and one suite are spread across two restored townhouses from the 1500s, arranged around green inner patios, with interiors by Peter Ivens and Bea Mombaers. There’s a small spa with a sauna and steam bath in the 16th-century cellars and a roof terrace looking over the city.

Guests love the location a few doors from Flora, the design, and the bar and lounge, and the staff get warm mentions too. Street-facing rooms can pick up late-night noise, some stairs are steep, and value scores lower than the rest of this list.

The Greenhouse

Address: Rijke Beukelaarstraat 12, Antwerp
Area: Sint-Andries, a 4-minute walk from the Plantin-Moretus Museum
Guest rating: 9.5/10 on Booking.com
Check Availability

The Greenhouse has just three rooms, one per floor, in a house dating from 1550, and owner San Magnus lives next door. Each room is around 55 square metres, with a sitting area, an island bathtub, a separate Italian shower and floor heating, and contemporary styling mixed with original features and plenty of plants. There’s a garden and sun terrace out the back.

Reviewers keep coming back to the host and her breakfast, the size of the rooms and the quiet street that’s still close to everything. The one recurring issue is heat: the top-floor room can get warm in summer.

Where to Stay in Antwerp

Historic centre: The best base for a first visit or a short break, with the cathedral, the Grote Markt, the Rubens House and most restaurants within a ten-minute walk. Flora, De Witte Lelie, Hotel Julien and Paulus41 are all here.

Sint-Andries: The fashion quarter on the south side of the old town, around Nationalestraat and Kammenstraat, suits shoppers and anyone who wants quieter evenings. The Greenhouse sits on its edge, near the Plantin-Moretus Museum.

Het Eilandje: The old docklands north of the centre, home to the MAS and the Red Star Line Museum, suit repeat visitors and anyone who likes waterfront walks. SKIPR sits between here and the old town.

Het Zuid: A grid of wide 19th-century streets around the KMSKA fine arts museum, with galleries, cafés and a more local feel. It’s a 15 to 20 minute walk or a short tram ride from the cathedral.

Zurenborg: East of Antwerp-Centraal station, this residential area is known for the Art Nouveau facades along Cogels-Osylei. It suits architecture lovers who don’t mind a tram ride into the old town.

Exploring more of Belgium? Ghent is a short train ride west, and several Ghent boutique hotels are in converted historic buildings. The rest of the country is in our guide to boutique hotels in Belgium.

—

Hotels are chosen on guest reviews, Booking.com review scores, style and central location. This post contains affiliate links to Booking.com; if you book through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.