Belgium / Antwerp & Mechelen / Mechelen

Mechelen

St Rumbold's Tower and a Quiet Medieval Centre

1 dayIdeal stay₹7,990From / night₹2,660Food / day₹1,070Entry

A compact old town halfway between Brussels and Antwerp, 20 minutes by train from either and about 15 from Brussels Airport, with hotels cheaper than both. St Rumbold's Cathedral tower (538 steps, with a glass skywalk at the top and a carillon), the Grote Markt, the Kazerne Dossin memorial and museum on the deportation of Belgium's Jews and Roma, the Hof van Busleyden museum and a boardwalk along the Dyle (estimate for the details). Het Anker brewery is in the old beguinage.

Highlights

St Rumbold's Tower skywalk
Carillon concerts
Grote Markt
Kazerne Dossin memorial
Dyle boardwalk
Het Anker brewery

Things to do

Climb St Rumbold's Tower (538 steps) to the skywalkMorning · 1h 30m
Grote Markt and the Dyle boardwalkAfternoon · 2h
Kazerne Dossin memorial and museumAfternoon · 2h

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Mechelenvia GetYourGuide Tours & tickets in Mechelenvia Klook

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When to go

Best time: April – June, September – October

Tomorrowland (Boom) — One of the world's biggest dance-music festivals, over two weekends in the second half of July at Boom, between Antwerp and Brussels. Hotels in Antwerp, Mechelen and Brussels fill and fares rise those weekends.

Getting there

Fly into Brussels (BRU), 22 km away

Then: Train · 30m (SNCB IC, Brussels–Mechelen (direct))

Search flights to BRU from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Delhi (1 stop)from ₹27,000
From Mumbai (1 stop)from ₹26,800
From Ahmedabad (1 stop)from ₹27,500
From Kochi (1 stop)from ₹28,000
From Pune (1 stop)from ₹28,000
From Bengaluru (1 stop)from ₹28,500

Fares from India: one way, per person; typical fares, not live prices.

Entry rules

Your passport

Visa needed before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹11,840

Apply for a Schengen short-stay (type C) visa at a VFS Global Belgium centre in India, 4-8 weeks before you fly, and at least 6 weeks ahead for May to August, when appointments are scarce (no earlier than 6 months). Apply to Belgium if it is your only or longest stay in Schengen. The fee is €90 (about ₹9,600; €45 for children 6-11) plus the VFS service charge, and it is not refunded if the visa is refused.
Your application goes to the Belgian Embassy in New Delhi or the Consulate General in Mumbai, which handles the southern states since the Chennai consulate closed. At the appointment give your fingerprints and photo (skipped if you gave them for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months). A decision usually takes about 15 days, and up to 45 if more checks are needed.
If you have lawfully used two Schengen visas in the last three years, ask for a multiple-entry visa: under the EU's 2024 cascade rules for Indians you can be given a two-year visa, then a five-year one.
On your first arrival in the Schengen Area your fingerprints and face are scanned at passport control (the EU Entry/Exit System, in full use since April 2026) instead of a stamp. Allow extra time at Brussels Airport.

Carry: Passport issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages; Completed visa application form and two recent photos (35 x 45 mm); Travel insurance with at least €30,000 medical cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip; Return flight booking and a day-by-day itinerary; Hotel bookings for every night; Bank statements for the last 3-6 months, income-tax returns, and a leave letter from your employer (or business or college papers).

One Schengen visa covers Belgium and every other Schengen country (France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and more) for up to 90 days in any 180, but not the United Kingdom, which needs its own visa even for a day trip on the Eurostar. ETIAS is only for visa-free travellers, so it does not affect you. Appointment waits and VFS charges vary by centre and season: check visa.vfsglobal.com for your city before you book flights.

Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.

Also in Antwerp & Mechelen

💎 Antwerp · Rubens, Diamonds and a Railway Station Like a Cathedral

Plan a trip to Mechelen

Flying in from elsewhere? Start at Brussels (BRU)