Bar✻Antwerp✻2 hostels✻Handpicked✻Real reviews✻Bar✻Antwerp✻2 hostels✻Handpicked✻Real reviews✻Bar✻Antwerp✻2 hostels✻Handpicked✻Real reviews✻

Antwerp BarRanked guide

Best Hostels with On-Site Bars in Antwerp

Antwerp is not a 100-hostels-with-10-bars city. It's a compact port town with a Trappist-beer culture and a nightlife scattered across Italiëlei, the Theaterbuurt and Cafe Local on the north side of Centraal — so the hostels with their own bars end up doing a specific job: giving you a pre-game. You drink a €3 happy-hour Orval with strangers, collect a crew, and walk into the real Antwerp bars (t'Elfde Gebod, Bier Central, Cafe Local) at 21:00 with company. Two Antwerp hostels have actual bars on the property, and they do very different versions of this — The ASH is the full social machine with DJ nights and a garden, Antwerp Central Youth is the quieter reception-corner operation.

◉ Ranking · 2 picks

01The ASH€32
02Antwerp Central Youth Hostel€30

§ 01 — Traveler's take

“The last time I was in Antwerp I did three nights at The ASH and one at Antwerp Central Youth, and the difference was stark. At The ASH, happy hour 17:00 to 19:00 had 40 people in the ground-floor bar by 18:15, mixed with walk-in locals off Italiëlei, and by 19:00 I'd joined a group of four Spaniards heading to Cafe Local for the DJ set. At Central Youth the bar was a quiet reception-corner operation where the receptionist poured me a Chimay while we talked about where to go — different tool. Pick The ASH if you want the scene ready-made on arrival. Pick Central Youth if you want the bar as a comfort amenity rather than a social engine.”

§ 02 — The ranked list

Our Top 2 Picks

★ 8.05,359 reviews€32/night

The ASH

The ASH is Antwerp's biggest and most social hostel — 5,359 Booking reviews at 8.0, a ten-minute walk from Centraal Station on Italiëlei, with a real on-site bar, private garden, shared kitchen, pool table, and movie nights. Dorms from around €32 with private bathrooms; it sits between an old-town party hostel and a boutique, leaning closer to boutique.

Italiëlei 237, 10 min walk from Antwerpen-Centraal (or one stop on tram 10/11), 8 min to Grote Markt
Each dorm room has its own private bathroom with 2 showers and 2 toilets — no corridor sharing
On-site Bar with happy hour 17:00–19:00 daily, garden, pool table, games room, shared kitchen
Free walking tours depart from reception Wed/Fri/Sun 10:30 AM — Zurenborg + Sint-Annatunnel route

See the hostel

★ 8.01,041 reviews€30/night

Antwerp Central Youth Hostel

Antwerp Central Youth Hostel is an ex-hotel converted into a hostel on Bogaardeplein, deep in the Fashion District and a five-minute walk from Grote Markt. 1,041 Booking reviews at 8.0, dorms from €30 with private en-suite bathrooms in every room, a good buffet breakfast weekdays, and a small on-site Bar. It's the hotel-turned-hostel option — spacious rooms, lift to all floors, comfortable over characterful.

1,041 Booking reviews at 8.0 — consistent mid-tier quality with reception and cleanliness as highest sub-scores
En-suite bathroom in every single dorm (4, 6, 8-bed) and private — no corridor sharing anywhere
Converted 3-star hotel: lift to all floors, wardrobes and full-length mirrors in every room, 24h reception
Small on-site Bar at reception with short Belgian beer list and all-day coffee — not a party bar

See the hostel

§ 03 — Tips

Tips for Choosing a Hostel with Bar in Antwerp

Tip Nº 01

The ASH happy hour (17:00–19:00 daily) is open to non-guests — you can show up without a booking, order a €3 Orval or Jupiler, and the staff won't ID-check you for a room key. Best time to arrive is 18:15 when the crowd is peaking and before the real-Antwerp walkers head to Cafe Local at 19:30.

Tip Nº 02

Central Youth's bar closes at 23:00 and isn't a real nightlife venue — treat it as a before-dinner or last-drink stop. For real Antwerp craft, walk two minutes to Bourla Brasserie on Schuttershofstraat (open till 01:00, full Trappist list, properly-poured Westmalle) or three minutes to the Theaterbuurt cluster on Graaf Van Egmontstraat.

Tip Nº 03

Book The ASH if you're a solo traveler on arrival day Friday. The DJ night + happy-hour combination + guest mix makes it the single most reliable first-night-in-Antwerp social pick. Book Central Youth if you want a calm base with a beer option for the Fashion District walking-tour crowd, and you're comfortable walking 7–10 minutes for real nightlife.

Tip Nº 04

For a real Belgian beer bar that neither hostel has, go to Bier Central on Statiestraat (5 min from The ASH, 10 min from Central Youth): 90+ Belgian beers, Trappist selection, €8 for a tulip glass of Westvleteren when it's on tap. Skip the tourist-looking t'Elfde Gebod on first impression — the menu is actually legit but the crowd is 70% cruise-ship day-trippers.

§ 04 — Other vibes