Antwerp is a bike-friendly city and moreover, it is the fastest way to get from one place to another. You can either rent a bike or purchase one of your own.
Rent or buy a bike
There are many ways to rent a bike in Antwerp (some are only available for students):
- Velo is Antwerp’s metropolitan bike sharing scheme. You can pick bikes up and drop them off again at various points, whenever you like. You can buy an annual pass online or rent the bikes for shorter periods of time.
- Fietshaven (website only available in Dutch and French) is located below Central Station. You can rent a bike for a year.
- With Blue-bike you can easily get from the train, tram or bus station to your destination and back.
- Uni-Cycle is a start-up which rents second-hand bikes to international students (only available to staff who have student status at the university). Make an appointment online to sign the contract and pick up your bike straight away
- At Levanto you can rent a bike for several months (only available to staff who have student status at the university).
- Swapfiets: for a fixed monthly fee you will get an always working bike
If you want to buy your own bike, you can visit one of the many specialist bike shops all over the city or you can buy a second-hand bike from the places below:
Bicycle repair
If your bike needs to be repaired, you can go to the bike repair station on Stadscampus or the mobile bike repair points on the other campuses for small repairs.
Bicycle theft prevention
Bicycle theft is very common in Antwerp. It’s important that you have a good lock so you can secure your bicycle to a fixed object. It is also advisable to label your bicycle to prevent theft. You can apply for a non-removable bicycle label through the City of Antwerp website.
If your bicycle does get stolen, make sure to report it to the police. You can do this online via the ‘Blue Line’ (Blauwe lijn – only in Dutch). If your bike is found, it can easily be identified as yours because of the label.
The University of Antwerp provides a bike allowance for commuting by bicycle. More information about the conditions and procedure can be found on the Pintra page of the HR Department (intranet).