What to visit from Antwerp?
Brussels
Brussels' inner city is about forthy minutes in train from Antwerp. It is certainly worth to visit Brussels while you are staying in Antwerp. There are many hotels in Brussels so it would be easy to stay a night in the European Capital but unfortunately prices tend to be a lot higher in Brussels in comparison to Antwerp. So a hotel in Brussels might turn out to be quite expensive. Places to visit in Brussels are of course the main market square and if possible the royal palace. If you do tend to stay in a hotel in Brussels the hotel Husa President Park might be quite a good idea or the Sheraton Brussels hotel close to the North railway station.
Ghent
Ghent is about 30 min. from Antwerp and easy to reach by train. Ghent is the capital of the Provice Oost-Vlaanderen, it knew just like Antwerp a big grow during the middle ages and thus has a rich history. The historic inner city is worth a visit during your stay in Belgium. A stay in Ghent would be a nice idea moving from Antwerp to the most beautiful Bruges. The hotels in Gent are almost all situated in the city centre. A few nice hotels in Gent are Hotel de Flandre, Ghent River Hotel, Hotel Gravensteen Gent close to the Castle Gravensteen or maybe the hotel Cour Saint Georges due to its very central location in Ghent.
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the flemish part of Brabant and was a long time home of the dukes of Brabant and still is the university city of Belgium. It has about thirthy thousand students and was founded during the middle ages. It takes a prominent places in the European universities. The gothic ciy hall is supposed to be one of the finest of Belgium. A visit to the university if possible so it would be a nice citytrip. Staying in a hotel in Leuven can be a bit problematic as this city only has a few hotels Leuven. If you do plan to stay in Leuven look for one of these hotels in Leuven: Theater hotel, De Klimop, Hotel Industrie, Hotel Binnenhof.