Antwerp - Belgium's Second City 

Things to do and see in Antwerp

Antwerp has a wide variety of attractions and activities for everyone, here are a select few:

Cathedral of Our Lady
This inspiring gothic cathedral took over 150 years to build and is the largest Gothic construction in the Netherlands. The inside of this seven aisled Cathedral houses masterpieces by Rubens including the ‘Descent from the Cross’ and the ‘Raising of the Cross’.

Rubenshuis
The house that Peter Paul Rubens spent the latter part of his life in is a key tourist attraction for the city. This beautiful house, restored as a museum in Rubens’ honour, showcases ten of his works including his self portrait. The building, a complex built around an inner courtyard, includes a baroque portico between the courtyard and the garden, which was built by Rubens himself.

The Steen
In the 13th century this small castle, on the edge of the river Scheldt was the hub of Antwerp town. Now, The Steen is home to the Maritime Museum and is next to the 19th century harbour, where boats from the maritime museum can be viewed.

Momu (Mode Museum)
Since the 1980’s Antwerp has enjoyed success as a thriving city for individual and innovative fashion. The MoMu museum exhibits a collection of clothing, lace, embroidery, fabrics and artisan textile processing tools. Twice a year the museum organises themed exhibitions which include a side programme of workshops, debates, lectures and guided tours.


Grote Markt and Brabo Fountain
This beautiful square is still the heart of the old town of Antwerp. From the square, sample some Belgium beer at one of the many terrace bars and restaurants whilst surrounded by the stunning architecture of the Town Hall, Houses of Guilds and Cathedral of Our Lady. In the middle of the square you’ll also find the Brabo Fountain, this huge monument depicts Silvius Brabo tossing the severed hand of the giant Antigonus into the Scheldt.

Shopping in Antwerp

Over the last few decades Antwerp has earned a place amongst the fashion cities of the world due to the success of young Flemish designers. A great fashion district with a host of boutique and quirky clothes shops can be found off the main shopping street of Meir.

On August 15th, a public holiday in Antwerp, Rubens Market takes place in the main shopping district, where market traders dress up in traditional Rubens-style clothing and sell their wares. You’ll find a wide range of weekly markets in Antwerp including a birds market and an antique market.

Antwerps ‘diamond district’ is full of countless jewellery stores, many of which offer discount prices on diamonds. As the largest diamond district in the world, handling around 80% of the worlds rough diamonds, the jewellery shops in this area of the city are definitely worth a look.

Eating out in Antwerp

Antwerp is home to a huge variety of cafes, bars and restaurants, catering for all tastes and budgets, a small selection of restaurant options are shown below:

The Gin Fish
Located on Haarstraat, this is a Michelin star restaurant serving delicious seafood in a trendy restaurant with a cosy atmosphere.

Hendrik Conscienceplein
A lesser known square when compared to the Grote Markt but worth a visit to find nice cafes, terraces and restaurants.

Neuze Neuze
A handsome split level restaurant with cosy areas to relax and enjoy a delicious bistro style food.