Antwerp Travel Guide

  Antwerp Stadhuis - Town Hall
by brendareed
 
  • Antwerp Stadhuis - Town Hall
      Antwerp Stadhuis - Town Hall
    by brendareed
  • wonderful treats for now and to take home
      wonderful treats for now and to take...
    by brendareed
  •   Antwerp
    by Dyesebel
  •   Antwerp
    by DanielF
  • Inside of Notre Damme Church
      Inside of Notre Damme Church
    by dSTINO
 

Pro

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 Food, 16th century architecture, shopping 


Con

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 Depressing weather in winter - visit in spring/summer time! 


In a nutshell

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 Older and less modern than Amsterdam but picturesque 

 

Explore Antwerp

Things to Do  

Cathedral of Our Lady

Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

 124 Reviews  The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal or Cathedral of our lady with its 123 meters hight tower still is the highest building in downtown Antwerp. Construction of this huge church started in 1352 and completion of the first stage took 200 years; even today the works on the Gothic style church are not... 

Zoo

Zoo, Antwerp

 74 Reviews  Located in the Centre of Antwerp right next to the Central Railway Station,the Zoo is the oldest Animal park in Belgium and one of the oldest Zoo's in the World. The initial objective was to encourage Zoological and Botanical Sciences.The first director was renowned Zoologist 'Jacques Kets',he... 

Hotels  

Hilton Antwerp

 17 Reviews and 350 Opinions  OK we´d been wanting to stay here for years, but was always too pricey. We managed to get a decent... 

Park Inn by Radisson Antwerpen

 4 Reviews and 119 Opinions  We chose this hotel for a night for our Mini-meet with JohnGayton as it is really close to conveyor... 

Restaurants  

Amadeus - spare ribs a volonte

Amadeus - spare ribs a volonte, Antwerp

 5 Reviews  Amadeus is a great restaurant with its top speciality: unlimited spare ribs. The outside may be less attracting, the inside of the restaurant offers 100% good food and quick service. Long tables are waiting for your party. The ribs are a fest to eat. Served on a wooden rectangular plate with a... 

Elfde Gebod - Eleventh Commandment

Elfde Gebod - Eleventh Commandment, Antwerp

 10 Reviews  Restaurant Het Elfde Gebod is a local restaurant near the market square. Even if you are not hungry, go inside to admire the holy decorations and have a drink in this popular place. Business hours: Daily from Noon. 

Nightlife  

Night clubs

Night clubs, Antwerp

 22 Reviews  Café d’Anvers is één van de oudste authentieke houseclubs van Europa. Ze opende haar deuren in 1989 en staat vandaag de dag nog steeds aan de top van de scene met de beste en bekendste dj’s en producers ter wereld wekelijks achter de draaitafels. De locatie is een 16de eeuwse kerk in het midden van... 

Old, brown, or historical pubs and taverns

Old, brown, or historical pubs and taverns, Antwerp

 60 Reviews  Muze is situated in the heart of the tourist section of Antwerp but also attracts local clientele. While trying to find a seat for my girlfriend and myself I had to go to the bar on the top floor. Aside from a few locals the bar was empty. While asking these people to excuse us so that we may walk... 

Transportation  

Bus, tram, metro

Bus, tram, metro, Antwerp

 32 Reviews  In Antwerp the "De Lijn" company axplores the local busses. The Rooseveltplaats still is the main bus terminal square, but there are plans to transfer the square into a pedestrian area. Bus Route Planner 

Train

Train, Antwerp

 42 Reviews  It's always a pleasure when arriving somewhere new to be greeted by a magnificent railway station and Antwerpen Centraal certainly is one of the best. The station was built between 1895 and 1905 with the terminus buildings designed by the Belgian architect Louis Delacenserie, the vaulted train shed... 

Shopping  

Cloths, shoes, fashion

Cloths, shoes, fashion, Antwerp

 38 Reviews  Urban streetwear for men/women. After the succes in Oostende / Gent / Knokke / Brugge, this famous shop finally settled in the fashion capital of Belgium. This shop has the most modern clothes in every other city! 

Chocolates

Chocolates, Antwerp

 24 Reviews  A well known fact about Belgium is its chocolates. In this respect a spot which is certainely not to be missed by tourists visiting our city is "Chocolaterie Burie", a renowned establishment in Antwerp. This chocolate shop is known not only for the outstanding quality of its products, but also for... 

Local Customs  

Legends and urban stories

Legends and urban stories, Antwerp

 18 Reviews  There is some Antwerp legend (I'm afraid I don't remember the details but it's not important) about a giant and a man who fight, the man wins and cuts of the giant's hand (natives - feel free to correct me). So there is a statue to commemorate this, and the chocolate shops sell little chocolate... 

Festivals and events

Festivals and events, Antwerp

 41 Reviews  In 2004 the tallships race was back in Antwerp again. It was one of the great events this summer. Lot of activity is going on, when the tall ships are here. The event will be back in tge summer of 2006. 

Warnings and Dangers  

places better to avoid at night

places better to avoid at night, Antwerp

 5 Reviews  As with most cities in Europe the area around the central station is best avoided after dark. Especially beware for the streets around the infamous Conincksplein, as they tend to attract the more sketchy figures of our otherwise wonderful and vibrant city... Especially a lot of junks scavenge this... 

traffic related warnings

traffic related warnings, Antwerp

 8 Reviews  If you come by car to Antwerpen be aware you will hit a road construction zone somewhere. More info: Present road construction at Antwerp Construction at the Antwerp highway exits and more 

Tourist Traps  

Not all that glitters is gold, don't pay too much!

Not all that glitters is gold, don't pay too much!, Antwerp

 4 Reviews  Beware of the jewellery stores situated under Central Station along the Pelikaanstraat. Not all shops are kosher. Prices may look interesting but if you are not an expert you might pay what you think a reasonable price for 18kt gold and go home with less. Take someone with you who knows something... 

Disapointing, not worth seeing

Disapointing, not worth seeing, Antwerp

 5 Reviews  Many people (esp. Dutch people...) go to Antwerp to visit the "Vogelenmarkt" ('bird market'). Don't be fooled: it is a (flea) market as any other and the time when all sorts of birds were on sale is long gone. At present, only a small part of the market is dedicated to pet animals following protests... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Pedestrian tunnel

Pedestrian tunnel, Antwerp

 9 Reviews  This is worth mentioning as well. There are two flights of escalators to reach the tunnel. Though they are still steep and very long. No wonder the escalator system were built to descent the height of 30m. What impresses though is the noise those escalators produced. They are wood escalators with... 

Church: Saint Pauls church

Church: Saint Pauls church, Antwerp

 12 Reviews  Inside the church gate, the Mount Calvary is situated, surround by houses from beginning 16th century. It's a peculiar, spectacular open-air theatre of statues, built between 1700-1734. It depicts the trial, torture, death and burial of Christ. The Calvary garden was built from 1700-1734 and has... 

Favorites  

Grote Markt / Big Market square

Grote Markt / Big Market square, Antwerp

 24 Reviews  Unfortunately, the GUILD HOUSES are not all original. In 1576 a large part of the Grote Markt burned down. Hans Vredeman, the town architect was instrumental in rebuilding these magnificent houses, in Flemish Renaissance style. 

Meir area

Meir area, Antwerp

 18 Reviews  The David Teniers statue stands just off the Frankrijklei in between the Keyserlei and the Meir. Daid was a famous painter (1610-1690) and he made several hundreds of paintains. Farmer landscapes are amongst the best-known by his hand. 

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Map of Antwerp