Antwerp Travel Guide

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Most Recent Antwerp Travel Articles from BootsnAll

Antwerp – How to get there by plane – Antwerp, Belgium

If you're heading to Antwerp, Karlien Van Houtte will get you there.

Antwerp, Belgium – August 2001

It’s a hot summer evening when I’m writing this – 30 degrees Celcius last time I checked, a bit too hot for me, though we did just have a brief rainshower. I went to the opening night of the Sfinks festival (see last month’s article) last night and had a blast. As in July, you’ll [...]

Antwerp, Belgium – July 2001

Summer is the ideal time for a visit to Antwerp. Not only because you have a better chance the weather will be good (no guarantees though) or because it gets dark later (around 10pm), but also because there are a lot of events. It’s impossible to list everything happening in the city, but I’ve tried [...]

Antwerp, Belgium – May 2001

Antwerp for Free Travelling on a tight budget? No worries, there’s lots of things you can do here for free. Enjoy! To locate the sights mentioned above, take a look at this online city map. If you need to take a bus or tram to get somewhere, a single ticket costs only 40BF; a ticket [...]

Antwerp, Belgium – March 2001

Pubs This being the first article I write here, I started wondering what was most precious to me in Antwerp. What do I miss when I’m away? Why should others visit Antwerp? Then I thought: the nightlife, the Antwerp pub scene. And because it can be hard to choose what pubs to go to when [...]

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Antwerp Travel Guide Overview

Antwerp is home to most of the world’s diamond trading industry and is the most populous city in Belgium, although the Brussels metropolitan area is quite a bit larger. And Antwerp’s port is the second largest in Europe, behind nearby Rotterdam, but even with all of this, Antwerp is not considered a prime tourist city. This was the major financial capital of the region before Amsterdam took over in the late 16th Century, so Antwerp has more than its fair share of history and interesting architecture. Add in the new trendy bars and restaurants and you can see why this is one of the newer tourist hot spots.

What To Do

The old town/market square is definitely worth checking out. The grand City Hall is its centerpiece, but the whole area is filled with medieval guild houses that are nicely preserved. The Cathedral of Our Lady is an enormous Gothic cathedral that is home to several famous pieces by Rubens.

The Diamond District is where you’ll find one jewelry shop after another and a good chunk of the city’s sizable Orthodox Jewish population. It’s very interesting to see even if you aren’t at all interested in buying your own diamond. Keeping with the theme, there is a great Fashion Museum in Antwerp. They have two long displays each year, but also some permanent historical information.

Getting There

Antwerp is often approached by train, so it’s a great stop for Eurail Pass holders, but there is a good-sized regional airport here as well. You can book a flight into Antwerp Airport (code: ANR) from many large cities within the region, and it’s also a stop for quite a few of the new low-cost carriers. A local bus is the cheapest way to get from the airport to the city center.

Where To Stay

This is a fairly compact city so most anywhere in town will be well located. There are several hostels in Antwerp and the usual selection of hotels in Antwerp as well. Summer is the crowded season here, but the climate is never too bad so visiting outside of summer can be a good way to escape the crowds and high prices. If you are coming during peak season it’s a good idea to book a place well in advance.