Addresses for a weekend in Antwerp
Crouching for a long time under the long shadow of Ghent and Bruges, the Belgian city of Antwerp finally reveals itself for what it is: a cosmopolitan city in which the fusion between past and present offers a good number of fascinating attractions.
Antwerp is one of the best -and most unknown- weekend getaways that you have just over two hours by plane from Spain.
Here we leave you the best way to discover Antwerp in 48 hours:
FIRST DAY
9:30 a.m. You will almost certainly have flown into Brussels, so you will arrive in Antwerp in the best possible way: by train . And it is so not only because of the good quality, frequency and price of Belgian railways , but because Antwerp is, for many, the most beautiful train station in the world.
This wonder will be your first contact with the city
built between 1895 and 1905 , its vast beautifully decorated dome and ornate frontals mean that there are usually more onlookers with cameras than travelers with suitcases.
10:00 a.m. . Once you have managed to leave the hall of the train station, go to have a good breakfast at the Cafe Royal . You will feel like a nobleman in his palace.
11:00 a.m. You have now replenished your energy and are ready to unravel the many secrets of the city. the culture festival Antwerp Baroque 2018: Rubens inspires he has taken over Antwerp-he will too in 2019-and art, in any of its forms, appears around every corner.
The idea is to show the fusion of the works of the old baroque masters with the style of contemporary artists. Perhaps a good way to start savoring this festival is visiting the house-museum of Pedro Pablo Rubens (Rubenshuis). The famous painter, although born in Germany, lived much of his life in Antwerp.
In addition, thanks to a temporary donation of Art Gallery of Ontario Until March 2019 you can enjoy the most expensive Rubens painting in history: The Massacre of the Innocents (Auctioned for nearly £50 million).
"The Massacre of the Innocents" by Rubens
1:00 p.m. Before eating we can stop by the nearby Plantin-Moretus museum , considered the best museum in the world in the field of printing . Printing presses with 500 years of history and incunabula, along with one of the best collections of Bibles in the world.
2:00 p.m. Time to eat . If the weather is good, you can choose any of the terraces in the square Grote Markt to take any meat or fish accompanied by the magnificent fries and Belgian beers.
While you eat, you can enjoy the view of the Antwerp Town Hall - a Renaissance jewel built in the second half of the 16th century and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site - and other beautiful Antwerp buildings in different architectural styles.
Another plan? Go to another charming square (not as charming as the Town Hall but what you'll find here... it's sure to be worth it): in the number 11 Marnixplaats you will open the doors of FiskeBar , a restaurant specializing in the sea, fresh catches of the day perfectly cooked without much artifice but with all the flavor.
4:00 p.m. It's time to stroll through the largest and most famous shopping street in Belgium. Separated into three sectors ( Meir, Leysstraat and De Keyseriel ), in it you will find from the typical shops of all the big cities to authentic big stores dedicated exclusively to Christmas decoration , passing through the typical Belgian chocolatiers and jewelers where you will find the mythical Antwerp diamonds. One of the most luxurious shopping centers is the Stadsfeestzaal .
And when night falls... Antwerp gets (even) prettier
6:00 p.m. After so much walking, stop along the way to taste one of the famous Belgian chocolate waffles. try it on The Chocolate Box .
7:00 p.m. Before you go out for a drink at night, you might want to take a breath of fresh air in the Stadspark . It is very close to the Jewish quarter and has a good number of trails and quiet natural areas.
9:00 p.m. Have dinner at the ** Bourla Café-Restaurant ** and be sure to try their fish and seafood cream. Then he walks aimlessly through the antwerp old town, beautifully lit at night.
SECOND DAY
9:00 a.m. . If you didn't indulge in the Antwerp night party the night before, start the day early and rent a bike. Antwerp is not big, but the activity that we are going to propose you will enjoy much more moving as the Belgians do. Freewieler it's a good option.
9:30 a.m. Pedal during one of the best - and most alternative - visits you can do in Antwerp. Urban art has developed enormously in this city . Even in the center itself, you will find building facades decorated with murals that are true works of art.
Murals that are works of art
Muralists like the Scotsman smug , the French Star and the american the Mac, have joined forces with local artists to create an urban art circuit that can be counted among the best in Europe. Doing it completely can take you almost half a day, but you can choose the murals that most appeal to you using the application of Street Art Cities .
11:30 a.m. Perhaps two hours have not been enough to enjoy the urban murals of Antwerp, but you cannot miss the more museum . The 470,000 objects inside the most striking modern building in Antwerp represent all the faces of the city - Power, Life, Metropolis and Death - in addition to its history as an important international port.
Take advantage of the rest of the morning to visit the area where the MAS is located, Eilandje . This is the old port area, which has benefited from a spectacular facelift and the appearance of new and modern restaurants, bars, cafes and homes.
Another interesting museum here is the Red Star Line , the famous ocean liner company that, in the first half of the 20th century, had in Antwerp one of its four main ports in the world.
1:00 p.m. . It's lunchtime and you can do it in Eilandje. In Aroy Thai You have the best Thai cuisine in Antwerp.
MAS Museum
2:00 p.m. . Now that you've recovered your strength, it's time to take a boat trip around Antwerp. You can't help but try it in a city that has always lived facing its port.
3:30 p.m. Back on the mainland, you still have important monuments to visit in Antwerp. When you approach its historic center, you can see the tower of the cathedral (123 meters high) from almost any point. Antwerp Cathedral, with five centuries of history, is one of the largest and most precious of European Gothic. Another place that you cannot miss is the steen castle , the first stone fortress in the city that was built after the Viking raids at the beginning of the Middle Ages.
5:00 p.m. Take advantage of the last light of the afternoon to stroll through Middelheimpark. This is not just any park, but rather an authentic open-air museum. , with sculptures hidden among trees and bushes.
6:00 p.m. Time to make the last purchases of typical Antwerp products. Since diamonds may be out of your budget, you'd better stick to chocolates and beers. ** The Chocolate Line **, at 50 Meir Street, and Belgian Beers & Brews They are the two best options.
Belgian Beers & Brews
7:00 p.m. Try a tasty Belgian beef roast at the Bolívar restaurant and have the first drink of the night.
9:00 p.m. Did you know that Antwerp is the third city in the world in terms of the number of different nationalities among its inhabitants? With 173, it is only surpassed by New York and Amsterdam. This gives rise to a night scene of the most varied.
Dance, have a drink and chat with people from all over the world in bars like Paters Vaetje or Cantaloop. If you want to dance until dawn, do it at Café d'Anvers , an old church from the 16th century, or the temple of techno and house, Ampere, located under the central train station.
Had we already told you about the night in Antwerp?