Antwerp

Antwerp is the real urban deal, a refreshingly down-to-earth yet vivacious cosmopolitan habitat blessed with magnificent architecture, fashionable shop fronts, beer-washed pubs, dazzling monuments, jazzed-up clubs, inspired artworks and restaurant tables piled with plates of superb Belgian and multicultural food. Antwerp, home of the Flemish Baroque master Rubens, not only has a wealth of outstanding museums, picturesque galleries, sculpted streets and beautiful architecture, but is also laced with refreshing greenery and urban haunts. Its culture, history, vibrant nightlife and world class shopping are within easy reach, thanks to excellent access by air, train, motorway and even water.  Antwerp, a pocketsize metropolis.

Antwerp ....the Rubens’ city par excellence, the world diamond centre, a city of fashion designers and fashion trendsetters, a world port and City-on-the-River, a bustling Burgundian city, a real shoppers’ paradise, a gallery of protected monuments and cityscapes, a welcoming and multicultural metropolis with a convivial and chockfull of atmosphere ... and of course a lot more.

Antwerp, city by the water
Antwerp owes its very existence and its prosperity to the river Scheldt. Over the centuries the city and the port have expanded into a maritime metropolis.

Visitors who are strolling along the river quays will notice a lot of new buildings. Contemporary architecture there often refers to the maritime aspect of the city - Antwerp is very clearly facing the water again. At sunset the colours of the Scheldt change. The signals on the water, the lights of the ships and the port installations bring a surprisingly enchanting spectacle.

The Port of Antwerp is the second largest port in Europe, is one of the ten largest ports worldwide and also the most productive. A dense network of rivers and canals, road and railways ensures an easy connection to the European hinterland.

Today the Antwerp Port covers the area north of the city and stretches out over some 13,500 ha. You can discover the area by boat or by car. For those who like to use their own car, Tourism Antwerp has developed the 'Port Route' brochure. The signposted route reduces your chances of getting lost on the 350 km of roads in the Antwerp port. The Port Route itself takes you along a route of 40 or 65 km on a voyage through 1,000 years of port history. The route starts at the medieval Steen fortress and runs along the 19th Century port and the most modern installations.

Delicacies and specialities
Antwerpse handjes, apple dumplings, chocolate, beer and jenever

Fresh bakeries, delis and confiserie (sweets) stores, praline and chocolate stores, salons de dégustation and coffee houses: a veritable gastronomic paradise with an impressive offer of culinary delights for the demanding gourmet.

In a few stores in Antwerp you can buy hand-made pralines and chocolates.

The Antwerpse Handjes - sand cookies or chocolates with or without marzipan shaped like a hand - are a well-known treat that is very much in demand.

Other typical sweets are Antwerps gebak, between a biscuit or a cake, covered with almonds, apricot jam and sugar icing or the Semini biscuit, a light sweet biscuit with sesame seed and a marzipan image of the Antwerp fertility symbol Semini.

Worstenbrood (sausage rolls) and appelbollen (apple dumplings) are the first choice for many people in Antwerp after the New Year. The roggeverdommeke, a delicious raisin / rye bread, is another timeless favourite. During carnivals and markets hot waffles and smoutebollen (dough balls fried in oil) are the snack of choice.

Another ritual, which has become an art of life in Antwerp, is drinking. Brouwerij De Koninck brews the well-known amber-coloured 'bolleke', the noble 'cuvée', the golden blonde 'Antoon' beer (created for the Van Dyck year in ‘99), the 'bolleke blond' and specially for the winter the 'Winterkoninck'. At house brewery 't Pakhuis you can learn more about the brewing process of the 'Antwerps blond', 'Antwerps bruin' and 'den Bangelijke' beers.

Nello's blond is a full-bodied, unfiltered high-fermentation beer that refers to the boy Nello in the story A Dog of Flanders. The ganzenbier (geese beer) from Lillo maintains the folklore of the polder region: it's a light or dark brew served in a stone pitcher. And you must taste 'Elixir d'Anvers', a liqueur with digestive properties based on 32 plants and herbs, prepared in accordance with an old tradition dating back to 1863.