• Port of Antwerp. Take a tour of one of the largest ports in the world.
• Ghostly Nighttime Tour, Antwerp Ghostwalk [12]. Take the ghost tour and learn about the dark history of Antwerp.
• Zomer van Antwerpen, Summer of Antwerp, +32 (0)3 224 8528 [13]. A great festival that takes places during the whole summer in the whole city. Cheap or free activities such as dancing, theater, performances, circus, movies in open air and much more are organized. Reserving is often a must (specially on free activities)
• Pelgrom, +32 (0)3 234 0809 [14]. This building combines both an impressive bar in the basement, plus the 'poortershuis', which is a replica of the house of businessmen in Antwerp during the 17th century.
• Take the pedestrian tunnel (St.Jansvliet) to the left bank of the river Schelde. On the left bank, you have a beautiful view on the city centre, so make sure you bring your camera!

Centre

• Rubenshuis, +32 (0)3 201 1555. Rubens' house is now a museum of his life and artwork. Entrance fee: 7€. Free audioguide (recommended). Bring light earphones to plug in to the audioguide.
• Plantin Moretus Museum, +32 (0)3 221 1450 or +32 (0)3 221 1451. The home of 16th century bookbinder and printer Christoffel Plantin. Regarded as one of the finest museums dedicated to printing in the world. Its extensive collections of important books and printing presses along with its role in spearheading the technology of printing have seen it added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
• Antwerp Zoo [6]. One of the oldest zoos in the world, with over 4000 animals and lots of 19th century design and architecture.
• Cathedral of Our Lady, (Onze Lieve Vrouwekathedraal). One of the most impressive and biggest Gothic cathedrals in Northern Europe, built in 1351 and over 400 ft tall. It also houses some of Rubens' most famous paintings.
• Carolus Borromeus Church. Unlike the cathedral, this is a Baroque church. With a safe and minimal exterior, you would not know that beautiful decorations (done by Rubens' studio) are inside. Located on the picturesque square Conscienceplein.
• City Hall/Old Market Square (Stadhuis/Grote Markt). This is the historical centre of town. The market square is surrounded by the typical medieval guild houses you can find in most Flemish historical towns. The city hall is designed in special architectural style with a combination between Gothic and early Renaissance. This style is almost exclusively found in this region of Europe.
• Vleeshuis. Literally, this is the "Meat house". It was built as the guild hall for the butchers. Every day tonnes of meat switched owners here. The building is famous for the orignal masonry, it is made to resemble stacks of bacon (switching between white stones and red bricks).
• Het Steen (The Stone). This is a rather small medieval castle on the banks of the river Schelde. It used to function as a city fortification, and now houses a naval museum. It is the starting point of the Wandelterrassen, a scenic boardwalk with a cafe/restaurant at either end.
• Boerentoren (Farmers' tower). Now called "KBC-tower" after the company that owns it, this skyscraper (97m) in the historical centre of town is said to be the oldest one on the European continent. It was built at the beginning of the 1930s. It is located at the end of the Meir shopping street. There is an observation deck on the 25th floor (6E entry including an exhibition downstairs), from which you get fantastic views of the city, including the nearby Cathedral. The tower is renowned for its typical art-deco sculptures. The term skyscraper is a little bit irrelevant if you compare it to other buildings there were erected on the American Continent, for example the Empire State Building in New York, built in the same period, has 381m.
• Bourla theatre. 19th century neo-classicist theatre building. Charming from the outside, and even nicer if you manage to get in for a theater show or a concert. It houses a spectacular pastry salon inside the large cupula above the theater itself. Great place to have tea with cake, or waffles, of course.
• Red Light District. Like other cities such as Amsterdam and Hamburg, Antwerp also has its own red light district. It's pretty small and right in the centre of town (near Falconplein). If you want to visit, consider going during the day. Although it's not as bad as it sounds, the district might be a little less safe at night. If you intend to patronise the Red Light District be wary of women who beckon you towards their kamers and invite you in without discussing a price. In many cases these women will charge greatly inflated rates once they have you inside their kamer. It is also worth being wary of beggars in the RLD. While few of these are particularly hostile they can be bothersome and should be ignored.
• Diamond District. This is the district south and southwest of the central station. As the name already indicates, this is an area where you will find countless jewelry shops, as well as the Antwerp Diamond Exchange, arguably the most important financial centre of the world's diamond industry. The district is also interesting from an ethnic and cultural perspective, since the diamond industry is for at least 50% in the hands of the city's Jews. Antwerp has a rather large population of Jews (about 50,000 people), a lot of them Orthodox.
• Aquatopia [7]. Reasonable aquarium in the basement of the Astrid Park Plaza hotel, tickets also available from the Zoo.
• The hidden street Vlaeykensgang, which connects Hoogstraat, Oude Koornmarkt and Pelgrimsstraat. It is a real street, but only accessible through unassuming medieval front doors in the streets. The medieval equivalent of a gated community. It now houses nice but informal restaurants and chique but discrete houses. A must see!
• The Begijnhof (beguinage), a sort of medieval monastery for women. The well-kept gardens are great photo opportunities.

South of Antwerp

Since the restoration a couple of years ago, the south of the city is known as the trendy part. The centre of this piece of the city is a huge square called 'de gedempte zuiderdokken' which simply means, 'the filled-up southern docks'. In the sixties this was an abandoned trade dock. They filled up the dock in an attempt to expand the city. The high crime rate in the region made it a very cheap place to live. This was, in a strange way, a blessing for the local artworld which started to flourish, making the region trendy and safe over the years. Today it is known as a "yuppie stronghold".

• MUHKA, ☎ +32 (0)3 260 999, [8]. Museum of contemporary art edit

• Fotography Museum, ☎ +32 (0)3 242 9300, [9]. Renovated in 2004 edit

• Fine Arts Museum, ☎ +32'' (0)3 238 7809, [10]. Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten boasts of an excellent collection of paintings from the 15th century right up to the 20th century. The museum's permanent collection has masters such as Peter Paul Rubens, Brueghel, Van Eyck, Anthony Van Dyck, Jacob Jordaens and James Ensor to name a few. edit

• Zuiderpershuis, ☎ +32 (0)3 248 7077, [11]. Located on the "kaaien" and is a center for intercultural art. edit

• Het Muntplein. a place where grafitti artists can make artworks without being chased by police. There are often very nice creations and there are graffiti contests on a regular basis. edit

• Palace of Justice (Justitiepaleis). There are actually two of these. The old one is a 19th century red brick building on the Frankrijklei. The new one is a dominant, modern, white building in the south of Antwerp (Bolivarplaats). You can hardly miss it once you're there. The architect of this building was Richard Rogers, who also built the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Millennium Dome in London.
• Zurenborg neighbourhood is a little off the beaten track. This neighbourhood in the south east of Antwerp (near the railway station Antwerpen-Berchem, look for 'Cogels-Osylei' on the map)is known for its eclectic, sometimes rather bizarre 19th century architecture. Consider taking a tram or bicycle to get there. edit

• Zurenborg neighbourhood. is a little off the beaten track. This neighbourhood in the south east of Antwerp (near the railway station Antwerpen-Berchem, look for 'Cogels-Osylei' on the map)is known for its eclectic, sometimes rather bizarre 19th century architecture. Consider taking a tram or bicycle to get there. edit

• Middelheim Park. The center of Antwerp is not very big, and once you cross the ringroad, you will mainly see suburbs. There are some nice parks outside the ringroad, though, and the Middelheim Park is one of them. It houses a permanent open-air exhibition of modern sculpture, including work by famous artists such as Rodin, Hans Arp, Henry Moore, and many others. edit

By plane

• Antwerp airport, ANR. There are a few airlines serving this airport. Most flights are with VLM Airlines, catering to business travelers. - Flights go to London, Liverpool, Jersey and Manchester in the United Kingdom. There is a regular bus to the centre, and a taxi costs around 10 Euro.
• Every hour there is a direct bus from and to the national airport Zaventem (Brussels), it costs 10 Euro, and has two stops in Antwerp, at Hotel Crowne Plaza and in the city centre, in front of Central Station. Taking the train from Zaventem is also an option to arrive in Antwerp (tickets at around 7 Euro, change trains in Brussels-North).

• It takes 45 min to 1 hr to reach Zaventem airport from Antwerp. On weekends, this could extend to an extra 30 minutes.

By train

There are good train connections from and to the national airport Zaventem (Brussels). International trains from France and the Netherlands stop in Antwerp- central and Antwerpen-Berchem. To plan your trip you can consult the website of the NMBS [2] for national and international travels.

By bus

Antwerp has Eurolines [3] (at Rooseveltplaats) and Ecolines [4] (at Berchem station square) offices with buses coming from all over Europe.

Districts

Amandus Atheneum, Brederode, Dam Eilandje, Diamant Stadspark, Haringrode Zurenborg, Justitie Harmonie, Kiel, Linkeroever, Schoonbroek Luchtbal, Stadhuis St. Jacob Hessenhuis, St. Andries Bourla, Stuivenberg, Tentoonstelling Den Brandt, Zuid Museum.

Public transportation

The public transportation company De Lijn [5] has a dense network of buses, trams and pre-metro connections in the city and wide area around it. You can buy cards of 8 euro (10 fares) at fixed points in town, or buy them inside buses. If you don't have a card you pay more inside the bus (€1.50 per fare). For one fare you can ride up to an hour within the entire city centre limits. If you want to travel out of the city centre you have to pay more for the extra zones travelled. The central public transportation point is the Franklin Roosevelt plaats near the central train station. Most busses leave from there or from the train station.

The trams and pre-metro (underground tram) also cross through the whole town.

Taxi and cars

Taxis are available too, but quite expensive. They await customers at specific locations around town (waving your hand will seldom work) like the Groenplaats or the railway station. You can recognize these places by an orange TAXI sign. The prices are fixed in the taximeter.

Driving in Antwerp is not as difficult as many big cities in the world but crossroads can seem very chaotic for foreigners. There are few free parking spaces but many spaces where you have to pay (on the street or in underground car parks). The underground car parks are well-signposted. The prices are typically 2 euros per hour.

There are many one-way roads, that can make it difficult to get to a specific place. Try to park your car as close as possible and go on foot.

Bicycle

The city has many special areas for cyclers and most 1-way roads can be accessed in both ways for cycles. It's very easy and comfortable. Make sure to lock your bike to a fixed object or the bike will be stolen! Around town there are a few places that are specially prepared for hosting bicycles for free like at the Groenplaats.

Bicycles can be rented at several places in town like Ligfiets, Windroos or Fietsdokter (verschransingsstraat).

On foot

Most things to see are near or within the Boulevards, the half-moon of avenues where once were the 16th Century city-walls. This old town centre with a diameter of about 1.5 kms can be walked, but there is excellent public transport.

• At Ploegstraat 25 you can find a give-away shop, where you can bring and take stuff as you please, without any monetary interaction. Open Mondays to Fridays from 14:00 to 18:00.

• The main shopping area is the Meir a street that stretches out from the Keyserlei (close to the central station) to the Groenplaats. It is one of the most famous shopping streets in Belgium. The streets Hopland and Schuttershofstraat are the shopping terrain of the rich and famous with exclusive fashion shops like Cartier, Hermes, Scapa, Armani, etc. The Huidevettersstraat, Nationalestraat and Kammenstraat (all located close to the Meir) are also very interesting shopping streets to visit.

• Purchasing a diamond at one of the many tourist jewelry shops around the Central station can be an unpleasant experience. Like any bigger diamond city in world there are many tourist trap diamond shops located around the actual diamond district centre. Wealthy diamond buyers should do their investigative shopping online prior to visiting Antwerp. If you're less wealthy and someone asks you to bring back some diamonds from Antwerp, buy diamond-shaped chocolate pralines at e.g. Burie (Korte Gasthuisstraat 3) or Del Rey (Appelmansstraat 5).

• Trendy shopping can be done in the Kammenstraat and surroundings. In this area, you will also find the Fashion Museum [15] and many shops of famous Antwerp fashion designers such as Walter van Beirendonck and Dries van Noten.

• The Kloosterstraat has many antique shops, with often bizarre items for sale.

• When you get out of the central station you enter the Chinese district after about 300 metres. A lot of Japanese/Korean and Chinese products can be found here.

Any time

• As with most Flemish towns, you can find many fritkotten in the city. These are places where you can buy French fries and other fried food for a reasonable price. They usually have no place to sit so you must eat standing.
• Pitta/Shoarma: these shops are often open through the day and are the last ones to close.

Lunch

• People often go eat a "smos", a bread with several layers of garniture in it. The name refers to the mess you make when trying to eat it. You can find them in several stores like Panos or Foodmaker. The most famous "smoskes" according to students are found at "Jean-Pierre". You can find it opposite to the university (Grote Kauwenberg 41).

Dinner

• De Keyserlei is a street with a varied choice of restaurants. Also check out the side streets, they offer even more choice. This is the perfect opportunity to try out South-African or Lebanese cuisine.
• Da Giovani, Jan Blomstraat 3-5-7-8, +32 (0)3 226 7450 [19]. A cheap Italian restaurant. It is popular among students because of their 20% discount. A second "Da Giovanni" is located on the Keyserlei, near the central station.
• Tropicos, at Tabakvest and Hopland, +32 (0)3 231 9964 [20]. Known for its lively South-American atmosphere, caipirinha cocktails and tasteful Brazilian - Mexican kitchen.
• Wok & Tandoor, +32 (0)3 248 9595 [21]. A show-restaurant serving wok and tandoor food. It is prepared in front of you by cooks in a spectacular way. It's an all you can eat buffet with very reasonable prices. It is located in the south of Antwerp close to the new Courthouse.
• Govinda's Garden Amerikalei 184. The restaurant of the Krishnas. They serve healthy macrobiotic food for a small price. Only open in the evenings.
• The Hilton Hotel has a restaurant overlooking the Groenplaats.

Where ever you are in Antwerp, you will always be near a pub or another drinking facility. Not surprisingly for a city which has the World record for the number of pubs pro capita. In Antwerp pubs do not have a closing hour.

• Den Engel. Most famous traditional cafe in Antwerp. Situated at Grote Markt.
• De Vagant. A famous Belgian cafe serving about 300 kinds of Jenever.
• De Muze. A jazz café located in Melkmarkt. Relaxed atmosphere, and live (jazz) music played in a regular basis. Beyond typical Belgian beers, coffee lovers can enjoy a true Italian Expresso or, if willing to drink something bigger, a "Koffie Verkeerd".
• Caffénation. Most friendly bar in Antwerp, very nice specialized coffee creations and a cozy outdoor with lots of green.Good music from eddie harris to the bad brains, blue note sessions to beastie boys. Say hi from TheKitt for a special double shot cappucino ;).
• Paeters Vaetje in the Cathedral Square. Here you can order more than one hundred different kinds of beer. In summertime you can also sit outside.
• De Pelgrom, Pelgrimsstraat. A cafe that is located in an old underground storage place with medieval finishes.
• Kassa4, Located in the student neighbourhood, on the Ossenmarkt. Very popular student pub with a good choice of alternative music. Can be very crowded at times.
• Den Hovenier. Typical Antwerp pub near the Sint-Jacob Church.
• Café Beveren. Near the river. Enjoy the automatic Decap Organ.

Clubs

• Petrol, [22]. The most trendy club and concert venue at the moment. Located on a deserted industrial terrain south of the city, somewhat away from the city center. You might need a bicycle or a taxi ride to get there, unless you don't mind a long walk.
• NOXX, [23]. The most famous and exclusive club of Antwerp with the biggest names in the DJ world performing. You can find it close to the Kinepolis Antwerp ('Metropolis'), just outside the center of Antwerp.