Imagine a Giant, standing tall as the guardian of a river. Whosoever wishes to cross it must pay a heavy toll at the cost of their head. Then like the epics, rose a mythical soldier brave enough to fight the Monster. On defeating the Giant, he cut one of its hand and threw it on the river declaring wherever the thrown hand will reach with the flow of the river will be the border of the soldier’s captured land.
Welcome to Antwerp, the famous port town of Dutch Speaking Belgium by the river Scheldt. In Dutch hand-werpen means throwing hand. The once captured territory of Brabo, the mythical roman soldier who killed giant Antigoon. Today Antwerp stands high with its biggest port, stunning architecture, amazing vibes and loads and loads of Diamond traders.
In July 2019, I arrived in the Netherlands for a deputation job from a Software firm. Being very close to Netherlands (a little over 2 hours from Amsterdam Sloterdijk), it was my first target as a quick day trip from the Netherlands. It was also my first experience with the popular German bus company Flixbus (and it was simply amazing). After few more rides, I shall be writing a full review about Flixbus across Europe.
In this travel post (like every other in the future), I am sharing an infographic content about the popular things to see and do in Antwerp. For people having very very short time can have it downloaded in the phone or maybe take a print out. You can use the names in google map on the go in exact sequence and you can cover all the major places in very short time (if you really don’t have much time).
But don’t get me wrong. Antwerp is not a city for just to come, take a sneak peak, eat waffles/gelato and go. Its vibe demands at least a full day to explore the marvels. But through this guide, I will be focussing on people who don’t have much time and in hurry (just like me) but still want to see the major icons of the city. But if time permits, please do yourself a favour and spend at least a night (or perhaps more) here.
Without further ado, lets jump dive in into the details of the beautiful city of Antwerp and hopefully by the end of it, you will be inspired to visit the same
If you do not have enough time to read this long blog post then you can download my recommended walking Itinerary to your smartphone or maybe take a printout to keep it handy.
Antwerp Travel Guide - Best Things To Do
I caught a 9:15AM Flixbus from Amsterdam Sloterdijk going to Bruges via Antwerp. After reading very much negative review about this company in Tripadvisor, I was little worried but boy, Flixbus was awesome (At least Sloterdijk Station is). The bus arrived around 10-12 minutes before the scheduled departure. The Driver immediately opened the door and luggage storage area and announced in plain loud English about the route of the Bus. Ticket checking process was smooth and passengers were counted twice and the bus started only 5 minutes later than the scheduled departure. I sat two rows behind the toilet but in the entire journey has not encountered any foul smell (Maybe for longer journey it will be an issue).
The journey was super smooth. My only experience of crossing border of two countries by bus before this was crossing the causeway link between Singapore and Malaysia. I was under impression that there would be passport checking somewhere but I was little surprised that the concept of checking passport is not there in Schengen area when you are crossing countries by Bus. Only while boarding Flix, the driver checked my Passport.
After exactly 2 hour and 10 minutes I got alighted in the jaw dropping Central Station of Antwerp. Having just 6 hours and 30 minutes before my return bus to Sloterdijk, I quickly chalked out a walking itinerary which you can download in the end of this blog post covering most of the major attractions of this Dutch speaking jewel port city of Belgium.
What To Expect at Antwerp?
Below are the major highlights of what I have visited in the span of 6 hours (Last 30 minutes I was just waiting at the Bus stop outside the Central station J ) The blog is dedicated to those who has very less time like me but still want to explore the best of the town. But as I mentioned Antwerp does not deserve to be explored like this so I have included some hotel recommendations which I shall definitely consider in my next visit to this charming city.
1. Antwerp Central Station
Honestly it took me some time to digest that actually I am standing in front of a busy train station and not a national heritage building. I mean look at the detailed architecture including the lamp posts in front
However it is a pity that I saw kids were trying to climb the lamp posts grabbing the statues and no one was there to stop them, rather adults were taking pictures asking them to sit along with the statues.
After coming inside, I discovered this and my feet simply stood still.
I found that there are some food stalls in this floor. Also there is a self-operated vending machine serving delicious looking waffles.
After exploring some time here, I came out and started walking towards the Antwerp Beguinage. It was a short 13 minutes’ walk from the station. On the way there are so many beautiful architectural buildings. See below for some sample.
Can you imagine you bedroom’s window like this?
2. Antwerp Beguinage
My Google map was showing that I have already reached Beguinage of Antwerp but I was not being able to relate the place with what I have seen in Google images. I slowly was exploring the area and then suddenly noticed this and a wide entrance gate just beside it.
Well as you can read the history from the above picture, I got very much curious to have a look inside.
In short, I was overwhelmed.
Hands down this is my favourite place in Antwerp. Inside the windowless brick walls, this place is a hidden oasis. There is a very beautiful small church and super cute donation box. I spent around half an hour there and saw many people coming in and going out of tiny houses. It was like a fairytale town and to top, there is a small park to rest your feet.
See a man going out! That’s the entrance of Beguinage
Look at the size of the door and the decoration in between the windows. Can you feel the peace?
Do you like to walk through this alley?
How cool is the offering box?
After exploring this little gem, I hit the road towards Grote Markt, the central square of Antwerp. Belgium is famous for Comics and Antwerp showed no exception. Discovered a Comic wall on the way
While casually walking along the way, I got quite amused to see signs of food. Honestly I couldn’t find one such before. See below
3. St. Charles Boromeo Church
Suddenly I got stumped into a beautiful church. I thought I have reached the central square already but there were direction boards indicating Grote Markt is still 300 metres away so I went ahead to check the name of the Church and here comes St. Charles Boromeo Church
The above picture is just the opposite side of the Church. Noticed some people were casually playing balls here.
You need to check it with your own eyes just to believe the perfection of the sculptures embedded on each corner of the church. I mean literally you cannot find an entire square inch without any artwork on it.
Antwerp is the place of famous Artist Peter Paul Ruben and this church is his masterpiece. Every carvings and statues are a replica of the splendour of past glory.
From here there is a clear sign (in Dutch) about other attractions of the City
4. Grote Markt
The central square of Antwerp is a little more than 5 minutes from this beautiful church. The centre of the square is where the myths come into Life. One simply cannot miss the statue of the mythical soldier Brabo throwing hand of Antigoon, the giant and thus giving the name of this port city Antwerp (Hand-Werpen in Dutch). The landmark is called Brabo fountain but at that moment when I was there, water flow was halted and I am not sure if the flow is turned on at specific time of the day or what. But I found it still a fantastic place to snap a photo with the nice pattern of administrative buildings in the backdrop. However it is super crowded with guides from walking tours, random tourists and locals. Many people I observed were leisurely drinking beer or having a delicious piece of waffles at the roadside.
There are quite a large number of street food junctions, gelato & waffle shops and famous Belgium chocolates. I tried many junctions but I would give my vote to LeoniDas. Their Milk chocolate with Hazzlenut is my personal favourite.
While returning to the station, I noticed the below shop which I will be definitely trying the next time
I was casually exploring the Souvenir shops just to have sneak peak. The first thing grabbed my attention is various figurines of the famous Comic Tintin including Captain Haddock, professor Calculus, Johnson and Johnson, Bianca Castofiare and cute little Snowy. At September 2019, price range was from €5 to €200.
Nearby to these busy street lie the symbol of inseparable relationship, the not so famous but touching sculpture of Nello and Patrasche. Just in front of Antwerp Cathedral is the beautiful commemorative plaque of the main characters from the famous novel ‘A Dog of Flanders’ which for decades has been a children’s classic.
You can read the story online. The below link can give you a good starting point
http://www.beneluxguide.com/belgium/nello-and-patrasche-the-antwerps-story-of-the-dog-of-flanders/
However sadly enough I observed children climbing the sculpture with shoes one for some photos and no one was protesting 🙂
Next point of interest which a stone throw away is gorgeous Antwerp Cathedral. Although not as majestic as the Boromeo church but still this one can be a strong contestant. I mean just look at the details of the exterior, just imagine how minutely these have been crafted.
Then I noticed something interesting. Just look at the picture below
The bottom left figurine is actually a lady standing still as stone. There is a place in front of her where Samaritans can donate some grants. If someone donates something, she immediately comes into life and wishes good health to the person and their family. I clicked a very amateur video for the same. Please check it out.
Well! Antwerp has so much life in it.
5. Groenplaats
It’s mid-day and you are starving or just thirsty maybe but Groenplaats is strategically located in a very ideal place with lots and lots and lots of restaurants around it. Apart from European and Continental dishes I also observed Thai junction, Indian restaurants and place for Sushi. But as I did not have much time to enjoy a good lunch sitting idly, I just took a small fry pack with some chicken nuggets and continued walking towards the river Scheldt. The same river which was captured by Antigoon once.
6. Het-Steen Castle
Can you imagine such a mythical city without a castle from the story book? Welcome to Het Steen (English: The Stone) castle, the oldest fort of the port city Antwerp which later got transformed into a Museum. It’s a beautiful castle to take pictures from outside?
Near the entrance there is a statue of Lange Wapper. Look at the abnormally tall man compared to the two other figures above. Lange as per the legend, is portrayed as a devilish character having the ability to grow himself bigger. However he is afraid of Mother Mary so at the entrance of the castle you can find a statue of Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately when I visited the castle was undergoing renovation and is not open for visitor. That’s not bad in a sense. I have an excuse to come back 🙂
7. Scenic Boat Ride
Well! you can never go wrong in a boat tour. Antwerp from the river Scheldt is an experience to look at all the aspects of the port close by. All you need to do is to sit back, relax and enjoy as the ship glides by.
Check out the bridge. If you go up here you can see all the tourist boats lined up. However if you want to have a ride, there is a ticket counter below it. On top of that, Just opposite to the ticket counter, you have this impressive building.
You can check the below link to get more details of the boat trips. https://www.visitantwerpen.be/en/tours/boat-tours-en
8. Vleeshuis
Just opposite to the Het Steen is the awesome Vleeshuis museum. Before coming to Antwerp I was not known of this place. I have not put this location on my google map either but the impressive building caught my attention.
To my surprise, it seems like this is one of the oldest building of Antwerp dated from the middle ages and it actually was a Butcher’s Hall
In the beginning of the sixteenth century, Antwerp was seeing its golden days. Being the most important trade center, it was becoming a challenge to meet the ever growing demand due to increase in population so it was decided to create a gigantic butcher’s hall.
Later when the French captured the city, the hall stopped its original function and in early 1900 the building is reopened as a museum showcasing heterogeneous collection of antique objects.
Today Vleeshuis acts a City Sound Museum which is a museum dedicated to Music which looks back hundreds of years of dance and music. But honestly if you are not into music, I do not find the interior of the Museum very promising.
9. Aan De Stoorm Musuem
Museum Aan De Stoorm (MAS) was the last destination for me that day. From Vleeshuis it is about 1km in walking distance. On the way to MAS, I observed a strange rule in Belgium. I was about to cross a road following zebra crossing but understood that even if it is a Zebra I need to wait for green pedestrian signal
This is the first look of the famous building and the most iconic landmark of Antwerp. Don’t get deceived by the look of its exterior. The museum actually is 10 storeys high. The unique structure of the building I feel is the best.
In the surrounding, there is a very unique piece of sculpture called the Antwerp Whisperer. If you have your dear ones visiting Antwerp then via an app called De Fluisteraar, you can deliver personal message to them bringing smile to them. More details can be found on the below link.
https://www.visitantwerpen.be/en/sightseeing/architecture-monuments/the-antwerp-whisperer
Entrance to the MAS museum is free if you want to explore the panoramic view of Antwerp city from the terrace. The 360 degree view is absolutely worth a gem (that too if you do not have to pay anything 🙂 )
You can refer the below link for up to date information about the opening hours and entrance fee
https://www.mas.be/en/visit/practical-information
10. Diamond District
On the way back to the Flixbus Stop near the Antwerp Central train station, I was taking some random snaps of different buildings along the road. Below are some samples for you to cherish.
The diamond district is very close to the railway station. It’s a long street having lots and lots of diamonds store. The entire street is surveyed by CCTV and protected by high security. From roadside, you can easily do some window shopping.
Definitely I have bought anything but I found the diamonds are too much overpriced (compared to diamond market in India). Next time when I will be going with my wife, I will be giving you guys a more detailed overview of the diamond stores.
Where To Stay
Although my trip was a day trip, Antwerp can be best explored if you stay at least a night. Honestly, I would not recommend staying more than that as a tourist. Nearby places like Ghent, Bruges or Dinant are much better in my opinion for staying overnight in longer period.
As Antwerp is a pretty small city, you could be staying anywhere and still you will be in the centre of attraction but I generally like quieter street as my rest place. Also I never search for dorm room unless we are enough people to have the full dorm to ourselves.
Flat in the heart of Antwerp Centrum – Bright and Cosy flat in a beautiful location
What To Eat
In the junction of Grote Markt and Groenplaats there are so many junctions to eat. However I would strongly recommend having French fry with mayo, gelato, chocolate waffles and authentic handmade Belgian Chocolotaes
Frituur is the most famous place in the square to have your french fry for the day. But keep in mind, most of the times it remains a very busy place but if you are behind quality then the wait is definitely worth it.
Special Souvenir
Undoubtedly Tintin figures. There were many cute key rings. If you can spend around €200, you will get fantastic Tintin with Snowy combination which will definitely be an asset for lifetime.
Did you know that the famous French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte lost one of his important battle of life in Waterloo district of Belgium? Today in souvenir shops, you will find the royal knight figures carrying the glory from the past. It’s a must for your collection if you are fond of History.
How To Reach
Antwerp (Also known as Antwerpen) is very close to the southern part of the Netherlands like Breda. I have used Flixbus to have a direct ride from Amsterdam Sloterdijk to Antwerp. However, if you are already in Belgium, it is very easy to reach Antwerp from Bruges or Brussels. From other popular towns like Ghent or Dinant, it is convenient to take a trip via Brussels.
If you choose to travel by Flixbus, make sure to carry your passport. Most of the drivers do not allow boarding flixbus without passport and I saw two passengers were denied boarding even though they had valid resident permit of the Netherlands.The journey from Sloterdijk to Antwerp is a non-stop one but make sure to choose the destination carefully. Not all Flixbus stops near the Antwerp Central station. This is not a problem if you plan to spend a night but if you are in a hurry and want to cover many places in very short window then choose your destination location correctly.
Already in Belgium?
Within Belgium, Intercity train connects directly Brussels Central and Ghent with Antwerp. If you want to travel to/from Bruges, then you need to get down at Ghent and change the train. If you want to travel to/from Dinant, then you need to get down at Brussels Noord (North) and change the train. Brussels Central and Brussels Noord are walk-able but a very very long route. The flixbus stop of Brussels is near the Noord station.
That concludes my experience of solo short trip to Antwerp from September 2019. This would definitely not be the final time I stepped my foot in this beautiful little town of Belgium. Next time, I would be planning to stay a night here to have an experience of the night and would probably capture some nocturnal city-scape to share with you.
If you happen to wonder where to visit next, why not check out my blog post about the beautiful city of Ghent in the flanders region of Belgium.
Inspired to pay a visit to this beautiful city. Have any questions? Or have you been there already? Then how do you think of Antwerp and do you have something to share? Please use comment box below.