Antwerp
Belgium
- Cityscape
- Lively Flemish city port
- City Life
- High-fashion and foodie hub
Antwerp has always had an eye for beauty and life’s finer things; how else would the thriving port and city have become the glittering centre of the world’s diamond industry and be at the cutting edge of avant-garde minimalist fashion?
While the city’s proud heritage is on permanent display, thanks to stately 16th-century guildhouses, noble churches and an enviable collection of fleshy masterpieces by home-grown artistic genius Rubens, the modern illustrations of Antwerp’s talents seem less well known. In recent decades, Antwerp’s prestigious Royal Academy of Fine Art has produced a new generation of designers that have helped transform the city into one of the most exciting in Europe – a cutting-edge fashion centre to match the continent’s best. The streets to the south of the Gothic cathedral are lined with boutiques and showrooms to satisfy even the most demanding fashionista. Nor are the city’s creative skills limited to cloth cutting; the Belgian love of gastronomy – paired with an almost monastic dedication to fine beers – is legendary. With its slinky cocktail lounges, chic restaurants and irresistible moules and frites, Antwerp offers an experience of Rubenesque sensuality.
Pictured: Hotel Julien
Boutique hotels in Antwerp
Our round-up of the hippest hideaways and boutique hotels in Antwerp
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Getting there
We give you the inside track on how to get to Antwerp and how to get around this on-the-pulse city
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Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights the best Antwerp has to offer, from museums packed with Old Masters to cutting-edge fashion; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
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Eating, drinking & dancing
We've tracked down the best cafés for people-watching, the bars with the coolest cocktails, the most accomplished restaurants and the liveliest local nightlife in Antwerp.
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Smith Maps
Here's an interactive map of Antwerp; the location of each Mr & Mrs Smith hotel is marked by a flag. Click on it to see the hotel's address.
moreLocal knowledge
- Taxis
- You can flag down taxis in the street, but you’ll probably have more luck at a taxi rank. It may be easier to ask your hotel or restaurant to make a booking for you, or ring cab firm Antwerp-Tax (+32 (0)3 238 3838).
- Tipping culture
- Service is normally included in restaurants, so a few coins will be considered sufficient.
- Packing tips
- Either pack lightly or bring an extra suitcase; odds are you’ll be coming back from Antwerp with more than you came with after shopping all weekend.
- Recommended reads
- Antwerp by Nicholas Royle; The Good Beer Guide to Belgium by Tim Webb; Rubens by Gilles Neret; Tintin in Tibet by Hergé.
- Cuisine
- Belgium is a real treat for gourmands and Antwerp has its fair share of Michelin-starred restaurants. Seafood is particularly good, including shrimp, mussels, crab, skate and sole. A popular and delicious snack is moules frites, which pairs the mighty mussel with the world’s finest chips. The city’s sizeable Jewish district near the railway station means this is a good place to try kosher cuisine, too. There’s also a dazzling array of Belgian beers, particularly the wonderful blond-style beers produced by the Duvel brewery, just outside Antwerp.
- Currency
- Euro.
- Time zone
- GMT +1.
- Dialing codes
- Country code for Belgium: +32. Antwerp: 03.
- Do go/don't go
- Antwerp is a year-round destination with a mild climate. Like many European cities, you’ll find just as many tourists as locals in high summer. As Antwerp is a centre of fashion, you might want to time your visit to coincide with the start of the buying season (spring or autumn).
