From Old Masters to cocktails in teapots: Why Antwerp should be your next city break
Medieval meets modern in Belgium's port city of Antwerp, the home of baroque and famed 16th-century painter Pieter Paul Rubens. Emma Thomson and Nick Trend take a look at why 2018 is the perfect time to visit.
Go now
One of Europe’s greatest medieval, Renaissance and baroque cities is celebrating its heritage this year with a series of events and exhibitions focusing on its Old Master painters (visitflanders.com). But it isn’t just a city of the past – Belgium’s fashion capital is a great place to shop. Connections from the UK come courtesy of a new service from London Southend airport, from March 25, with Flybe (flybe.com), as well as the regular rail route via Brussels with Eurostar (eurostar.com).
Stay here
Hotel De Witte Lelie (1) is a boutique hotel formed from three 17th-century town houses, which mixes decadent style and eccentricity in the heart of the city. Doubles from ￡234 with breakfast. Elzenveld Hotel & Seminarie (2) is an ex-medieval hospice with historic garden courtyards. Rooms and facilities are fairly basic, but there’s a generous breakfast and the hotel is good value for a short stay. Doubles from ￡60, with breakfast.
Walk here
Start at the splendid Grote Markt (3), the main square, where the grand city hall was rebuilt in the 1560s. Then head for the massive, seven-aisle Gothic cathedral (4), 170 years in the making with four great altarpieces painted by local boy Peter Paul Rubens. Finish your walk by slipping through the narrow side streets to his former residence – the Rubenshuis (5) (rubenshuis.be), which he bought in 1610 and rebuilt using the latest ideas from his stay in Rome.
See this
The Museum Plantin-Moretus (6) (museumplantinmoretus.be) dates from the mid-16th century and was one of Europe’s earliest and greatest printing houses. There’s an excellent collection of books, prints, maps, presses and paintings.
Try this
Even if you don’t arrive by train, you have to see the station (7). It’s palatial – one of the grandest anywhere.
Shop here
Nationalestraat (8) is the centre of Antwerp’s much-vaunted fashion and designer scene. Look out also for concept store Enes (9) (enes.be) in a typical town house on Volkstraat.
Drink here
Twenties-style Dogma (10) on Wijngaardstraat 5 (dogmacocktails.be), where the complimentary water is laced with absinthe and the cocktails come in teapots. Most drinks hover around the €12 (￡10) mark.
Eat here
At Sail and Anchor (11) on Guldenvliesstraat 60 in the upmarket Zurenborg district (sailandanchor.be), they mingle modern British and Flemish to tempt taste buds with salt and vinegar shrimps, or brown beer sourdough and turbot roe. Expect to pay around €120 (￡100) for a tasting menu, including wine.
Off the map
Jump on the train to nearby Mechelen – another great trading city and once capital of the Low Countries.
More information
See the Visit Flanders website (visitflanders.com)