About Antwerp

Antwerp is a central city in the Flemish Region in Belgium. It is the capital of the province of Antwerp and of the district of the same name. Antwerp has approximately 529,000 inhabitants, making it the largest municipality in Belgium in terms of population.

Antwerp is also the largest city in the Flemish Region and the most important port in Belgium. In addition, Antwerp is also one of the most popular cities for a day or a weekend trip for international tourists.

While you may have picked up on Antwerp’s status as diamond central or the steady stream of talented fashion designers it produces the second-largest city in Belgium has a lot more pleasant surprises in store.

What is known in Antwerp?

Belgium’s second city and biggest port is Antwerp and without a doubt, this charming city is the country’s capital of cool. It’s long been a powerful magnet for everyone from fashion moguls and club queens to art lovers and diamond dealers. In the mid-16th century it was one of Europe’s most important cities and home to baroque superstar painter Pieter Paul Rubens, as you’ll be regularly reminded - there are numerous places to admire his works across the city. Despite many historical travails thereafter and severe WWII bombing, Antwerp retains an intriguing medieval heart with plenty of café-filled cobbled lanes, a riverside fortress and a truly impressive cathedral. Today Antwerp’s top drawcards are its truly vibrant fashion and entertainment scene, along with its startling architectural and cultural contrasts.

Antwerp is also the city that strongly believes that you can always do things just that little bit differently. Enjoy architectural feats such as the Antwerp Law Courts, the Bourla Theatre and MAS | Museum. Treat yourself to dishes from all over the world. Explore the shopping streets with the many high-end shops and unique concept stores. Take a stroll along the River Scheldt and gaze at the port from afar. Don’t forget to visit the diamond district. And what about museums like the Rubens House, the Red Star Line Museum, Diamond Museum, Royal Arts Museum, or Museum Plantin-Moretus. With world-class collections in a unique setting. Discover why our city is different from other cities. Discover Atypical Antwerp.

What makes Antwerp attractive to visit?

It Antwerp is bustling again like never before. There's so much discover here, but where do you start? That's why we'd like to give you some tips to fully enjoy your visit:

• Museum Plantin-Moretus: The medieval building and 1622 courtyard garden alone would be worth a visit, but it's the world's oldest printing press, priceless manuscripts and original type sets that justify this museum's Unesco World Heritage status. It's been a museum since 1876 and its other great highlights include a 1640 library, a bookshop dating from 1700 and rooms lined with gilt leather. The valuable painting collection includes work by Rubens, a family friend of Jan Moretus, and there are fascinating examples of Moretus-published books by Rubens’ brother Philip, illustrated by Pieter Paul.
• Rubens House: This delightfully indulgent 1611 mansion was built as a home and studio for celebrated painter Pieter Paul Rubens. It was rescued from ruins in 1937 and has been very sensitively restored with furniture that dates from Rubens’ era plus a priceless collection of 17th-century art. There are around a dozen Rubens canvases, most memorably his world-famous hatted self-portrait and a large-scale canvas of Eve glancing lustfully at Adam's fig leaf.
• The Grote Markt in Antwerp: As is the case with every great Flemish city, Antwerp’s medieval heart is a classic Grote Markt (market square). Here the triangular, pedestrianised space features the voluptuous, baroque Brabo Fountain depicting the hero of Antwerp’s giant-killing, hand-throwing foundation legend. Flanked on two sides by very photogenic guildhalls, the square is dominated by an impressive Italo-Flemish Renaissance-style town hall completed in 1565.

Antwerp is a city that truly has something to offer to everyone! With its glorious past reflected in the most beautiful historic buildings and world-famous art, but also modern architecture, interesting museums, and some of the best shopping and dining in Europe, Antwerp is more than worth a trip.

Welcome to Antwerp! Get inspired for a vibrant experience full of fashion, shopping, gastronomy, culture and architecture. Whatever is on your city trip checklist, Antwerp has it all.