Antwerp sightseeing

In Antwerp there are many things that are really worth visiting and to keep track easily, you might divide the city in two, North of Antwerp and South of Antwerp. On the North side you can find the Rubenshuis, a museum of Ruben’s life and artwork. (Entrance fee: 7€, free audio guide).

The home of 16th century bookbinder Christoffel Plantin, the Plantin Moreuts Museum, is seen as one of the finest museums dedicated to printing in the world. If you are looking for something truly impressive you can not possibly miss the Cathedral of Our Lady, on of the biggest Gothic cathedrals in Northern Europe, also housing some famous Rubens paintings. The historical centre of town, the City Hall/Old Market Square, is surrounded by the typical medieval guild houses you can find in most Flemish historical towns. The city hall is a combination between Gothic and early renaissance style, a special architectural style found almost exclusively in this region of Europe.

A rather small medieval castle on the banks of the river Schelde, Het Steen("The Stone"), used to function as city fortification, nowadays it houses a naval museum.

For theater lovers it is recommended to check out the 19th century neo-classicist Bourla theatre, which is nice from the outside and spectacular from the inside.
If you haven’t visited a Zoo in a while, here is your chance to check out one of the oldest Zoos in the world, with 19th century design and architecture, retaining all of the original buildings, cages and gardens, housing more than 4000 animals.

Further on you can have a look at the Red Light District, the Diamond District( Jewish quarter), the Aquatopia aquarium , The Begijnhof, a sort of medieval monastery for women, the Boerentoren(Farmer’s tower) renowned for it typical art-deco sculptures, and you must take a walk on the hidden street Vlaeykensgang.

The south part of the city is known as the trendy part since the restoration, with a huge square as its center called, "de gedempte zuiderdokken"(‘the filled up southern docks’).
Here you can find the MUHKA( Museum of Contemporary arts), the Photography Museum, the Fine Arts Museum, with an outstanding collection of paintings from the 15th century up to the 20th century, and have a look at the Palace of Justice( both of them).

One of the nicest parks is the Middelheim Park, which houses an open-air exhibition of modern sculpture, including works by Rodin, Hans Arp and many others.

Antwerp highlights