Antwerp

Exit the station onto Koningin Astridplein and walk west down Keyserlei, which flows into the Meir — Antwerp's grand boulevard lined with ornate Neoclassical façades and flagship stores — a pleasant 12-minute stroll. You will spot the cathedral's 123-meter North Tower, the tallest in the Low Countries, long before you arrive. Circle the building from the intimate Handschoenmarkt at the west entrance around to the open Groenplaats behind, where a bronze Rubens sits at his easel. Four of his masterpieces hang inside, but from out here the lace-like Gothic stonework silhouetted against the sky is the real canvas.

Tip: The best exterior photo is from Handschoenmarkt, the tiny cobblestone square at the cathedral's west entrance — stand near the iron well pump for a low-angle shot that captures the full tower without modern buildings intruding. At 10:00 the eastern sun illuminates the façade warmly; by afternoon it falls into shadow.

Walk three minutes north from the cathedral through narrow Zilversmidstraat and the square opens before you: a rectangle of ornate 16th-century guild houses, each topped with a gilded figurehead, flanking the imposing Renaissance Stadhuis. In the center stands the Brabo Fountain, depicting the Roman soldier Silvius Brabo hurling a giant's severed hand into the Scheldt — the origin myth that gave Antwerp its name (hand werpen, to throw a hand). This square is Antwerp's signature postcard, at once muscular and theatrical.

Tip: Position yourself on the west side of the square near the Brabo Fountain to frame the full sweep of guild houses behind the sculpture. At 11:00 the sun hits the eastern façades at a warm angle that turns the gilded details molten; by early afternoon the light flattens and the magic is gone.

Walk five minutes south from Grote Markt along Hoogstraat, then right into Korte Gasthuisstraat — a quiet lane where locals duck in and out of bakeries. Celebrity chef Sergio Herman took Belgium's national dish and gave it the reverence it deserves: double-fried Bintje potato frites served in a paper cone from a sleek black-and-gold counter. Crunchy exterior, cloud-soft inside, with sauces ranging from classic Flemish stoofvlees to black truffle mayonnaise. Order at the counter, eat standing at the marble ledge, and you are back on the road in twenty minutes.

Tip: Order the large cone with truffle mayonnaise (€8) — it is the signature combination. For more substance add the stoofvlees dipping pot (€4), a slow-braised Flemish beef stew that turns frites into a full meal. Skip the bottled drinks; grab a takeaway coffee from the café two doors east instead.

Walk north from the old city for fifteen minutes — slip through the hidden Vlaeykensgang, a medieval alley off Oude Koornmarkt that feels like a crack in time, then continue past the Baroque Sint-Pauluskerk and along the old harbor quays where red brick warehouses and rusted cranes recall Antwerp's centuries as Europe's busiest port. The MAS rises ahead: a 60-meter tower of stacked Indian red sandstone and undulating glass panels. Free exterior escalators zigzag up the building's outer walls, each floor opening onto a wider panorama. The rooftop terrace — no ticket required — delivers a full 360-degree view of the port cranes, the silver Scheldt, the cathedral spire, and the city dissolving into the Flemish plains.

Tip: Take the escalators all the way up without stopping — the lower floors tease partial views but only the rooftop delivers the full drama. Face south for the cathedral spire and city skyline, then turn north to watch container ships glide silently through Europe's second-largest port. Early afternoon light keeps the south-facing cityscape well-lit for photos.

Walk five minutes south from MAS along Godefriduskaai to this beloved brasserie in a cavernous 19th-century warehouse. Iron columns soar to the exposed timber roof and the space buzzes with Antwerp locals — architects, gallery owners, young families — not tour groups. The kitchen does confident Belgian brasserie cooking: stoofvlees arrives in a cast-iron pot with a mountain of golden frites, and the vol-au-vent — puff pastry brimming with creamy chicken, mushrooms, and a whisper of sherry — is the comfort dish every Belgian grew up craving. Pair either with a bolleke De Koninck, the city's own amber ale served in its signature stemmed goblet.

Tip: Arrive right at 19:00 to grab a table without a reservation — by 19:30 on weekends the wait stretches to 40 minutes. Order the stoofvlees (€23) or the vol-au-vent (€22) and absolutely get a bolleke De Koninck on draft (€3.50). Skip the tourist restaurants clustered around Grote Markt — they charge €30 for frozen moules and microwaved frites with laminated menus in six languages; Felix Pakhuis serves the real Antwerp at honest prices.

Walk one block east from the Grote Markt through the narrow Handschoenmarkt — you'll pass the small Nello and Patrasche statue, a tribute to the Victorian novel set in Antwerp. The cathedral's 123-meter Gothic spire appears suddenly above the rooftops, the tallest in the Low Countries. Inside hang four Rubens masterpieces, including the monumental Descent from the Cross and the Raising of the Cross, positioned exactly where Rubens intended them. Enter right at opening to see these altarpieces in near-solitude.

Tip: Go directly to the right transept first — the Descent from the Cross is the painting most visitors crowd around, but at 10:00 you'll have it to yourself for five quiet minutes. Morning light through the eastern clerestory windows illuminates the central panel perfectly. Closed on Sundays until 13:00.

Exit the cathedral and walk south across Groenplaats into Korte Gasthuisstraat — five minutes of strolling past chocolate shops. This is celebrity chef Sergio Herman's shrine to the Belgian frite: hand-cut Bintje potatoes double-fried in beef tallow, served in a paper cone with house-made sauces. Order the classic cone with truffle mayonnaise (€9) and add a garnaalkroket — a shrimp croquette with a shattering golden crust and molten North Sea shrimp inside (€6). This is the most Belgian lunch possible in under 45 minutes.

Tip: The Flemish stoverij dipping sauce (€2.50) — a dark beer-braised beef gravy — is the one locals order; skip the ketchup. Eat standing at the counter like everyone else. Budget €12-18 per person. Don't be tempted by the tourist-priced waffle stands on Groenplaats — they're frozen and reheated.

Walk east along the pedestrianized Meir — Antwerp's grand shopping boulevard lined with ornate 19th-century facades — then turn right onto Wapper. Ten minutes total. This is the palazzo Rubens designed for himself: half Flemish townhouse, half Italian courtyard villa. The baroque portico connecting the two wings — a triumphal arch dropped into the middle of a residential street — is the single most photogenic frame in the city. The studio where he painted with a team of assistants is vast and still flooded with the northern light from the oversized windows he specified.

Tip: The garden courtyard behind the portico is the money shot — photograph it from inside the studio doorway looking out, framing the arch with the garden beyond. Buy tickets online in advance; walk-up queues build after 14:00 on weekends. Closed on Mondays.

Walk west from Rubens House through the winding old town — twelve minutes along Lange Gasthuisstraat, past the neoclassical Bourla Theater colonnade, to Vrijdagmarkt. This UNESCO World Heritage site is the only preserved Renaissance printing workshop on earth. The room of original Garamond typefaces — the oldest surviving punches in existence, still razor-sharp after 450 years — is worth the visit alone. The Plantin and Moretus families ran Europe's most influential publishing house from this building for three centuries.

Tip: Room 7 holds the Gutenberg Bible pages and the original Garamond type punches — don't rush through. The inner courtyard with its vine-covered walls is a hidden rest spot most visitors walk past entirely. Free admission on the first Wednesday of each month. Closed on Mondays.

An eight-minute walk north from Plantin-Moretus along Steenhouwersvest brings you to Graanmarkt and the neoclassical Bourla Theater. The restaurant occupies the theater's grand rotunda — a soaring domed ceiling above crisp tablecloths, with the energy of a Parisian brasserie and the warmth of a Flemish kitchen. Order the steak tartare prepared tableside (€26) or the sole meunière with brown butter (€32). The wine list leans French-Belgian with strong by-the-glass options.

Tip: Reserve one day ahead and ask for a table under the dome — the acoustics make conversation intimate despite the grand room. Budget €40-60 per person with wine. Avoid the restaurant strip along the Suikerrui near the Scheldt — those waterfront terraces charge double for half the quality and cater exclusively to tourists off the river cruise boats.