Guidebook for Antwerpen

Wim
Guidebook for Antwerpen

Food Scene

Great dimsums! You have to try Ha Kau. Chinese restaurant.
8 locals recommend
Fong Mei
65 Van Arteveldestraat
8 locals recommend
Great dimsums! You have to try Ha Kau. Chinese restaurant.
Famous for the suckling pig. Chinese restaurant.
Lung Wah
38 Van Wesenbekestraat
Famous for the suckling pig. Chinese restaurant.
A chef from Istanbul. The best Kofte in town!
Köfteci Doktor
124 Brederodestraat
A chef from Istanbul. The best Kofte in town!
Vegetarian Indian Kitchen. Try the Dahi Puri, a vegetarian snack with potatoes and chili.
24 locals recommend
Aahaar Delux
23 Lange Herentalsestraat
24 locals recommend
Vegetarian Indian Kitchen. Try the Dahi Puri, a vegetarian snack with potatoes and chili.
The Pad Thai with big shrimps is delicious.
8 locals recommend
Tawan Tai
3 Van Arteveldestraat
8 locals recommend
The Pad Thai with big shrimps is delicious.
Delicious traditional Jewish kitchen. Big counter where you can simply point out the dishes you like. The staff and owners will happily help you with your choices.
Hoffy's Restaurant & Take Away
52 Lange Kievitstraat
Delicious traditional Jewish kitchen. Big counter where you can simply point out the dishes you like. The staff and owners will happily help you with your choices.
Jewish bakery. Famous for its tradional bread, eastern european specialties and cheesecake.
8 locals recommend
Bread and Confectionery Kleinblatt
206 Provinciestraat
8 locals recommend
Jewish bakery. Famous for its tradional bread, eastern european specialties and cheesecake.
Spanish restaurant, famous for many years.
12 locals recommend
Las Mañas
42 Ankerrui
12 locals recommend
Spanish restaurant, famous for many years.
If you like Empanadas.
Buenos Aires Empanadas
3 Koepoortbrug
If you like Empanadas.
Great Belgian chocolates and cakes.
8 locals recommend
Chocolatier Del Rey (Chocolate)
5 Appelmansstraat
8 locals recommend
Great Belgian chocolates and cakes.
Very famous restaurant in Antwerp. It's listed in the Michelin guide.
9 locals recommend
't Fornuis
24 Reyndersstraat
9 locals recommend
Very famous restaurant in Antwerp. It's listed in the Michelin guide.
If you like Sushi.
Fuji-San
36 Waalsekaai
If you like Sushi.
Simple dining, but good! Fish, oysters and kingcrab.
72 locals recommend
Fiskebar
12 Marnixplaats
72 locals recommend
Simple dining, but good! Fish, oysters and kingcrab.
Good for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
52 locals recommend
Mampoko
8 Amerikalei
52 locals recommend
Good for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Very good restaurant. Competitive prices, choose the menu off the day!
34 locals recommend
restaurant Veranda
34 Lange Lobroekstraat
34 locals recommend
Very good restaurant. Competitive prices, choose the menu off the day!
Good Italian restaurant on the top floor. No pizza's.
8 locals recommend
Gran Duca
28 De Keyserlei
8 locals recommend
Good Italian restaurant on the top floor. No pizza's.
Libanese kitchen.
Tarbouch
18 Appelmansstraat
Libanese kitchen.
Pizza's with the taste of Napels. Really good.
21 locals recommend
Pizzeria Bellini
75 Transvaalstraat
21 locals recommend
Pizza's with the taste of Napels. Really good.
Good coffee, breakfast and lunch.
19 locals recommend
Kornél
1 Sint-Lambertusstraat
19 locals recommend
Good coffee, breakfast and lunch.
Very good restaurant. If you want something special on your plate you will not be disappointed.
9 locals recommend
Troubadour
32 Tiensestraat
9 locals recommend
Very good restaurant. If you want something special on your plate you will not be disappointed.
Lobsterhouse with a pure taste.
Restaurantje Den Beer
85 Handelstraat
Lobsterhouse with a pure taste.
Sushi, simple but good.
28 locals recommend
Zaowang
22 Oude Koornmarkt
28 locals recommend
Sushi, simple but good.
Food for foodies!
10 locals recommend
DÔME
2 Grotehondstraat
10 locals recommend
Food for foodies!
Probably the only pita place with a reference in GaultMillau. Good for a fast and easy snack or dinner. Great pita and falafel.
30 locals recommend
Finjan
1 Graaf van Hoornestraat
30 locals recommend
Probably the only pita place with a reference in GaultMillau. Good for a fast and easy snack or dinner. Great pita and falafel.
High end restaurant. Famous chef. Located in an old church. Make your reservation long in advance.
63 locals recommend
The Jane
1 Paradeplein
63 locals recommend
High end restaurant. Famous chef. Located in an old church. Make your reservation long in advance.
Very good moroccan cuisine. Famous for their tajines. We love their humus, feta salad, sardines and Egyptian bouillabaisse.
13 locals recommend
El Warda
4 Draakstraat
13 locals recommend
Very good moroccan cuisine. Famous for their tajines. We love their humus, feta salad, sardines and Egyptian bouillabaisse.
Modern French-Belgian cuisine. Pure tastes, great ingredients, original combinations. Somewhere between mid-range and high-end: a bit more expensive, but a bit better than many restaurants.
In de balans
7 Kaasrui
Modern French-Belgian cuisine. Pure tastes, great ingredients, original combinations. Somewhere between mid-range and high-end: a bit more expensive, but a bit better than many restaurants.
Good for classical Belgian cuisine. Cosy place, big portions, good quality.
11 locals recommend
De Pottekijker
5 Kaasrui
11 locals recommend
Good for classical Belgian cuisine. Cosy place, big portions, good quality.
Traditional Belgian cuisine. Famous for it's shrimp croquettes. Order them with a glass of Rodenbach (Belgian beer).
Brasserie De Kleine Post
Traditional Belgian cuisine. Famous for it's shrimp croquettes. Order them with a glass of Rodenbach (Belgian beer).

Entertainment & Activities

Famous local concert/theater/... hall, with a rich history and strong ties with the neighborhood.
76 locals recommend
the Roma
286 Turnhoutsebaan
76 locals recommend
Famous local concert/theater/... hall, with a rich history and strong ties with the neighborhood.
Main cinema in the city center.
57 locals recommend
UGC
17 Van Ertbornstraat
57 locals recommend
Main cinema in the city center.
Concert hall. The biggest one in Antwerp.
67 locals recommend
Antwerpen Sportpaleis station
67 locals recommend
Concert hall. The biggest one in Antwerp.
Concert hall and the home-base off the basketball team Antwerp Giants.
19 locals recommend
Lotto Arena
119 Schijnpoortweg
19 locals recommend
Concert hall and the home-base off the basketball team Antwerp Giants.
Indoor theme park for kids. Situated at the back entrance of the central train station.
14 locals recommend
Comics Station Antwerp
Mediaplein
14 locals recommend
Indoor theme park for kids. Situated at the back entrance of the central train station.
Yearly fair in Antwerp. With over 100 attractions, it is one of the biggest fairs in Belgium. In principle it starts the weekend of Pentecost (May/June) and stays for 5 weeks. Check the exact dates and opening hours online: https://www.antwerpen.be/nl/overzicht/sinksenfoor/
Sinksenfoor
Buurtspoorweglei
Yearly fair in Antwerp. With over 100 attractions, it is one of the biggest fairs in Belgium. In principle it starts the weekend of Pentecost (May/June) and stays for 5 weeks. Check the exact dates and opening hours online: https://www.antwerpen.be/nl/overzicht/sinksenfoor/

Arts & Culture

Main library. On the ground floor you have some expositions.
11 locals recommend
Bibliotheek Permeke
26 De Coninckplein
11 locals recommend
Main library. On the ground floor you have some expositions.
Small concerthall nearby.
48 locals recommend
Trix
28 Noordersingel
48 locals recommend
Small concerthall nearby.
The MAS is more than an interesting building with countless impressive objects. Discover what makes the museum so unique and how it works.
475 locals recommend
MAS - Museum by the River
1 Hanzestedenplaats
475 locals recommend
The MAS is more than an interesting building with countless impressive objects. Discover what makes the museum so unique and how it works.
Rubens in a nutshell.
166 locals recommend
The Rubens House
9-11 Wapper
166 locals recommend
Rubens in a nutshell.
Museum for contemporary art. If you like contemporary art and have enough time, visit it. It's special.
26 locals recommend
Verbeke Foundation
1 Westakker
26 locals recommend
Museum for contemporary art. If you like contemporary art and have enough time, visit it. It's special.
Museum and tribute to the famous Red Star Line, the Belgian shipping company that operated a regular service between Antwerp and America between the 1870's and 1930's.
129 locals recommend
Red Star Line Museum
3 Montevideostraat
129 locals recommend
Museum and tribute to the famous Red Star Line, the Belgian shipping company that operated a regular service between Antwerp and America between the 1870's and 1930's.
The Museum of Contemporary Art in Antwerp.
147 locals recommend
Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp
32 Leuvenstraat
147 locals recommend
The Museum of Contemporary Art in Antwerp.
Museum Vleeshuis looks back at six hundred years of music and dance in the city. You will be immersed in the stories of musicians, shown how musical instruments are made, taken to the first balls and opera performances…and especially enjoy many beautiful sounds.
19 locals recommend
Museum Vleeshuis
38 Vleeshouwersstraat
19 locals recommend
Museum Vleeshuis looks back at six hundred years of music and dance in the city. You will be immersed in the stories of musicians, shown how musical instruments are made, taken to the first balls and opera performances…and especially enjoy many beautiful sounds.
Walk inside the printing office and house of the Plantin-Moretus family as if you were a friend of theirs visiting 400 years ago.
81 locals recommend
Plantin-Moretus Museum
22 Vrijdagmarkt
81 locals recommend
Walk inside the printing office and house of the Plantin-Moretus family as if you were a friend of theirs visiting 400 years ago.
Fashion museum. Also known as MoMu.
152 locals recommend
ModeMuseum
28 Nationalestraat
152 locals recommend
Fashion museum. Also known as MoMu.
Arts Campus. Big variety of performance arts: mostly music, dance and theater. Check the agenda: https://desingel.be/en
33 locals recommend
deSingel
25 Desguinlei
33 locals recommend
Arts Campus. Big variety of performance arts: mostly music, dance and theater. Check the agenda: https://desingel.be/en

Sightseeing

Central train station. It has been voted "most beautiful train station in the world" several times. It's huge and beautiful indeed. See its majestic old facade from "De Keyserlei" or "Koningin Astridplein". From there you can enter the old main hall. Walk up the big staircase and look down on the platforms: the old architecture behind and above you is beautifully mixed with the new platforms (deep) below.
188 locals recommend
Antwerpen Centraal station
27 Koningin Astridplein
188 locals recommend
Central train station. It has been voted "most beautiful train station in the world" several times. It's huge and beautiful indeed. See its majestic old facade from "De Keyserlei" or "Koningin Astridplein". From there you can enter the old main hall. Walk up the big staircase and look down on the platforms: the old architecture behind and above you is beautifully mixed with the new platforms (deep) below.
Below the city lie its old sewers. These sewers, known as "De Ruien", are a shadow of the rich history above ground. Sewers, streams and fortifications have crisscrossed Antwerp ever since the Middle Ages. This network of both natural and man-made waterways provided the city with water and an internal harbour. You can take guided tours : http://ruien.be/en/
34 locals recommend
De Ruien
21 Suikerrui
34 locals recommend
Below the city lie its old sewers. These sewers, known as "De Ruien", are a shadow of the rich history above ground. Sewers, streams and fortifications have crisscrossed Antwerp ever since the Middle Ages. This network of both natural and man-made waterways provided the city with water and an internal harbour. You can take guided tours : http://ruien.be/en/
Main square of Borgerhout (the area in Antwerp, where you are staying) with beautifull city-hall (built 1886-1889, completely renovated in 2017).
Moorkensplein
Moorkensplein
Main square of Borgerhout (the area in Antwerp, where you are staying) with beautifull city-hall (built 1886-1889, completely renovated in 2017).
Outdoor museum. Where a park meets art.
83 locals recommend
Middelheim Museum
61 Middelheimlaan
83 locals recommend
Outdoor museum. Where a park meets art.
Famous Cathedral in Antwerp.
177 locals recommend
Cathedral of Our Lady
21 Groenplaats
177 locals recommend
Famous Cathedral in Antwerp.
The ancient monument Het Steen is undergoing a substantial renovation. Het Steen will be the gateway to Antwerp in 2020 and familiarise visitors with the past, present and future of this attraction. In the meantime stroll past the building, take lovely photos and discover what's in store for the building at the information stand.
85 locals recommend
Hetsteen
1 Steenplein
85 locals recommend
The ancient monument Het Steen is undergoing a substantial renovation. Het Steen will be the gateway to Antwerp in 2020 and familiarise visitors with the past, present and future of this attraction. In the meantime stroll past the building, take lovely photos and discover what's in store for the building at the information stand.
This street, the Cogels-Osylei, is probably the most beautiful street in Antwerp. Magnificent Art Nouveau buildings.
83 locals recommend
Cogels Osylei
Cogels-Osylei
83 locals recommend
This street, the Cogels-Osylei, is probably the most beautiful street in Antwerp. Magnificent Art Nouveau buildings.
The square "Grote Markt" is the center of the historical center of Antwerp. It's a beautiful square with the town hall. Stroll around in the surrounding streets to see historic Antwerp.
157 locals recommend
Grote Markt
Grote Markt
157 locals recommend
The square "Grote Markt" is the center of the historical center of Antwerp. It's a beautiful square with the town hall. Stroll around in the surrounding streets to see historic Antwerp.

Parks & Nature

The zoo of Antwerp. Situated next to the central train station. You can still see its origins from the 19th century here and there, but heavily renovated over the years.
188 locals recommend
ZOO Antwerpen
20-26 Koningin Astridplein
188 locals recommend
The zoo of Antwerp. Situated next to the central train station. You can still see its origins from the 19th century here and there, but heavily renovated over the years.
Nice in the summer to sit and relax, or play Kubb or another outdoor game. There is a bar, but often with a big waiting line to order. So if you don't mind sitting on the grass, better bring your own drinks. Nice play area for young children, including a play fountain.
183 locals recommend
Park Spoor Noord
Ellermanstraat
183 locals recommend
Nice in the summer to sit and relax, or play Kubb or another outdoor game. There is a bar, but often with a big waiting line to order. So if you don't mind sitting on the grass, better bring your own drinks. Nice play area for young children, including a play fountain.
Big park. Nice to walk. There's also an open air theater (http://www.oltrivierenhof.be/).
10 locals recommend
Kasteel Rivierenhof
244 Turnhoutsebaan
10 locals recommend
Big park. Nice to walk. There's also an open air theater (http://www.oltrivierenhof.be/).
City park. Small, and not too special, but closeby. Popular for jogging. It has a play area for kids. Often crowded in the summer. Not advised to go here alone at night.
28 locals recommend
Antwerpen Stadspark station
28 locals recommend
City park. Small, and not too special, but closeby. Popular for jogging. It has a play area for kids. Often crowded in the summer. Not advised to go here alone at night.

Drinks & Nightlife

Famous for the large number of different kind of beers.
30 locals recommend
Cafe Kulminator
32 Vleminckveld
30 locals recommend
Famous for the large number of different kind of beers.
Very famous local pub at the "Dageraadplaats".
96 locals recommend
Zeezicht
7-8 Dageraadplaats
96 locals recommend
Very famous local pub at the "Dageraadplaats".
It's on the same square like café Zeezicht, but more cosy.
28 locals recommend
Café Moeskop
17 Dageraadplaats
28 locals recommend
It's on the same square like café Zeezicht, but more cosy.
Small café. Nice place. In summer people gather here after work. Nice green square in front, with big play area for young kids. www.barleon.be
69 locals recommend
bar Leon
23 Reuzenstraat
69 locals recommend
Small café. Nice place. In summer people gather here after work. Nice green square in front, with big play area for young kids. www.barleon.be
Famous discotheque.
55 locals recommend
Café d'Anvers
15 Verversrui
55 locals recommend
Famous discotheque.
Night club with electronic music.
26 locals recommend
Club Vaag
4 Rijnkaai
26 locals recommend
Night club with electronic music.
Small and typical local bar. Sometimes live music (check the website for the agenda). Usually closed in summer. http://plazareal.be/ . Occasional parties next door, in an old factory called "Pekfabrik" (google for the agenda)
29 locals recommend
Plaza Real / De Steeg
89 Kattenberg
29 locals recommend
Small and typical local bar. Sometimes live music (check the website for the agenda). Usually closed in summer. http://plazareal.be/ . Occasional parties next door, in an old factory called "Pekfabrik" (google for the agenda)
Great bar in the summer. Lots of sun, nice view over the water, relaxed atmosphere. Only open during summer months.
34 locals recommend
Bar Paniek
21B Kattendijkdok-Oostkaai
34 locals recommend
Great bar in the summer. Lots of sun, nice view over the water, relaxed atmosphere. Only open during summer months.
Small local pub. Sometimes concerts and performances. Check the agenda on the website.
8 locals recommend
Rood-wit
42 Generaal Drubbelstraat
8 locals recommend
Small local pub. Sometimes concerts and performances. Check the agenda on the website.
Great square to have lunch/diner and/or spend an afternoon/evening on a terrace in summer. Several bars and restaurants (our favorites are mentioned elsewhere in this list). Bustling atmosphere on sunny days. Small play area for young kids, and a small basketball and soccer field. Sometimes live music in summer.
136 locals recommend
Dageraadplaats
Dageraadplaats
136 locals recommend
Great square to have lunch/diner and/or spend an afternoon/evening on a terrace in summer. Several bars and restaurants (our favorites are mentioned elsewhere in this list). Bustling atmosphere on sunny days. Small play area for young kids, and a small basketball and soccer field. Sometimes live music in summer.

Shopping

The biggest shopping street in Antwerp.
151 locals recommend
Meir
Meir
151 locals recommend
The biggest shopping street in Antwerp.
Together with the Nationalestraat, the center of the fashion district. De Kammenstraat has several smaller authentic clothing stores.
69 locals recommend
Kammenstraat
Kammenstraat
69 locals recommend
Together with the Nationalestraat, the center of the fashion district. De Kammenstraat has several smaller authentic clothing stores.
Julie is one of our best friends. She has her own clothing store in the center of the fashion district. Expect cute and funny prints, decent quality and a lot of custom designs at very affordable prices.
By Julie
54 Kammenstraat
Julie is one of our best friends. She has her own clothing store in the center of the fashion district. Expect cute and funny prints, decent quality and a lot of custom designs at very affordable prices.
Antwerp's little Chinatown. A beautiful Asian archway gives entrance to the street. Many Asian mini- and super-markets and restaurants.
24 locals recommend
Chinatown
24 locals recommend
Antwerp's little Chinatown. A beautiful Asian archway gives entrance to the street. Many Asian mini- and super-markets and restaurants.
Parallel to the biggest shopping street in Antwerp (Meir) is Hopland, probably the most expensive shopping street in Antwerp. Several of the more expensive and exclusive clothing brands are located here.
11 locals recommend
Hopland
Hopland
11 locals recommend
Parallel to the biggest shopping street in Antwerp (Meir) is Hopland, probably the most expensive shopping street in Antwerp. Several of the more expensive and exclusive clothing brands are located here.
Together with the Kammenstraat, the center of the fashion district in Antwerp. Many shops, a mix of big fashion designers, small shops and commercial brands. The fashion museum (MoMu) is also located here.
44 locals recommend
Nationalestraat
Nationalestraat
44 locals recommend
Together with the Kammenstraat, the center of the fashion district in Antwerp. Many shops, a mix of big fashion designers, small shops and commercial brands. The fashion museum (MoMu) is also located here.