The Best of Antwerp

One of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen. It houses some of the most famous Rubens paintings including Decent from the Cross and aside from the slightly touristy feel and tours in multiple languages going on constantly, it is a good place to go for a traditional Catholic mass on Sunday morning.

On Saturday mornings there is a sort of farmer's market near the Mier and Rubenshaus in front of the big opera theater. They have all sorts of food and gifts and little food stands where you can find pretty much anything from souveniers to vegetables and nice cheeses. I am always amazed at the quality of the things here and the prices are never too bad. There is also a little cafe that serves good Irish coffee if it gets too cold or rainy. The best way to do it, in my opinion, is to get a glass of cava or gluwijn and a waffle first, then sample some cheese, and then snack your way through the stands. The Moroccan nut stand is wonderful. Most of the trailers and shops are family owned and most of the things are imported from interesting places.

This is a wonderful little hotel that has a restaurant down the street. This is possibly my most favorite restaurant in the world. The food is world class and the wine selection is impressive. It is a bit pricey but worth one meal if you find yourself in Antwerp. The owners are wonderful and the service can't be beat. But make reservations in advance because it gets booked up early (as I recently found out). The hotel is also nice. Typically European, meaning relatively small rooms, but it is immaculate and the family who owns the place puts a lot of effort into making their guests feel at home. Downstairs they serve a wonderful breakfast.

Cute pub-style bar near the main cathedral in Antwerp that serves over 200 flavors of geneva (gin) and some small snacks. The music sounds like German opera music and the decor seems hundreds of years old. My favorite flavors are chocolate and vanilla. If you can think of a flavor they probably have it. It is also right across the way from a nice little cafe with good service, soup, and traditional Belgian food.

Fun place to get cocktails, great Mojitos and Manhattans, walking distance to lots of restaurants.

A large collection of Rubens paintings and reasonable admission prices. Not too huge but beautiful and totally worth seeing if you like art museums. Rubens was from Antwerp which makes it a little more fun, in my opinion, and most of the best paintings are here or in the Cathedral.

Great Restaurant and the only steak I've had in Belgium that compares even slightly to an American steak. They also have some interesting old water pumps in the bottom of the building and a fun and fancy atmosphere.

Best. Club. Ever. A little smokey and it cost 15 Euros to get in, but the music is phenomenal in both the house section downstairs and the hip-hop section upstairs, the dance floor is amazing and has a huge fan so it doesn't get too hot, the drinks aren't entirely overpriced compared to other bars in Antwerp (10 Euros for a beer and a whiskey and coke), the staff is very friendly and attentive, there is a coat check, and it is open all hours of the night. The atmosphere and decorations are very modern and make it feel sort of spacey. There is a good mix of both gay and straight people giving it a very tolerant, be-yourself type of feel. A friend and I got there around midnight and danced until 6 in the morning without even realizing it, making the cover charge absolutely worth it. It is in the middle of the red light district, which didn't bother me at all, but might be an important detail for those who want to avoid looking at prostitutes in windows.

This speaks for itself. If you like diamonds and museums definitely try to stop by. This really is a beautiful and interesting place and it is in the diamond district should you feel inspired to buy some diamonds afterwards.

A brewery near the Firean Hotel that gives tours with reservations, and some Saturdays they have tours without reservations at 3 o'clock. The beer is good and the tour is interesting.

Great seafood restaruant overlooking the Schilde River. They have a great bar downstairs with a huge selection of whiskey. They have several types of fish that we don't eat in the U.S. and I haven't been disappointed with any of the ones I've tried (and I can be a picky fish eater). I like the cod the best. The service is good also. Slow, but there is not a restaurant in Belgium that serves food as quickly as people from America usually expect. The view is nice too, especially around sunset when you can watch the sun go down over the river and then all the lights turn on across it.