Antwerpen (Dutch); Anvers (French)

Antwerp is Belgium's most confidently stylish city — a port city of Flemish Renaissance grandeur, global diamond trade, world-class fashion design, an extraordinarily rich museum culture, and a nightlife scene that is the most vibrant in Belgium. It is a city that combines the cosmopolitan energy of a port with the pride and artisanal craft of a city shaped by centuries of trade and artistry. The Grote Markt — flanked by the 16th-century Stadhuis (Town Hall) and the guild houses, facing the Cathedral of Our Lady whose soaring spire dominates the skyline — is one of Flanders' great urban spaces. The Cathedral houses four works by Peter Paul Rubens, including The Descent from the Cross, making it one of the great artistic pilgrimage sites in northern Europe. The Rubenshuis (Rubens's own home and studio, now a museum) and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts (KMSKA) preserve this Golden Age legacy. Antwerp is the fashion capital of Belgium and one of the most important in Europe: the Royal Academy of Fine Arts produced the Antwerp Six — a generation of radical designers in the 1980s — and continues to train internationally acclaimed talents. The ModeMuseum (MoMu) and the surrounding Nationalestraat district constitute a genuine fashion quarter. The city's nightlife and the Zurenborg neighbourhood — architecturally extraordinary, with eclectic late-19th-century townhouses — are particular highlights. The Zuid (South) district, once the harbour, is now the gallery and restaurant quarter of choice, with a concentration of contemporary art galleries and acclaimed restaurants. The diamond district — centred near Central Station — processes roughly 80% of the world's rough diamonds. The new Port House by Zaha Hadid, floating above a 19th-century fire station, is an architectural landmark. Antwerp Central Station itself, with its Baroque dome and multi-level platforms, is considered one of the world's most beautiful railway stations.

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Population

650,000

Weather

Antwerp has a temperate oceanic climate, similar to Brussels but marginally more maritime due to its position on the Scheldt estuary near the North Sea. Mild, grey, and wet for much of the year. Spring (March–May): 5–17°C (41–63°F). Warming from April; café terraces reopen. Changeable. Summer (June–August): 14–24°C (57–75°F). Warm and pleasant. Grote Markt café culture peaks. Occasional hot spells. Autumn (September–November): 7–16°C (45–61°F). Pleasant initially, increasingly grey from October. Fashion Week in September is the city's most glamorous moment. Winter (December–February): 1–7°C (34–45°F). Cold and grey. Christmas market on the Grote Markt is atmospheric.

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