Antwerp is like opening a perfectly-crafted box of artisan
Belgium chocolates, delve in and, once your tastes buds are excited with rich,
succulent mouth-watering flavours, it’s hard to put it down.
Start unwrapping the eclectic layers of this city, an
elegant fusion of old and new, a shopper’s paradise, a renowned diamond centre
and a foodies’ heaven, peppered with art galleries and museums and you’ll be
hooked.
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| Antwerp Courtesy of Tourism Flanders |
I arrived in Antwerp’s historic centre as the late afternoon
amber sun bathed the ornate facades of its 16th and 17th century
buildings. The narrow cobbled streets, bursting with bars, restaurants
chocolate shops and quaint boutiques, surrounding the Gothic-spired cathedral,
begged to be roamed. Standing in the Grote Markt, I could almost sense the
city’s golden years.
Nowadays, the city is a favourite with fashionistas, thanks
to the Antwerp Six. This group of fashion designers including Dries Van Noten
and Ann Demeulemeester, graduated from Antwerp’s fashion department (part of
the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts) in the 1980s and galvanised the fashion
scene. Recent graduates include Raf Simons and Peter Pilotto.
The city is awash with the usual high street names,
but there are plenty of quirky avant-garde boutiques such as the funky eyewear
brand “theo loves you” and the recently-opened The Ballroom, packed with
creations from the likes of Walter Van Beirendonck, where you have to be
incredibly strong-willed not to flex your credit card.
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| Historic Antwerp |
Don’t forget to tick off the MoMu Fashion Museum, showcasing the best of Belgium design, off the sightseeing list. Another place not to be missed is the impressive Antwerp Central station, known as the “Railway Cathedral”.
Art lovers may want to visit the Rubens House. There
are some incredible paintings there and a pretty garden, but the house itself
has been remodelled, so it is not as when the painter lived there. For those
that like to push back the boundaries, Zuid, the city’s edgiest district is
brimming with art galleries. You certainly won’t die of thirst or hunger here.
There are some wonderful terrace cafés where you can sit and people watch.
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| Mas Museum |
You shouldn’t leave Antwerp without seeing the red-bricked
Mas Museum, a complete contrast in architectural style to the rest of the city.
It looks as if the builders were given a big box of Lego along with huge
quantities of Cellophane to use for the windows.
It is also home to the
Michelin two-starred Restaurant 't Zilte. You have to book well in advance and
it is expensive. Even if you don’t have a table, go to the ninth floor
terrace, the reward: stunning views of Antwerp, the Scheldt and the port.
One of the highlight’s of my trip was a visit to the Red
Star Line Festival. From the late 1800s to 1935, over two million
passengers sailed from Antwerp for a new life in America and Canada. The
museum opens its doors next year. The 1920s-themed party was a taster of what
is to come.
Watching the old and the young so animated as they took to
the floor for the Charleston, I realised why Antwerp is so special: it radiates
the warmth of a village, yet resonates with a cosmopolitan attitude.
By Daralyn Danns
Getting there
With one easy connection, you can be in Antwerp in less than
three hours from London St Pancras International
For more information or to book, visit eurostar.com
I stayed at the Leopold Hotel Antwerp (leopoldhotelantwerp.com)
For further information about visiting Antwerp visit visitflanders.com
First published in All About
Hair (All About Hair UK), the
travel and lifestyle blog with a luxury twist
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