ANTWERP

ANTWERP Guided Walk

Half day walk (3-4h) Morning or afternoon or Full day tour (6-8h)

Much like the diamonds, Antwerp sparkles with an impressive range of architecture from medieval buildings, Baroque to Art Nouveau styles. Antwerp is also an art-loving city with which the name Rubens is eternally linked. More than 400 years after the birth of this brilliant painter, it is still possible to see the extent to which Rubens left his mark on the city. Moreover Antwerp is the diamond centre of the World. If diamonds really are a girl's best friend, then a lot of ladies will not leave out a visit to the diamond Museum (DIVA, optional).

In 2009 the American magazine Newsweek judged Antwerpen-Centraal the world's fourth greatest train station. In 2014 the British-American magazine Mashable awarded Antwerpen-Centraal 1st place for the most beautiful railway station in the world. This area is also the Jewish part of the city. The presence of many 'Chassidic' Jews gives the city a unique flair that cannot be found in any other Belgian city. Antwerp has about 15,000 Jewish inhabitants and about 90% work in the diamond industry.

A guided tour of Antwerp usually starts with a drive through the port area. In Antwerp some of the largest ships in the world almost sail into the city centre. Although the port of Antwerp is located 80 kilometres inland, it is a real deepsea port in spite of its unique location. Products such as fruit, steel and coffee can thus be transported to the European hinterland much faster and more sustainably. Far from the sea, yet close to the final destination…. It is easy to see why the port of Antwerp is the second largest port in Europe. We take a glimse at the Port House building, one of Antwerp’s architectural jewels and an eye-catcher of the Antwerp skyliner with a striking and contemporary superstructure in the shape of a diamond.

We then take a relaxing walk to the unique Marketplace, surrounded by the mighty Renaissance Town hall and numerous guilt houses. We enter the famous Cathedral of Our Lady (with a fee), crowned with a unique Gothic steeple, the symbol of the City of Antwerp. We continue to the Steen castle and the stronghold - the oldest core of the city of Antwerp. Last but not least we stroll through one of the oldest neighborhood of the city: Suikerrui.

Data e fundit: 15/01/2024