Things to do in Belgium
-
A
Den Draak
Den Draak Café and community centre, also known as Het Roze Huis (the Pink House), for Antwerp's gay and lesbian community. It's located in the Zurenborg (take tram 11 direction Eksterlaar).
reviewed
-
B
Mode Museum
Fashion followers must start with Antwerp's mode museum, MoMu. It's located in the much-celebrated ModeNatie complex, home also to both the Flanders Fashion Institute and the fashion department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Sticking firmly to avant-garde, MoMu changes its exhibits every six months.
reviewed
-
C
Mary’s
Established in 1919, and supplying Belgium’s royal family with chocolates since 1942, Mary’s is the grande dame of praline makers. All 70-plus varieties of all-natural chocolates (including scrumptious coffee creams) are created entirely by hand.
reviewed
-
D
Hoge Raad voor Diamant
To get a glimpse of the amount of diamonds (and gold) being traded, just wander along Pelikaanstraat, Vestingstraat or Hoveniersstraat at any time during the day (on Saturday many shops are closed for Sabbath, the Jewish holy day). These high-security streets are also home to important financing banks and the industry's governing body, the Hoge Raad voor Diamant.
Don't expect fanfare or glitz - most of the trade goes on behind discreet, even shabby, façades and in the four beurzen voor diamanthandel (diamond exchanges) dotted along two pedestrianised streets - Hoveniersstraat and Rijfstraat.
reviewed
-
E
Het Groot Vleeshuis
Only products from the surrounding province are sold at this medieval butchers’ hall, which has been converted into a shop selling artisan products (with free counter tastings of cheeses and meats). That means you won’t find Coke on the menu in the attached glassed-in restaurant overlooking the old covered market’s ceilings strung with hams, but you will find local brews, apple wine and, naturally, meat galore.
reviewed
-
Cinquantenaire Museum
An incredible 350,000 artefacts from all continents, spanning antiquity, national archaeology, non-European civilizations and European arts and crafts make up the permanent collection at the majestic Royal Museum of Art and History. Among the treasures are fine jewellery and cult of the dead funerary gifts from the Merovingian civilization.
reviewed
-
F
Casa Rosa
The ‘Pink House’ is an essential stop for gay and lesbian travellers to Ghent. The foyer bar attracts a mixed crowd, who can steer you to the latest hot spots. You’ll also find a gay and lesbian information office (generally open business hours on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday), and stands with city maps listing nightlife options and various other gay- and lesbian-friendly establishments.
reviewed
-
G
Ancienne Belgique
The AB’s two auditoriums are favourite venues for mid-level international rock bands and plenty of home-grown talent. Ticket office on Rue des Pierres.
reviewed
-
H
Video
Oude Beestenmarkt is where some of Ghent's best DJs got their start. The string of little venues here includes Video, a tiny boutique club that attracts a like-to-be-seen clientele. It's big on everything from techno to drum'n'bass.
reviewed
-
I
Tasty
Good variety of light meals and delicious fresh juices are available at this little funky eat-in/takeaway joint.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
J
Serres Royales
The enormous Serres Royales were built by Alphonse Balat during Léopold II's reign. Fuchsias and all sorts of tropical species thrive inside, and Belgians queue en masse during the two weeks each year when the greenhouses are open to the public. Exact opening dates are available annually from January - check with Brussels International.
reviewed
-
K
Pakhuis
Soaring iron girders, interior balconies and a vaulted glass ceiling make this former warehouse a sublime setting for a Bloody Mary and/or a meal. Pakhuis excels in seafood (sea bass with puréed artichokes and vermouth sauce, say, or grilled Scottish salmon); wide-ranging seasonal choices might include lamb stew in Barbera wine, or organic pasta with black truffles.
reviewed
-
L
Opus Latino
Hidden down a narrow cobbled alley on the busy link between the Markt and Burg, most tourists miss this funky brasserie - don't make the same mistake. Local demand is high for the few canal-side tables. The cuisine is modern, and the prices are refreshingly low for this part of town.
reviewed
-
M
Openluchtmuseum voor Beeldhouwkunst Middelheim
Some 4km south of the city centre is a large, landscaped park known as the Openluchtmuseum voor Beeldhouwkunst Middelheim. It contains more than 300 works by sculptors, including notable nationals (Rik Wouters) and influential internationals (Auguste Rodin and Henry Moore).
Don't deny yourself the opportunity to ask a randomly selected passerby how to get to the (take a deep breath now) Openluchtmuseum voor Beeldhouwkunst Middelheim (Middelheim Open-Air Statuary Museum), a large park 4km (2.5mi) south of the centre that is scenically littered with over 300 sculptures, including carvings by Rik Wouters and Auguste Rodin.
reviewed
-
N
Museum Vleeshuis/Klank van de Stad
Due east of the Steen is the striking Vleeshuis, or Museum Vleeshuis/Klank van de Stad. This building, with its red-and-white layered stonework, was the 14th-century headquarters of the butchers' guild. It's now a new music museum, known as Klank van de Stad, home to instruments specifically related to Antwerp. Time a visit with a concert given on one of the old instruments - the tourist office has the schedule.
reviewed
-
O
Museum Van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen
The Museum voor Hedendaagse Kunst Van Antwerpen is housed behind an Art Deco façade in a building that started life as a grain silo. It contains a permanent collection of Belgian and international art dating from the 1970s onwards, although only a fraction is displayed at any one time. Temporary exhibitions are often staged. Bus 23 (direction Zuid) from Franklin Rooseveltplaats stops nearby.
reviewed
-
P
Koninklijk Ballet van Vlaanderen
The Royal Flanders Ballet, founded in 1960, is the nation's only classical dance company. It moved to 't Eilandje in the late 1990s, and its impressive home - a purpose-built palatial grey building - harmonises perfectly with the area's maritime architecture. The ballet performs both here and at the Vlaamse Opera.
reviewed
-
Q
Illusion
Illusion, a trance odyssey, takes over Antwerp's Sportpaleis for one full night in late September. This party is legendary.
reviewed
-
R
Het Paleis
This venue is an ugly cement eyesore built in 1980 and commonly called the Bunker.
reviewed
-
S
Fish & Chips
Antwerp's club scene begins with smooth lounges featuring in-house DJs and ends with high-octane house parties. The scene melds permanent with one-off in a mix that holds both mainstream and alternative. Trance and experimental electronica are big - pick up fliers at Fish & Chips .
reviewed
Advertisement
-
T
Fietsen Popelier
A recommended bike rental outfit. Children's bikes (same prices as adults') are available, and baby/toddler seats and baskets are provided for free. Helmets can also be hired. No deposits are required for bikes. The cycles here are in excellent condition - never more than six months old, with moulded seats, six gears and good suspension. Some regional cycling maps, including the Riante Polder Route, are sold.
Stay around town - there's no better way to see a sizable swath of the city in a relatively short time - or head out along the Damse Vaart canal to Damme (30 minutes, 6km one way). Alternatively, the Riante Polder Route is a full-day excursion, clocking up 44km and…
reviewed
-
Dr Guislain Museum
Anyone unnerved by One Flew Over the Cuckoos' Nest should avoid it -this former psychiatric hospital, northwest of the city centre, showcases some chilling forms of treatment, and also features a collection of art by 'outsiders'.
reviewed
-
U
De Roma
Antwerp's last old cinema and concert hall. It dates from 1928, and in the '70s was a popular venue for international artists - AC/DC, Lou Reed and James Brown all played here. Recently returned to life thanks to determined community effort, it now screens a varied line-up of off-beat films, Hollywood hits and kids' matinees. It's located east of Centraal Station in Borgerhout, a suburb that's chiefly home to Moroccan immigrants, and is rarely visited by tourists.
Tram 10 or 24 stops out the front.
reviewed
-
V
Contact GB
Supermarket.
reviewed
-
W
Alijn House
The Alijn House occupies a set of beautifully restored almshouses in the city's heart. The museum's theme focuses on life as it was at the start of the 20th century. It's all very quaint, even more so on Sundays when puppets take centre stage.
reviewed