Antwerp is one of our Best Places to Go in Europe for 2024, part of our global guide to the Best Places to Go in 2024—find more travel inspiration here.
With gabled guildhalls and a grand gothic cathedral, Antwerp is straight out of Old Flanders. But head to the rooftop of the MAS city museum, and the panoramas—unspooling to the River Scheldt and the port beyond—tell a different story. It's there, at the port, that a dazzling Zaha Hadid-designed edifice glitters like a diamond atop a historic former fire station. The Port House is a striking monument, and one that underlines the confluence of heritage and innovation that’s vital to Antwerp’s creative spirit.
Often bypassed by international visitors for other European cities, Antwerp offers an embarrassment of riches in a compact city at the crossroads of Europe. From buzzy new hotels to the ambitious art exhibits, it’s a design destination like no other. The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) is alone worth a pilgrimage. Reopened in 2022 after an 11-year restoration, the experiential museum displays the works of Old Masters alongside quirky contemporary sculpture. Come summer, a cocktail bar pops up on Thursday nights, a DJ spins the soundtrack, and multidisciplinary artists stage performances. Over at the Rubens House museum, currently closed for a renovation, a new garden will open this summer with 17,000 plants chosen under guidance from fashion legend Dries Van Noten and designed for 365 days of bloom. Did we mention the city’s lineup of all-star chefs that produce some of the best food on the Continent?
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The city’s edgy ethos is closely tied to the long history of its port, the second largest in Europe after Rotterdam. Back in the 16th century, Venetian merchants arriving here were bowled over by the booming trade in play. As described in writer and historian Michael Pye’s Antwerp: The Glory Years, their dispatches back home gushed about the city’s progressive ideas. At this time, Christophe Plantin was printing pamphlets on humanism and science at his book-printing workshop, the world’s biggest publishing house at the time and now the only UNESCO-listed museum in the world. The port forged the city’s avant-gardism and its melting-pot population, which now comprises more than 170 nationalities.
Today, the same spirit fuels tastemakers, across numerous creative fields, who eschew trends for innovation. When it comes to fashion, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts has played a pivotal role, nurturing design dynamos like Martin Margiela and the Antwerp Six. In September 2022, Brandon Wen succeeded Walter Van Beirendonck as creative director of the fashion department, bringing fresh ideas and interdisciplinary creativity. Its annual June fashion show—at four hours, the longest in the world—shows off the technical craftsmanship and originality for which Antwerp designers are known. You can soak up all the energy at the MoMu fashion museum, a hub for these students, which stages provocative exhibits.
One experimental alum, fashion designer Cedric Jacquemy, recently launched a groundbreaking concept called Bakermat, teaming up with Quinten Schaap on a venture that combines a fabric shop and virtual textile library powered by 3D prototyping. Expertly sourced fabrics include handmade silk from India and cloth produced by the same Italian artisans who weave the Pope’s clothes. On a quest for transparency and environmental sustainability, the duo also have an educational mission to connect the next generation of designers with manufacturers.
For design-led visitors, unique shopping experiences are central to Antwerp’s allure. Last summer, jewelry brand Elliot & Ostrich, endorsed by Belgian celebrity stylist Tom Eerebout, debuted a stunning showroom called The Nest. Open by appointment, this cocooning space was designed with African-inspired decor—Botswana-born founder Jennifer Elliot follows the ubuntu philosophy of “I am because we are.” Here, in the world diamond capital of Antwerp, clients are guided on an introspective journey to create a custom heirloom based on important life milestones. Crafted with ethically sourced diamonds, the pieces are designed to be stacked together over time to tell a layered story.
One of Antwerp’s distinctions is its cross-pollination of creative scenes. At the always-booked Misera, chef Nicolas Misera (whose motto is “an artist’s life”) shows off the work of artist friends in the pocket-sized restaurant that’s a tribute to the culinary genius of his father Hans. Chef Nick Bril of The Jane, located on the site of a former military hospital dating back to the 19th century, is also a sought-after DJ. The townhouse that serves as a flagship for fashion brand La Collection doubles as an art gallery, displaying the works of invited artists alongside luxury pieces inspired both by Antwerp’s multiculturalism (long robes worn by the local Hasidic Jewish community) and art (mohair pinstripes echoing Cy Twombly’s drawn lines). Handbag designer Lies Mertens hosts artists-in-residence at her new guesthouse-gallery called Patina. The first European designer to use mycelium from mushrooms as an alternative to leather, Mertens has decorated two guest rooms above her workshop in the vibrant Green Quarter, not far from the De Koninck Brewery. Patina is a place intended for cultural exchange, also hosting guests interested in learning more about her craft.
Another new guesthouse comes from goldsmith Pascale Masselis, an alchemist of interior design. An Academy graduate who launched her eponymous jewelry brand in 1983, Masselis hosts guests in two-light filled apartments above her boutique. Like her own inspired apartment, filled with antique glass bottles and terracotta amphorae sourced from flea markets, these ooze style. Crucially, in a fitting continuity in historic Antwerp, this townhouse on Zirkstraat was occupied by a goldsmith two centuries ago, and the city’s first diamond cutter lived down the street. Don’t miss a private guided tour to learn about Antwerp’s historic role in the gem trade, and the artisans making magic today in a city with a style all its own, where innovation is rooted in the past.
Where to stay in Antwerp
When it opened in late 2022, the Botanic, housed inside a former medieval monastery, brought a new kind of luxury to Antwerp—and a deep sense of place, thanks to its centuries-old wood beams, chapel frescoes, and museum-quality artwork curated by expert Joost Declercq. Now it’s at the top of everyone’s list—whether for a martini at Henry’s Bar or the electromagnetic frequency treatment at its holistic spa. Filled with greenery to reflect its setting inside the city’s Botanical Gardens, the hotel gives off garden party vibes—complete with the people-watching. The spa suite comes with its own jacuzzi and sauna, while the Antwerp Suite is decked out with works by local artists, but make sure you leave your room to try the three Michelin-starred restaurants onsite. And don’t skip the buffet breakfast—it might well be Belgium’s best, with most ingredients sourced from within five miles.
Spending the night at Hotel Flora feels like a secret. Buzz the green door on Korte Nieuwstraat, and you’ll be led down a landscaped path to a 15th-century merchant’s mansion, converted into a boutique hotel with bold, maximalist decor by Belgian designer Gert Voorjans. In a nod to the port city’s gem trade, the seven rooms are named for precious gemstones. Can’t choose? Bring your friends along and book the entire place.
Jewelry designer Pascale Masselis has opened a guest house with two apartments above her beautiful boutique. Available for short-term stays (a two-night minimum), the one-bedroom apartments have fully equipped kitchens and tasteful decor, such as artwork by contemporary visual artist Julien Delagrange.
A former Augustinian convent sets the stage for the first hotel project by acclaimed local architect Vincent Van Duysen. Sister property to the stylish Hotel Julien, this serene 44-room enclave offers a wellness space with an outdoor swimming pond and a restaurant overseen by chef Nick Bril of The Jane fame.
Where to eat and drink
To add to the breadth of his culinary empire (Le Pristine, Blueness), celebrity chef Sergio Herman is making headlines for his new culinary concept. A champion of the Zeeland terroir, Herman cooks for just 20 diners at a time in a private, art-filled kitchen at PrivéPrivée.
Antwerp’s creatives congregate at Cobra, a hot spot since it opened last summer—and not just because of its fashion cred (it was launched by Esfan Eghtessadi, co-founder of Essential Antwerp). The restaurant turns out stellar cocktails and crowd-pleasing nibbles that are meant to be shared (croquetas, vitello tonnato, Irish Mor oyster with champagne granitas). Plus, there’s a terrific terrace for people-watching.
Fans of Chef Gert De Mangeleer and sommelier Joachim Boudens were relieved when this Bruges institution, closed in 2018 after 13 years, was resurrected inside the Botanic Sanctuary Hotel with its own greenhouse and vegetable garden. Still on the menu? The all-time classic potato foam with coffee, vanilla and shaved mimolette cheese. New stand-outs include the toro no toro, in which locally caught kingfish is enhanced with Flemish Holstein beef to imitate the fat of tuna belly and topped with Royal Belgian Caviar.
An Antwerp standout that's been called a “designer-inspired culinary temple,” The Jane is feting its 10th birthday this year. Nick Bril’s culinary wizardry is a fine match for the setting, a former chapel with vaulted ceilings and an open kitchen perched on the old altar. When Bril’s not plotting and plating his multicourse tasting menu four days a week, he moonlights as a DJ.
The world’s first stock exchange, once rundown and derelict, now makes for a trendy spot for a cocktail (or few). Dating back to 1531, Handelsbeurs—that celebrated local guide and author Tanguy Ottomer calls “the mother of all exchanges”—was renovated as an event space in 2019. An adjacent wing is home to the cavernous Fiera restaurant that churns out pan-global dishes with ultramodern spins.
Where to Shop
Antwerp shoe brand MOROBÉ is celebrating its tenth anniversary with a new flagship store on Arenbergstraat. Belgian architect Glenn Sestig, who’s also created stores for Raf Simons, designed the two-level space like a residence with raw concrete walls and custom decor including stools in the brand’s signature brooch shape. It’s a beautiful backdrop for much-loved designs like the Mimi strappy sandal and bestselling Robien.
Browse chic handbags at the Lies Mertens boutique near the Plantin-Moretus Museum. Made from leftover grapes from the winemaking process, the limited-edition d.b. wine bag is an example of the designer’s quest to find innovative alternatives to leather.
The jewelry designer’s elegant, handcrafted pieces are inspired by nature’s organic forms. The atmospheric boutique was fashioned after a 19th-century haberdashery that Masselis found in Paris. The wood-covered walls are lined with hundreds of tiny drawers, some of which are still filled with buttons. This nod to the past is appreciated by both Academy design students and locals looking to elevate a high street item with a one-of-a-kind button.
Launched by creative director Florence Cools and her partner Artur Tadevosian, La Collection produces luxurious wardrobe staples made with the highest quality fabrics, such as signature mulberry silk, in styles that are as elegant as they are wearable.
