Your stay for the Antwerp Brilliant Games is the perfect opportunity to discover the proud and vibrant city of Antwerp, where rich history meets modern innovation. The city offers fine museums, beautiful architecture, a bustling fashion scene, and a wide variety of culinary delights.
The website Visit Antwerpen contains a lot of useful information to plan your activities. Do you find it challenging to decide what to do? The following suggestions may help you.
In the green lung around the city centre, a beautiful open-air museum is located in a 30-hectare park. An ideal place for a gentle stroll combining art and nature. The museum was established in 1951 and is one of the oldest museums of its kind. It exhibits art works of many famous artists like Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, Rik Wouters and Ai Weiwei, just to name a few. And last but not least, it’s all for free!
In winter time, the museum is open from 10 am until 5 pm. You can access it via tram lines 7 or 15 at stop ‘Berchem Koninklijkelaan’ from which you still have to walk about 1 km.
More information on www.middelheimmuseum.be
Right in the city centre but so easy to miss! One of the rare places in the city where the medieval atmosphere has survived the course of the centuries. This passage consisting of a few small streets dates from 1591 and was at that time home to the poorest residents. It was saved from urban development in the 1960s by the famous antiquarian and designer Axel Vervoordt. In this unique and quiet setting, you can now discover a few art galleries and two famous restaurants: ’t Hofke serving classical Flemish food and the upscale Sir Anthony van Dijck with its well-preserved renaissance interior.
Access via Oude Koornmarkt 16 or the Pelgrimstraat.
More information on visit.antwerpen.be/en/info/vlaeykensgang
Antwerp was able to become one of Europe’s major ports thanks to the river Scheldt that connects the city with the North Sea. The heart of the city is located at the right bank of the river. The development of the left bank (called Linkeroever in Dutch) only started in the 1960s and today, it may appear as a rather boring neighbourhood. It does, however, have at least one superb asset and that is its view of the skyline of the city on the right bank. There is a park along the river bank where you can take a beautiful stroll admiring different views of the monuments of the city. You can walk all the way until the beach of Sint-Anneke, located in a bend of the river, where you will find a few restaurants and bars.
There are several options to go to Linkeroever. You can just walk through the Sint-Annatunnel, a pedestrian tunnel dating from 1931 with well-preserved wooden escalators. The entrance building is located at the square of Sint-Jansvliet. Alternatively, you can take the ferry boat leaving from the ancient castle ‘Het Steen’ at the Steenplein. Lastly, you can take the underground tramway (lines 3, 5, 9, and 15) and get off at ‘Van Eeden’ (just one stop from Groenplaats), which is the fastest way to get there.
The MAS museum, designed by Neutelings Riedijk Architects, is one of the eye-catchers of the Antwerp skyline. It is located in the old part of the port in the quarter called ‘t Eilandje (the little island), which in the past decade has spectacularly transformed from a rundown neighbourhood to a trendy and posh place. MAS stands for Museum aan de Stroom, Dutch for the museum by the river (Scheldt). It houses several exhibits, ranging from maritime objects illustrating the history of the port to one of the most interesting pre-Columbian collections of Belgium. And there’s more: you can climb the rooftop for free to enjoy an amazing 360° panorama over the city and its port! While the museum closes at 5 pm already, the rooftop is accessible until 10 pm.
You can get to the MAS with tramline 7 or just have a nice 1 km walk from the Groenplaats via Lange Koepoortstraat and Klapdorp.
More information on https://mas.be/en
If you have time left, you can have a quick look at the Felixpakhuis, a well-preserved warehouse now housing the city archives at Godefriduskaai 30.
Rivierenhof is Antwerp’s largest park known for its scenic beauty, diverse flora and recreational facilities. It is located in the district of Deurne and there is an annual sound and light event called “De Grote Schijn”, named after the small river meandering through the park. This immersive experience transforms the park into a magical nighttime spectacle, featuring enchanting light installations, artistic projections, and atmospheric music. Visitors follow a trail through the illuminated landscape, enjoying a captivating blend of nature and technology that highlights the park's beauty in a unique and mesmerising way. In 2024, the event will take place from October 24th to November 17th, so yes, you are lucky, the weekend of the Antwerp Brilliant Games is during this period! You need to buy tickets for this event, which are on sale from May 1st through the website www.degroteschijn.be.
You can take tram line 10 departing from Opera (Frankrijklei) to ‘Deurne Venneborg’ to get to Rivierenhof.
