It is hard to believe that we have not updated our Antwerp guide since 2013, what with it being one of my favorite cities in Europe. What keeps pulling me back to this city, besides professional obligations? Fashion, obviously, as well as a mix of medieval and contemporary architecture, with some Art Nouveau buildings thrown in for good measure, in a place that can be traversed in one long walk. Antwerp has a sense of the quiet and the unpretentious mixed with the cosmopolitan. Design is in Antwerp’s blood, and it punches way above its weight. It is also one of the few cities that is spared the waves of mass tourism.
Antwerp changes constantly. Since my first visit in 2001, when I stuffed my backpack into a locker at the stunning Antwerp Central Station just to go shop, many designers have gone out of business, and their shops closed. I still miss the Veronique Branquinho shop, with its VB door handle that is still there, and the Walter Van Beirendonck shop with its amazing circular cash wrap suspended from the ceiling and manned by his aunt. But new stores have opened in their stead and the city is ever vibrant and never ceases to surprise.
And so, without further ado is a list of my favorite places. As I mentioned, Antwerp is small – hence, I am not subdividing it into walks or organizing by neighborhoods as I do with larger cities.
/SEE
For its size, Antwerp has no shortage of wonderful museums and cathedrals.
MOMU FASHION MUSEUM
De Kathedraal
Antwerp’s main cathedral is a wonder to behold, as are the two main squares around it. The hefty 12 euro admission does get you a chance to look at four Paul Rubens paintings, two of which were painted specifically for the cathedral. (Website)
Museum Plantin-Moretus
This stunningly preserved 16th Century printing house is my favorite museum in Antwerp and the city’s best-kept secret. Tucked away in a small square in the center of town, this jewel of preservation, with intact machines and various printing implements, provides a total look into how a printing house operated centuries ago. The living quarters are also well-preserved and its collection of books and graphics is formidable. (Website)
MoMu
Around the corner from Plantin-Moretus is MoMu, Antwerp’s renowned fashion museum that puts on some of the best fashion exhibits in the world. Naturally, the focus is often on Belgian designers, which is not a complaint but a compliment, but it also happily expands beyond its homeland confines. (Website)
KMSKA
The Royal Museum of Fine Arts reopened in 2022 after a 100 million euro renovation that took eleven years. That’s a lot of time and a lot of money, which brought back one of the grand institutions of Flemish art that is well worth visiting. All of the grand Flemish masters are well-represented here, as you might expect. (Website)
M HKA
Antwerp is not all about Flemish masters – after all, some of the best contemporary artists, such as Luc Tuymans, Berlinde De Bruyckere, and Michael Borremans, hail from the Flemish region – and this museum of contemporary art is there to remind you of this fact.
Kloosterstraat
If antiques is your cup of tea you will be in heaven in Kloosterstraat, which is regularly raided by antiques dealers and interior designers from London and Paris who then resell the stuff for double the price. Kloosterstraat is where the antique shops are concentrated, and since I can never remember their names, I advise you to simply walk up and down the street.
Zurenborg
Some time at the beginning of the 20th Century, the story goes, a visionary developer bought a large parcel of land in Antwerp’s suburb of Berchem and told a bunch of architects to go to town. The result is several blocks of absolutely stunning buildings in the Art Nouveau, Gothic Revival, Tudor, and other fin-de-siecle styles. If this neighborhood was in any major city, it would be mobbed with tourists. Here, you will have it all to yourself. I cannot stress enough that this is not to be missed, even if it’s away from the town center.
/SHOP
For the city of its size, the amount and level of shopping in Antwerp, from antiques and vintage to high-end, almost makes no sense. But it is a rich town with taste, and local spending power is buttressed by the influx of moneyed Dutch tourists.
–FASHION–
GARDEN ANTWERP
Atelier Solarshop
This store is run by the Belgian designer Jan Jan Van Essche. But it’s more than a boutique with a comprehensive collection of his offerings, it’s a window into his singular world, with hard to find Japanese brands like Mittan, jewelry by Stephanie Schneider, and objects that Jan Jan and Pietro pick up on their extensive travels in less traveled parts of the world. (Website)
Kievit / Daniel Andresen
The German, Antwerp-based knitwear master Daniel Andresen took over a disused apothecary in the North-East part of Antwerp a few years ago to open his own store, Kievit. It is a splendid space, and Andresen’s knitting atelier is right behind it, a total farm-to-table model. (Website)
Garden
This newcomer to Antwerp’s burgeoning retail scene is well-stocked with avant-garde brands such as Elena Dawson, John Alexander Skelton, and Archivio J.M. Ribot. The 19th Century white-washed, marble-accented space is grand and inviting and the staff are both knowledgeable and welcoming. (Website)
Graanmarkt 13
This Antwerp mainstay occupies an entire townhouse in the city center. The building was reworked by Vincent Van Duysen, my favorite architect, also Antwerp-based. It was one of the earliest stockists for Auralee, and has a nice selection of my favorite Belgian object-maker, Michael Verheyden, as well as Santa Maria Novella skincare. (Website)
Houben
Houben is one of those stores that can only be found in smaller cities. They are quirky, they cater to the loyal local clientele, they couldn’t care less about e-commerce and they will have top tier brands that rarely wholesale. When I first encountered it in 2008, it was quietly one of the most impressive stockists for Comme des Garçons and Junya Watanabe. In its next iteration it had enough of Phoebe Philo’s Celine to qualify for a shop-in-shop. These days it carries The Row, Alaia, and still does a healthy Thom Browne business. (Website, if you can call it one)
Dries Van Noten
Dries Van Noten’s original flagship needs no introduction. It is chic, it is beautiful, it is a must.
Ann Demeulemeester
Ditto. The renovation that were supervised by Ann’s husband, Patrick Robyn, has made an already beautiful store even more so. In addition to the clothes, the shop now also carries a comprehensive collection of Demeulemeester’s tableware manufactured by Serax.
–VINTAGE–
Since vintage has become an industry it has taken all the fun out of bargain-hunting. But not everywhere. Antwerp is the only place besides Tokyo where I still like visiting vintage stores.
Rosier 41
Your vintage tour should start at Rosier 41, which has an excellent selection of Belgian designer and beyond. (Website)
Labels Inc.
The OG Antwerp vintage fashion shop. You won’t find any bargains here anymore, but the curation is top notch. (Website)
Vrijdagmarkt 6
This small menswear only shop in the same square as the Plantin-Moretus museum is well-curated and is worth a gander. (No website)
–INTERIOR DESIGN–
The Flemish love their houses more than their fashion. There is a saying, I was told, that they are born with a brick in their stomach. Therefore, Antwerp has no shortage of excellent interior design shops. I am giving you only a couple, because, well, I cannot bring a chair in my suitcase, so there aren’t many that I visit.
THOMAS HAARMANN
Thomas Haarmann
Haarmann specializes in high end interior design and his wabi-sabi meets brutalism atelier is a testament to his impeccable taste. (Website)
St. Vincents
One of the most brilliantly curated interior design shops I have ever been to, this store-gallery spread over several gutted floors of a white-washed building in Central Antwerp is an absolute must. The offerings are decidedly high end and expensive, but this is the stuff interior design dreams are made of. (Website)
Books / Records / Art
Antwerp still has some treasures in the above department, despite losing Copyright, a perennial art book favorite of mine, and here are a few good spots worth digging through. Unsurprisingly, most are to be found around the Royal Academy area in the North-West.
Panoply
This local student favorite has a great selection of books, including in English language, DVDs, CDs, and records. (Website)
Demian
An expertly curated used and rare book and art shop. Highly recommended (Website)
Anti-Quariaat
This shop, run by one of those characters that our world can no longer produce, is a treasure trove of books, signed art posters, and prints. You can’t even find it on Google maps, let alone the social media. But it’s next to Demian, so make sure to look for it. (What website? Are you kidding?)
/FOOD AND DRINK
Produce standards in Belgium are particularly high, and the food in Antwerp is outstanding. When I travel, I drink like the locals, which in Antwerp means beer and their wonderul mint tea. I encourage you to do the same. Here is a selection of places I like.
In De Roscam
An utterly charming, local hangout with good food and beer. Super casual and always hopping, my longtime favorite. (No website)
Borze Cafe
An excellent, unassuming restaurant with fantastic classic food and drink menu. (Website)
Roji
This upscale sushi restaurant sits in a basement space designed by Axel Vervoordt, and the food is as good as the interior. If you don’t feel like having a full meal, sit at the bar and stare at the roaring fireplace. (Website)
Fiskebar
A seafood stalwart that was early to the whole hipsterish unassuming-decor-excellent-food game, and it’s still going strong. (Website)
Camino
Perhaps my favorite lunch spot in Antwerp. The pan-Asian noodle bowls are out of this world. Get the pork belly, obviously. (Website)
Witzli Poetzli
This bar is a local creative crowd watering hole right next to the central cathedral. A great selection of Belgian beer and a colorful clientele. (Bohemians don’t need websites)
Pierre Marcolini
This Belgian chocolateier has not been a secret for more than a decade, but I still think he is the best and is in the pantheon of chocolate-making trade for a reason. (Website)
Revista
One of my favorite cafes, next to KMSKA and Ann Demeulemeester. Free wifi, a nice selection of magazines, good coffee and super fresh croissants and sandwiches. (Website)
/STAY
Antwerp has no shortage of great, well-designed, and fairly affordable accommodations. Remember, design is in the city’s blood!
AUGUST HOTEL
August
This is possibly my most favorite hotel in the world. I once told Vincent Van Duysen, who designed it, that it was made for me. The rooms are absolutely gorgeous in all of their muted glory, and the bar and restaurant are something to behold (and the food and drink are outstanding). Yes, it’s on the outskirts of town, but with Uber, tram, and, if you so desire, a Lime scooter, you have no excuse not to stay here. (Website)
Julien
The OG Antwerp boutique hotel, and a sister property to August, it hasn’t lost a step in all the years of its existence. Beautiful in and out. (Website)
Maison Nationale
If you don’t need a full hotel setup and want a place to yourself, look no further than Maison Nationale Suites. These several self-service apartments are beautifully designed and are located right across MoMu. (Website)
