A Belgian gem: Antwerp, the city of diamonds, offers fabulous galleries and an anti-calorie stew

Belgium's little gem: Antwerp may be the city of diamonds, but it also has precious works of art, fabulous galleries and the most over-the-top train terminal in Europe. explore the newly renovated Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) Plus: Discover Paris' legendary brasseries, bistros and restaurants
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Published: 16:24 GMT, 30 January 2023 | Update: 16:33 GMT, 30 January 2023

Get off the train at Antwerp Central and your jaw will drop. You've come for a weekend to gorge on chocolate, sample the famously strong local beer and visit the miraculously preserved 1565 town hall, but the first thing you'll see is the most outrageously over-the-top rail terminal in Europe.< /p>
This towering monument from 1905 is a cheerful rebuke to the daily utility of Brussels-Midi station where incoming Eurostar passengers change of trains. Welcome, he said, this place is special.
The people of Antwerp are famous throughout Belgium for thinking that they do everything better than anyone else, and right now they're going out of their way to prove it.
The town, just two hours from St Pancras International, is bustling with activity - from the bustling large market square to the 100 million euro Renovation of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) which has just reopened after 11 years.

One of Europe's great cultural institutions, the 19th...

Travel Feb 2, 2023 0 60 Add to Reading List

A Belgian gem: Antwerp, the city of diamonds, offers fabulous galleries and an anti-calorie stew

Belgium's little gem: Antwerp may be the city of diamonds, but it also has precious works of art, fabulous galleries and the most over-the-top train terminal in Europe. explore the newly renovated Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) Plus: Discover Paris' legendary brasseries, bistros and restaurants

Published: 16:24 GMT, 30 January 2023 | Update: 16:33 GMT, 30 January 2023

Get off the train at Antwerp Central and your jaw will drop. You've come for a weekend to gorge on chocolate, sample the famously strong local beer and visit the miraculously preserved 1565 town hall, but the first thing you'll see is the most outrageously over-the-top rail terminal in Europe.< /p>

This towering monument from 1905 is a cheerful rebuke to the daily utility of Brussels-Midi station where incoming Eurostar passengers change of trains. Welcome, he said, this place is special.

The people of Antwerp are famous throughout Belgium for thinking that they do everything better than anyone else, and right now they're going out of their way to prove it.

The town, just two hours from St Pancras International, is bustling with activity - from the bustling large market square to the 100 million euro Renovation of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) which has just reopened after 11 years.