sunset antwerp mas museum
Belgium,  Europe,  Photo Summaries

Discovering Antwerp in One Day

24 September 2018 /

In my quest for a new fashion adventure, I came across a must-see museum in Antwerp, a small city in Belgium known for fashion, diamonds and The Antwerp Six.

The Antwerp Six are a group of six avant-garde designers graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp including: Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs and Marina Yee – who put Antwerp on the map within the fashion world.

Dries Van Noten storefront in Antwerp

Coming from Amsterdam, Antwerp was the perfect stop on the itinerary on my way to Brussels. I bought a train ticket on Trainline, my go-to train ticketing site, and planned a short 24-hour stay on my way through Belgium.

TRAVELER TIP:
When taking international or long distance trains, such as the Thalys it’s always better to make your reservation as early as possible. Tickets are much cheaper purchased in advance.

RELATED TRAVEL POSTS
CENTRAL STATION
Outside Antwerp Central blue skies sunny day

Antwerp Central Station, also known as Middenstatie (Middle station), is considered to be one of the most beautiful railway stations in the world. Opened in 1905, it has a breathtaking interior made of gold and marble.

The station is easily accessible from any point in the city, even by foot. Conveniently, this is where you start your journey through Antwerp if you are traveling by train like I did.

interior of antwerp central station
ANTWERP'S CITY CENTER

As soon as you enter the center, you are greeted with a statue that celebrates the story of how the city got its name.

Legend has it that a mythical giant named Antigoon lived by the Scheldt River and demanded a toll be paid anytime someone wanted to cross the river.

If a person refused to pay, Antigoon would sever one of their hands and throw it in the river.

One day, a brave soldier named Brabo not only refused to pay, but fought Antigoon hoping to free the city of this giant. To the people’s delight, he cut off Antigoon’s hand and threw it in the river.

The name Antwerpen derives from the Dutch translation, “To throw a hand in the river”.

CATHEDRAL OF OUR LADY

The largest and most beautiful site you can’t miss in the city center is the Cathedral of Our Lady. Standing at an astonishing 123m/404ft in height, this colossal building is breathtaking to see in person.

Originally planned to be the largest gothic church in all of Belgium, construction on the cathedral began in 1352. Due to its sheer size, it wasn’t completed until 1521, nearly 170 years later.

The cathedral has undergone many blows throughout history, including destruction to the interior of the church due to the Iconoclasm of 1566 and being the target of fire during the French Revolution in 1794, where it suffered serious damage.

However, no matter what it has undergone, the cathedral has been able to recover and stands tall today. So tall in fact, that you are able to see it from almost anywhere in the entire city.

FUN FACT:
The largest bell in the tower requires 16 bell ringers!

THE VIRGIN MARY STATUE CHALLENGE
Madonna and son statues, Antwerp

While you’re walking around, you may notice beautiful Madonna & son statues on the corners of buildings that seem random, like they don’t really belong.

That’s because they don’t.

According to a local shop owner I shamelessly interrogated asked, he explained that years ago, there was a property tax dispute between a building owner and the city.

The city claimed that a lower tax rate only applied to places of worship. So, the owner put a statue of Mary on the side of his building and claimed it a “place of worship”.

When the city still required a higher rate, he appealed to the church authorities who ruled in his favor. Once word of this got out, statues went up all over the city.

I found it fascinating that these statues not only didn’t serve a religious purpose, but instead were there purely for money-saving purposes.

Apparently, it is a citywide game to see if visitors can find all of them.

Note: while it was tons of fun going on this scavenger hunt around Antwerp, it did take several hours. So if you are pressed for time or have other sites you want to see, you may have to skip this challenge.

THE MOST INTERESTING HOSTEL EXPERIENCE
the ash hostel common area with colorful chairs

On my search for inexpensive, yet interesting accommodations in Antwerp, I found a cool hostel called The Ash that was advertising Japanese-style ‘capsule pods’ to sleep in.

Have you ever heard of them? I hadn’t and was intrigued by the whole idea. 

Apparently, they not only provide privacy, but also keep the noise and light out in a 15+ person dorm room for a ridiculously low price.

In other words, the equivalent of a hostel JACKPOT.
Naturally, I had to give these pods a try.

It’s important to mention that I had recently recovered from a broken ankle. My last physical therapy session was literally a day before this trip. I was two weeks into my trip at this point and the pain from walking with a backpack was starting to get to me.

SO.

After all my excitement about these cool hostel pods of the future, I get to my room and find to my utter disappointment that they gave me a regular bunk bed on the bottom. Now usually, this is a cause for celebration. Spacious bottom bunks are like golden tickets to the chocolate factory. 
Rare and amazing. 

Not this time. I wanted my Japanese pod! So, I marched down to reception and somehow convinced the front desk to make the change. In the end, I was given a top pod of my very own.

The Ash Hostel, Antwerp
top bunk ash hotel

Guys, I was sleeping in a wooden box.

I had just fought the front desk to give me a coffin to sleep in instead of rejoicing at the anomaly of getting a spacious bottom bunk.

To make matters worse, the small ladder in front of the pods was absolute hell on my ankle. Me and my big mouth.

When I finally made it to the top and organized my stuff, I realized I couldn’t get back down. My ankle refused to by way of shooting pains and what felt like electric shocks into my leg and foot.

It dawned on my that I could opt to just stay in my wooden coffin pod until checkout the next day. Not even joking – this was a legit consideration, except I realized I would need to use the bathroom at some point.

It took about 25 minutes of looking down from my box and wasting time by taking selfies see below before I mustered the courage to endure the pain the way down brought.

selfie ash hostel

Unfortunately, my anxiety was sky high at this point because in my mind, I looked like a complete asshole as people were definitely watching me ridiculously maneuver the way down.

This ridiculousness would happen 2 more times – later that night and then checkout the next morning.

Aside from the torture of going in and out of my Japanese box – I will say, once you get used to the small space around you and stop feeling like Ryan Reynolds in Buried, it IS quite cozy. I was able to shut the curtain, quiet my mind and have the best night’s sleep I had had since getting to Europe.

I have a feeling that if my ankle was in so much pain, the entire pod experience would have been much more enjoyable. That being said, I definitely recommend every traveler try this type of hotel/hostel at leason once in their life!

You can find info, availability and pictures here.

THE PORT OF ANTWERP
antwerp port sunset

Located on the outskirts of the city along the Scheldt River, The Port of Antwerp is the second largest port in ALL of Europe.

If you make your way to the port at sunset, you are in for the most beautiful view in all of Antwerp.

On the port itself, there are lots of small restaurants and bars right on the water – perfect for dinner after the sunset photo session.

restaurants along the port of antwerp
statue on the port of antwerp
statue at port of antwerp
statue on the port of antwerp
statue on the port of antwerp
THE MAS MUSEUM OBSERVATORY
mas museum antwerp

TRAVELER TIP:
The terrace of the MAS Museum is open to the public until 11pm. Visitors can walk up through the museum to reach the terrace. Head up for sunset to catch incredible views of the entire city, including the port and surrounding area.

antwerp mas museum sunset
antwerp mas museum sunset
sunset mas museum top

The MAS Museum is the largest in Antwerp and offers breathtaking views of the city 10 stories up.

I highly recommend taking the time to head up to the observatory. It’s one of the best things you can do in the city completely free.

Being up there for sunset was one of the highlights of my entire trip.

HET STEEN
antwerp het steen village

As you continue your way through The Port of Antwerp along the Scheldt River, you will find yourself immersed in the prettiest little neighborhood on your way to Het Steen.

antwerp side street

After passing through this village, you will eventually come to the mighty Het Steen, literally translated “The Stone”, Antwerp’s first and oldest stone fortress, built in 650 AD.

The fortress made it possible to control the access to the Scheldt River when needed. It was also used as a prison between 1303 and 1827.

It is absolutely breathtaking to see in person.

TRAVELER TIP:
It may go without saying, but I am going to say it anyway – Go early for good pictures!

antwerp het steen fortress

As you make your way into the fortress, you will see a statue of a giant on your left. At first, I assumed this was Antigoon from the city’s legend.

However, I later learned it was another giant with his own interesting story.

This giant’s name is Lange Wapper and he is a mythical creature in Flemish culture similar to our ‘boogie man’ who likes terrifying children and playing tricks on drunks.

I loved learning about all of these imaginative stories and legends the people of Antwerp have!

antwerp het steen statue

Other interesting things you’ll see along the way include a large Jesus statue on a crucifix, the world’s oldest half-hour glass and many different memorials from previous battles.

antwerp collage of city
GET LOST WANDERING AROUND ANTWERP

The beauty of Antwerp is that it is small and accessible on foot no matter where you go. This allows for some unexpected adventures to take place simply by wandering around and losing Google Maps for a while.

There are tons of interesting stories to learn about from the locals, beautiful architecture at every turn and so many opportunities for the perfect pictures with nearly every step you take.

What’s not to love?

 

Have you ever been to Antwerp? What was your favorite part?
I want to hear all about it below!

xx, Em
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