I toured Flanders for my 8 days Visit Flanders I absolutely fell on my heels in love. Certainly there are plenty of tourists passing through each town I visited, but honestly I can say that Flanders is at some of my carefully selected spots to visit in Europe. So, if you find yourself visiting this beautiful city, there’s a way to spend 48 hours in Antwerp!
How to spend 48 hours in Antwerp
Grotemark, Antwerp
Antwerp is slightly smaller than Brussels, but somehow there is more life, personality, and one hell of one of the fashionable crowds that flock to the streets on Saturday. It’s no wonder Antwerp is called Belgian fashion capital. To see why, simply take a walk around Maire Street. Following the road from the hotel (Hotel Les Noots) in the high-end fashion district, we noticed that there was far more vibrancy than boutique shops and friendly people had encountered in Brussels. Now it’s not that Brussels is less of a city than Antwerp, it’s just a different pace and atmosphere. For me (young 20s), Antwerp is there.
The first stop in Antwerp is always to be a Grote Mark. This is also a tourist destination in town, but it would be ridiculous not to make this your first stop while you’re in town. It’s out of the way, so for the “best spots” dubbed by locals, boutique shopping, coffee drinking and hipsters bump into the streets to hunt.
Best shopping street
kloosterstraat Perfect street for antique and vintage shopping. The best day to visit is Sunday when the streets really come back to life.
Best Restaurants
Fuck – Mexico’s hot spots So For now. Location: Kaasrui8. OpenThrus-Tues 17:30-23:00.
The best bar
Kids Rhythm ‘n’ Blues BreakE – A great little place for travelers to enter the city’s ditch. The Belgians can be a little more reserved, but not here… This is where you will disappoint your hair (so that you don’t mind).
The best coffee
Cafe Nation – A coffee shop with over 30 products on its menu. Location: Mechelseteenweg16. Open 7 days.
48 hours is a short time in any city, but it may be enough for the Flanders fashion capital. Being a small town girl at my core, I prefer to spend a little extra time in Bruges and Ghent, keeping my time in larger cities that are kept up to 2 days.
World of Wonderlust visited Flanders as a guest of Flanders, but my opinion, as always, is myself.