Five centuries ago, the northern Belgian port city of Antwerp was a thriving European centre of diamonds, art and finance, with one of the world’s first stock exchanges. Today, works by Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens await those who wander its churches, and the city is one of the continent’s edgiest fashion and design centres. Both its medieval and baroque roots and perpetual reach for the new culminate at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, a neoclassical temple to both old masters and modern art, which reopened in 2022 after a decade-long renovation.
The city is perfect for a weekend visit: Traverse its flat and walkable centre, discovering Gothic masterpieces, Michelin-starred restaurants, design ateliers, wine bars and too many shopping streets to count. FRIDAY 2.30pm | Find solace Rubens (actually born in Germany, but later adopted by Antwerp as its artistic patron saint), died in 1640, but his presence is still felt.
The artist’s former urban palazzo, the Rubenshuis (Rubens House) , which he purchased when he was at the height of his artistic powers and esteem, once housed an early-17th-century painting atelier where he and his studio assistants produced baroque paintings seemingly as quickly as Andy Warhol’s Factory cranked out pop art screen prints. While it is, unfortunately, closed for renovations until 2027, his backyard gardens are open (admission 8 euros). Stroll the cobblestone paths under trellises to observe some 17,500 plants, surrounded by arche.
