Top Reasons to Visit Antwerp

Shop 'til you drop: Antwerp is a sophisticated shopper's paradise, with a center that's crammed with trendy stores and designer boutiques showing off the latest creations by the region's top fashionistas—although you may need fresh air when you see some of the price tags.

Diamonds are forever: Shiny rocks are not just a girl's best friend in Europe's largest center of diamond trading. If you can't afford to buy, you can still admire and watch them being cut at DiamondLand.

No struggling artist: Vincent van Gogh may have had to barter his paintings in exchange for meals, but it's clear from a visit to Peter Paul Rubens's home that the Flemish master had no such problems earning a living. The lovingly restored home re-creates what it would have been like when the 17th-century court painter to Archduke Albrecht was in his prime.