Antwerp Questions
Apr 29th, 2005, 04:48 PM
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Antwerp Questions
I'm planning on stopping over in Antwerp for an afternoon (on the way from Brussels to Amsterdam). Unfortunately, it is a Monday and all museums are closed.
Apart from Grote Markt, the Antwerp Cathedral, and window shopping, what else is open and I should not miss?
I'm also contemplating having dinner at Grand Cafe Horta that evening before taking the train to Amsterdam. Has anyone eaten there and any comments?
Last question: train tickets -
Can I buy one ticket from Brussels to Amsterdam and get off at Antwerp for a few hours? Or do I have to buy 2 separate tickets (Brussels-Antwerp; Antwerp-Amsterdam)?
Apart from Grote Markt, the Antwerp Cathedral, and window shopping, what else is open and I should not miss?
I'm also contemplating having dinner at Grand Cafe Horta that evening before taking the train to Amsterdam. Has anyone eaten there and any comments?
Last question: train tickets -
Can I buy one ticket from Brussels to Amsterdam and get off at Antwerp for a few hours? Or do I have to buy 2 separate tickets (Brussels-Antwerp; Antwerp-Amsterdam)?
Apr 29th, 2005, 11:11 PM
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To start with your last question, most stores are open until 6 pm.
Grand Café Horta: it's OK and very trendy but a little pricey for what you get.
Brasserie National (next to the Fashion Museum on Nationalestraat) has recently reopened. I've been there for lunch last week, which was very good (Italian cuisine).
Too bad you will be here on a Monday as the Fashion Museum (Momu) has a very interesting exhibition right now called "Beyond desire" about how African and Western cultures meet.
The museums are all closed on Monday but all the churches are open: the Cathedral, St. Carolus Borromeus, St. Paulus, St. Jacobs, ... Also the Jewish synagogue (which is close to Antwerpen Central station).
Furthermore there's a small botanical garden on Leopoldstraat that should be nice now. Coming from Grote Markt you will pass by the Bourla Theatre. Make sure to have a look into their foyer - ceiling especially!
As per the website of the Belgian railways it should be possible to buy a ticket Brussels - A'dam with a stop in Antwerp. You should then ask for a 'VIA' ticket.
Hope this helps and wish you a nice afternoon in Antwerpen!
Grand Café Horta: it's OK and very trendy but a little pricey for what you get.
Brasserie National (next to the Fashion Museum on Nationalestraat) has recently reopened. I've been there for lunch last week, which was very good (Italian cuisine).
Too bad you will be here on a Monday as the Fashion Museum (Momu) has a very interesting exhibition right now called "Beyond desire" about how African and Western cultures meet.
The museums are all closed on Monday but all the churches are open: the Cathedral, St. Carolus Borromeus, St. Paulus, St. Jacobs, ... Also the Jewish synagogue (which is close to Antwerpen Central station).
Furthermore there's a small botanical garden on Leopoldstraat that should be nice now. Coming from Grote Markt you will pass by the Bourla Theatre. Make sure to have a look into their foyer - ceiling especially!
As per the website of the Belgian railways it should be possible to buy a ticket Brussels - A'dam with a stop in Antwerp. You should then ask for a 'VIA' ticket.
Hope this helps and wish you a nice afternoon in Antwerpen!
May 2nd, 2005, 03:16 AM
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Horta is more of a lunch place; early evening should be ok. Food is fine, and it's a nice place to eat.
The Carolus Borromeus church, and the square where it's located (H. Conscience plein) are beautiful. There's a cafe/restaurant on the square that's always busy; good for a simple Belgian meal and a beer.
The Carolus Borromeus church, and the square where it's located (H. Conscience plein) are beautiful. There's a cafe/restaurant on the square that's always busy; good for a simple Belgian meal and a beer.
Jun 5th, 2005, 06:38 PM
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I'm back from my trip, and here is a portion from my trip report regarding my stay in Antwerp (7 hours):
-----------------------------
Author: yk
Date: 05/28/2005, 03:54 pm
<b>May 23, Day 4
Part II - 7 hours in Antwerp; dining at Flamant and Horta</b>
The train ride took about 50 minutes. I arrived at Antwerp station and stored my luggage in a locker (3 sizes available). There is a Tourist Info (TI) inside the station, so I picked up some free brochures. The Antwerp train station is a beautiful building, in stark contrast to the ugly (IMO) Brussels Central station (more about that later).
My first stop was the Bibliotheek Permeke (26 De Coninckplein) - which I had read about in a magazine the night before. The building used to be a Ford garage owned by the painter Oscar Permeke. It was recently remodeled to become a library in the style of a green glass cube.
I was starting to get hungry, where to go for lunch? I suddenly remembered a thread on Fodors about Flamant. I couldn't remember where Flamant was, except that it was near Verso. I headed towards Lange Gasthuisstraat and voilà! Flamant is right across the street from Verso.
For those of you who don't know, Flamant is a home interior store which has a restaurant inside. The restaurant is actually located upstairs. I was greeted by a very friendly and good-looking host. He apologized that the menu is only in French and Dutch, but he would be happy to translate the entire menu into English for me. I told him that would not be necessary, but I'd ask him questions if I need to. I ordered a Thai Crab wrap.
The restaurant decor is minimalistic, but with a warm brown tone with lots of wood. The lunch crowd there consisted of the rich and the fashionable (of which I am neither). The host was curious to know how I found out about the restaurant, as it had just opened in Dec 2004. I couldn't really go into the details of the world of Fodors... so I told him that someone had recommended it.
There was nothing Thai about the Thai Crab wrap, except for 1 sprig of cilantro. Instead of a rice wrapper, it was wrapped in tortilla. Instead of a fish sauce, it was a mayonnaise-based sauce. However, it was still delicious. The lunch came out to just under € 20 (I had water and coffee).
After lunch, I went downstairs to check out the store. It has nice stuff but nothing spectacular. I crossed the street to Verso - I wasn't impressed at all. Granted, I normally don't buy or wear the clothes they sell anyway.
I headed to Grote Markt to check out the Antwerp Cathedral. En route I passed by Louis (mentioned in my guidebook) and again I was unimpressed. The fountain in Grote Markt features a sculpture of Brabo (a Roman soldier who freed Antwerp) throwing a severed hand.
The Antwerp cathedral is famous for the Rubens paintings inside, specifically the Descent from the Cross. Afterwards, I went to St. Jacobs church where Rubens and his family were buried.
Having seen enough churches for the day, I headed towards Leopoldstraat in search of the botanical garden which Myriam had recommended. Even though not too many flowers were in bloom, it was a nice oasis. I also checked out Bourla Theater (went upstairs to check the 1/2 dome ceiling), Rubenshuis (closed that day), and passed by Museum Mayer van den Bergh (also closed - and Bruegel's famous Mad Meg is inside).
I went to look for Walter (St.Antoniusstraat 12) - the store of Walter Van Beirendonck, one of the Antwerp Six. It looks more like a garage/gallery than a store, and I decided to pass on.
I also dutifully checked out Het Modepaleis - Dries Van Noten's boutique. I was curious to see where the clothes were made. It turns out that some were made in Belgium, some in Slovenia, some in Romania. Regardless, everything was way too pricey for me, so I left empty-handed.
It was almost 6pm by then, so I walked towards Grand Cafe Horta for dinner. The iron framework of Horta's Maison du Peuple (demolished in the 1960s) was used to decorate the restaurant. The interior is very airy and bright. BTW, I didn't realize until then that Horta also designed the Brussels Central station (which I thought was ugly).
The restaurant was practically empty as it was early for dinner, and I debated whether I had time for appetizer + entree or just entree. I planned on catching the 7:23pm train to Amsterdam. Of course I made the wrong decision - I opted for appetizer + entree. I assumed the restaurant being empty, it shouldn't take long for the kitchen to cook the food. I ordered a mustard soup with salmon and dill to start, followed by boiled white asparagus (in season!) with boiled egg and potatoes in butter. Unfortunately, it took the food forever to come, and I had to wolf it down. The food was a lot better than I had expected. Dinner came out to € 27,50. I ran out of the restaurant at 7:05pm.
I kept running and running and actually got to the station a little ahead of time. I caught the next train to Antwerp-Berchem and changed for the train to Amsterdam (all trains to Amsterdam leave from Berchem station).
The train arrived in Amsterdam 2hr 15 mins later, on time. I bought a 15-Strippenkaart from an automatic machine and boarded Tram #5 to the hotel - Hotel Washington near Museumplein.
I arrived at the hotel around 10:30pm.
---------------------------------
Here is the link to my entire trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34626323
-----------------------------
Author: yk
Date: 05/28/2005, 03:54 pm
<b>May 23, Day 4
Part II - 7 hours in Antwerp; dining at Flamant and Horta</b>
The train ride took about 50 minutes. I arrived at Antwerp station and stored my luggage in a locker (3 sizes available). There is a Tourist Info (TI) inside the station, so I picked up some free brochures. The Antwerp train station is a beautiful building, in stark contrast to the ugly (IMO) Brussels Central station (more about that later).
My first stop was the Bibliotheek Permeke (26 De Coninckplein) - which I had read about in a magazine the night before. The building used to be a Ford garage owned by the painter Oscar Permeke. It was recently remodeled to become a library in the style of a green glass cube.
I was starting to get hungry, where to go for lunch? I suddenly remembered a thread on Fodors about Flamant. I couldn't remember where Flamant was, except that it was near Verso. I headed towards Lange Gasthuisstraat and voilà! Flamant is right across the street from Verso.
For those of you who don't know, Flamant is a home interior store which has a restaurant inside. The restaurant is actually located upstairs. I was greeted by a very friendly and good-looking host. He apologized that the menu is only in French and Dutch, but he would be happy to translate the entire menu into English for me. I told him that would not be necessary, but I'd ask him questions if I need to. I ordered a Thai Crab wrap.
The restaurant decor is minimalistic, but with a warm brown tone with lots of wood. The lunch crowd there consisted of the rich and the fashionable (of which I am neither). The host was curious to know how I found out about the restaurant, as it had just opened in Dec 2004. I couldn't really go into the details of the world of Fodors... so I told him that someone had recommended it.
There was nothing Thai about the Thai Crab wrap, except for 1 sprig of cilantro. Instead of a rice wrapper, it was wrapped in tortilla. Instead of a fish sauce, it was a mayonnaise-based sauce. However, it was still delicious. The lunch came out to just under € 20 (I had water and coffee).
After lunch, I went downstairs to check out the store. It has nice stuff but nothing spectacular. I crossed the street to Verso - I wasn't impressed at all. Granted, I normally don't buy or wear the clothes they sell anyway.
I headed to Grote Markt to check out the Antwerp Cathedral. En route I passed by Louis (mentioned in my guidebook) and again I was unimpressed. The fountain in Grote Markt features a sculpture of Brabo (a Roman soldier who freed Antwerp) throwing a severed hand.
The Antwerp cathedral is famous for the Rubens paintings inside, specifically the Descent from the Cross. Afterwards, I went to St. Jacobs church where Rubens and his family were buried.
Having seen enough churches for the day, I headed towards Leopoldstraat in search of the botanical garden which Myriam had recommended. Even though not too many flowers were in bloom, it was a nice oasis. I also checked out Bourla Theater (went upstairs to check the 1/2 dome ceiling), Rubenshuis (closed that day), and passed by Museum Mayer van den Bergh (also closed - and Bruegel's famous Mad Meg is inside).
I went to look for Walter (St.Antoniusstraat 12) - the store of Walter Van Beirendonck, one of the Antwerp Six. It looks more like a garage/gallery than a store, and I decided to pass on.
I also dutifully checked out Het Modepaleis - Dries Van Noten's boutique. I was curious to see where the clothes were made. It turns out that some were made in Belgium, some in Slovenia, some in Romania. Regardless, everything was way too pricey for me, so I left empty-handed.
It was almost 6pm by then, so I walked towards Grand Cafe Horta for dinner. The iron framework of Horta's Maison du Peuple (demolished in the 1960s) was used to decorate the restaurant. The interior is very airy and bright. BTW, I didn't realize until then that Horta also designed the Brussels Central station (which I thought was ugly).
The restaurant was practically empty as it was early for dinner, and I debated whether I had time for appetizer + entree or just entree. I planned on catching the 7:23pm train to Amsterdam. Of course I made the wrong decision - I opted for appetizer + entree. I assumed the restaurant being empty, it shouldn't take long for the kitchen to cook the food. I ordered a mustard soup with salmon and dill to start, followed by boiled white asparagus (in season!) with boiled egg and potatoes in butter. Unfortunately, it took the food forever to come, and I had to wolf it down. The food was a lot better than I had expected. Dinner came out to € 27,50. I ran out of the restaurant at 7:05pm.
I kept running and running and actually got to the station a little ahead of time. I caught the next train to Antwerp-Berchem and changed for the train to Amsterdam (all trains to Amsterdam leave from Berchem station).
The train arrived in Amsterdam 2hr 15 mins later, on time. I bought a 15-Strippenkaart from an automatic machine and boarded Tram #5 to the hotel - Hotel Washington near Museumplein.
I arrived at the hotel around 10:30pm.
---------------------------------
Here is the link to my entire trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34626323
