BELGIUM - Europe by Eurail 2015: Touring Europe by Train - page 71

Day Excursion to
Antwerp (Antwerpen)
The Diamond City
Depart from Brussels Midi/Zuid Station
Distance by Train: 35 miles (57 km)
Average Train Time: 40 minutes
City Dialing Code: 3
Tourist Information Office: Grote Markt 13, B-2000 Antwerp
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone]
www.visitantwerp.be
E-mail: [e-mail]
Hours: 0900-1745 Monday-Saturday, 0900-1645 Sunday
Notes: To walk to the tourist information office takes about 15 minutes. Antwerp's
metro system can also get you there, but first stop at the metro office in the railway
station for fare and routing information. In a hurry? Follow the pictograms to the taxi
queue. Train-departure information for your return trip to Brussels can be found on
the many train bulletin boards located throughout the station. A train information of-
fice is on the street side of the station, between the two main exits. The train inform-
ation office does not dispense tourist information, but they can assist you in finding
the tourist office.
If you are convinced that diamonds are a girl's best friend or the kids are hankering
to see one of Europe's finest zoos, go to Antwerp. Be certain the train you take from
Brussels is marked “Antwerp Central.” EuroCity and other through trains continuing
to Amsterdam stop only at stations on the edge of Antwerp. The central station is
right in the city center near the diamond district. If you do end up in one of Antwerp's
suburban stations, board an inbound local train.
The city's name is spelled three ways: “Antwerp” is the English version; in French
it is “Anvers”; and its Flemish title is “Antwerpen.” Call it what you will, this fine city
with nearly half a million people is a marvelous place to visit. Its contrasts will amaze
you. Antwerp is Belgium's second city, the third-largest port in the world, reputed to
be the world's diamond center (for more than 500 years) and a Renaissance treas-
ure house.