Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Because Antwerp is one of the world's major seaports, it offers an unusual har-
bor tour that the entire family can enjoy. With more than 3,000 acres of docks, 17
dry docks, and 6 locks (including the largest in the world), the harbor is a spectacle
you should not miss. There is a variety of waterborne tours to select from, and
a short trip on the River Scheldt takes 50 minutes. The port sightseeing tour that
we recommend takes 2½ hours (
www.flandriaboat.com
; departs 1400 and 1600,
€8.00 adult, €7.00 children). A combination zoo-harbor ticket is available, too.
Many guided or self-directed walking tours of the city and sites are available.
Ferries, tourist trams, bicycles, horse-drawn trams and carriages, and rickshaw
tours are among the choices offered as well. Consider using the Antwerp City
Card, good for 48 hours for €25. It includes free entry to all museums and
churches, a free guide, and significant discounts on other venues and attractions.
The card is available from the Tourist Office.
Antwerp boasts 20 museums, among them the
Plantin-Moretus,
featuring a
16th-century printing press. Most of Antwerp's museums are closed on Monday,
but the zoo, which is just to the right as you exit from the railway station, is open
daily until sunset. If you are interested in the
Zoo-HarborTour
combo ticket, check
with the city tourist information office and pick a time to participate.
Most seasoned travelers put
Rubens's House
(
www.rubenshuis.be
;
Hours:
1000-1700 Tuesday-Sunday) at the top of their list of sightseeing “musts.” Ad-
mission: €8. Rubens bought a beautiful patrician dwelling where he lived with his
family from 1615 until his death in 1640. Works of the great Flemish master also
are kept in many of the museums and churches in Antwerp. Rubens is buried in
St. James Church,
where you may view the painting
Madonna with Child and
Saints,
which shortly before his death he directed be placed on the altar. Rubens
and Antwerp remain inextricably linked.
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