It was 4-day trip and traveled alone in the spring of 2022. It is worth to travel to Flanders in spring, because in this time the weather is already quite good: the mornings are cool, but in the day it can be over 20°C. I traveled by train and I rented a car in Antwerp for a day. The accommodation was in Antwerp (3 nights). On this trip I was mainly in Antwerp, but I have managed to get to know the some other places around the city.
26.05.2022 – Antwerp
The trip starts at Zurich Main Station early in the morning. Go to Antwerp with two changes in Frankfurt am Main [D] and in Brussels [B]. You arrives to Antwerp in the middle of the afternoon, so you can start with a late lunch in one of the many good restaurants in the city. For first impression of the city I can recommend a walk along the river Schelde (photo): the old port and the Het Steen can be interesting. Tip: My accommodation was in a cozy and friendly district, just next to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts. The monument of Schelde Vrij stands on the middle of a round square and around you can find many good restaurants.
27.05.2022 – Roosenberg Abbey, Mechelen, Antwerp
Rent a car in the morning and drive to the Roosenberg Abbey (photo) by Dom Hans van der Laan. The dutsch monk-architects designed this monastery in the 1970’s and the concept was similar as the St. Benedictusberg Abbey in Vaals (NL). The proportions for the spaces and the facades are design by the plastic number (invented by van der Laan). The abbey stands in a forrest and I really recommend you to live the car far away from the abbey because you must go by walk to this building. Go further to the small town of Boom and you can find there a new school building , covered with green tiles designed by Areal Architecten. On the way to boom you have to drive nearby some nice family houses, which stand in the forest. Next stop is Mechelen a historical town with many beautiful old buildings (Cathedral, Grote Markt, City Hall, Museum Hof Van Busleyden). Walking in the town, you can find some contemporary buildings, too. Driving back to Antwerp you can stop in Edegem, where you find a school building by Bovenbouw Architecten. You can finish the day in the Middleheim Museum, which is an open air museum in Antwerp. (Tip: there is no entrance fee.) The Maison Guiette by Le Corbusier is not so far away from Middleheim Museum, but unfortunately it was under construction, when I was there.
28.05.2022 – Antwerp
Start the day with breakfast in one of the many good restaurants of Antwerp and go to the Northern part of the city. The new destrict has a nice, modern and sometimes very interesting architecture (photo). This district ist at the moment under development. The gate of the new destrict ist the new Museum aan de Stroom (Neutelings Riedijk Architects – photo below). You can go to the top of the museum free and enjoy the view to Antwerp. (Tip: there can be very windy on the top of the museum.) And now you should get to know the old town of Antwerp: Grote Markt, Cathedral, Museum Vleeshuis, Meir (shopping street). You can finish the day on the Southern part of the city. It is also very new and under development, but the coast of the Schelde river is the most beautiful here.
29.05.2022 – Antwerp
And you have left still one moring. The last day was very rainy, but no problem, in Antwerp you can find some indoor programs, too. I visited the Rockoxhuis and the Museum of Mayer van den Bergh: in both of theses museums you can see masterpieces of Peter Paul Rubens or Pieter Bruegel. This time I did not do that, but you can visit some diamond shops, the jewish quarter and the Rubens’ House, because these are also worth to visit. For me, maybe next time.
And here is the map:
ADAM BALOG 