Leisure
05:30
Het Eilandje, or the Little Island, is a former port lying to the north of Antwerp. As maritime industry has shifted out towards the city limits, gentrification has transformed this once-gritty zone into a dynamic tourist quarter combining architectural attractions, high-profile museums and an armada of bars and restaurants. Antwerp is around an hour’s drive or train ride from Brussels. From Centraal station, ’t Eilandje is 15 minutes away via bus 17 or trams 1 and 24. Another option is hiring a bike via Antwerp Velo.
Headline attractions
The striking Museum aan de Stroom (Mas) became a banner of ’t Eilandje’s regeneration when it opened in 2011. Displays chart Antwerp’s maritime past and place in the world, while the roof terrace (free to visit) has superb views.
21 Jan 2021, 08:00 GMT
Bang in the centre of Antwerp, Hotel Riga used to be a luggage shop, and its retro entrance proclaiming its wares still feels very unhotel-like.
Photograph by Joey Van Dongen
1. August
If you’ve always associated Antwerp with diamonds, then now’s the time to catch up. Instead of coming for the rocks, most visitors these days are here for the fashion, the design and the hipster lifestyle spilling around every block. Nowhere do these converge better than in August, which opened in summer 2019 (though, sadly, not in August). A stunning, slick conversion of a grand old military hospital and convent by Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen, this is a masterclass in creating a modern grande dame. Just 44 rooms are spread over five buildings, updating monastic simplicity (clotted cream-hued drapes and throws, woven wooden chairs) for the 21st century (slick black light fixtures and slim marble tabletops). Beyond the bedrooms, the Bamford toiletries in the bathr