Discovery of Antwerp!

About the Discovery of Antwerp!

Discovery of Antwerp and ….gin!
Welcome by our guide at the Central train station (or on another location chosen by you in the center of Antwerp).
Meet and greet by our guide at the Antwerp Central station (or another location to be agreed).
We start with a visit of the Central Station, built late 19th century in eclectic style and by the Antwerpers also known as ‘The Railway Cathedral’.
We then walk through the diamond district. For centuries Antwerp has been synonymous with diamonds. Although diamond processing has been largely relocated to other continents, the diamond trade still plays a very important role in Antwerp. It is a colourful neighbourhood where all kinds of nationalities are at home and in high the Jewish community is dominant.
We continue our walk over the Keyserlei and the Meir (Antwerp’s shopping street) into the direction of the old city center. We pass the “Rubenshuis’, the former home and atelier where the famous painter Pieter Paul Rubens lived for 25 years (exterior visit only).
Via the Groenplaats, we arrive at St Mary’s Cathedral, the largest Gothic church of the Netherlands. A little further we visit the Grote Markt, the main square of Antwerp. The most important sights are the guild houses, dating back to the 16th and 17th century, the Brabo fountain and the Renaissance city Hall.
Our path takes us further to the river ‘the Scheldt’, where the ‘Lange Wapper’, a local ‘pesterer’ scans the environment. We end our tour with a stroll through the ‘Vlaeyckensgang’, a historic area with charming alleys and cozy passages.
We end the morning with a ‘gin lecture’ and have lunch at a typical manor house where meals are prepared on the basis of gin.

Duration: 4 hours