antwerp Archives - Europe Up Close

Antwerp: a City of History and Riches

Published/Revised June 26, 2017 By Bram Reusen This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

It’s hard not to fall in love with Antwerp. Belgium’s second largest city has so much more to offer than you would expect at first glance. I will kick off this article with a handful of things Antwerp is well-known for, and I will conclude with a list of places you should absolutely visit. Antwerp's Claims to Fame A Trading Mecca In the 16th century—I know, it’s a while ago—Antwerp was one ... Read Full Article

Hop on for a Benelux Culinary Tour

Published/Revised May 22, 2016 By Terri Fogarty This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Rail travel is often associated with the hateful commuter necessity that we experience daily or the iconic luxury experiences that we only read about; but is there anything in between? Those were my thoughts as I boarded the Eurostar for a nine day trip that would weave me across Benelux – Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg – for a Benelux culinary journey. My Benelux Culinary Tour The ... Read Full Article

UNESCO Sites: Top Things to See in Belgium

Published/Revised June 20, 2018 By Guest Contributor This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Belgium is home to eleven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but if you take into consideration all individual sites, there are no less than 60. That can be explained as follows: Two of Belgium’s official UNESCO World Heritage Sites are actually made up of several separate sites—there are 17 Flemish béguinages, which are regarded as just one world heritage site, while 33 belfries dot the country, which ... Read Full Article

Rediscovering Antwerp, Belgium

Published/Revised August 9, 2014 By Eric Barrier This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

The last time I left Antwerp, in 2007, we parted on bad terms. I was headed south by train from Holland and wanted to spend one night in the city I remembered fondly from my studies abroad, when a whole slew of friends and I would pack into a car and drive down on Friday nights for some of the city's famous house music and stay until well after sunrise. At around 6 p.m., I checked into the ... Read Full Article