Antwerp is a city in Belgium, close to the border with the Netherlands, close to the mouth of the river Scheldt and is one of the liveliest cities in Belgium.

The name has an interesting background. Legend has it that back in the days when the city was an important harbour, the area around the city was terrorised by a giant who cut off the hands of sailors who refused to pay their tolls. Their hands were then thrown away, which in the local dialect is ‘hand werpen’ and hence the name ‘antwerp’ came from this. The giant was slain by the Roman Silvius Brabo and you can see his image on the Brabo Fountain, depicting him throwing the giant’s own hand into the river.

Once in Antwerp, you can see diamonds being cut at the Provincial Diamond Museum, visit the busy docks area and sample a few local beers in the Oude Stad (the Old Town). All around you are beautiful art nouveau buildings.

You will find the Brabo Fountain in the town square, home to the Grote Markt, a market well worth a visit. The houses around the square are topped with golden statues and the Renaissance Town Hall is an impressive building. There is also the Cathedral of Our Lady that took 170 years to complete from the start date in 1352. The city was home to the famous artist Ruben and you can visit the Rubenhaus, where he lives for 25 years, and see a collection of his masterpieces in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts.

The shopping in Antwerp is excellent and there is a zoo complete with a planetarium and dolphinarium. Parking is not particularly great, so many prefer to arrive by train, which has the added bonus of being able to see the great old station, made of marble and gold, worth a visit on its own.

flights are just one hour from London to the Antwerp-Deurne Airport, which is just three miles from the city from where you can take your car hire, a bus, taxi or train.