Daytrippin to Antwerpen

Antwerp made the New York Time's 41 Places to Go in 2011 for its "fashion buzz" and "destination-worthy concept stores" (see also this recent article); countless airline magazines I have thumbed through this year have agreed. Antwerp must have some good marketers.

I like Antwerp, but I would not build a travel itinerary around it. Rather, Antwerpen (as the Flemish/Dutch like to say) makes an excellent casual day trip from The Hague - or Rotterdam, Brugge, Brussels, perhaps even Amsterdam. Akin to Portland, it's a city with few major attractions other than a chill and arty vibe. There's some history, some cafes, some shopping, and some museums, enough to fill a quiet day of touring, but mostly it seems to be the sort of place you would want to live.

Waiting not-so-patiently

The old center, close to the river, is full of pedestrianized cobblestone streets lined with European chain stores. In other words, it's only quaint if you have not already visited a lot of other northern European cities. But the center encompasses at least one gem: Goossen's, an institution of a bakery, located in a tiny storefront that is easily identifiable by the line forming outside its door (Korte Gasthuisstraat 31). The soft danishes incorporate chunks of whole fruit, but the real treat is the sugar bread, a dry and delicate loaf with raisins and a marzipan center, topped with a thin crust dusted with granulated sugar. (They will slice the loaf for you into very thin pieces, perfect for tea or coffee. Not that a single slice of our loaf lasted our return to The Hague.)

Grote Markt and the Cathedral

From Goossen's, one could wander up to the Grote Markt, the city's main square, or a few blocks west to the river, where there's an abbreviated promenade and a partial view of Antwerp's massive port. The center is dominated by the somber town hall and the soaring belfry of the cathedral, which is visible from just about any location in the city. But the old center may be the least interesting part of Antwerp.

Even for the fashion unconscious (like us), it's worth strolling through the two main shopping streets of Antwerp, Nationalestraat and Kloosterstraat, which run roughly parallel to each other heading south from the center. Both are refreshingly unpretentious, with shops that seem welcoming to hipsters and plebeians alike.

Nationalestraat is shaded by green trees, with design shops and consignment boutiques spaced out among kebab restaurants and dollar stores. More an art gallery than a store, Walter (Sint-Antoniusstraat 12) charmed us with its Piet Hein furniture and irreverent bags - like a backpack shaped like a crocodile that winds around the body, the head resting over the shoulder and the tail running down the back like futuristic armor.

At Walter

Elvis & Kresse bag at Rewind

Kloosterstraat has a higher density of trendy stores, some more interesting than others. At Rewind Ecodesign (Riemstraat 27), I coveted a beautifully constructed bag made with the burnt red rubber of a decommissioned fire hose. I will go back to Antwerp just to stroll more leisurely through this street, which the New York Times describes as a giant block party on Sunday afternoons.

But my favorite memory of Antwerp was the Graanmarkt, a rectangular square in the quieter Latin Quarter between the center and the train station. Paved with gray stones and shaded by stately trees, the Granmarkt has a number of small terrace bars where one can order a beer and lapse into theoretical debates with companions while watching other patrons lounging under the trees or locals strolling by.

The Graanmarkt

To shopping and cafe lounging, I would add visits to the city's World Heritage sites (stay tuned for an upcoming post) and the city's brand new MAS art museum, much debated, located in the port area. Even then, I have a feeling one would only have scratched the surface of the best Antwerp has to offer.

At the very least, if you find yourself passing through Antwerp on your way between Amsterdam, Brugge, and Paris - all deservedly higher on the list of must-see European cities - stop for a couple hours. The station itself is a microcosm of the city's culture, an ornate historic building melded creatively with a modern system of train tunnels. (From the central escalators, you can see trains passing on three different levels at the same time, which is pretty cool.) And a beer on elegant Graanmarkt square, complete with leafy trees and quality people watching, is only a ten-minute walk away.

Old and new at Antwerpen Centraal