Antwerp is without doubt the capital of fashion and entertainment. The fact they are internationally known in the fashion world is not surprising: “The Antwerp Six” have managed to conquer a place on a worldwide level since the 80’s of the last century and initiated the creation of Antwerp as a fashion city.
The city is not just known as a vibrant fashion mall, but also has plenty of picturesque and historic sights. Antwerp is also the place to be if you are looking for trendy addresses. Antwerp has many hidden gems which even the locals haven’t all discovered yet, hidden in the street corners of different neighbourhoods. From murals and street art to beautiful graffiti and an underground treasure. We’ve selected 5 lesser-known city walks for you to discover Antwerp’s pearls.
The Ruien walk
Antwerp can be admired in all corners and side streets of the city, however what many are not aware of is that there is also a lot to discover underground. Beneath the city you find the Ruien: they have been crossing Antwerp since the Middle Ages when they had to supply the city with water and an inner harbour. When the Ruien were covered by sewers, this piece of history unfortunately disappeared from people’s memories. Now it has been made accessible by the city for visitors and you can discover many secrets including an underground chapel and the Jesuit Square. Several formulas are available with a guide, with a tablet and by boat.
The Fashion Walk
Antwerp is a paradise for shopping and an important fashion city in history worldwide. Have a fashion walk through Antwerp and walk through history with a guide. This way you will discover a lot of facts about the city and the internationally known “The Antwerp Six” will be explained. Walking along the shops and buildings in the different neighbourhoods will give you a good impression of the development of Antwerp as a fashion city.
Would you like to discover more after this walk? Then visit the MoMu Fashion Museum of Antwerp.
The cartoon characters walk
Belgium is the country of comic strips and you can also experience this in Antwerp. The city has a great cultural atmosphere which is also noticeable on a walk along the comic walls. 13 house-high walls of Belgian comic strip artists from different eras of the Flemish comic strips. You can easily discover these treasures for yourself without paying anything using the Antwerp Museum App or the 4 walking routes on the Comic Walls website.
The Street Art walk
Discover for free Antwerp’s street art with all its artists at streetartantwerp, where you can find a great map with over 240 walls clearly collected.
The Graffiti Walk
Besides street art there is a lot of graffiti, including one of the longest graffiti walls in Europe. A graffiti spotter will take you on a graffiti tour, let you discover the numerous works of art with the underlying messages and explain where graffiti comes from and what influence it already had on the city next to the Scheldt.
Click here to have a free walking map to go for a walk yourself.
