Around the corner from the Mode Museum, is a street, which is more like an alley, called…read moreKopstraatje. I heard that it was once just a run-down alley but some very good graffiti artists came to town and spruced it up, transforming it into an outdoor art museum. Its hard to describe the art, so have a look at the photos!

Just a heads up -- the majority if art in here is by other artists. There are a few wonderful…read morepieces from Rubens himself but don't expect a museum of his work. This is mostly art that was part of his personal collection and the work of his contemporaries. Rubens is an example of an artist that was successful during his lifetime. He operated a studio and was very in demand. Thus, due to his wealth, the house is quite beautiful. The tour of the house is self-guided. They have booklets in various languages with numbers corresponding with art pieces. You just follow the path and bury your nose in your booklet to learn about the art. You don't need too much time here. If you move fast, you can probably see everything in one hour. This may change depending on how crowded the museum gets. The rooms are pretty small but it wasn't too bad when I came here since it was a rainy day at the end of August. **Make sure you see everything. The last room is the most beautiful (large paintings). Don't skip the courtyard in the back either -- gorgeous architecture (although they are currently restoring it). **Free on the last Wednesday of the month. I had no idea but just so happened to visit Antwerp on this day so I got very lucky.

The Rubenshuis, which was the home of the famous painter Pieter Paul Rubens is a site to see if you…read moreneed time to kill. From the outside it looks tremendous and while it does not disappoint from the inside, I felt a little down after seeing the whole thing. Now while this is not the cheapest attraction in the town by far, it will not break the bank, the problem really comes down to what you are expecting. I expected to see more of the lifestyle of Pieter Paul Rubens, but what I got was a refinished house full of art setup in the way of a small art museum. Do not get me wrong, the sculptures and paintings are wonderful, but nothing to write home about when compared to many other museums nearby. Couple that with the small hallways and large crowds and it will have you rushing for the exit as soon as possible. We ended up walking around pretty freely as not many were there an hour after the opening on a crummy weather day, but as we were leaving, we saw a HUGE group heading in, so be aware this may not be friendly for those with no patience or claustrophobic. On the plus side, the back yard and garden is beautiful in the Spring and Summer, but sadly the buildings facade was getting a makeover when we were there. Was it deserving of more than a three star, yes, but I'd leave it at a 3.5 out of 5 to be honest. Still worth visiting though if you read up on it beforehand and interests you.

I had a really nice time walking through this museum alone. Tons to see, loved seeing the royal…read moregems and the featured metal exhibit. There's a lot of history about diamonds and antwerps breakout of the diamond industry. The whole thing took maybe an hour without t stopping to listen to every little thing, I even found my own engagement ring cut in the case! They have a small gift shop at the end that you can browse, along with a pamphlet that shows recommended diamond shops in the city.

From the owner: DIVA is het nieuwe diamantmuseum met een hart voor zilver in Antwerpen. In een thematisch…read moretentoonstellingsparcours ervaart de bezoeker het historische en hedendaagse diamantverhaal in Antwerpen. Ontdek DIVA en treed binnen in een schitterend universum vol diamant, juwelen en edelsmeedkunst. DIVA, dé nieuwe ster in Antwerpen, en haar butler Jérome nemen je mee op een reis doorheen het Antwerpse diamantverhaal. Uniek vakmanschap, boeiende verhalen, meeslepende emoties en indrukwekkende ensceneringen wachten op je in dit briljante museum... DIVA est le nouveau musée du diamant d'Anvers, avec un oeil pour l'orfèvrerie. L'exposition entraîne un parcours thématique dans lequel le visitateur vit aussi bien la vieille histoire que l'histoire contemporaine des diamants à Anvers. Découvrez DIVA le nouveau musée du diamant à Anvers et entrez dans un univers splendide, plein de diamants, bijoux et d'orfèvrerie. DIVA, la nouvelle étoile d'Anvers, en son majordome Jérôme vous accompagnerons dans un voyage à travers l'histoire du diamant Anversois. Dans ce musée brilliant, vous retrouverez de l'expertise hors-norme, des récits passionants, de fortes émotions et des mises en scène impressionantes.

My museum timing is often uncannily bad, but this time I must've gotten lucky, because very soon…read morethis space will be closed for a lonnnnnng time. Sneaked in! Lots of paintings by the artist in a dark and visceral space. Bookcases always a good thing too. His famous hellscape is on display in it's own room with a bench and low lighting, so that was good thinking by the curators. The gift shop has some nice postcards and magnets and other little objects. The staff is friendly. There are lockers to put your stuff. The price is right. Keen eyed museum goers might find an oddly placed box containing several keys in one of the galleries. I couldn't help but snoop around in it... it's a little thing for the kids to find. If I was a wee one and I found this box, I would be losing my shit. Such a great idea by the staff! You turn in the key to the front desk and get a little surprise. Adults too, apparently :D

This house museum is a gorgeous way to step back in time. While not a huge place, it packs a big…read morepunch. You can wind your way through a few floors of charming art and history, appreciating interesting details as you go. They are currently interspersing a few contemporary works to juxtapose them with the permanent collection, which was something different. Visit both this lovely place and the Rockoxhuis Museum on your trip to Antwerp!

If there was a single thing I was looking forward to during my trip to Antwerp, it was this museum…read more For my money, these are the best types of museums. But to each their own, I'm a nerd so I love this stuff. Actually I got kinda lucky, because the museum is closed certain days, and I was only here certain days, and thought I could visit a different day, but it ended up being today. My absolute favorite part was watching Rudi give a printing demonstration on a Gutenberg replica. I walked into the demo about halfway through a presentation he was giving to a group of German ladies. I only picked up on about half of it, but stuck around until the end, and by that time there was a small group of English speakers, and he did it again! Wonderful presentation. I do have a pre-existing interest in printing, so I knew a lot of the information, but was happy to hear it again, and really excited that he was offering some of the pages that he printed onto! As for the rest of the museum, you'll get to see a lot of examples of printing, lots of actual equipment, and shelves and shelves of leather bound books. Cannot recommend this museum enough. Unfortunately they are a bit ableist, so wheelchairs are pretty much out of the question (as far as I could see) and those with a cane or crutches will have moderate difficulty due to the amount of small sets of stairs throughout the museum.

This is a wonderful historic museum. Its main focus is printing, but there are numerous Peter Paul…read moreRubens paintings (plus a few copies) and it's also a home from 400 years ago. I had no expectations, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It makes history interesting. There were printing demonstrations and the 2 oldest printing presses in the world. There were also thousands of rare books.

This is an update.I also appreciated its fine collection of 19th Century Oil Paintings primarily by…read moreBelgian Painters.Favorites included Franz Von Leemputten's"Distribution of Bread In Village"(fine Naturalism),Alexandre Cabanel's"Cleopatra Testing Poison On Condemned Prisoners"(Oriental Theme),Emile Claus'"Flax Weeding In Flanders",Eugene Laermans'"Blind One",Vincent Van Gogh's"Potato Harvesters",and James Tissot's"Embarkation in Calais". As for 20th Century Paintings,I especially appreciated Henry Van De Velde's"Woman At Window",Jean Brusselmans'"Spring",Amadeo Modigliani's"Seated Nude",Theo van Rhysellberghe's"Marie Sethe,Future Wife of Henry Van De Velde",Paul Delvaux'"Pink Bows"(quality Surrealism),Rene Magritte's"Statement of September",and James Ensor's"Carnival in Binche"and"Intrigue". The time that I spent at the KMSKA Art Museum was very rewarding.I spent 2 days at this wonderful art museum.

I went to the Panamarenko exhibition and it was great. The installation is quite big and bright…read more Very well done. You have space to enjoy admiring all those crazy machines created by this artist! I always wonder how many of them actually "worked"... apparently the submarine can go 7 meters deep! Enjoy! (8€/pers)

Belgium has a common theme for having spectacular town centers and Grote Markt is a prime example…read moreof such. While it doesn't quite live up to its neighbor in Brussels, it is still something to see none the less. It is not the largest square, but it boasts plenty to in and around. There are plenty of restaurants, bars, shopping, and a cathedral all nearby, so again plenty to do. During the winter months, it is decked out with Christmas goodies including a full fledged festival, which is oodles of fun. Could you spend a whole day here, possibly, but quite honestly a few hours is all you need before you move onto your next adventure in the beautiful city of Antwerp.

Super great place to visit, eat, stroll and soak-up. Search for the historic alleyway and make…read moreyour way to the canal and visit the historic building and tourist info building.