Antwerp Audio guided walking tour 2h15 and 21 audio commentary

As we approach this flagship building in the city, how can we resist the urge to welcome you to Rubens? Artistic HQ, especially at its peak, Antwerp has seen several renowned personalities in the field, the most famous of which is undoubtedly Peter Paul Rubens.

Whereas by definition a station is reduced to a common place of passage, the one you have at your side proves on the contrary that it is worth a whole trip. By 1835, Antwerp was already served by railway lines, whereas the terminus was only then a mere platform followed by a modest wooden building.

Apart from saying that Antwerp is a Belgian destination par excellence, can you give us other more unknown truths about it? If nothing comes to mind, then here are 3 little things that are good to know about it.

Welcome to one of the most fascinating places on the planet! You are in the diamond district of Antwerp, a very small perimeter where daily circulate... 500,000 carats of diamonds.

Operetta, modern dance, or classical ballet, this is the kind of lexicon that defines the building universe standing in front of you. Designated Flemish Opera, the site is actually a member of the Vlaanderen Opera.

We can say that the time has come to make you meet a child of the city with the beautiful statue that reveals itself in front of you. It is the look lost in the air, and with his beautiful period outfit, that we introduce you to Antoine Van Dyck.

To understand the full value of the site you were taken to, you will need to enter it. Don’t panic, it’s free!

As if hidden at the end of this alley, the Handelsbeurs is quite the kind of building that breathes history. Forced to admit that its old stock exchange, the Hofstraat, had become too small, Antwerp then started building a completely new version.

In the heart of the historic centre of Antwerp, the church of Saint-Charles-Borromée is one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture in Belgium. Founded by the Jesuits between 1615 and 1621, it was originally named after Saint-Ignace.

Between the ancient medieval houses that surround it and this small square that hosts it, it takes no more than Notre Dame Cathedral to appear even more gigantic than it is.

If the coveted central position on the Grand Place belongs to the statue of Brabo, City Inn does not need this to be noticed. It’s simple, he’s so beautiful and imposing that you only see him!

With an existence of about 500 years, the Butchers House is without surprise one of the most dated public buildings in the city. Until the French Revolution, Antwerp’s butchers were the oldest guild, or merchant association, in the Flemish city.

You hardly notice them at first glance, yet they have been watching over the city for centuries. Nestled at the corner of two streets or discreetly placed on a facade, like the one you see on your right, the statues of the Virgin Mary are part of the Antwerp landscape.

Built in 1639, on the orders of the Dominican convent to which it once belonged, St. Paul’s Church occupies a prominent place in the hearts of Antwerp. The main reason for this is undoubtedly the impressive artistic value that defines the interior of the premises.

Before you, ladies and gentlemen, the oldest building in the city still standing. Relatively well preserved, the Het Steen is this beautiful 13th-century half-castle, which was once an integral part of the old Antwerp ramparts.

A little height, giving you this vague Impression of dominating the world around, is all the secret of this little point of view that you have been unhooked. If you really put yourself at the tip of the roof and turn your back to the void, you should see an Antwerp canvas that is rather pleasant to look at.

Slowly but surely, here you are arriving on the Grand Place of Antwerp. Equivalent to the city’s hard-line historical centre, this esplanade has its origins in the Middle Ages as a forum, where people’s assemblies and discussions on public affairs were held.

If chance does things right, as is often said, then plunging into the Vlaeykensgang is more than a good idea. Alongside the main squares and cafes, this little alley takes us back in time.

Beautiful public space in Antwerp, the Groenplaats is typically the kind of place where the words vitality and pause face each other. Like any other square, it is both a place of passage, where more than one pedestrian swarms, and a meeting point where you can sit down to drink, eat and watch street performances.

A kind of link between Antwerp Central station and the historic centre, the Meir is no less than Belgium’s second shopping street. In the remarkable 18th and 19th century Rococo-style buildings that define it, nestle the largest European and international chain stores.

Absorbed in the commercial hustle and bustle of the street in which it is located, the Meir Palace is a fragment of history in the middle of all these Shopping Signs. Its first origins date from 1745, when a wealthy Antwerp entrepreneur used his fortune to build it.