Antwerp city is worth visiting, a big industrial base and port but with superbly preserved medieval churches and guild houses and some of the best art collections in the country. A ntwerp, daughter of the River Scheldt and second largest city of Belgium.The 500.000 inhabitants call it the 'Metropolis' (Antwerpians are known in Belgium for not being too modest). You'll find Antwerp tourism a very pleasant experience. This city has so many different facets that it takes a while before one gets to know it thoroughly
Like Brussells, buy a good guide book to get the best of Antwerp Belgium. You can have Antwerp map to locate some interesting places in the city. From the banks of the Scheldt River many boat trips explore the waterways of the area. Other towns to visit in this corner of Belgium are Diest, Leuven, Mechelen, Lier and the open air folk museum at Bokrijk. The medieval part of Antwerp city is one of the most popular parts of the city. As such, most of the streets are in cobblestones and while they can be hard on your shoes and feet, walking through the old city is delightful. However there's lots of public transport and you're sure to find a tram or bus that will get you to your destination.
Many believe that Antwerp's most celebrated citizen was painter Peter Paul Rubens, and thus no visit to Antwerp Belgium would be complete without a visit Rubenshuis the patrician house where Rubens lived. Rubens amassed a small fortune from his paintings which allowed him to build this lovely mansion in 1610. There are several examples of his work scattered throughout the house, together with works from his contemporaries. In the dining room of the house you will find a self-portrait of Rubens that he painted when he was 47 years old. Rubens is buried in the St. Jacobskerk or St. James's Church. His vault is in the Rubens Chapel. Several of Rubens works are here as well as some from Van Dyck and other prominent artists. However to see more Rubens works than anywhere else in the city, you can visit the Royal Museum of Fine Arts.
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