I recall in the original Quest for Glory, a creature of the name...

February 15, 2009 2:35 PM

I'm going to be in Antwerp, Belgium for a few days this coming week. What should I do? Where should I do it? Who should I see?

I should be arriving on the evening of the 18th, and I leave Monday morning, the 23rd. I will be staying at a friend's place, which appears to be a little to the south-west of the centre of the city. I'm not certain how mobile I will be beyond whatever public transit exists within the town. So what should I do? Are there any good concerts, theatrical performances, restaurants and pubs I should see? Where have you had your good times?

Also, while I'll admit this to be the wrong forum, would anyone be interested in having some sort of meetup while I'm there?

posted by vernondalhart to travel & transportation (4 comments total)

One of my favourite places! It's very walkable but there's also good transport, buses etc. Bicycles are also available not through a velo scheme, but there will be other hire shops.

There are some lovely cafes, fashion boutiques etc just South of the main square, can easily spend half a day there. Avoid the cafes right on top of the main square as they tend to be very touristy and expensive. I'm sure your friend will be able to guide you.

You may also want to take a local train to some of the other towns, maybe Ghent?

Restaurants - well you have to try Friteur No. 1.

I don't really 'do' stuff in Antwerp, mostly just walk, drink, eat and take photos. Especially so on Sundays which can be pretty quiet. I took about 6 day trips there when I lived in the Netherlands.
posted by wingless_angel at 3:52 PM on February 15

I've never been myself, but I've seen Kulminator recommended time and time again as one of the best beer bars in the world, if you're into that sort of thing.
posted by dhammond at 6:45 PM on February 15

dhammond - absolutely. However Kulminator has weird opening hours and in all the times I went to Antwerp, it was never open. D'oh!
posted by wingless_angel at 9:39 PM on February 15

After the fact, for anyone who finds this thread:

Kulminator is amazing. What a ridiculous list of beers, including Westvleteren. You have to ask for a separate menu though, and they do have several different years. It was around 9 Euros for a "young" bottle though. I wish I knew how they got this beer, because I could not for the life of me get through to the abbey during the proper hours.

I'm pretty sure they close at midnight every night (except maybe Sunday?), and on most weekdays they either open at 11am or 1pm (I forget). Saturday they open at 5pm, and there, to my recollection, was something odd about Monday as well. But for most of the week, if you show up mid-afternoon, you'll be fine.

Go. It's fantastic.
posted by vernondalhart at 9:02 AM on February 24