When to visit

Discover and enjoy...

• 

  Classic Rail Grandeur

  The station of Antwerp Centraal is a grand testimony of the golden age of rail. Opened in 1905 it is simply monumental, with iron and glass arcades and fine marble floors. It has been named as one of the most beautiful rail stations in the world.

• 

  Gaze at Zaha Hadid’s Port House

  The late British architect Zaha Hadid has designed the striking Port House, which used to be a derelict fire station. Just completed in 2016, it’s an amazing masterpiece of modern architecture!

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  A Church 169 years in the making

  Antwerp’s Gothic Catherdal - Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal – was built between 1352 and 1521 and its spire pops up every now and again above the skyine of the city roofs. Don’t miss the four Rubens’ canvas displayed here.

• 

  Enjoy coffee and cake in the Grote Markt

  As all Flemish cities, Antwerp is essentially built around a beautiful market square and the ornate Medieval Town Hall is also here. As you sip your coffee you’ll notice the famous Brabo Fountain – according to the legend Brabo, a Roman soldier, threw the severed hand of the giant Antigoon into the river.

• 

  Explore your 'darker side' in Antwerp

  Antwerp has a rich gay scene. Red & Blue / Cargo Club is a legendary gay club that since its start in 1997 has become one of the gay clubbing hotspot in Northern Europe, attracting customers from far and wide.

  Antwerp is also famous for having a big leather & fetish scene, hence the very well established  Darklands event, which is held in early March in a huge indoor warehouse space and it's one of the largest events of its kind in the entire world, attracting thousands of people from every corner of the globe. Each year there is a set 'theme'. More info here. 

• 

  Where people's dreams started

  Antwerp's sprawling port was the base for the Red Star Line, one of the shipping companies that ferried hundreds of thousands of immigrants across the Atlantic in the early 20th century. The amazing Red Star Line Museum tells a universal story of hope, dreams and the quest for happiness, based on personal stories of those who reached America to start a new life.

Gallery

Planes, trains and automobiles...

Useful Links

• SNCB - Official Belgian Railways

• Thalys High Speed Trains 

• De Lijn - Antwerp Public Transport Site

• Brussels Airport - Official Site

The Scene

• 51.2261044,4.401316599999999

  Cargo Club

  Home of Red and Blue

• 51.217244,4.421151099999999

  Central Station

• 51.2338603,4.4020316

  Waagnatie

  Warehouse venue where Darklands is held

• 51.2275462,4.415693500000001

  Boots

  Leather cruising club

• 51.2289238,4.4048203

  MAS

  Maritime museum

Related stories

The sixteenth edition of Antwerp Pride will themed 'Braveolution'.

The announcement came on January 29th during the organisation's reception. During the festival, which will be held from 9 to 13 August 2023, the whole of Antwerp will be turned into a 'brave space', where the LGBTQIA+ community can be themselves. 

The Antwerp Pride organisers stated that much has already been achieved in our society in terms of equal rights and tolerance, for which we should be happy, but states that “in reality, a lot of courage is still needed to take certain very simple step. If Antwerp were a brave space, everyone could develop into who they are within a respectful society and with the support of fellow citizens, colleagues, family, government…,” said Antwerp Pride spokesperson Wilfried Eetezonne.“ Then it would be normal to walk hand in hand with someone of the same gender identity or to dress in a way that goes against the imposed heteronormative rules ”. 

There will be many cultural events as well as parties during the Pride Weekend and the programme will be released in the next few weeks.

When to visit

Discover and enjoy...

• 

  Unmissable Brussels

  Touristy, but definitely unmissable is the famous Mannekenpis, the symbol of Brussels. Marvel the splendour of the historical buildings that frame the Grand Place. Most of them belonged to the guilds of the city. Lose yourself in the beautiful Sablon area and visit the gothic church of Our Lady of Victories. Another imposing gothic church is St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral, which is the church where all the royal weddings and funerals are held. Don't miss the Atomium, another famous symbol of the city: it is situated a bit out of the centre, but it's worth a visit.

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  The marvellous Galeries Royales

  Walking through the spectacular Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert is a bit like going back in time, to a romantic bygone era. Opened in 1847, they included shops, auditoriums, cafés, restaurants and apartments. They were a place to be seen and the favourite meeting place for painters and writers of the time. The colony of French refugees, like Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Edgar Quinet and others, would also gather here, at the Café des Arts. A commemorative plaque recalls the first showing of the Lumière brothers’ motion picture camera in March 1896, in the former dispatch room of the La Chronique daily newspaper. 

  Find out more

• 

  Find authentic Brussels in the Marolles

  The Marolles is one of the most authentic neighbourhoods in Brussels where will find the city's oldest bars, numerous antique shops and historic brasseries. The area is also known for its flea market, in Place Jeu de Balle and the urban art - so that each building acts as a canvas. The Marolles is where you will find the best second-hand shops in Brussels along rue Haute and rue Blaes, which are a veritable haven of antiques dealers and vintage shops. For instance, pop into Melting pot, whwre you pay for your second-hand clothes by the kilo. One of our favourite restaurants, Le Wine Bar (rue Haute 198) is a must stop for all those who like to experience the best local produce.

• 

  A Tin Tin adventure

  There's nothing quite so Belgian as Tintin. Created by the mind and pencil of Georges Prosper Remi, better  known as Hergé, Tintin is the young character of innumerable adventures, always accompanied by his faithful dog Snowy (Milou in the original version) and many colourful friends and foes.

  Since 2009, the Museé Hergé in Louvain-la-Neuve, just a short hop from Brussels, is dedicated to Tintin and the other characters created by Hergé and his formidable talent. You will be able to trace back the history of Tintin as a column on the magazine Le Petit Vingtièmeand the successive release of the adventures as proper illustrated books, which were translated in 110 languages and are famous all over the world. 

  The museum building, designed by architect Christian de Portzamparc is a stunning architectural creation in itself worth a visit.

  Find out more

• 

  La Demence - clubbing with a capital C

  Since the 1990s, Brussels' gay scene is synomymous with La Demence. It's a mega-party whose reputation goes well beyond Belgium's borders, attracting people from the whole of Europe and beyond. It is held usually every month (check the calendar here) and there are special multi-nights events at Easter and over the Anniversary Weekend (end of October/beginning of November). Whilst the ordinary dates are held at Club Fuse (rue Haute), the special events are held at Palais 12, with a capacity of 15,000.

  Find out more

• 

  Brussels in your plate

  People don't rate Belgium very high for food - apart from chocolate, but we've visited so many times and every time we've been totally surprised by the quality of the local produce and the passion that people here have for a good and tasty meal (albeit usually not calorie-friendly).

  Apart from the delicious mussels (moules), which inevitably come with deliciuos thin fries and mayonnaise, try the tasty carbonnade a la flamande (beef stew slow-cooked in dark beer) or the boulettes a la liégeoise (meatballs of mixed minced pork and beef in a sweet-sour sauce). Also worth mentioning are the delicious vol-au-vent- a sumptious creamy chicken fricassee in puffy pastry cases. 

  And do we even need to mention the delicious Belgian waffles? We recommend the Liege waffles, which are famous because they are made with pearl raw sugar, which melts and gives the waffles a unique caramel flavor.

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  The genius of René Magritte

  One of the most famous and well known Belgian surrealist artist was René Magritte, who created some of the most instantly recognizable images of the 20th century and clarly influenced pop art, minimalist art, and conceptual art. Brussels dedicates an entire museum to this influential artist, to bring together the world's largest collection of his work, which includes paintings, gouaches, drawings, sculptures and painted objects, as well as advertising posters, musical scores, photographs and films. 

  The Museé Magritte is located in Place Royale and it is definitely worth a visit to immerse in a bizarre and surreal universe that is Magritte's art.

Gallery

Planes, trains and automobiles...

Useful links

• Brussels Airport (Zaventem - BRU) site

• SNCB - Belgian Railways

• STIB - Brussels Public Transport

The Scene

• 50.8467887,4.3524356

  Grand Place

• 50.835414,4.3445806

  Club Fuse

  Home of La Demence

• 50.9012565,4.3418378

  Palais 12

• 50.8373,4.3468

  Les Marolles

  Neighbourhood with antique shops, wine bars and cafes.

• 50.8424057,4.3586407

  Magritte Museum

• 50.8463018,4.3488478

  Rue du Marché au Charbon

  Area near the centre where most gay bars are located

Related stories

Earlier this year, the famous Brussels nightclub Fuse, home of the long-standing gay dance event La Demence, was the centre of a legal dispute as a result of noise complaints from a single neighbour who bought a house in the area ten years ago.  The club was initially ordered by the Environment Office of the Brussels Region to close its doors at 2am and to keep the volume below 95 dBA. These prescriptions were deemed impossible to follow by the club's management who as a result decided to shut the venue's doors indefinitely.

The abrupt closure caused a huge outcry and received international attention. Not only Fuse has been hosting La Demence for many years, but it's been also the scene of memorable techno events and has an iconic place in Brussels' nightlife. A petition launched by The Brussels by Night Federation drew around 65,000 signatures.

Following a review of the situation, the club - which operates since 1994, will now be allowed to reopen but under some strict conditions, including that the venue has to move to another site within two years. The club must also reduce the noise levels at the start and end of the night to lower than 95dBA. Fuse says "this will mean we can only play acceptable levels during a few hours in the middle of the night".

The club will also no longer be able open for three nights over the weekends and only occasionally be able to stay open until 7AM.

The reopening of Fuse meant that the La Demence Party of February 3rd could go ahead, however the new regulations meant for instance that the top level dancefloor was not able to be operative.

The review gives the club some oxygen in the short term, however the case has opened the debate about the coexistence of nightlife in the city centres and the need to have a 'night mayor' in the Belgian Capital, on the model of other cities like London, in the attempt to conciliate the resident's needs with the night economy, which also provides employment and culture to the city.

Brussels has many detractors. A lot of people say that Brussels is the capital of boredom, probably because they associate it with EU bureaucracy. Perhaps it hasn't got the size or the charme of the French Capital, nor its glorious history - but then again very few cities can compare with the cultural relevance, the innumerable layers of history and intense fascination provided by Paris. 

And yet not being too famous has its advantages, though. Having visited Brussels in different seasons, one never feel that sense of being overwhelmed by tourists. In fact, a quick detour off the areas most frequented by visitors reveal a charming and elegant city, which is far from boring and uninteresting. And that's not all: Brussels' gastronomic credentials are simply amazing - not to mention the abundance of bars and cafés. And of course if you're into chocolate, here you will find heaven on earth as the city is the undisputed capital of the stuff.

As for the gay scene, Brussels is an open and inclusive city that has a vibrant cluster of funky bars and is home to one of Europe's (and the world's) largest dance party - the incomparable La Demence.

Here are our top suggestions for a perfect visit to the Belgian capital.

The Grand Place

Any visit to Brussels must include the stunning Grand Place, which is one of the most beautiful squares in Europe and a UNESCO heritage site. It is quite astonishing to think that this square was almost destroyed by fire in 1695 when the French bombarded during the Nine Years War. Framed by stunning and ornate buildings that were the city's Guildhalls, it is also where you will found the 15th century Town Hall, which with its 100-metre gothic spire is a symbol of Brussels and towers over the city. At night the buildings are lit up and the place acquire a special magic. 

Manneken Pis

Of course, if you come to Brussels you must at least pop for a moment to see this very small statue that for some reason has become symbol of the city. It is most likely that you will find the statue dressed and in fact the Mannekenpis has a wardrobe of about 1,000 outfits, some dating back to the 18th century, when the tradition began. Once worn, the costumes are stored in the Brussels Museum.

The Cathedral 

Also historical and with a special significance in the history of the city is the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, which most tourists miss altogether, though it's a mere ten minutes walk from the Grand Place. It was here that in 1047, Lambert II, Count of Leuven founded a chapter and organised the transportation of the relics of Saint Gudula, patron of the Brussels, previously housed in Saint Gaugericus Church on Saint-Géry Island, which was the original first settlement of the city. The church we see today was built in the Gothic style - the choir was constructed between 1226 and 1276 and the façade was completed in the mid-fifteenth century. 

Le Sablon and Le Marolles

The area of the Sablon is one of the most attractive of Brussels - and also one of the oldest. Here you will find the beautiful gothic Church of the Blessed Lady, dating back to the 15th century. Around you will find some beautiful boutiques and upmarket shops. Take some time to wander around the streets around Rue Blaes and Rue Haute, a neighbourhood known as Le Marolles which is a real haven for anyone who is into vintage clothing and antique and retro furniture and homewares. There is also a big antiques/flea market in Place Jeu de Ball at weekends. 

Museums for all tastes

Without exaggerating, the weather in Brussels can be challenging, especially in winter, but thankfully there are some pretty amazing museum to visit. Modern art lovers should not miss the René Magritte Museum, a fitting tribute to the Belgian surrealist artist. Another fascinating museum (at least if you're a petrolhead) is the Autoworld, which includes 300 vehicles, ranging from cars and trucks to motorcycles. You can immerse yourself in music at the Museum of Musical Instruments, which features over 7000 pieces of musical history and instruments from around the world. An Art Nouveau heaven is found at the Horta Museum, which was in fact Victor Hugo’s own residence in the early 1900s. 

The gay scene & La Demence 

Brussels is a very inclusive and tolerant city for the gay traveller. Few people know that Belgium was the second country in the world to legalise same sex marriage after the Netherlands. It has a more than interesting scene, concentrated around the Rue du Marché au Charbon, not far from the Grand Place. Here there are some busy bars, almost next to each other (which makes it for a great bar crawl) like Le Baroque, Belgica, Stammbar and Station BXL. Not far from here you will find the vast and busy Macho Sauna. 

However the highlights of the gay calendar in Brussels are the La Demence parties, which are held roughly every month and with two massive multi-night events, one at Easter and another at the beginning of November for its anniversary. La Demence has for over 30 years attracted a vast gay male crowd from neighbouring France, Germany, England - as well as Belgium of course, and much further afield. It is quite remarkable to dance with such a diverse multi-national crowd: it's a sort of mini EU on a dancefloor, possibly quite unique in its kind. And it's still going strong: the highlight is their anniversary party, held every year over the November long weekend, but there are regular parties every month, plus some big ones also over the Easter weekend and New Year's Eve, Apart from some of the anniversary's events, normally La Demence parties are held at The Fuse club on Rue Blaes, in the Marolles.