Antwerp is one of our Best Places to Go in Europe for 2024, part of our global guide to the Best Places to Go in 2024—find more travel inspiration here.
With gabled guildhalls and a grand gothic cathedral, Antwerp is straight out of Old Flanders. But head to the rooftop of the MAS city museum, and the panoramas—unspooling to the River Scheldt and the port beyond—tell a different story. It's there, at the port, that a dazzling Zaha Hadid-designed edifice glitters like a diamond atop a historic former fire station. The Port House is a striking monument, and one that underlines the confluence of heritage and innovation that’s vital to Antwerp’s creative spirit.
Often bypassed by international visitors for other European cities, Antwerp offers an embarrassment of riches in a compact city at the crossroads of Europe. From buzzy new hotels to the ambitious art exhibits, it’s a design destination like no other. The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) is alone worth a pilgrimage. Reopened in 2022 after an 11-year restoration, the experiential museum displays the works of Old Masters alongside quirky contemporary sculpture. Come summer, a cocktail bar pops up on Thursday nights, a DJ spins the soundtrack, and multidisciplinary artists stage performances. Over at the Rubens House museum, currently closed for a renovation, a new garden will open this summer with 17,000 plants chosen under guidance from fashion legend Dries Van Noten and designed for 365 days of bloom. Did we mention the city’s lineup of all-star chefs that produce some of the best food on the Continent?
Head to the MAS city museum rooftop for unbeatable views.
In summer months, the newly renovated Royal Museum of Fine Arts hosts parties and performances.
The city’s edgy ethos is closely tied to the long history of its port, the second largest in Europe after Rotterdam. Back in the 16th century, Venetian merchants arriving here were bowled over by the booming trade in play. As described in writer and historian Michael Pye’s Antwerp: The Glory Years, their dispatches back home gushed about the city’s progressive ideas. At this time, Christophe Plantin was printing pamphlets on humanism and science at his book-printing workshop, the world’s biggest publishing house at the time and now the only UNESCO-listed museum in the world. The port forged the city’s avant-gardism and its melting-pot population, which now comprises more than 170 nationalities.
Today, the same spirit fuels tastemakers, across numerous creative fields, who eschew trends for innovation. When it comes to fashion, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts has played a pivotal role, nurturing design dynamos like Martin Margiela and the Antwerp Six. In September 2022, Brandon Wen
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
One of the most incredible bird scenes in Europe took place as I hiked through the Bielawa nature reserve in northern Poland, about 40 miles north of Gdansk. I had left the village of Sławoszyno via a dirt track and was heading towards Kłanino, the open countryside and fields disappearing from my sight as the hedgerows grew taller either side of me. As I stepped forward, a gap appeared in the hedge and in front of my eyes a flock of nearly 100 cranes, which had been silent, took off across the field, honking with their red-tinged heads and faces, and feathery wing feathers flapping. I could almost touch them. The 19,000-hectare (47,000-acre) park is a mix of forest, wetland and coast. Rita
What’s your idea of beach heaven? A rocky path down to a secluded Mediterranean cove which is home to a simple beach shack and not much else? A wild expanse of Atlantic beach fringed by dunes and pounded by breakers? Or an elegantly faded old seaside town with a crescent of white sand and a handful of family-run hotels and restaurants, perhaps? From the Baltic coast to the Black Sea, the Atlantic to the Adriatic, we’d love to hear about the European beaches or seaside towns that have won your heart.
Marriott International, Inc. announced plans to grow its portfolio in Europe through nearly 100 conversions and adaptive reuse projects by the end of 2026, which represent over 40 percent of its overall European development pipeline.
Marriott and IHG each announced Monday their latest expansion plans in Europe. Marriott set its sights on adding nearly 100 hotels by 2026, while IHG signed a deal to add more than 100 in Germany.
If last summer is any indication—and bookings for 2024 suggest that it is—parts of Europe will be as inundated with crowds as they were in 2023. The best way to avoid the hordes is to go somewhere off the beaten path, seeking out corners of Europe free of mass tourism. Here are five European trips for those seeking a respite from the madding crowd.
From crystalline karst lakes in Croatia to soaring sandstone columns in Greece, UNESCO has announced the addition of 18 new sites to its Global Geoparks network. The list of geographical areas with international geological significance now numbers 213 locations across 48 countries.
As Mother’s Day approaches, consider giving the gift of quality time paired with a unique culinary experience. These nine restaurants, set in picturesque locales across Europe, offer more than just exceptional food—they promise unforgettable getaways where culinary art, sustainability and ambiance blend perfectly to celebrate this special occasion.
Traveling to Europe in the summer months is a rite of passage—steamy nights spent in the south of Spain, snoozy days on the most beautiful Greek islands, breezy afternoons sipping rosé on a terrace in the South of France. But as tourism levels continue to rise after a few quiet years, and peak-season temperatures climb from Italy to Croatia, is the appeal of a big European summer holiday dwindling?