Do you like culture and snapping up some good bargains? You can do both at the same time in Antwerp. In addition to cultural heritage sites, the historic city centre also has plenty of fun shops. Nice sun-drenched terraces in Groenplaats, collectibles in Kloosterstraat and trendy shops in Lange Koepoortstraat.

A vibrant neighbourhood

You’ll definitely want to spend a bit more time in Antwerp’s historic centre. And why not? There are plenty of nice restaurants and authentic pubs around Grote Markt you can choose from. Groenplaats – which is just a five-minute walk from Grote Markt – has plenty of brasseries with terraces. Don’t forget to pop over Hoogstraat, which is car-free and where many of the shops are also open on Sunday.

A centrally-located shopping centre

Shopaholics should head to the Grand Bazar Shopping Center in Groenplaats, which has 50 shops under one roof, making it the city’s largest shopping. Here you can shop for anything from lingerie to electronics. The bonus: on rainy days (and yes, they do happen in Belgium) you’ll stay nice and dry.

People sitting on a terrace at the Grote Markt

People sitting on terrace on the Groenplaats

Collectibles and art

The historic city centre has lovely, winding streets where antiques lovers – or anyone who likes picturesque city views – can browse an endless supply of collectibles. Kloosterstraat has been a popular place with shoppers because of its many antiques, vintage and second-hand shops for decades. In addition all shops in the Kloosterstraat are open on Sundays.

Wolstraat has several antiquarian book shops and interesting art galleries, and there are plenty of original shops, second-hand shops and bars and restaurants to discover along Lange Koepoortstraat.