This is an update.I also appreciated its fine collection of 19th Century Oil Paintings primarily by…read moreBelgian Painters.Favorites included Franz Von Leemputten's"Distribution of Bread In Village"(fine Naturalism),Alexandre Cabanel's"Cleopatra Testing Poison On Condemned Prisoners"(Oriental Theme),Emile Claus'"Flax Weeding In Flanders",Eugene Laermans'"Blind One",Vincent Van Gogh's"Potato Harvesters",and James Tissot's"Embarkation in Calais". As for 20th Century Paintings,I especially appreciated Henry Van De Velde's"Woman At Window",Jean Brusselmans'"Spring",Amadeo Modigliani's"Seated Nude",Theo van Rhysellberghe's"Marie Sethe,Future Wife of Henry Van De Velde",Paul Delvaux'"Pink Bows"(quality Surrealism),Rene Magritte's"Statement of September",and James Ensor's"Carnival in Binche"and"Intrigue". The time that I spent at the KMSKA Art Museum was very rewarding.I spent 2 days at this wonderful art museum.

My visit to this museum proved to be an interesting one. I've always had a love of photography and…read morevisit photo museums when I can. So when I came across the FOMU here in Antwerp on Yelp, I was intrigued to give the place a try. You can tell from the outside of the building, its not really that large of a museum, its four stories but there were only two stories open during my visit. The cost of entrance was around 8 Euros or so, they take all cards and cash. Seeing how only two floors were open, my time here wasn't long. The most interesting part of the museum was being able to look at all the old film and camera equipment that they had in their collection. If you're not a big fan of photography, I'd skip this one.

From the owner: Het Fotomuseum Antwerpen toont fotografie in al haar facetten…read more We wisselen elke 4 maand van tentoonstellingen. Zo kunnen we de veranderingen in de fotografiewereld op de voet volgen en onze bezoekers telkens iets anders aanbieden. Het FOMU geeft niet enkel bekende fotografen een plaats, maar ook jong talent en dat zijn zowel internationale fotografen als fotografen van eigen bodem. Het FOMU bezit een enorme collectie met beelden, boeken en apparatuur. In het totaal telt deze meer dan 1 miljoen fotografische objecten. Daguerreotypieën, glasnegatieven, een gouden Leica I Luxus, fotoalbums, een Grand Photographe, ... Deze schatten behoren allemaal tot onze collectie. We pakken er dan ook graag eens mee uit in een thematische collectietentoonstelling. Voor bezoekers die graag wat meer verdieping willen, geven we rondleidingen, lezingen en workshops. Ook de allerkleinsten weten we te entertainen met onze smARTbox vol gadgets en leuke opdrachten. Er valt altijd wel iets te beleven bij ons!

Belgium has a common theme for having spectacular town centers and Grote Markt is a prime example…read moreof such. While it doesn't quite live up to its neighbor in Brussels, it is still something to see none the less. It is not the largest square, but it boasts plenty to in and around. There are plenty of restaurants, bars, shopping, and a cathedral all nearby, so again plenty to do. During the winter months, it is decked out with Christmas goodies including a full fledged festival, which is oodles of fun. Could you spend a whole day here, possibly, but quite honestly a few hours is all you need before you move onto your next adventure in the beautiful city of Antwerp.

Super great place to visit, eat, stroll and soak-up. Search for the historic alleyway and make…read moreyour way to the canal and visit the historic building and tourist info building.

The sun is out, you want to chill but you live in the city and you don't have a patio? What do you…read moredo, what do you. Well, you somewhere public and relax, take a bottle of wine and company and enjoy people passing by. Make new friends and look at the crowd passing by. This is the greatest spot in the summer where you don't have to pay for :-)

Just a heads up -- the majority if art in here is by other artists. There are a few wonderful…read morepieces from Rubens himself but don't expect a museum of his work. This is mostly art that was part of his personal collection and the work of his contemporaries. Rubens is an example of an artist that was successful during his lifetime. He operated a studio and was very in demand. Thus, due to his wealth, the house is quite beautiful. The tour of the house is self-guided. They have booklets in various languages with numbers corresponding with art pieces. You just follow the path and bury your nose in your booklet to learn about the art. You don't need too much time here. If you move fast, you can probably see everything in one hour. This may change depending on how crowded the museum gets. The rooms are pretty small but it wasn't too bad when I came here since it was a rainy day at the end of August. **Make sure you see everything. The last room is the most beautiful (large paintings). Don't skip the courtyard in the back either -- gorgeous architecture (although they are currently restoring it). **Free on the last Wednesday of the month. I had no idea but just so happened to visit Antwerp on this day so I got very lucky.

The Rubenshuis, which was the home of the famous painter Pieter Paul Rubens is a site to see if you…read moreneed time to kill. From the outside it looks tremendous and while it does not disappoint from the inside, I felt a little down after seeing the whole thing. Now while this is not the cheapest attraction in the town by far, it will not break the bank, the problem really comes down to what you are expecting. I expected to see more of the lifestyle of Pieter Paul Rubens, but what I got was a refinished house full of art setup in the way of a small art museum. Do not get me wrong, the sculptures and paintings are wonderful, but nothing to write home about when compared to many other museums nearby. Couple that with the small hallways and large crowds and it will have you rushing for the exit as soon as possible. We ended up walking around pretty freely as not many were there an hour after the opening on a crummy weather day, but as we were leaving, we saw a HUGE group heading in, so be aware this may not be friendly for those with no patience or claustrophobic. On the plus side, the back yard and garden is beautiful in the Spring and Summer, but sadly the buildings facade was getting a makeover when we were there. Was it deserving of more than a three star, yes, but I'd leave it at a 3.5 out of 5 to be honest. Still worth visiting though if you read up on it beforehand and interests you.

Around the corner from the Mode Museum, is a street, which is more like an alley, called…read moreKopstraatje. I heard that it was once just a run-down alley but some very good graffiti artists came to town and spruced it up, transforming it into an outdoor art museum. Its hard to describe the art, so have a look at the photos!

The former home of the Plantin-Moretus family was turned into this well laid out and presented…read moremuseum about the family business. Inside we learned about the different generations of the family, the rise (exclusive agreements, typeset monopolies) and decline of their printing business, witnessed a first hand demonstration of one of the original presses (took home a printed souvenir) and viewed many of the original books printed from these presses. A very useful audio guide just had to be tapped on the special NFC tags in each room or display case to kick off the dialogue. We spent over one hour here. Note that some rooms got pretty warm since the museum wasn't air conditioned. Do try to visit if you're visiting Antwerp

The Plantin-Moretus Museum was one of the highlights of our time in Antwerp. We took the guided…read moreaudio tour, and it was outstanding--easy to follow, informative, and very well done. The museum is relaxed, easy to navigate, and filled with fascinating history. The interactive exhibits and live demonstrations made the experience even more engaging. If you're visiting Antwerp, this is an absolute must-see. Totally recommend it!

My museum timing is often uncannily bad, but this time I must've gotten lucky, because very soon…read morethis space will be closed for a lonnnnnng time. Sneaked in! Lots of paintings by the artist in a dark and visceral space. Bookcases always a good thing too. His famous hellscape is on display in it's own room with a bench and low lighting, so that was good thinking by the curators. The gift shop has some nice postcards and magnets and other little objects. The staff is friendly. There are lockers to put your stuff. The price is right. Keen eyed museum goers might find an oddly placed box containing several keys in one of the galleries. I couldn't help but snoop around in it... it's a little thing for the kids to find. If I was a wee one and I found this box, I would be losing my shit. Such a great idea by the staff! You turn in the key to the front desk and get a little surprise. Adults too, apparently :D

This house museum is a gorgeous way to step back in time. While not a huge place, it packs a big…read morepunch. You can wind your way through a few floors of charming art and history, appreciating interesting details as you go. They are currently interspersing a few contemporary works to juxtapose them with the permanent collection, which was something different. Visit both this lovely place and the Rockoxhuis Museum on your trip to Antwerp!