A Must-Visit Gem in Antwerp! MAS was an absolute highlight…read moreof my time in Antwerp. The Compassion exhibit was deeply moving--exactly what I needed and didn't know I was looking for. The museum's location by the port is beautiful, and the experience of exploring each floor was truly special. I loved how each level offered a new perspective--both artistically and visually. The artwork was thoughtfully curated, and taking the escalators between floors revealed stunning views over the city, creating a seamless blend of culture and scenery. Don't miss the panoramic rooftop--it's worth the visit alone.

We did not pay to go inside the museum BUT i will share what you can do for free…read more Walk or ride your bike to this area. If you have a rental bike there is a docking station right in front. There is a children's play area outside as well as plentiful places to sit to enjoy a rest or the sun. Once inside continue to the escalator. There is a free public toilet on the 2nd floor. Very clean. The ladies restroom also has free feminine products for those that need them. The window design blew me away and I wanted to stop on each floor to take photos and have a moment to take in the view. Continue to the roof top. Here you will have a 360 view of the city. Great place for photos. There is a thick plexiglass but you can hold your camera/phone up and reach the top. I cannot get over the glass design and how it continuously curves. Just simply amazing. On the Saturday we were there they had 2 art areas for children to create a photo. There is one free museum entry exhibit that impressed me-it is the storage area of pieces that either are rotated and stored. I do wish that all museums had this. Very neat to see behind the scenes. These items are in cages but you can see them still. Very interesting to also see the labels, tags etc. Definitely do not miss this. Tickets to actually go in the museum are sold on the first floor as soon as you enter the building to the right. There is a cafe and in the area several places you can eat and drink. You can also take a walk and see all the docked boats.

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!

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.

Amazing tour even without the free in person tastings…read more...... They've limited the number of tickets offered so there is heightened safety. Masks required. Given an audio guide, we entered room after room of narrative that expanded how only the best chocolate makes it to Belgium & how the chocolate makers then turn it into scrumptious Belgian chocolate The stage setup, the automation, the lights & the entire setup was incredible. Totally selfie-worthy & there were lots of opportunities to do just that And let's not overlook the chocolate sculptures and chance to see the atelier kitchen (all behind glass) where they make fun shapes like shoes or soccer balls And as a parting gift, we were provided with a goodie bag of all the flavors we would have been able to try while there, had we not been in a pandemic situation - so we still got to enjoy all the flavors from the different cacao beans.......this was definitely as good as it gets

Walked in easily without a wait in the morning. The tour is more informative than interactive other…read morethan the room where you can scan the audio guide at each of the chocolate exhibits. I thought the chocolate sculptures would be grander honestly so I was mildly disappointed with the experience. At the end, you get to sample 8 different types of chocolates ranging from white, ruby, gold, and different cacao levels of milk to dark chocolate. The white and milks were rich and decadent but nothing to write home about. The gold chocolate is supposed to be a caramelized white chocolate, it was very sweet and indulgent. The ruby chocolate has a lot of pronounced fruity notes -- personally not a fan of fruit with my chocolate so this one was a pass for me, but the color was gorgeous! The dark chocolates were more on the acidic side. The gift shop has a lot of chocolate varieties to choose from -- bars (plain or with toppings), rubbber duck shapes, chocolate chips, a bar with the Antwerp skyline, and much more! I selected a few bars to bring home as souvenirs. They were relatively affordable, most bars max around 5 euros, though they are on the smaller side. But I have seen pricier bars at the supermarkets, so it's a fair price for freshly made chocolate!

I had a really nice time walking through this museum alone. Tons to see, loved seeing the royal…read moregems and the featured metal exhibit. There's a lot of history about diamonds and antwerps breakout of the diamond industry. The whole thing took maybe an hour without t stopping to listen to every little thing, I even found my own engagement ring cut in the case! They have a small gift shop at the end that you can browse, along with a pamphlet that shows recommended diamond shops in the city.

From the owner: DIVA is het nieuwe diamantmuseum met een hart voor zilver in Antwerpen. In een thematisch…read moretentoonstellingsparcours ervaart de bezoeker het historische en hedendaagse diamantverhaal in Antwerpen. Ontdek DIVA en treed binnen in een schitterend universum vol diamant, juwelen en edelsmeedkunst. DIVA, dé nieuwe ster in Antwerpen, en haar butler Jérome nemen je mee op een reis doorheen het Antwerpse diamantverhaal. Uniek vakmanschap, boeiende verhalen, meeslepende emoties en indrukwekkende ensceneringen wachten op je in dit briljante museum... DIVA est le nouveau musée du diamant d'Anvers, avec un oeil pour l'orfèvrerie. L'exposition entraîne un parcours thématique dans lequel le visitateur vit aussi bien la vieille histoire que l'histoire contemporaine des diamants à Anvers. Découvrez DIVA le nouveau musée du diamant à Anvers et entrez dans un univers splendide, plein de diamants, bijoux et d'orfèvrerie. DIVA, la nouvelle étoile d'Anvers, en son majordome Jérôme vous accompagnerons dans un voyage à travers l'histoire du diamant Anversois. Dans ce musée brilliant, vous retrouverez de l'expertise hors-norme, des récits passionants, de fortes émotions et des mises en scène impressionantes.

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!

I went to the Panamarenko exhibition and it was great. The installation is quite big and bright…read more Very well done. You have space to enjoy admiring all those crazy machines created by this artist! I always wonder how many of them actually "worked"... apparently the submarine can go 7 meters deep! Enjoy! (8€/pers)

What a lovely house museum! The historic details that have been preserved here are amazing and well…read moreworth checking out. The museum also is not that huge, so this is the sort of place that feels memorable and special, yet you will not need to be there for hours to see everything. Definitely worth visiting on a trip to Antwerp!

Lots of paintings depicting dead, gutted, bloody animals either getting ready to be eaten,…read morebutchered or cooked up. Not my taste but I can appreciate it was the popular theme of the times