Antwerp
Close to the art nouveau glories of Zurenborg, contrastingly forbidding Krugerstraat and Minckeleresstraat are so festooned in graffiti that they are essentially outdoor galleries of street art.
Since 2011 the graffiti has become formalised and now there's even an audition procedure for choosing the 60 artists to rework the tags and designs every August. On one Saturday a month, workshops help aspiring painters develop their spray-can techniques.
1.84 MILES
The medieval building and 1622 courtyard garden alone would be worth a visit, but it's the world's oldest printing press, priceless manuscripts and…
25.38 MILES
This 1899 former department store is an art nouveau showpiece with a black facade aswirl with wrought iron and arched windows. The building contains the…
25.15 MILES
Brussels’ magnificent Grand Place is one of the world’s most unforgettable urban ensembles. Oddly hidden, the enclosed cobblestone square is only revealed…
25.38 MILES
Strap on a pair of headphones, then step on the automated floor panels in front of the precious instruments (including world instruments and Adolphe Sax’s…
26.67 MILES
The typically austere exterior doesn’t give much away, but Victor Horta’s former home (designed and built 1898–1901) is an art nouveau jewel. The…
26.72 MILES
One of Brussels’ overlooked architectural wonders, this splendid Napoleon III–style palace
1.39 MILES
This delightfully indulgent 1611 mansion was built as a home and studio for celebrated painter Pieter Paul Rubens. It was rescued from ruins in 1937 and…
1.8 MILES
Belgium’s finest Gothic cathedral was 169 years in the making (1352–1521). Wherever you wander in Antwerp, its gracious, 123m-high spire has a habit of…
0.22 MILES
This exquisite private house has a white facade picked out with small black iron swirls and two gilded sunflowers. It's the most striking of several side…
0.24 MILES
The architectural delight of the Zurenborg suburb goes well beyond art nouveau, as you'll see at this humorous 1900 chalet-style house designed by Jules…
0.32 MILES
If you're strolling Zurenborg looking for art nouveau gems, don't miss house numbers 11 and 30 on this street, which have mosaic work commemorating the…
0.33 MILES
Four matching corner houses face off across a Zurenborg junction, with glaze-brick exteriors enlivened by fine mosaic work and triangular protruding box…
0.34 MILES
Though relatively modest by Zurenborg standards, Les Mouettes is a classic of art nouveau architecture with its curls of wrought-iron balcony detailing.
0.43 MILES
This private, commercial space for contemporary art moved in 2012 to impressively large premises in a former milk-processing factory on an unlikely…
0.96 MILES
An astounding 80% of the world's uncut diamonds are traded in Antwerp. Four dour exchange buildings lie along heavily guarded Hoveniersstraat and…
0.99 MILES
Founded in 1843, Antwerp Zoo is one of the world’s oldest and best-respected zoological parks. Enclosures in the 10-hectare site are state of the art and…