The best thing in Antwerp (with kids!)
In fact, the same applies to every (large) city: skip that center, for sure When with the small stuff. But actually also without it. Look for the best spots on the edges of the city. Creativity reigns supreme there, and the nicest catering establishments open their doors there. This absolutely also applies to Antwerp in Belgium, where the neighborhoods around the center provide the best addresses for kids. here you go, Antwerp neighborhoods with the nicest catering addresses:
Like in the trendy Borgerhout district in Antwerp. That's where Bar Chapel is located. And Bar Chapel is one of a kind. The bar (with outdoor area) is hidden behind a small hallway that creates few expectations when you walk through it. Once you arrive in the hall you know: this place is fun! The old chapel has been renovated and made cozy by owner Sanne and the enormous courtyard is a great place to camp this summer. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed. At the back of the garden is a huge sandbox with play equipment for the little ones; so you can take it with you with peace of mind. Bonus points: Sanne doesn't mind at all if the little stuff is fussy. We love you Sanne, we do.
The Berchem district is also often skipped during a visit to Antwerp, or you should treat yourself to an evening at The Jane, Sergio Herman's go-to restaurant. But beyond that? No. A shame, because the district also houses Stadsbrouwerij de Koninck. There you can take guided tours and taste beer, great after a tour of King Albert Park. It gets even better thanks to the entrepreneurs who have rallied around the brewery: a cheese shop, a bakery, a chocolatier, a publishing house, a butcher's shop. And there's more: the nicest of the bunch, especially for those who go out with kids. Walk out of the street, around the corner, around the corner again and you are at PAKT, a more than nice square full of catering establishments run by young entrepreneurs where the little ones can run and romp to their heart's content: not a car in sight and they are not the only one, least of all!
Thanks to bar NOORD, Antwerp residents no longer have to leave the city. This summer bar at Park Spoor Noord (in Northern Antwerp, previously an old and decrepit railway site) used to open every summer as Cargo's Summer Bar, but was upgraded and given a new name some time ago. The food is healthy and delicious – try the pizza and organic ice creams, and the homemade sangria. Child in tow? Also possible. From your chair on one of the wooden decks you have a good overview of the playing pond.
The 't Eilandje district is no stranger in Antwerp, not in the least because of the MAS, or the Museum aan de Stroom. Too complicated for the little ones perhaps, but the view from the roof is fun for all ages (and for mom's Instagram too). The museum has many fun exhibitions and routes through the museum, for yourself and for the kids. Right at the back of the 't Eilandje district you will find the Red Star Line Museum. This museum is named after the shipping company that provided the crossings from Antwerp to the new world America at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century and is really great fun for children!
Of course you can check into a hotel with your children, but anyone with children knows that a compact hotel room for two adults is no fun if a bed is added for a small fellow traveler (or two, even) who always wakes up way too early. No, we would much rather go for a house where those little kids have their own room, thank you very much. In Antwerp you should definitely visit one of the two holiday homes Wonderful in Antwerp to look. Owner Kathleen has two houses: one in the Leeuwenstraat where you can stay with 10 people, and one in the Lange Ridderstraat where no fewer than 14 people can spend the night! Including little people, by the way. Both houses are concealed in the heart (heart, heart, heart!) of Antwerp city center. The sleeping quarters of both houses have crazy and very clever sneak-through (single) beds that are in a kind of white 'bunk bed caves'. Spending the night with nieces and nephews has rarely been more fun! And yes, both houses (and this also applies to the other houses spread across the Flemish coast) are equipped with everything you could possibly need.
