Experience in Antwerp, Belgium by Anneleen

Source

What is it like to live in Antwerp? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Antwerp is a very diverse and interesting city. With its combination of historic building and architectural innovative masterpieces, it is a beautiful city to live in and I would recommend it to everybody.

What is the student lifestyle like in Antwerp?

In my opinion the city has a vivid student scene and is most famous for all its different types of bars where you can drink Belgians best beers. There are two squares with a lot of student bars: Ossenmarkt and Stadswaag. If you go there, it's guaranteed you will have a good night. Antwerp also has a couple of night clubs but for students we have different parties organised by each study field. These are called "TD's". If you want to explore Antwerp student life, you have to go there!

How much does it cost to live in Antwerp?

Living in Antwerp is not really expensive but neither cheap. You can rent a room starting from 250 euros a month. If you want a studio with your own bathroom and kitchen you will have to pay at least 400 euros, if its in the city center. You can buy relatively cheap food in the supermarket or you can buy a meal in the student restaurant for 3 or 4 euros. If you want to go to a restaurant it is normal to pay at least 20 euros for a meal.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Antwerp? Is there any advice you can give?

It is not difficult to find accommodation in Antwerp but you have to start at least 2 months before your arrival to find the ideal place. If not, there are still some places left but I'm not sure if they are decent. You can find a lot of rooms only, like on this site:StudentKotWeb. It is also in english.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

The food in Antwerp is very divers. You can find a lot of different cultural restaurant there, from Chinese to Italian to Indonesian. I am a real foodie and like vegetarian meals and bagels. In the south of Antwerp you can find some places like Kaffeenini. Or you can go for some coffee in one of the hundred coffee bars we have in Antwerp.

What places would you recommend visiting in Antwerp?

Firstly, one famous architectural building in Antwerp is the "Museum Aan de Stroom". It is a big museum but is most know for its amazing view over the city. You can visit the rooftop terrace till twelve o'clock every night. In the summer its neighbourhood is also very cosy looking over the harbor of Antwerp.

Secondly I would recommend you to go to "Park Spoor Noord" in the summer. This is a very beautiful park where you can chill out on hot summer nights. You can even barbeque there, you only have to bring some food, because the bbq's are open for the public.

At last I would recommend you to just walk around the city centre and walk past a few beautiful squares and buildings like Groenplaats, Grote Markt, Onze Lieve Vrouwe Kathedraal, the Carolus Borromeus Church, The Museum of Fashion, etc. Make a big tour and just go where the roads lead you!

Is it good to eat out in Antwerp? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

Like I said before going out to eat is a little bit more expensive. The area around the Museum Aan de Stroom has a lot of good restaurants. A normal meal there cost around 20 euros. One very good restaurant is called "Het duvels genot", it means the devil's pleasure. Here you can eat all kind of dishes prepared with Belgian beers.

But my favorite place to eat is called "Het lastig portret", in English "The difficult portrait". The food here is a lot cheaper than in most restaurants. This is because this restaurant doesn't invest in the interior, only in the food. Here you can buy a meal for only 10 euros, and it is as good as in other restaurants, maybe even better!

Is the nightlife good in Antwerp? Where is good to go?

The nightlife in Antwerp is pretty good. There are a 3 famous nightclubs: Cafe local, Cafe d'Anvers and Red&Blue. On thursdays the entrance is free. But there are a lot of other night clubs not a lot of student go to but are much better and not that commercial like Baroque, Maison Cliceau, Roxy, Madam, etc. You should check out these last ones.

But Antwerp is more famous for all its different bars. From cocktail bars, a lot of beer bars and coffee bars, Antwerp has hundreds of them. And like I said before you should visit the main student squares Ossenmarkt and Stadswaag for a great night out.

What advice would you give future students heading to Antwerp?

My advice is to go explore the city with your friends. By walking, biking and driving around the city you can discover cosy bars, beautiful squares and the nice Antwerp atmosphere. This is how I explored the city!