Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Ravne tunnels.
Ravne Tunnels
Colors and volumes in the patio.
Monterrey’s Contemporary Art Museum (MARCO)
Inside Wonderwerk Caves, underground caves and excavation, Kuruman, Northern Cape
Wonderwerk Cave
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-Icon in its new location in 2020
The Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon: Why This Legendary Philosopher Put His Own Body on Display
about 5 hours ago
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
2 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
3 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
5 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
All Belgium Antwerp

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Antwerp

15 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Antwerp, Belgium

Updated January 28, 2022

Email
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
Leaderboards
Stories
Hotel Deals

Unusual Attractions in Antwerp

Wooden escalators, can’t slide down the middle.

Antwerp, Belgium

St. Anna's Tunnel

Rare wooden escalators lead deep down into an otherwise staggeringly monotonous tiled tunnel.

Antwerp, Belgium

Cafe Beveren

This small corner bar is home to a rare 1930s dance organ that still plays tunes for one Euro.
The Little Boat in Antwerp.

Antwerp, Belgium

Het Bootje (The Little Boat)

The patron of this extravagant Art Nouveau confection insisted that nothing less than a boat should project from its facade.

Antwerp, Belgium

Kulminator

To enter this cluttered-yet-cozy sanctum of Belgian brews, ring the bell and tell the gatekeepers you've come “to taste beer.”
The Nello and Patrasche sculpture in Handschoenmarkt.

Antwerp, Belgium

Nello and Patrasche

This statue dedicated to the story of a Flemish boy and his dog was relatively obscure in Belgium, but a cult sensation in Japan.
The Antwerp Ruien

Antwerp, Belgium

Antwerp Ruien

An open-air sewer system that was covered piece-by-piece over 300 years.

Antwerp, Belgium

Plantin-Moretus Museum of Printing

Most prolific publishing house in the 1600s open to the public.
Brabo Fountain.

Antwerp, Belgium

Brabo Fountain

A man throwing a giant severed hand towers over Antwerp’s main square.
See All 15 Things To Do in Antwerp

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Antwerp

Antwerp, Belgium

Cafe Beveren

This small corner bar is home to a rare 1930s dance organ that still plays tunes for one Euro.

Antwerp, Belgium

Kulminator

To enter this cluttered-yet-cozy sanctum of Belgian brews, ring the bell and tell the gatekeepers you've come “to taste beer.”

Antwerp, Belgium

Elfde Gebod

According to this bar, God gave an “11th commandment” to Antwerp: Thou shalt drink beer.
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

In partnership with GetYourGuide

Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Explore Antwerp, Belgium

A
15
Statues 5
Sculptures 5
Architecture 3
Giant 3
Bars 3
Legends 3
Unique Restaurants & Bars 3
Subterranean Sites 2
Design 2
Outsider Art 2
Hands 2
Castles 2

Antwerp Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. Fred Cherrygarden
    6
  2. ahvenas
    2
  3. Hilde
    1
  4. Rebekah Otto
    1
  5. Tony Dunnell
    1
Join the Ranks!
Add an unusual place to Antwerp.

Places Edited

  1. Fred Cherrygarden
    7
  2. CoolCrab
    6
  3. goldylocks
    5
  4. philoursmars
    3
  5. DevilJoe1979
    2

Places Visited

  1. stevechaloner
    14
  2. gerardvanelzen
    14
  3. Ruggero Ullan
    14
  4. pcooper47sxsw
    14
  5. kosixx
    13
Join the Ranks!
Visit a place in Antwerp.

Recent Antwerp Activity

  • hshuttle8

    has been to Lange Wapper Statue

    2 days ago
  • hshuttle8

    has been to Nello and Patrasche

    2 days ago
  • Snapshot Carla

    has been to Nello and Patrasche

    2 days ago
  • crayolabird

    wants to go to Antwerp Ruien

    2 days ago
  • crayolabird

    wants to go to Museum Vleeshuis

    2 days ago

Stories About Antwerp

Is This $88 Portrait the Work of a 17th-Century Flemish Master?

Science and historical research say….maybe.
by Sarah Durn
January 28, 2022
It’s a shame we don’t yet have the technology to digitize the Library’s famous Nottebohm Room.

The Ambitious Plan to Digitize 100,000 Historic Texts in Belgium

Two major Antwerp institutions are putting some of their voluminous holdings in the cloud.
by Matthew Taub
April 7, 2020

The Best 18th-Century Toilets Were Designed to Look Like Books

This shit is lit.
by Jessica Leigh Hester
January 9, 2020

Become an Atlas Obscura Member

Join our community of curious explorers.

Learn More

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.