Antwerp

Antwerp is the most populous municipality in Belgium and the country’s second largest metropolitan area, spread over 208 square kilometres on the river Scheldt. The river links it to the North Sea through the Westerschelde estuary, which is why it has been a trading port for centuries and remains one. It is the capital of Antwerp Province and sits about 40 kilometres north of Brussels. The centre rewards walking (the cathedral, the guild houses, the river frontage) and the city carries its commercial history openly rather than tucking it away behind a preserved façade.