Antwerp

It’s the prerogative of second-cities the planet over to try and outdo their capitals, and Antwerp makes one seriously good go of it! It bursts forth from the waterways of the Westerschelde estuary in a cool and confident medley of swish Belgian beer bars, Flemish facades and crooked medieval squares proudly unscathed after the booming onslaughts of WWII.

Locals here love to prefix their city’s various virtues with ‘European capital of’ to extol Antwerp’s wealth of superlative qualities. ‘European capital of Jazz’ say the Thelonious Monk heads fresh from the town’s myriad blues bars; ‘European capital of fashion’ say the Gucci-clad trendsetters on Schuttershofstraat and Hopland; ‘European capital of food’ say the gourmands between the fritkoten (chip shops) and Michelin-starred Chinese restaurants of the centre. And while that risks a city that’s jack of all trades and master of none, doubters here leave all too often utterly convinced—wowed into submission by the cultural glamour of this old Low Country town.

Antwerp tour guides are also quick to champion the city’s most famous son, Rubens, whose house still stands (relatively) unscathed on Wapper, and whose works adorn the Cathedral of Our Lady and the Pauluskerk also in the town.