Belgium Guide
Antwerp and the northeast
The provinces of Antwerp and Limburg, together with a chunk of Brabant, constitute the Flemish-speaking northeastern rim of Belgium, stretching as far as the border with the Netherlands. Easily the main attraction hereabouts is Antwerp, a sprawling, intriguing city with many reminders of its sixteenth-century golden age. Antwerp boasts a battery of splendid medieval churches and as fine a set of museums as you'll find anywhere in Belgium, featuring in particular the enormous legacy of Rubens. On a more contemporary note, Antwerp is the international centre of the diamond trade and one of Europe's biggest ports, though these roles by no means define its character – for one thing its centre has a range of bars and restaurants to rival any city in Northern Europe.
The part of Antwerp province to the south of the city isn't of much immediate appeal – it's too industrial for that – but there's compensation in a string of old Flemish towns that make ideal day-trips. The two obvious targets are small-town Lier, whose centre is particularly quaint and diverting, and Mechelen, the ecclesiastical capital of Belgium, which weighs in with its handsome Gothic churches, most memorably a magnificent cathedral. Southeast from here, just beyond the reaches of Brussels' sprawling suburbs, stands the lively university town of Leuven which, boasting its own clutch of fine medieval buildings, is the principal attraction of this corner of Flemish Brabant.
Further to the east, the province of Limburg is, unlike Antwerp, seldom visited by tourists, its low-key mixture of small towns and tranquil farmland having limited appeal. One of Limburg's smaller towns, Tongeren most deserves a visit, being a pleasant and likeable market town dominated by its giant basilica.
Hopping from town to town by public transport is very easy – there's an excellent network of trains and, where these fizzle out, buses pick up the slack.
Highlights
1 Antwerp's cathedral A supreme example of the Gothic style, a truly magnificent edifice.
2 The Rubenshuis Don't leave Antwerp without viewing at least some of Rubens' paintings, most stirringly at the Rubenshuis, the great man's former home and studio.
3 Lier A charming little place with a clutch of fine old buildings, including St-Gummaruskerk, which boasts a delightful set of stained-glass windows.
4 Tongeren An amiable, old-fashioned town, well off the beaten track, with a clutch of interesting Roman remains.