A Guide to One of My Favorite European Cities

One of the few non-touristy cities with plenty to do.

On a continent whose greatest cities are being turned into either open-air museums or playgrounds for foreigners (ahem, Americans), there remain a handful of spots that have escaped the scourge of overtourism.

Few are more interesting to visit than Antwerp, a mid-size city that punches far above its weight. It has the distinction of having plenty to do as a tourist, without it being a tourist city. Its food scene is one of the best in Europe and with one of the continent’s best fashion schools, it is culturally exciting. There are cool new hotels, and the architecture is a constant delight. Ever since I first visited a decade ago, I have constantly been drawn back as it remains one of my favorite stops for a couple nights.

For new readers: this weekly newsletter is free except for the destination guides like the one for Antwerp that follows. Next week’s newsletter, on a couple new hotels in Paris, will be free. If you want a taste of these guides, the Menorca one remains free. The Paris and Newport, Rhode Island ones are paywalled. (A workaround I’m not sure is beneficial for me to share is that you could always just sign up for monthly–$7–to access the ones you want and then cancel.)

Since I know some of you don’t want to read through a guide, I’ve put all my Antwerp recs into a Google Map list: