Antwerp Airfares

Anyone who has ever given or received diamonds will find Antwerp a fascinating city to visit. Around 70 percent of the world’s diamonds are traded here, and the city’s diamond district covers an area of one square kilometer. Visitors can watch diamonds being cut, polished and set, an occupation that has busied workers in Antwerp for half a millennium. The trade suffered significantly in the 1930's depression, while the second world war caused hundreds of Jewish traders to flee abroad, but Antwerp is again the indisputable world leader in the diamond trade. With 1,500 diamond companies and four diamond exchanges in close proximity to one another, visitors will have no trouble picking up an expensive souvenir.

If sparkling jewels are not your thing, however, Antwerp still has plenty to offer. Many first-time visitors will arrive via the central station, aptly nicknamed the "Railway Cathedral" by locals. A soaring structure of glass and metal, the station was completed at the start of the 20th century. The interior boasts liberal amounts of gilt and marble which will make even the scruffiest backpacker feel they are arriving as a guest at a grand party.

Next to the station is Antwerp Zoo, one of Europe’s oldest and best known, while the heart of the city, the "Grote Markt", lies a leisurely stroll away. The Markt, lined with guildhouses, is also home to the town hall. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants in the surrounding streets where visitors can rest and soak in the atmosphere of seventeenth century Belgium.