When planning our vacation, we wanted to see a handful of cities without feeling overwhelmed by the amount of places to see and things to do. We decided to spend a good chunk of time in Amsterdam, followed by about 24 hours Antwerp, 36 hours in Brussels, and wrapping up with almost five days in London.

With limited time in Antwerp, we decided not to schedule anything and just hit the pavement to explore the city. We strolled past shops and cafes, then along the river Scheldt, all while the spire and golden clock of the Cathedral of Our Lady soared above us.

Our AirBnB host provided excellent food recommendations for our short visit.

At Restaurant De Bomma we tucked into some amazing comfort food – lamb stew and a chicken pot pie type dish. Bomma means grandmother in Flemish, which seemed to be an appropriate name since the entire place felt like you were settling into someone’s living room for a tasty meal and great conversation.

For dinner we walked across town to Fiskebar. Seafood lovers, this is your spot. The menu offers a broad assortment of treats from under the sea, as well as an impressive specials board. Many of the fish we had heard of, but there were some more regional options as well. We ordered a few starters and our own main dishes, although we did agree it would be shell-fish not to share!

We got up bright an early the next morning to catch a train to Brussels. We didn’t have time the previous afternoon to take in the station, so we planned to show up a little early for our train so we could admire it. Just look…

It is completely stunning. Sky high domes and marble columns with ornate details kept me turning in circles to take it all in. What an amazing building to welcome visitors, as well as send them on their way.

We hopped on our train, off to the next city. I know we didn’t do Antwerp justice, but we enjoyed the short time we had! Have any of you been to Antwerp? What are your favorite parts of the city?