A guide of where to see graffiti in Antwerp

As you probably have guessed if you're a regular reader I love my graffiti and Belgium is brilliant at celebrating this art form. Gent blew us away a couple of years ago as it even has it's own Concrete Tour (a fabulous map outlining where the best art work and tolerance zones could be found) so we had high hopes for Antwerp. The trouble was finding it! I'd googled in advance but failed to find much practical information. We'd asked in the Visitor Centre and whilst they were helpful they were a little vague as to where they thought we could see 'some' graffiti. So I thought I'd put together a little guide in case you're going to Antwerp, or you're looking for some pointers of where to find some graffiti.

Quick disclaimer though this is not a definitive guide - it's only what we found during our stay of two days. If you have any other suggestions please leave a comment so others can see :)

First stop is Park Spoor Nord, a large park in the North of the city which used to be a railway goods yard.

To get there from Antwerp Central Station take bus 23 in the direction of Luchtbal. The stop is on Gemeentestraat which is in front of the plaza outside the station. When we were there (July 2016) there was a huge Ferris wheel on the plaza. You want the stop on the side of the street furthest away from the station rather than the stop in the middle of the road. Get off at either Dam or Damplein and head of the road cuts through the park. The graffiti is on the underpass.
 You can pick up a free map from the Visitor Centre in Central Station so you can find your way around the city. 
 The map we had also marks the road you want with the sign for toilets! And here they are with artwork by @joachimofficial. If you're female make sure you take a 50 cent piece so you can use them (basic but clean with loo roll which is always a bonus!). Of course if you're a bloke the urinals are free (so unfair!)  
The artwork here was great but a little dark in places. Certainly worth a visit and only about 10 minutes out of the centre of town on the bus. 

Now did I mention to buy a travel card if you're doing this in a day? No? Well a travel card was six euros and a bargain. Pick this up from the Visitor Centre when you get the map and you'll be sorted to both of these trips in one day! 

So next up is mind blowing. We found about this street when we asked in the Visitor Centre who said that there was 'some' graffiti in this area. It is impossible to show how long this street is as it twists and turns for about half a mile but the shots below give you an idea and the volume of art work you can see. To see more detailed images see this post. 
 It went round another corner and down the road for a good while longer but I failed to take a shot. So how to get to this nirvana? Well go back to Central Station again, same place where you picked up the 23 bus but go to the middle of the road now and jump on Tram 11 heading for Berchem. Get off at Draakplats which is the stop before Bercham. Then head to Pretoriastraat and enjoy!

We walked up one side of the street then back down again so that we ended up where we started. We then popped back to Draakplats and had a cheeky beer with a cheese and ham toastie in the Den Draak cafe which was great (though Draakplats had numerous cafes).

When we were leaving Antwerp on the train the following day we spotted that there was more graffiti at platform level of Bercham railway station which is close by and well worth the walk. I would also recommend that if you make this detor (you can pick up Tram 11 at Berchem to get back to central Amsterdam) that you take half an hour to explore the streets off Cogels Osylei going down to Bercham - there is the most spectacular Art Nouveau and Gothic Architecture which may leave you suffering from a visual overload!

There is a small amount of graffiti in the old part of the City but very little. The following two pieces can be seen in the square on Munstraat

And finally Kopstraaje is a short street covered in graffiti. We stumbled across it while exploring the old City one evening but the largest building in this street is being refurbished. When we walked past it during the day it was swarming with workmen so it's not clear who long this will remain somewhere to see street art. Trying to get the photos I took on my mobile onto my pc and will add when I can.

So there we have it - my brief guide but if you know of anywhere else in Antwerp where you can see great art work please do write something in the comments section. If you want to see more of my photos of grafitti please see here


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