Over the summer, Eurostar confirmed that it would be introducing a brand-new route from London St Pancras to Belgium’s second city, . Now, there’s just one month until it launches.
At the moment, Eurostar passengers must change at Brussels-Midi to go onwards to Antwerp on a Belgian National Rail Company (SNCB) train. That journey takes roughly three hours and 15 minutes. The new service will take just two hours and 45 minutes and run five times a day.
Travellers will be able to catch the train from London to Antwerp from . But there’s one catch – you won’t be able to get a direct train back. There are no UK border and customs facilities at Antwerpen-Centraal, so to return to London, you’ll have to book a combined SNCB and Eurostar ticket connecting via Brussels-Midi.
Eurostar said: ‘Adding Antwerp as a direct stop on our London–Amsterdam services will make journeys to the city quicker and more convenient, providing customers with a more comfortable city-centre-to-city-centre travel experience.’
But why go to Antwerp? Well, it’s got tonnes of style, a stellar dining scene and museums packed with medieval and gothic masterpieces. Top tourist sites like the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, the MoMu, the Museum aan de Stroom and Grote Markt are all worth checking out, but you’ve got to go beyond the centre to find out what Antwerp’s really about.
Last year, we named the city’s district of the coolest neighbourhood in all of Europe. Local writer Debbie Pappyn wrote about its DIY spirit and close-knit community for Time Out. ‘While most visitors will stick to the city centre,’ she said, ‘it’s neighbourhoods like Borgerhout where you’ll find real local flavour and some of the coolest places to eat, drink and shop.’
Describing it as ‘a true cultural melting pot’, Debbie recommended spending your time in Borgerhout dropping by eateries like Café Mombasa, Boulot Bakery and Bakkerij Roma, galleries like Base-Alpha and DMW, and shops like Wilder, Coup de Chocolat and BorGerHub. What are you waiting for?
Tickets for the direct services from London St Pancras to Antwerpen-Centraal are on sale now, with one-way tickets beginning at £51.
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