What's happening in Antwerp this week?

Antwerp's week pivots on its open-air markets. Sunday morning belongs to the Vogelenmarkt on Theaterplein, a tradition traceable to the 1500s. Stalls open around 8am, close by 1pm. Vogelenmarkt translates to 'bird market,' and you'll still hear finches chirping from wire cages between tables of potted plants, secondhand tools, and vintage lace. The warm smell of fresh waffles drifts from Theaterplein's food stands. Friday morning, the Vrijdagmarkt square hosts its namesake antiques market from 8am. Old Delft tiles, brass candlesticks, mid-century chairs. Locals from Borgerhout and Berchem arrive early with rolling carts. Saturday brings more vendors to Theaterplein. These are neighborhood markets, not the tourist stalls on the Grote Markt.

Monday is the wrong day for museums. The Rubenshuis on Wapper, dating to 1509 and home to Peter Paul Rubens from 1610 to 1640, closes. So does the Royal Museum of Fine Arts on Leopold de Waelplaats, reopened in 2022 after an 11-year renovation. Museum Plantin-Moretus on Vrijdagmarkt, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2005, shuts too. Walk in on a quieter Tuesday or Wednesday and you'll catch the smell of old ink near the 16th-century printing presses. The Antwerp Zoo, founded in 1843 and attached to Centraal Station's east exit, stays open all week. Worth noting for Monday planning. The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal, started in 1352, holds four Rubens altarpieces behind a paid entry. Its north tower reaches 123 meters.

Eating follows the Belgian clock. Lunch runs noon to 2pm. Dinner starts at 7pm, and most kitchens close by 9:30pm. Visitors from North America tend to show up at 10pm and find shut doors. For frites, the frituren near Groenplaats stay open later than most restaurants. A medium cone runs about €3.50, under $4. The beer bars split into two zones. Around the Grote Markt, a Duvel costs €7-8 at a terrace table. Walk 10 minutes south to Het Zuid, the neighborhood around the Royal Museum, and the same pour drops to €4-5 at places where the bartender might discuss what's on draft. Thursday and Friday evenings, the gallery crowd spills onto sidewalk terraces along Vlaamsekaai. Stoofvlees, Flemish beef stew braised in dark beer, is the cold-weather order, but this week's mild weather probably won't push you toward it.

Weather this week in Antwerp sits around 20°C with humidity near 85%. Rain tends to arrive in short afternoon cells between 2pm and 5pm. The Scheldt river keeps the air heavy between showers. Pack a waterproof layer. Mornings tend to be clearer, so the 8am market runs and pre-10am museum queues are practical. Antwerp's center is compact. Centraal Station to the Grote Markt is a 15-minute walk south along the Meir, the main shopping street. Most of the historic core fits inside a 30-minute walking radius from the cathedral. Trams on the De Lijn network run frequently for longer hops. The cobblestones around Handschoenmarkt get slick when wet. On a rainy Monday with the museums closed, the Stadsfeestzaal on the Meir, a 1908 event hall turned shopping gallery, is the best indoor fallback.