Antwerp, Belgium

Belgium’s second city and biggest port is Antwerp and without a doubt, this charming city is the country’s capital of cool. It's long been a powerful magnet for everyone from fashion moguls and club queens to art lovers and diamond dealers. In the mid-16th century it was one of Europe’s most important cities and home to baroque superstar painter Pieter Paul Rubens, as you’ll be regularly reminded – there are numerous places to admire his works across the city. Despite many historical travails thereafter and severe WWII bombing, Antwerp retains an intriguing medieval heart with plenty of café-filled cobbled lanes, a riverside fortress and a truly impressive cathedral. Today Antwerp’s top drawcards are its truly vibrant fashion and entertainment scene, along with its startling architectural and cultural contrasts.