Look up: a walk through Zurenborg

The route: 3 km, 1 to 2 hours with stops

1. Groen Kwartier. Start behind the loft, in the park of the former military hospital, among the old trees you see from our terraces. Early in the morning you’ll have it almost to yourself.
2. Cogels-Osylei. Cross the railway to Zurenborg’s showpiece street. Every façade a different style, from Greek to Moorish. Look for the house with the sunflower.
3. Generaal van Merlenstraat. On the corner with the Waterloostraat stand the Four Seasons: four houses, each with a season in its façade. Which season is it on our terrace right now?
4. Transvaalstraat and Guldenvliesstraat. Quieter streets, full of stained glass, ironwork and balconies. This is where looking up pays off most.
5. Dageraadplaats. The big car-free square and the heart of the neighbourhood. Terraces all around, kids playing football. The best place for a break, rain or shine.
6. Draakplaats. Small square, big character. Take one more good look around.
7. De Koninck city brewery. Finish with a Bolleke at the neighbours’, and you’re home in no time.

No rush. The finest details are on the second floor.

New on the square: café Belgica

Since late July 2026 the Dageraadplaats has a new café, where the old taqueria used to be. Two twenty-somethings who played football on this square as kids pour almost everything from Belgian soil: beer, wine, spirits and even the soft drinks. Yes, including a Belgian tequila. The roomy terrace gets sun from midday until about five, and inside there’s a small stage for gigs and comedy. Open daily from 15:00.

A Bolleke at the neighbours’: De Koninck

The Bolleke, Antwerp’s own beer, has been brewed here since 1833. Take the interactive tour at your own pace, with tastings along the way, and linger at the craft shops and restaurants on site. Mechelsesteenweg 291; tickets online, card payment only.

Green behind the door, and more to come

The Groen Kwartier is perfect for a morning run or a coffee on a bench. On the other side of Zurenborg, the Spoorpark is being laid out next to the old tram depot: a building site for now, soon a new stretch of nature for the neighbourhood.

What’s on

Zurenborg never sits still: neighbourhood parties and concerts in the cafés in summer, a flea market in the streets, and in winter the cafés on the Dageraadplaats are the cosiest shelter in town. Want to know what’s on during your stay? Send us a message, or leaf through the Gazet van Zurenborg, the neighbourhood paper (in Dutch).