Antwerp Kempen - Antwerpse Kempen

The Antwerp Kempen form a large green region in Belgium, located in the northeast of the province of Antwerp. You recognize the region by the three bumps in the north of Belgium. In the north it borders Netherlands, in the east it continues in the Limburg Kempen. In the West is the art city West Antwerp and in the south Mechelen.

Towns

• Turnhout is the historical capital of the Antwerp Kempen. Here you will find a beautiful beguinage and fascinating museums such as the Playing Cards Museum. Every Sunday there is a lively flea market at the Castle of the Dukes of Brabant, near the Warande.
• Winch is also known as the 'Gateway to the Kempen'. It is a charming town where you can eat well and shop to your heart's content in original shops. The 'Lierse Vlaaikes' are the pride of the city: the recipe has been kept a secret for centuries, but luckily you can taste these pastries everywhere in Lier. The beguinage and the famous Zimmertoren are also worth a visit.
• Hoogstraten, the northernmost town in Belgium, has a lively center with beautiful monuments and a varied range of shops and restaurants. Here you will also find a moody beguinage. You can see the tower of St. Catherine's Church from afar.
• Herentals owes the title 'historical capital of the Kempen' to its rich past and beautiful monuments. The green north of Herentals is a true outdoor sports paradise, with the dunes of the Kempense Heuvelrug, the rippling Kleine Nete and the dazzling attractions of Hidrodoe and the Netepark.
• Yellow – The Merciful City is known worldwide for its unique way of caring for the mentally ill: family nursing. No less than 10 rural church villages surround the urban core. Old nature reserves, forests, dunes, fields and meadows alternate here.
• Mol – a bustling shopping center and fascinating museums. The extensive camping grounds, bungalow parks and hotels make Mol an ideal base for a multi-day visit to the region.

Other destinations

• The Molse lakes – with their snow-white sandy beaches and crystal-clear water, are a unique location.
• Postel Abbey – Norbertine Abbey in the village of Postel in the Belgian municipality Mol.
• Baarle-Hertog-Nassau – the most remarkable twin village in the world. Nowhere else in Europe do national borders show such an erratic course. 35 pieces – 26 Belgian and 9 Dutch – together form an intriguing two-country puzzle. The border sometimes even runs through the houses. In addition to the special center, the church village of Zondereigen and the valley of the Merkske are also charming.
• the Kalmthoutse Heide Nature Park in Calmthout
• Westerlo – the Pearl of the Campine, serves a rich variety of natural beauty. The stamp of the noble family de Merode is visible in some beautiful castles. The imposing Norbertine abbey of Tongerlo also looms up from afar in the landscape.
• Kasterlee is a charming and lively village with more than 2,000 hectares of walking forest. A lovely walk always ends in one of the numerous cafes or restaurants. Nowhere in the Kempen is there such a varied range of accommodation options. Children can have fun on the Kabouterberg or in Bobbejaanland.
• Wijnegem Shopping Center
• The Lilse Bergen, in the municipality Lille, water recreation center that has been awarded a blue flag.

Info

You can visit the information or tourist information office in every Kempen municipality. This is usually located in the center, close to the town hall. Here you will find brochures, useful information and great tips. If you want to prepare your trip at home, it's best to take a look at the regional website [1] for lodging and other information.

climate

Thanks to the sandy soil, it is always 2 degrees warmer in the summer than elsewhere in Belgium.

Arrive

By car

The Antwerp Kempen extends over three quarters of the Antwerp province. The art cities Antwerp and Mechelen are nearby. The region is easily accessible via the E313, E34 and E19 highways and from Netherlands through Bergen op Zoom, Breda or Eindhoven.If you want to come by train, you can consult your route at the Belgian Railways. There is also a dense network of buses, organized by De Lijn.

By plane

There are three airports in Belgium. Deurne airport is closest to the Antwerp Kempen. The most famous airport is Zaventem (Brussels International Airport). This is about an hour's drive from the Antwerp Kempen. Charleroi (Brussels South) is located about 100 to 150 km from the Antwerp Kempen.

Travel around

Having your own car in the Antwerp Kempen is handy, although it is not a must. Trains and buses also offer a solution for getting around. You can also easily stay in one place and make several day trips from there. Arrangements by bicycle, eg in hikers' cabins or family hotels, are also ideal for taking a tour through the Antwerp Kempen and thus experiencing a wonderful holiday.

Language

Dutch (Flemish) is spoken in the Antwerp Kempen, but usually the inhabitants also know several other languages, such as French, English or German. In the local information offices, the staff can certainly help you in your own language. Please note: different dialects are spoken in the Kempen. The juicy sounds of this are sometimes difficult to understand, but usually General Dutch can also be spoken.

To look at

There is so much to see in the Antwerp Kempen! Just think of the many beguinages, museums and nice cycling and walking routes. But you can also enjoy peaceful canoeing on the Kleine Nete or play a game of farmer's golf. Or how about a visit to an impressive abbey or a former colony? The Antwerp Kempen is a paradise for children! There is a Suske & Wiske children's museum, water museum Hidrodoe, the Olmense Zoo animal park and Speelstad. Or you can also play the water rat in the Lilse Bergen or the Zilvermeer. So too many to mention! Because pictures still say more than a thousand words, you can also view the Antwerp Kempen on the Flickr page.

By bike, on foot or by car through the Antwerp Kempen: it's all possible. Various cycling routes are possible. The bicycle junction network consists of more than 2,000 kilometers of bicycle paths, signposted with green-white, rectangular signs. To cycle along the network, it is best to purchase a cycling junction map at an information office. The system is very simple: you write down the numbers of the junctions you want to follow and you map out your own route. The themed cycling routes are signposted with hexagonal signs. There are also brochures for this that are for sale in the information office. You can rent a bicycle in almost every municipality for a friendly price and all you have to do is follow the excellent signage and occasionally stop at a cozy terrace or in a nice cafe to quench your thirst.

Walking in the Antwerp Kempen is also recommended: all municipalities publish a brochure containing a few walks. The hiking networks are more recent. This is the same system as the bicycle junction network, only now the distances between the junctions are shorter and red and white signage is used. The routes usually go through forests, heathland, or along waterways. You can opt for very short walks, wheelchair-friendly walks or brisk day trips. Along the way you will regularly come across a café where you can take a break and taste a local beer from the Kempen region. Autoroutes lead you in a simple way with your own car through the Antwerp Kempen. The hexagonal signage is easy to follow. There are four car routes: Abdijenroute, Pallieterlandroute, Taxandriaroute and the Voor- en Noorderkempenroute. All routes can be ordered on the Antwerpse Kempen website.

To do

Food

Juicy strawberries from Hoogstraten, giant pumpkins from Kasterlee, a tasty Trappist grape from Westmalle… Whoever says Antwerpse Kempen, says good food and drink! Every municipality has its own delicacy or cookie. In the abbeys you can also taste delicious traditional products such as abbey cheese and bread. In addition to the acclaimed abbey beers, you can taste a different beer in almost every Kempen village. Such as the Gageleer in Oud-Turnhout, made from the gale plant, a full malt Geelse Zeunt or the Flierefluiter, the favorite beer of the inhabitants of Westerlo.

Going out

In general, there is a great café culture in the Antwerp Kempen. You can go to a cafe during the day as well as in the evening and often until early in the morning. Many cafes are centered around the central market square. If you want to order a regular beer (lager) from the tap, ask for a 'pint'. This is a standard 25 cl beer. Other beers are recommended on a menu or on suggestion boards. Attention for foreign tourists: the alcohol percentage of Belgian beers is often much higher than with other beers!

On warm summer days, all Kempen terraces are pleasantly full. During that period, many markets and local festivals take place, where you can have a quiet drink or dance to fun music. Kempenaren are real bon vivants and gourmets! There are also a few discotheques and every village or city has one or more party halls. There is something to do every weekend. If you ask around with the local youth you will definitely find out where to go. In the larger cities you will usually also find a cinema. Ask at the local information office where you can find it. About every Kempen municipality has a Cultural Center. You can go here for theater and dance performances. For this you can also make the move to Antwerp or Mechelen, where the cultural offer is very varied.

Safety

The Antwerp Kempen is a safe region. Of course it is advisable not to flaunt your wallet and valuables, but that is a general rule. Even if you park your car somewhere, don't leave valuables in plain sight. It is also best to lock your bike when you go to a terrace or enter a shop.

all around

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Regions of Antwerp (province)
Antwerp · Mechelen · Antwerp Kempen · Scheldtland