Antwerp & Lillo by Waterbus 20 June 2025

View of Antwerp docks and Museum aan de Stroom from DeWaterbus

After arriving in Antwerp the previous day and with a day to enjoy before the opening evening of Bierpassie / Beer Passion Weekend 2025 on the evening of Friday 20 June, our group went in two directions. While long time festival goers Andrew, Keith, Richard and Simon would meet at Antwerpen Centraal for the train to Gent / Ghent, Tim, a relative newcomer to the group, decided to take his first trip on De Waterbus from Steenplein on Antwerp's waterfront downstream to Lillo.

Hollandstraat - the shady side opposite my apartment

Tim's morning started with a walk from his holiday apartment on Hollandstraat to Lidl on van der Wervestraat. This walk involved crossing Sint-Jansplein with its busy market and discovering two interesting structures at opposing corners of the open space. 

There's a monument dedicated to Panamarenko, the Belgian inventor / artist who lived nearby and a colourful curved kiosk for community events. Lidl proved useful for breakfast foods and coffee pads that would fit the old Senseo espresso coffee machine in the apartment.

   University    -    'T Kleintje    -     Het Steen

After breakfast, keeping to the shade where possible, a walk down Paardenmarkt, Klapdorp, Zirkstraat and Zakstraat gave glimpses of the university and passed some interesting bars and shops and the inevitable roadworks.

A sign at the entrance to the Steenplein landing stage on the river Scheldt, near Het Steen, gives details of routes, times, rules and fares. These details are also available from the DeWaterbus website. 

Tickets can be purchased online or on board the ferry when staff check tickets and destinations. The Zone 3 (North) fares for Lillo are €4 / €6 return with reduced rates for 65+ years (€3.50 / €5 return).

The landing stage offers virtually no protection from the sun / rain but there are railings at the edges. Bicycles are parked in the rear open section which may not leave much room left for passengers preferring to travel in this section rather than the large enclosed cabin which has full length windows.

The route passes docks and industrial sites and possibly freight ships. It takes almost an hour to reach Lillo after three stops on the other bank of the river. Passengers are expected to know when to get off. Stops are not displayed on the cabin screen and may not be announced. Ask a crew member if you have arrived at Lillo if necessary.

There is a narrow pier from the landing stage at Lillo to dry land. A panoramic view towards the landing stage includes cooling towers of the Doel nuclear power station on the opposite bank.

Limited shelter is available for passengers to the right of an information board.

There's a board with a map of Lillo a little further inland. Sections of the moat remain and there is a yacht club harbour near the river. It was time to explore the settlement and find a bar for a lunchtime beer.

The main street leads to a square by a church with a corner bar Taverne 't Pleintje.

With De Koninck listed in the menu as one of the draught beers (€3.30), a Bolleke was the obvious choice for a first beer of the day, brewed nearby in Antwerp. All the customers were sat at tables in the square and table service was efficient.

Duly refreshed, an exploratory walk around Lillo and its raised perimeter was interesting and there was some welcome shade from trees in some parts. The square brick building behind a high wall in the central photo above is the Kruitmagazijn (gunpowder magazine). It was built in 1810 by order of Napoleon to store 50 tons of gunpowder. 

Returning to the central square, an attempt to enter the premises under the sign In de 7 Saeligheden with an exterior featuring beer signs, was refused with the explanation that it is now just an ice cream store with a counter for the street.

Instead I was invited to buy a home made ice cream but another beer had more appeal so apologies were made and a promise to recommend the establishment to friends - please tell them Tim sent you when you visit Marktje 7!

Returning to Taverne 't Pleintje an opportunity was taken to order another classic beer from  Antwerp - Seef bier brewed by Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie reasonably priced at €4.20 for a 33cl bottle. Bootje's bier (brewed with ginger and coriander) and Radio Minerva Tripel are also available.

A short walk back to the pier was timed to coincide with the 3pm departure of DeWaterbus back to Antwerp. 

Don't miss an opportunity to explore the river Scheldt and Lillo c/o DeWaterbus if you find yourself in Antwerp on a fine day.

R,A,K & S at Het Waterhuis (Photo Richard R) - A,K,S & R at Trollekelder (Photo Andrew B)

I could tell from WhatsApp messages that Andrew, Keith, Richard and Simon were having a good day out in Gent / Ghent visiting canalside Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant and two of my recommendations: Artevelde and Trollekelder. 

A message from Andrew on WhatsApp advised that they would arrive back in Antwerp by train at 19.07 and head straight to Handelsbeurs for the opening session of BierPassie Weekend. With another three hours in Antwerp before the rendezvous, Tim had time for a light meal at Msemen and a couple of beers at De Ware Jacob. 

Located on the pedestrianised Hoogstraat, Msemen has a delightful calm inner courtyard with shade and the sound of running water from a water fountain. The Msemen Aladin is a freshly baked crisp Moroccan pancake filled with ricotta cheese, honey, rocket, cherry tomatoes, paprika, chickpeas and spicy olives costing €9.90 and is recommended.

A visit to nearby De Ware Jacob in nearby Vlasmarkt is an essential component of any Antwerp visit for Tim and on this afternoon its nautical theme seemed especially appropriate.

There were customers at the outside tables but the interior, beyond a closed door with a handwritten 'AIRCO' sign, was a more attractive on this hot day.

Among other notable features, the availability of Brasserie Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux on draught, is always a reason to return and Guy kindly poured and delivered a glass of this distinctive 9.5% ABV beer to my table in return for €5. His shorts, t shirt and bucket hat, as seen above, suited the heat of the day.

Late afternoon on a weekday is a good time to visit De Ware Jacob. The soundtrack included music from Lucinda Williams, Chicken Shack, The Pogues, Johnny Cash and Van Morrison but the volume still allowed conversations across the room to be heard. A visiting American told Guy that he had been in the acclaimed Cafe Kulminator earlier when two customers had been thrown out. The only explanation he could offer for this happening was that one had placed a heavy item on a tray which was supported by two crates!

The monthly guest draught beer was Chimay 175, a 6.5% ABV pale Blonde, available exclusively in casks to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Scourmont Abbey, the home of Trappist monks and the brewery. A rare treat and one to savour.

Once the sun had dropped, Guy opened the door and it would soon be time for Tim to take the 10 minute walk to Handelsbeurs. 

The Antwerp Beer Passion 2025 post has a description of Friday and Saturday evenings spent at BierPassie Weekend.

Antwerp - Friday 28 June 2019

Day 2 of the Belgian trip begins with breakfast in the Hotel Rubenshof dining room containing art nouveau details including stained glass windows and rooflights.
We walked into town via the Antwerp Zuid branch of Belfius Bank at Riemstraat 47 as we needed extra Euros from an ATM.

Continuing along Kloosterstraat we passed some cafes and upmarket clothing, antiques and home interiors shops.

Reaching Sint-Jansvliet, we noticed cyclists queueing outside the entrance for St Anna's Tunnel (the underpass). Instead of waiting, we entered the building to ride two flights of wooden escalators to reach the 572 metre long level cyclindrical tunnel for pedestrians and cyclists that runs under the river Scheldt to Linkeroever (left bank).

There are historic photos of tunnel construction mounted on the walls of the escalator shaft and the tunnel itself. There are no lanes marked on the tunnel floor so pedestrians need to take care to avoid obstructing the waves of cyclists that pass after descending by lift.

Emerging into the bright sunshine we headed north and walked through the Open Air Maritime Museum Boeienweide to see the anchors and large steel marker buoys on display.

After spotting a large ferry crossing the river, we headed to the dock near Frederik Van Eedenplein for a free ride back to Antwerp. This gives nice views of the skyline including the outline of Zaha Hadid's angular Antwerp Port House to the north.

Het Steen - from ferry (photo: Steve Kelly)

The lightly loaded ferry deposited us, slightly damp from some spray, at the ferry terminal next to the medieval fortress of Het Steen (stone castle) which was undergoing renovation.

MAS

We walked a kilometre north and then alongside Willemdok to reach MAS (Museum aan de Stroom). From the rooftop observation deck, reached by flights of escalators, there are panoramic views.

View towards north west from MAS (photo: Steve Kelly)

Steve spotted that the cooling towers, visible 10km to the north west, are next to a nuclear power station (Doel) on the banks of the river Scheldt.

A walk north of less than a kilometre led to Bar Paniek on the east side of Kattendijkdok.

Inside the warehouse building is a bar and seating shared with a workspace where grinding noises could be heard.

My first beer of the day was Antwerpse Brouw Co Seefbier, brewed nearby. Our shady seat outside looked across the dock to new residential tower blocks.

At 1.15pm we headed to the taproom of Antwerpse Brouw Co at Indiestraat 21 only 150 metres away as John texted to say that he had arrived there.

My first beer here was Super Cadix, 5.6% ABV dry hopped lager.

The taproom is part of the brewery building but we did not notice any brewing activity. 

Keith, Steve, Richard and Simon

Before long, Keith and Richard would join our table in the courtyard, under a canvas awning for shade. Simon had spent Thursday night in Brussels and was the last to join our group after checking in at the Tryp by Wyndham hotel and catching a tram to a nearby stop.

As one of the original crowdfunders for Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie, Keith Moore had found the funders plaque inside the brewery bearing his name. At the Bierpassie Weekend festival later, he would also meet up with founder Johan Van Dyck. Keith had travelled to Antwerp from his home in Germany and mentioned that he had again won the annual Mainz craft beer festival prize for home brewers. The 2018 summer beer style contest was won by his Entdeckung (Discovery) based on the beer once brewed by Fuller's.

Keith has programmed a Raspberry Pi computer to control brewing temperatures for his beers. Unsurprisingly, when asked about his favourite bar at the end of the trip, Keith picked the Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie taproom.

Hussy, a new 7% ABV 'easy going blonde' limited release beer to try for the first time, reached the high standard set by the brewery's other beers which I have previously enjoyed.
During our visit we observed landscape gardening activity involving the construction of raised beds from railway sleepers, adding plants to fresh soil and watering. The taproom courtyard now has a greener look than previously.

Steve and I persuaded Keith, John, Richard and Simon to visit nearby Bar Paniek and we arrived via the rear workshop entrance on Kattendijkdok-Oostkaai at 5pm.

The small upstairs seating area was free so we found a shady spot, just under the roof, with a view of the dock. The Bar Paniek draught beer range includes Seefbier and Bootjes Bier, the latter referencing the Red Star Line which operated passenger ships from Antwerp to New York until 1935.

Tim, Simon, Keith & Richard on the tram (photo: Steve Kelly)

It was hot under the roof so after one beer we walked to the tram stop on Londenstraat and travelled by 70 and 7 trams to Meirbrug, a short walk from Groenplaats the site of the Bierpassie (Beer Passion) Weekend festival.

Arriving about twenty minutes after the festival opened at 5pm we were able to find a table on the west side of the square, near the Brasserie Du Bocq stand (14),  that would later offer some shade.

Entrance is free but a 20cl Bier Sommelier tasting glass costs 5 euros with a complimentary glossy programme. The blue beer tokens cost 2 euros each and except for a few beers marked in the programme as '2 jetons', one token simplifies payment for a glass of beer.

Having visited Allagash Brewery in Portland, Maine, in October 2017, I was keen to try Brewers' Bridge, the collaboration beer brewed with Brasserie Dupont of Tourpes, near the border with France.

At the Dupont bar, after he recognised my brewery cap, I was able to tell the barman that there are some wonderful people at Allagash. An Allagash blog post includes photos of the brew day and mentions that the Saison style beer was brewed with Dupont yeast and Cascade hops shipped over from Grandview, Washington.

Another special beer to try was draught Boulevard Brewing Co Jam Band Berry Ale a 5.9% ABV fruit ale made with blueberry, raspberry and tart cherry. (The Kansas City based brewery, founded in 1989, is now owned by Duvel Moortgat Brewery.).

King Mule IPA (photo Steve Kelly)

Our table was not far from the Cornelissen brewery bar and this is where Steve found his favourite beer of the festival at an early stage - King Mule IPA. This 5.7% ABV / 80 IBU 'unique stubborn Belgian IPA' ix mixed with tangerine juice.

After a recommendation for Brasserie Dubuisson Peche Mel (Bush), I also enjoyed the peach flavours and then discovered that at 8.5% ABV it is rather strong in alcohol.
A good thing about this festival is that with so many beers to choose from that it is possible to stick to a style like fruit beers and easily find plenty of variety.

Another benefit of the festival is live music including the tradition of the strolling Dixieland Street Band who livened up the evening when they played Dixieland jazz music near our table.
By now our group had grown to include Graham who had been in Europe since a Polish trip with Mark Geeson and his Farnham friends to Krakow, Wroclaw and Gdansk earlier in the month.

Cathedral (north side) - view from Elfde Gebod

At 8.30pm our group, less vegetarian Steve, left the festival and walked around to the other side of the cathedral for a meal at Elfde Gebod (11th commandment) where we sat at a long table outside the restaurant building that dates back to 1425.

The 6.9% ABV amber beer I enjyed here was Martin's IPA 44 from a company founded by British master brewer John Martin in Antwerp in 1909.

Several in our group ordered Apostle's Fish Stew (16.95 euros), while I ordered Steak Robespierre served with a bowl of frites (18.90 euros).

Thanks to Keith for suggesting a Dutch Trappist beer -  La Trappe Tripel as my next beer here. I agreed with Keith about the fruity pear flavours from the 8% ABV Tripel.

As Steve had not returned to join us I caught the 4 tram at 11.22am from Groenplaats for five stops to Pacificatie while the others headed back to their hotel via Dageraadplaats. 

During this time Steve had enjoyed a visit to Billie's Bier Kafetaria where he met Billie! This was his favourite bar of the trip and it's also one that I had enjoyed visiting with Simon in June 2017.

Passing a corner building with a rack of clothes on the pavement outside and hearing music I took a look inside. 

Cafe Baba at Pacificatiestraat 36, is an unusual combination of gallery, retro shop and bar with tables inside and outside.

From the blackboard outside which listed a few bottled beers, I chose Westmalle Dubbel, a favourite Trappist beer. 

A good choice of late night music on the decent sound system included Angie Stone's I wish I didn't miss you and Charles and Eddie's Would I lie to you. Cafe Baba stayed open after midnight but this would be my last beer of the night and there was only a walk of 450 metres to reach Hotel Rubenshof.