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Arrival, information and accommodation
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Most trains stop at
Centraal Station
, about 2km east of Grote Markt and connected with the centre by tram #2 or #15 to Groenplaats (direction Linkeroever) from the Diamant underground station. A useful
tram and bus system
serves the city and its suburbs from a number of points around Centraal Station, principally Pelikaanstraat and Koningin Astridplein. The city
transport information
office in Diamant underground station (Mon-Fri 8am-12.30pm & 1.30-4pm; tel 03218 1411) sells tickets and has free maps of the transport system. A standard single fare costs a?¬1, a ten-strip
Rittenkaart
a?¬2.90, a 24-hour unlimited travel tourist card a?¬7.40. Tickets (but not the 24-hour pass or
Rittenkaart
) are also available from bus and tram drivers. Antwerp's
tourist office
is at Grote Markt 15 (Mon-Sat 9am-5.45pm, Sun 9am-4.45pm; tel 03232 0103,
www.visitantwerpen.be
); it has detailed city maps, and will make accommodation reservations for free. It's worth noting that admission to all the city's museums is free on a Friday.
Internet access
can be found at
CybercafA©
, Centrale Openbare Bibliotheek, Lange Nieuwstraat 105 (tel 03231 1805) and
easyEverything
, Century Center, De Keyserlei 58-60 (daily: 24hrs, from a?¬1.20).
The city has a range of accommodation to suit all pockets, although they are on the whole rather characterless places. Two of the cheapest
hostels
are the
New International Youth Hotel
, Provinciestraat 256 (tel 03230 0522; A?10-15/$16-24/a?¬18-27), just a ten-minute walk south from Centraal Station; and the nearby
Scoutel Jeugdverblifcentrum
, Stoomstraat 3-7 (tel 03226 4606,
www.vvksm.be
; A?10-15/$16-24/a?¬18-27). Another possibility is the
International Zeemanshuis
(Seamen's House), a ten-minute walk north of the Grote Markt at Falconrui 21 (tel 03227 5433,
www.zeemanshuis.be
; A?15-20/$24-32/a?¬27-36). There is a
HI hostel
,
Op Sinjourke
(closed 10am-4pm), 5km south of the centre at Eric Sasselaan 2 (tel 03238 0273,
www.vjh.be
; A?5-10/$8-16/a?¬9-18) - take tram #2 from Centraal Station (direction Hoboken). Among moderately priced and reasonably central
hotels
, the options include:
Eden
, Lange Herentalsestraat 25 (tel 03233 0608,
www.diamond-hotels.com
; A?20-25/$32-40/a?¬36-45), a modern, medium-sized hotel in the diamond district near the station;
Ibis Antwerpen Centrum,
Meistraat 39 (tel 03231 8830,
www.ibishotels.com
; A?25-30/$40-48/a?¬45-54), a standard chain-hotel in a decent location close to the Rubenshuis;
Prinse,
Keizerstraat 63 (tel 03226 4050,
hotel-prinse@skynet.be
; A?30-35/$48-56/a?¬54-63), a smart if slightly characterless hotel whose modern furnishings and fittings occupy a big old house in a good, quiet location just five minutes' walk north of the Rubenshuis; and
Cammerpoorte
, Nationalestraat 38 (tel 03231 9736; A?15-20/$24-32/a?¬27-36), a frugal one-star hotel in a handy location, just five minutes' walk south of Groenplaaats. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Belgium,
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