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Local information

Venue

The hackathon takes place on the city campus of the University of Antwerp, Prinsstraat 13.

See the map of the city campus.

  • Monday till Thursday: Room C.101.

    This building can be accessed from Prinsstraat 13. The gate in the middle of the building will take you to a small courtyard. Cross that courtyard to the left corner, go through the corridor to a bigger courtyard, cross that one also to the left corner, go through the large glass door, go forward through the first hall to the next one which is building C.

  • Friday: Room D.226 which can also be entered through "Grote Kauwenberg"

The venue is within walking distance from the central station, with many hotels also within walking distance.

How to reach Antwerp?

  • Brussels Airport (BRU) is roughly half an hour by train with two trains per hour to Antwerp Central station

  • Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) is 1h12 with the "Eurocity Direct" which is the cheaper option, certainly for flex tickets, or 1h with the Eurostar. The EuroCity Direct goes almost every hour, the Eurostar has a more irregular schedule.

  • Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL) is less interesting. It is far outside Brussels and at the wrong side of Brussels. Travel to and from the airport will easily take 2 hours as you either require a bus to Antwerp, or a combination of bus and train. Don't be mislead by the fact that there is a direct train to the Charleroi: That one does not pass by the airport so you still need a bus (with various possible connections, either with a bus between Brussels and the airport or Luttre, a small village near Charleroi, and the airport.)

Hotels

The most interesting locations for hotels with respect of ease of travel and proximity of the venue, are the hotels near the central station and Koninging Astridplein, the De Keyserlei, the Opera and Franklin Rooseveltplaats, though you may also prefer to look for a hotel closer to the Antwerp Cathedral and Grote Markt.

Regular options where people have stayed before on LUMI or EuroHPC activities:

More budget options:

Some restaurant suggestions for the night

Basically, check the reviews on Google Maps. You have to be a bit careful on the De Keyserlei close to the central station, and in the streets close to the cathedral and "Grote Markt". These are the main areas where some restaurants are pretty much tourist traps, though there are many rather good ones also.

Some good suggestions:

  • On Thursday evening and Friday if people would still be around, Refill is a fine option. Belgian-style food done well, and the owners are always there when the restaurant is open (one in the kitchen and one at the bar). The do not serve larger groups though, as the kitchen is very small.

  • There are some suggestions below in the drinks area also. Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie Brouwerij & Taproom is a nice place for some simple dishes and a good local beer. Food is served in the hall where the brewing also takes place, and in the summer there is some seating outside. Billie's Bier Kafétaria is also an option.

  • De Zeven Schaken in the corner of the Grote Markt is a pretty decent place also. It is closed on Mondays. (Google Maps)

  • Griekse Taverne is a Greek restaurant, a bit hard to spot from the street as it is only a large door leading you to an area away from the street. They also have outdoor seating in the summer. It is part of a greek community centre. (Google Maps)

  • Kunthun Tibethan restaurant in China Town is a relatively cheap place, but the food is good. It is a rather busy place. Closed on Wednesday.

  • Some other places that drew the attention of the author of this text but where he has never been:

Drinks in the evening

  • Beerlovers Bar: Tested and approved recently by the EPICURE and by a LUST activity. There is some outside seating also, but in a busy and noisy environment. It is also the closes non-tourist-trap place for quality beer if you stay near the central station. Closed on Tuesday.

  • Dr. Beer. It also has outside seating in a quiet street. There are also several restaurants in the area, some with a terrace near the old harbour dock. And there is the Wolf Sharing Food Market, in a historical building from the harbour that has been completely renovated. Closed on Monday and Tuesday.

  • Café Pardaf, with outside seating also. Closed on Monday, and it closes very early on the other weekdays.

  • Café Ernst. There is some outside seating also. Closed on Wednesday.

  • The Northerner. Closed on Monday.

  • Billie's Bier Kafétaria: Very small place. They do serve food at night also. Closed on Tuesday.

  • Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie Brouwerij & Taproom. They do serve food also. Closed on Monday and Tuesday.

  • Spéciale Belge Taproom: A bit further away, on the site of what used to be a military hospital. The place is a bit hard to find, but you can trust the location on Google Maps (and this picture on Google Maps) Only closed on Sunday.