Grote Markt (Great Market Square), Antwerp (must see)

Right in the heart of the city, the Great Market Square is one of the favorite locations for locals as well as tourists. Filled with cafés and restaurant, the Great Market Square is a popular destination if you want to just kick back, bask in the sun with a chilled glass of beer or stroll around lazily admiring the architecture of the city. Dominated by the elegant and grant Renaissance style City Hall on one side and a row of guild houses and old patrician houses on the other, the Great Market Square is a magnet for those who love studying city architecture.

The center of the square holds the magnificent fountain that bears the well sculpted statue of Silvius Brabo, the local mythical hero. As legend has it, the water way was once governed by a giant who demanded a high toll from those who wanted to enter the city. Those failing to meet the requirements, were punished by having their hand cut off. It was Brabo, who fought the giant and cut off his hand and threw it in the Scheldt river.

One of the best ways to enjoy a perfect day in Antwerp is to sit in an open terrace restaurant amidst the elegantly constructed buildings of the Great Market Square, have an authentic Belgian meal on the table and admire the city as it moves past you.