18. Antwerp, Belgium
Antwerp, home to Europe’s second largest port, is known as a world hub of the international diamond trade. Popular sights to see include the Antwerp City Hall and the Groenplaats and Grote Markt gathering places.
Happiness: 4th
Historical Landmarks: 9th
Sports: 15th
Schools and Education: 33rd
Governmental Stability: 5th
Crime: 25th
Healthcare: 8th
Affordability: 50th
Food: 17th
Innovation: 11th
Pollution: 13th
Climate: 49th
Overall Average: 23.12
Happiness: According to the World Happiness Report, Belgium is firmly in the highest happiness score category.
Historical Landmarks: Antwerp has one UNESCO World Heritage site—the Plantin-Moretus Museum, a printing and publishing house credited with the creation and spread of typography.
Sports: Antwerp is currently home to one club in the Belgian Pro League—Royal Antwerp.
Schools and Education: Antwerp has one university in the top 1000 worldwide, the University of Antwerp at 223.
Crime: In Antwerp, crime is overall on the low side, but drug use, theft of belongings from cars and vandalism are in the moderate range.
Affordability: Antwerp has a cost of living index at 69.1, meaning it’s on the more expensive side but not quite as expensive as other European cities.
Food: 24 restaurants in Antwerp have at least 1 Michelin star, meaning the city has a lot of great culinary experiences.
Pollution: A pollution index score of 57.76 means that Antwerp, scoring highly in air pollution and noise and light pollution. There is moderate dissatisfaction with the disposal of garbage.
Climate: Antwerp reaches the low to mid 70s (F) in summer months, while in the winter, it can be found in the mid 40s in Fahrenheit.
Personal Note: I was able to visit Antwerp in Summer 2022, and found it to be one of the most enjoyable, seemingly underrated cities in Europe. Despite being the largest city in Belgium, Antwerp often feels overshadowed from a tourist perspective by the likes of Brussels and Bruges, which can feel much more crowded. However, Antwerp is host to what I believe is the most underrated main square (Grote Markt) in terms of its beauty and architecture, with one of the most fascinating statues I’ve witnessed (pictured above, Silvius Brabo). In general, the entire city was architecturally wonderful and very enjoyable to simply walk around. Although I didn’t get to spend a great amount of time in the city, the cozy yet spacious feeling that came with the mix of classically Belgian buildings and the lack of major crowds made a strong impression on me. The food was also incredible, from the snacks of frites and waffles to the meals, which speaks to Belgium as a whole for having some of my favorite cuisine. While not having a great deal of clear landmarks to visit, Antwerp is certainly worth a visit for the ambience and central square alone if around Belgium, and I can see why it would be a fantastic place to live as well. I believe the placement in this ranking is a very accurate reflection of where Antwerp should fit, as it has many positive things to offer but isn’t quite in the very top tier of European cities.