Antwerp or Brussels for 1 day

FWI:
https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/belgium/antwerp

I am waiting for the Rick Steves book now, just looking for personal preferences.
Thanks

I am a big fan of Antwerp, with +-ten museums, especially the world class KMSKA. It is MUCH bigger than Bruges, and the many historic places and churches are more spread around. But one day on foot would still be fruitful.

Do you have specific interests? Day of the week? Watch YouTube flash mob singing at the train station.

Thanks Tim, appreciate it. We love architecture, medieval streets, churches. Only there on Sunday which I know has some things closed. Also I see there is a castle? Will check out flash mob LOL

This was my list of things to see when we went to Antwerp. We preferred Antwerp to Brussels..

The train station itself
Grote Markt - square
Stadhuis - City hall
Brabo statue
Nello & Patrasche statue
Steen castle - outside since there’s no real inside.
Meir street – shopping
Ruben’s house
Building with ship/Het Bootje (Plaatsnijdersstraat 1 and corner of Schildersstraat.)
Dries Van Noten – pretty building (Het Modepaleis)
Cathedral of Our Lady
Red Star Line museum
1930s wooden escalator - Sint-Annatunnel naar Linkeroever

Antwerp; we enjoyed:
Cathedral of Our Lady; there's a large Rubens over the main altar along with some other interesting artworks, and the carvings which decorate choir stalls are wonderful! It also has a meridian line. Very nice windows.

If you do some of the Museum aan de Stroom (we went mostly for the view from the top) there's a collection of B&W photos of the city during WWII on the walls on the escalators. One of them is a shot of workmen taking that altar Rubens away for safekeeping. The face of the Virgin in that painting is that of Ruben's wife, who sadly died while the work was in process.

https://visit.antwerpen.be/en/info/cathedral-of-our-lady
https://www.dekathedraal.be/en

Ruben's House (temporarily closed; not sure for how long):
https://rubenshuis.be/en

Museum Mayer van den Bergh; I really enjoyed this one but I'm sort of an art geek:
https://museummayervandenbergh.be/en

Sint-Carolus Borromeuskerk/St. Charles Borromeo church:
https://visit.antwerpen.be/en/info/saint-charles-borromeo-church

Sint-Pauluskerk/ St Paul's church: more Rubens, etc. and Baroque decoration in all of its over-the-top Baroque-ness.
https://visit.antwerpen.be/en/info/saint-pauls-church

Sint-Andrieskerk/St Andrew's church: more great carvings, etc. etc.
https://visit.antwerpen.be/en/info/saint-andrews-church
https://intheworldsjungle.com/sint-andries-church/

Sint-Jacobskerk: St. Jame's church: pilgrims’ church for those making the journey to Santiago de Compostela, and Rubens is buried here. More over-the-top Baroque.
https://visit.antwerpen.be/en/info/saint-james-church

A walk in the Zurenborg neighborhood for the art nouveau, art deco and other fun architectural styles.
https://visit.antwerpen.be/en/neighbourhood-in-the-spotlight-zurenborg
https://aviewoncities.com/antwerp/zurenborg

Centraal train station is quite a thing: if arriving by rail, spend a little time admiring the architecture!

The KMSKA was unfortunately closed when we were there so next time....

Thank you everyone. This was great information. I always do a itinerary for my trips and will add all of this information ! I have decided, definitely Antwerp.
Cheers/Bev

I would certainly pick Antwerp over Brussels, especially if you have been before. I tell people, Antwerp is what most hope Brussels will be like, sure, no Grand Place, or little boy pissing, but a much more pleasant city. It does feel more like just a working city, there will be decent crowds, but does not feel touristy. Between the station and the city center is a very nice pedestrian area with lots of shops, and refreshingly they are not all waffle/chocolate/souvenir shops.

If beer is on your list, there are a few of my favorites I can list. If by last day you mean before you fly home, then it is as easy to head to the airport from Antwerp as it is Brussels. There are any number of chain and independent hotels near the station and on the way to city center.

I haven't been to Het Steen (the castle) since it was converted to a tourism center. It's not comparable to the Castle of the Counts in Ghent. It does figure in the Canadian troop liberation of Antwerp. There may still be a village officially abandoned for the construction of the new seaport, which is only visitable by pre-booked (TI, I think) tickets on Sunday afternoons. Art Deco interior of the city hall is also booked for Sundays, but I didn't find it "essential". There is so much exterior art deco in Antwerp. Near the Boat facade another mentioned, is the Rudolf Steiner School exterior. This is near KMSKA. Note the bombardment memorial set in the ground near the museum, and the remarkable bronze outdoor artwork in front, with automated plumbing.

You certainly want to walk around Zurenborg (exteriors only, anyway, so the day of the week doen't matter). About 100 unique townhouses. Scope out a cafe for snack and toilet, perhaps at the associated tram stop, Draakplaats.

The KMSKA is a major museum, good for 3 hours to a full day. Huge collection of Rubens and James Ensor, plus some important medieval works, like the painting that inspired a recent album cover by Halsey: https://kmska.be/en/masterpiece/madonna-surrounded-seraphim-and-cherubim . MAD is number 2 for me, with varied exibitions on each floor. The Mayer Van Den Bergh (quite small) is important because it has a leather-wall covering library to see while the Rubens House is CLOSED for renovation. It also has a very special Breughel, "Mad Meg", which does not travel. There are some important panel paintings called "The Baltimore [Maryland]-Antwerp Panels", and an unusual naive-style wood sculpture, half life-size, of adolescent John The Baptist and his cousin. On the top floor, you might find an unusual, tiny German wooden Flight Into Egypt where Mary is not nursing, but is even more .... er ... exposed.

Unique street view, authentic medieval sight, hard to find, https://www.belgianpearls.be/a-walk-in-the-vlaeykensgang-a-hidden-medieval-alley-in-the-center-of-historic-antwerp/

Very touristy, but atmospheric basement restaurant, Pelgrom. Lots of restaurants in Antwerp, but I haven't been there since the Pandemic, which a lot of businesses did not survive. The big Rivierenhof park is a symphony of family buzzing on Sundays, with a few crowded places to eat. Quite hard to get to, but excellent and large outdoor sculpture park, Middelheim Museum.

All of the information is so appreciated!. Will think about my RS friends help when we do this in April.
Thanks again