Why should I go? There are two Antwerps. One is the second-largest port in Europe, and the world’s most important diamond centre. But the one most of us travel for is a place of art and fashion, fun bars, classy cuisine and stunning gothic and baroque buildings.

And, being small enough to leave without worrying about having missed a masterpiece or a must-have, Antwerp is perfect for a weekend. The fashion museum, MoMu, sits at the centre of an area packed with stores selling the designs of locals who have become key players in the global rag trade. Walk just one block from the gloss of MoMu, however, and you are in the Antwerp of the 1960s, or 1690s, or further back in history. Ships and diamonds, fashion and food: it’s a heady mix.

What should I do? The city’s most famous resident, the baroque artist Peter Paul Rubens, is fêted here, but more so from now until February 10, while one of his most famous works, Samson and Delilah, is on loan from our own National Gallery. The diligent will want to follow the Rubens trail using the book available from the tourist office (www.visitantwerpen.be) – the artist’s reconstructed house (museum.antwerpen.be/rubenshuis), the Fine Arts Museum and the house of Rockox, his patron, are among the highlights.

If you prefer to breathe art as you go, head for the cathedral, one of northern Europe’s finest gothic buildings, looking spruce with only six more years of restoration to go (they’re in their 42nd year). Of the four large Rubens paintings on show, the best is The Descent from the Cross, all bulging muscle and swirling fabric, and painted for the place where it hangs.

This being Antwerp, it comes as no surprise that Rubens’s house is sandwiched by international fashion stores. But the city’s home-grown talent is centred on the ModeNatie, home of the fashion museum and academy. Dries Van Noten and Veronique Branquinho both have shops on Nationalestraat; Walter van Beirendonck is around the corner on St Antoniusstraat. The tourist office and bookshops stock an Antwerp Fashion Walk book (£7).

Where do I party? There is no shortage of bars. A mere stumble from the cathedral, Den Engel (Grote Markt 3) is a true nononsense old-timer where you might expect a tourist trap. The fashion district and the area around the Fine Arts Museum attract a well-heeled crowd. In the latter, Hopper (www.hopperjazz.org) is inspired by Edward Hopper’s painting of a big-windowed diner, but has added a lively crowd and regular live jazz.

Antwerp stages some of the region’s wildest club nights, but more interesting is its newest venue, a Warhol-inspired multifunctional space called Lucy (www.lovelucy.be) – bar, restaurant, music venue, art gallery, shop and pickup joint in a phone company’s former offices. Most places hope they will run for ever; part of Lucy’s beauty is that it has a permit only until February 2008.

Where should I stay? If you wanted chic central comfort, there used to be only one choice, De Witte Lelie (00 32-3 226 1966, www.dewittelelie.be); but its success has encouraged others, foremost among them being the Hotel Julien (03 229 0600, www.hotel-julien.com). A short walk from anywhere you will want to be, it has 11 high-ceilinged rooms in an old townhouse – very Hempel in feel, but with an elaborate breakfast room that could only be Antwerp. Doubles start at £120, B&B.

The Postiljon (03 231 7575, www.hotelpostiljon.be) is a simple, friendly hotel with steep, creaky stairs in the shadow of the cathedral, where a double with shower costs £62, including breakfast. Some of the best budget accommodation is in B&Bs: there’s a good selection at www.weekendhotels.nl/bed-and-breakfast/Antwerpen/1/en; doubles from £39.

Where should I eat? Forget about all those starred restaurants serving reductions of reductions to the haute bourgeoisie. The North Sea is a mere hop away, and the best Antwerp food reflects that fact. There are, of course, mussels and chips, and here you will find them mixed with fashion and design – the latest trend is to eat in store.

But better to eat beside it, at Hippodroom (03 248 5252, www.hippodroom.be), a long, stripped-down monochrome room with outsize art and seriously good modern Mediterranean cooking. Sir Anthony Van Dijck (03 231 6170, www.siranthonyvandijck.be) is one of the best of the city’s traditional restaurants. If you want to rest your eyes on water, head for the Zuiderterras (03 234 1275, www.zuiderterras.be), a modern tower on the quayside where you can eat fusion or traditional in front of a big picture window.

How do I get there? Eurostar (0870 518 6186, www.eurostar.com) returns from St Pancras to Brussels start at £59; tickets include the 40-minute onward journey to Antwerp’s Central station. Fly to Antwerp with VLM (0871 666 5050, www.flyvlm.com) from London City or Manchester, or to Brussels with Brussels Airlines (www.brusselsairlines.co.uk); the train to Antwerp is less than £10 return. Or try BMI (0870 607 0555, www. flybmi.com) or Eastern Airways (0870 366 9100, www.easternairways.com).

Times recommends

• Bogus websites are conning hundreds out of their holidays
• The complete last minute holiday guide
• Croatia: the flashing blades of Korcula