There’s something special about a ferry in a city. It might be the Staten Island Ferry in New York, the Djurgarden ferry across Stockholm harbour, or the ‘Ferry ‘Cross the Mersey’ made famous in 1965 by Gerry and the Pacemakers. It’s a way of escaping the city, travelling to a distant place, even if it just takes a few minutes.
The free ferry across the Scheldt in Antwerp runs every 30 minutes from 6am to 11pm. It’s just a few minutes from one shore to the other, but it takes you from the cosmopolitan crowds of central Antwerp to the almost rural calm of the Linkeroever (Left Bank).
It’s worth hopping on board just for the view of Antwerp from the other side of the river. You can pick up a coffee at the café on the far side or order a portion of fries at the Frituur Lo cabin near the ferry landing stage.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
