Most brilliant city

The image before me is colossal. I strain my neck to take in the whole canvas of seemingly randomly placed brush strokes combined with a simple colour pallet.

The result is breathtaking.

This spectacularly choreographed picture is called 'Lady at the Fish Market' by seventeenth-century Baroque painter, Rubens.

In the house-cum-museum, visitors come face to face with the master's vast collection, standing as a shrine to his life and where his presence, in Belgium's second city, is very much alive.

Often compared to a hidden gem, the city of Antwerp is a veritable treasure chest of delights from Renaissance monuments, a stunning Gothic church, the Museum Aan de Stroom or MAS and a riverside fortress to get you started. This flamboyancy sets the tone and there are scores of sophisticated draws to this stylish Flemish city. For instance the Royal Academy of Fine Arts' prestigious fashion department, turns out home-grown talent resulting in a plethora of designer shops and hotels such as architect-owned Le Tissu (which means fabric) where I stayed in the White Room.

Silks, satins, crepe and cottons cocoon guests within, creating a serene space ideal for calmness and relaxation. A bed dominates the room with multi-layered covers that swallow you up while the shower area with moody lighting glitters with flecks of silver in a rich chocolate brown wet room.

Lingering here would be so easy but a visit to the city's experimental chocolatier Dominique Persoone beckoned. He created the aptly named, 'Chocolate Palace' on Mier Street and uses cauliflower, black olives and basil in his cocoa creations which are not to be missed.

Some of the best food in the city can be found at Granmaarkt13 where vegetables are transformed into an art form even Rubens would be proud of. Sweet parsnips are blended into humus so sweet you'd swear it was chocolate and the classic Belgian dish of mussels is cooked so delicately, the fleshy orange molluscs practically dissolve in the mouth. Mixed starters to share start the meal and for mains there is a choice of either fish or pork. Simple and expertly cooked, it's a fabulous place to dine and the best part? It's all so healthy...well, apart from the chocolate torte with mandarin jelly.

Speaking of art forms, humble retail has reached this elevated plane. Even if you hate shopping, the Stadsfeestzaal (City Festival Hall) is like no other mall.

The original 1908 listed building was rebuilt after a fire in 2000 and the new hall is miraculous. A Champagne bar at the head of a marble staircase, mosaic floor and gilded facades with gold-leaf stucco all sheltered by an enormous glass dome make it practically Mecca for devout style-gurus.

For the ultimate purchase, head to the Diamond Quarter (Diamantkwartier), dubbed the Square Mile where roughly 84 per cent of the world's uncut stones pass through. Even if you're not in the market for 'a girls' best friend' the hub is buzzing with multi-cultural folk. Almost on par to the brilliance of its diamonds is the adjacent central station which is widely regarded as the world's fourth most beautiful station. Being more church-like in appearance, lucky commuters come and go under huge domed ceilings which have earned the building the title of 'cathedral station'.

If all this grandness gets too much, then head for one of Antwerp's brown cafes so called due to stained wood from its smoking patrons. Nowadays, the cosy inns are full of bonhomie, snacks and of course those wonderful Belgian beers like the locally-brewed De Koninck and mighty Delirium. At 10 per cent alcohol, not surprisingly the others beers' names are just fuzzy memories.

Antwerp's Gothic city hall is just around the corner and is richly decorated with statues, ornaments, coats of arms and more than 80 flags. It's a symbol of the city's wealth and power and during the winter, log burners roar beneath canvases where locals huddle together and catch up. under the shadow of beautiful houses of the Guilds and the Brabo Fountain depicting Antwerp's most famous legend.

Be sure you take along your posh-togs when you visit, or pick up some much cooler clothes while you're there. Either way it's a clear cut choice – whatever you're looking for, be spoilt for choice in the brilliant riverside city that has as many facets to it as the diamonds that pass through its cobbled streets.

Fact file

Hotel Le Tissu costs from £137 per night

Visit www.visitflanders.com for details about Antwerp or Belgium in general

Cathedral of Our Lady – Groenplaats 21, Dekathedraal.be.Rubenshuis, Wapperplein 9-11, www.dekathedraal.be

Graanmarkt 13 – 2000 Antwerpen +32 3 337 79 92, www.graanmarkt13.be Graanmarkt 13

Rubens Huis, Wapper 9-11, 2000 Antwerpen, www.rubenshuis.be