Definitely the grandest entrance to Antwerp is to be made by train. Don't forget to gaze up admiringly at the dome towering over the numerous diamond shops. Murmur "cathedral" or Antwerp folk might feed you to the lions at the zoo next door.

No, no, they're very friendly, and it's a great town. Really.

Antwerp is Europe's second largest port and number three in the world, but no one will blame you for not noticing. Although small children will point out "that's where the clouds are made" and why yes, there are always fluffy clouds drifting in from over the river.

The actual modern industrial harbour, with its chemical plants and oil refineries, stretches out for no less than 20 kilometres along the river Scheldt, which eventually flows into the sea, a good 60 kilometres downstream in the Netherlands. Driving into the port is not an attractive day out, but fortunately you can find your way out by smelling the air. Bananas, quay 22, tropical wood, the Napoleondok.

But you can also see how a good neighbourly dispute can get started. In 1585 The Netherlands closed the river and thus ended Antwerp's Golden Century in which trade and art had flourished. A final religious war drove out non-Catholic artists, craftsmen and the lot to Amsterdam and the next Golden Century. Doomsday understandably became a very popular theme in paintings: choosing between Catholicism and Protestantism was a matter of life or death. Diverse nations ruled over Antwerp.

Rubens lived in Antwerp, but can equally be regarded as Spanish. The indifferent Scheldt was never fully reopened until 1863. Nowadays Antwerp happily distributes shipped goods again, to 100 million consumers within a 350-kilometre radius. Yes, you will notice the traffic jams. That's the real reason why you should come by train.

Of course, the only true historical way to arrive is by ship. Thanks to Bobbejaan Schoepen's 1952 "Evergreen", we can all empathise with all the homesick sailors travelling up the Scheldt. "When I see the little lights of the Scheldt, my heart begins to race; I know you'll be waiting for me, at the end of the quay". Of course the wives weren't the only ones waiting. With a red light district and plentiful beer, Antwerp has always welcomed the wary traveller. Tall stories and rolling muscles have permanently entered the Antwerp state of mind.

Provincial in its ways, the town has only lately become the cosmopolitan metropolis it's always claimed to be. Again, the main thing is to sell yourself, and that's what Antwerp is good at. What other Belgian city knows how to promote its separate neighbourhoods as Antwerp does? An hour's walk takes you from the "trendy"South, over the "fashionable" Andrieswijk, through the historical centre, past the sanitised red light district, the "Docklands" of the old port, and finally to the newly "hip" Park Noord. There's always some new up-and-coming block in the city.

Despite, or perhaps due to, its megalomania, money is rolling in Antwerp and it's a good city to live in. Continuous efforts are made by the city and by groups of citizens to make improvements. Visit in summer when people flock to the terraces and parks until late at night. Thanks to the broad river, the light of the sunset cuts deep into town, right into the hall of the Central Station, setting the place alight. Awesome, after all.