Top Attractions and Facts About Antwerp City By PL Sharma

Antwerp city is the capital of Antwerp province in Flanders (Belgium). This city has the honor of hosting the first World Gymnastics Championships in 1903 and also hosting Summer Olympics in 1920. Worldwide reputation of the city is due to the diamond industry and special role played in diamond trade. Being the premier marketplace for industrial and ornamental industry it has around 250 diamond cutting firms. It counts for more than 70 per cent of the global trade. Economy - As per American Association of Port Authority the port of Antwerp was the 17th largest port in world in 2005. With 5 oil refineries here it is a home of massive concentration of petrochemical industry. With four nuclear power plants electricity generation is also an important activity here. The other import mainstay is diamond trade with four diamond bourses here. In last two decades large numbers of traders from India and America have started visiting city which makes it extremely important. Connectivity: Antwerp International Airport is situated in the district of Deurne and only flights operating from this airport are of CityLet which operates to London and Manchester only. Other airport available is Brussels airport which is about 45 km from city centre from where it is connected worldwide. Brussels airport is well connected by bus and train to city centre. The Central Station is connected by several international trains to Amsterdam and Paris. Attractions: As city is known for its historic diamond industry, many family oriented tourist attractions are available here for all age groups. Some of the best ways of sightseeing in city include horse-drawn carriages and motorised trams travelling around the city centre and boat trips on the River Scheldt. An underwater tunnel is one of the main attractions at the city's popular Aquatopia Aquarium, where everyone enjoy excellent views of the fish as they swim directly above you. Here Zoo is also popular with tourists and is amongst the world's oldest zoological gardens, opened far back in 1843. This zoo is home of more than 5000 animal and around 1000 different species, and is particularly known for its exceptional beautiful sub antarctic penguin enclosure and large elephant compound. Catamaran Castle is a harbour and it has the capacity to accommodate around 600 people, it is a big complex build on boat which have restaurant, bar, casino and conference hall. Events are regularly hosted here including parties and live music. Get Information on travel from London To Paris by Train. You can book cheap Eurostar to Antwerp online and save more on your holidays and hotels. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=PL_Sharma Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5113030