Antwerp has edge. Historic home of diamonds, Rubens and fashion pioneers, this cosmopolitan port-side city is a hub of creativity. It’s also an excellent place to eat, with its access to abundant fresh produce from the surrounding sea and countryside, its glut of innovative chefs and its eclectic mix of Michelin-starred restaurants, street-food shacks, craft breweries, pop-ups and coffee shops.

If you like the indie chic and foodie scene of Brighton, the UK’s hippest city by the sea, then Antwerp – only two and a half hour's drive from Calais – is for you.

Antwerp’s old centre is a huddle of narrow alleys, grand edifices and an astonishing Gothic cathedral, with the main square of Grote Markt at its heart.

This is the place to sink into cosy pubs with a craft brew or sample a city staple: crisp, golden fries from a street-side frituur.

The cute-and-cobbled area of De Wilde Zee is the place for food shopping: seek out Antwerpse Handjes (Antwerp Hands) from Philip’s Biscuits and bokkenpootje (choc-dipped cookie-and-cream sandwiches) from Goossens bakery.

Then hit the (Super) Mercado: opened in 2016 in an old post office, this funky indoor market combines street food, Belgian beers and live music.

Belgian Flanders has 97 Michelin-starred restaurants – one of the highest densities on the globe – and Antwerp claims 18 of them. Book a table at two-star The Jane, which serves inventive nine-course menus in a former church, with the open kitchen on the altar.

Such classy cuisine suits Antwerp, Europe’s diamond capital. After elegant eating, be dazzled by the diamond district: 84 per cent of the world’s rough diamonds are traded among the jewellers, grinding workshops and showrooms here.

To find diamonds in the rough, head for Antwerp’s Eilandje district. The once down-at-heel old port has been rejuvenated, and now buzzes with cool dockside bars, roast-on-site cafés and the city’s most striking architecture – including Zaha Hadid’s glittering Port House and the MAS maritime museum.

Indeed, on the top floor of MAS you’ll find ’t Zilte, where exquisite Michelin-starred dishes come with the best views in Antwerp.

Another must-graze neighbourhood is trendy Het Zuid, home to wide, mansion-lined boulevards and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Antwerp has been a huge coffee-trading hub for centuries, and many irresistible cafés – try Butchers Coffee or Tinsel – can be found here.

Head a little further south to find De Koninck, which has been brewing beer since 1833. Take a fun tour, then finish in the bar to raise a glass to this delicious city.

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Experience Antwerp’s fine food and bohemian charm the easy way and take your car with Eurotunnel Le Shuttle – travelling under the English Channel in just 35 minutes. Book tickets today at eurotunnel.com