Antwerp: Port and Metropolis

It is no coincidence that UCSIA is located in Antwerp. Whoever studies, works, lives or governs here, experiences globalization personally. The international traffic, economic growth, prosperity and cultural wealth create numerous opportunities. On the other hand, the city encounters the many challenges of globalization: social inequality, quick changes from abroad and an immense diversity, also on a religious level, through historic and recent migration.

The UCSIA Office and its History

UCSIA settled in the office in Prinsstraat 14 at its development in 2003. UFSIA, the previous owner, hired architect Van Calster in the eighties to join and renovate the two historic premises in Prinsstraat 14 and 16.

Both houses have great art-historical value because they are part of the first allotment that was parcelled out in the sixteenth century by the famous construction promoter and land speculator Gilbert Van Schoonbeke on his father’s grounds. The parcels were sold in 1542 subject to the obligation to build within one year. The first proprietors were prosperous traders. The step-roofs are typical of the sixteenth century and form a perfect example of the middle-class from that era.

King of France – the house in Prinsstraat 16

The corner house at the Prinsstraat and the Koningstraat originally bore the name “King of France”, which probably served as an inspiration for the name of the street: “Koningstraat”.

Before the restauration, the building was a café for a long time.  The sandstone crown on the corner refers to the name of the house.

The Holy Matthew – the house in Prinsstraat 14

The house between the corner house and the current Scribani Building of the University of Antwerp city campus was the “Holy Matthew”.

Directions

UCSIA

UCSIA

UCSIA vzw
Koningstraat 2
2000 Antwerp
BELGIË

Temporary location during the renovations:
Blindestraat 14, 2000 Antwerp

On Bike

Cycle superhighways in Antwerp

Antwerp invested in safe cycle superhighways to the city centre. More info: Slim naar Antwerpen.

Bicycle parking

The city campus offers bicycle parkings for roughly 1000 bikes in total, scattered over the different buildings. Find the nearest bicycle parking on the  city campus map.

Velo

Velo is one of the bike sharing platforms in Antwerp. The nearest Velo stations are located on the Mutsaardplein, in the Keizerstraat, on the Ossenmarkt, on the Paardenmarkt, in the Lange Nieuwstraat and at the Hessenhuis.

Other popular sharing platforms

Blue-bike - active in 50 Belgian cities:
www.blue-bike.be

Cloudbike - with smartphone app:
www.cloudbike.be

Bird - elektric scooters:
www.bird.co

With Public Transport

Antwerp Central Train Station is located at fifteen minutes walking distance.

You can rent a bike or an e-scooter at Antwerp Central Station to reduce your estimated travel time to around 5 minutes.

Plan your journey from station to station with the NMBS routeplanner.

Bus 17 stops at the Paardenmarkt (stop Hessenbrug).

Tram 7 has a stop at the Keizerstraat.

Tram 24 and tram 11 stop at the Lange Nieuwstraat (stop Sint Jacob).

The Rooseveltplaats is located at ten minutes walking distance. This square is the bus station for many regional bus and tram lines.

Plan your journey and check the schedule at the De Lijn website.

By Car

Due to several road works, it is not easy to reach the city centre of Antwerp by car. Therefore we recommend you to come on bike, to use public transport if possible or to park your car on one of the Park & Rides.

If you choose to come by car? Please take a minute to check the current state of the road works at www.slimnaarantwerpen.be/en.

The city campus is located in a red parking zone. You can only park your car at the roadside with a ticket and for no longer than three hours.

There are several public parkings at walking distance:

Parking Antwerp Shopping
Molenbergstraat 7

Parking Sint-Jacob
St-Jacobsmarkt 81-83

Parking 't Stad
Eikenstraat 9

Parking Shopping Meir
Korte Klarenstraat 10

Parking Meir
Eiermarkt 33-35

Travelling to Antwerp from abroad

International trains

Antwerp Central Station offers direct railway connections to Amsterdam Centraal, London St Pancreas International, Paris Nord and Köln Hauptbahnhof.

This makes the train a comfortable and green way to travel to Antwerp from many larger cities in the Netherlands, Great-Britain, France and Germany.

We recommend you to order your train tickets as soon as possible, because prices increase in time. The earlier you book, the cheaper your trip. Ticket sales open three to six months in advance, depending on the trainline operator.

When you arrive in Antwerp Central Station, take a minute to look around you. Many travel guides have rated it as one of the most beautiful stations in the world.

Visit Antwerp

While visiting Antwerp for academic purposes, take the opportunity to get to know our unique and beautiful city!

Antwerp skyline with Cathedral

Brussels National Airport

Brussels National Airport in Zaventem is the most travelled airport in Belgium. If you are coming by plane, you will most likely arrive here.

The Airport Express is a direct coach service that runs every hour (3 a.m.-12 p.m.) between Brussels Airport and Antwerp Central Station. The ride takes about 45 minutes. You can find the bus stop at park P15, close to the terminal. The covered walkway leads you automatically to and from the terminal.

There is also a direct train connection (twice an hour) between Brussels Airport and Antwerp Central Station. The approximate travel time is 32 minutes. The airport train station is located below the terminal (basement level -1). Keep your train ticket at hand upon arrival at Brussels Airport. You will need to scan it at the automated access gates.

More information:
www.brusselsairport.be/

Antwerp City Airport

Antwerp Airport is a small airport located in Deurne at a mere seven kilometers from the city centre of Antwerp. It covers a selection of mostly European destinations such as London Southend, Florence, Innsbruck, Malaga, Split, Toulon, ...

The easiest way to travel to the city centre is by taxi (15 min, € 15).

You can also take public transport, but there is no direct service. Take bus 51, 52 or 53 directly in front of the airport building to Antwerp-Berchem railway station in 10 minutes, where you can take bus 21 and 32 or tram 9 and 11 to Rooseveltplaats (Roosevelt Square), near Antwerp Central Station.

More information:
www.antwerpairport.aero

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Another option is the international airport in our neighbour's capital: Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Especially for long distance flights, it is an alternative worth looking into. Your journey could turn out significantly cheaper and/or shorter.

There is a direct train connection between Schiphol Airport and Antwerp Central Station every hour. The estimated travel time is under an hour.

We recommend you to order your train tickets as soon as possible, because prices increase in time. The earlier you book, the cheaper your trip. Ticket sales open four months in advance.

You can also buy international train tickets at the NS Hispeed desks, located near the Meeting Point at Schiphol Plaza.

The NS train station is located directly below the terminal building. Take the escalator or lift downstairs and board the train.

More information:
www.brusselsairport.be/en/

 

Brussels South Charleroi Airport

This is an airport with mostly short distance destinations (with the exception of Hong Kong). The majority of the flights are operated by low cost airlines.

Mind: although your flight might be cheaper, travel time to and from Antwerp will be longer and your transport options for early and late flights are limited.

Also take into account that, although the airport is called Brussels South, it is located in Charleroi, which is in no way near to Brussels National Airport. When booking your train tickets make sure to select the right railway station.

You can buy a single or return ticket (same day return) to "any Belgian station" from the ticket machines outside the terminal near Door 2. This ticket includes the TEC bus journey (from the airport to Charleroi-South station) and the train journey (from Charleroi-South station to another Belgian station of your choice).

More information:
www.brussels-charleroi-airport.com

Online

UCSIA

Koningstraat 2
B-2000 Antwerpen
info@ucsia.be
Tel. +32 (0)3 265 49 60

Voorlopige locatie tijdens de renovatiewerken:
Blindestraat 14, 2000 Antwerpen