Train London to Berchem

Berchem is a southern district of the municipality and city of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. Berchem is located along the old Great Stone Road 'Grote Steenweg' in Dutch that has connected Brussels to Antwerp for several centuries; the town borders the districts of Deurne, Borger out, Wilrijk and Antwerp and the municipality of Mortsel. Berchem itself consists of three quarters, Oud Berchem, Groenenhoek and Nieuw Kwartier. The Zurenborg area hosts a high concentration of Art Nouveau. The main streets of interest are Cogels-Osylei, Transvaalstraat, and Waterloostraat. After the area was entitled for demolition in the 1960s to be replaced with a business and office complex, demolition could be prevented while the area got monumental status in the 1980s. It became an attraction for architecture minded visitors. Dutch painter, active mainly in his native Harlem but also in Amsterdam, where he died.

Berchem was the son of the still-life painter Pieter Claesz, and it is not known why he adopted a different surname. Claesz. Was his first teacher, but although Berchem tried his hand at most subjects, no still life’s by him are known. His specialty was the Italianate pastoral landscape, and among his contemporaries only Jan Both rivaled his fame in this field. There is no documentary evidence that he visited Italy, but he was probably there at least once the early 1650s is thought to be the likeliest time. His career was highly successful and he had numerous pupils and followers; later he exerted a strong influence on 18th-century English and French landscape painters, Gainsborough and Watteau being among the artists who particularly admired his work. His large output is well represented in British galleries. About 700 paintings by him survive, as well as more than 300 drawings and about 50 etchings; it’s a very interesting story factor about the name of this city, Berchem. Antwerpen-Berchem is the international train station where every train stops. Wag mamas is in the city centre, which is just one stop further: Antwerpen Centraal. If you come from Rotterdam, get off at Antwerpen Berchem your train will most probably not go to Antwerpen Centraal and take the first train going to Antwerpen Centraal. It's a 3 min. ride and trains run very frequently every 5/10 min. or so.

Berchem Station is a train station in the Antwerp district Berchem. From here trains leave both local and international train to Berchem and Amsterdam via Brussels to Paris to Lille and Ghent. The station is near the trendy neighborhood Zurenborg. Taking Eurostar train to Berchem you find connecting trains from Brussels- Midi to Antwerp-Berchem, but there are very long connection times at Brussels up to 1.5 hours, which means 4 hour total journey times. But, looking at Belgian timetables from Brussels to Antwerp elsewhere on the web, there appear to be more trains from Brussels to Antwerp than Eurostar train to Berchem advertise, resulting in shorter connection times. Antwerpen Berchem now has a new tunnel excavated between Berchem station and Antwerpen-Dam station in the north, which passes under Antwerpen Centraal station. This now offers passengers platforms on two underground levels.

This upgrading now also means the HSL 4 and the HSL Zuid high speed trains to Berchem travel through Centraal Station without having to turn around. In the past you would have had if you were on the Amsterdam-Brussels train to Berchem stop only at Antwerpen Berchem or reverse at Centraal. Antwerpen Berchem and its other stops are fascinating glimpses into the history of Belgium, in Berchem, Zurenborgh, used to be outside the city limits at the time of its conception. Its purpose, being a area where the wealthy went to enjoy time "in the country" is still apparent in the abundance of architectural gems, most of which found their origins in the early years of the previous century so its not to mention again that travel by train to Berchem can be expeditious and romantic in this comely place and feel absolutely delighted.