De Ruien — Attraction in Antwerp

This is a literal trip into the bowels of the city. It was not at all as advertised on the website. Imagine spending two hours slogging through puddles of ancient and modern toxic waste, surrounded by trails of toilet paper, rats and spiders, all while breathing in toxic mold and the most horrendous smell you have ever experienced. Then imagine that you slip and fall--and you land face first in all that filthy and feces! Five minutes into our "tour" one of the members of our group did just that. There are no raised walkways, handrails or safety measures and the thick layer of mucky brown doo-doo is extremely slippery. We watched in horror as a fellow customer fell and it his head and got the mud and slime on his face, his hair , his hands and all over his suit. The tour guide did not have a towel or wipes. He simply took his hand and tried to rub off some of the black goo dripping off his face and then gave him a new tablet to use. The tour guide does not speak English or German or any other language but Dutch. His English is completely unintelligible and we spent the whole time listening to him try to explain things to us, but we could barely understand anything he was saying. The stench in the sewer is overwhelming and I have no idea why people say it is " a little smelly". It smells like 1,000 years of accumulated feces and waste, covered in mold. I have severe asthma and mold allergies, but the woman at the desk said it was "a little musty", which was the understatement of all eternity. This tour should provide respirator masks for anyone entering and frankly, I think it should be closed. It is unsafe, unclean and really the amount of information given is not enough to make it worthwhile. The tour guide also walks extremely quickly, making falls and slips an even bigger hazard. I feel that there should be a large warning sign at the entrance gate in all languages where the conditions are described in detail, and warning that it is slippery, that those with respiratory illnesses should not enter, that you may fall and that the floor is covered in a thick layer of mud and poop. This tour was not at all what I imagined--the boat ride is also a joke--it is just a small barge that goes in a straight line for a few minutes. But that would have been MORE than enough for me--the additional 90 minutes of hell spent slogging through this cholera and typhus infested hellhole was not enjoyable, or informative. I could have gotten the same information from a youtube video and not endangered my health. Save your money and go to a different museum. Worst...

A Unique Journey Beneath Antwerp, But Room for Improvement

Visiting the Ruien in Antwerp offers a truly unique and memorable experience, and one we thoroughly enjoyed for its distinctiveness. Exploring the historical underground canals of the city is fascinating, providing a glimpse into a hidden side of Antwerp's past.

However, the mode of visit felt a bit unusual. We found ourselves following a guide while wearing tablets around our necks, which served as screens to play pre-recorded videos at each point of interest. While the videos were informative and well-produced, our guide unfortunately didn't seem to add much beyond what was already presented. We were keen to ask follow-up questions or gain further insights, but found that she rarely had the answers, even for details covered within the videos themselves.

Despite this, we would still recommend the Ruien experience for its sheer uniqueness and the captivating history it unveils. That being said, we strongly believe that both the guiding approach and the mode of visit could be significantly improved and revised. A more interactive and knowledgeable guide, perhaps with less reliance on pre-recorded content, would elevate this already intriguing attraction to an even...

Not a standard museum or a walking tour experience, but well managed and fascinating little journey. Yes, it smells like a sewer (the entire time, but it’s fine) and has some creatures living there full time like spiders and (we only saw one sad fellow) rats. None of them are dangerous in any ways though. There is also pretty warm down there, so don’t dress like a cabbage.

The tour consists of sending a group of up to 15 ppl plus a tour guide down the old sewer with some points of view, which history you explore through the iPad everyone gets.

They provide rubber boots, a disposable full body cover, a hard hat and a backpack. I’d recommend to have an extra pair of socks you can change afterwards and a plastic bag where you can put your shoes, so they won’t mess your clothes in the backpack.

Also it’s good to make a reservation as they get booked real fast.

Overall a must visit place! It’s better to be with someone cause you’d wanna take a lot of pictures along the journey.

A special thanks to a nice front desk girl who explained the whole thing nice and easy and made my...