Six days a week, Sint-Jansvliet is a basketball court. On Sundays, it becomes one of Antwerp's most characterful antique markets. That shift alone tells you something about this place — informal, rooted in neighbourhood life, and entirely its own thing.

Locals have long called it Kleine Tunnelplaats, a name that dates to the 1930s and never really went away. The official name is Antiekmarkt Sint-Jansvliet, but ask anyone in the surrounding streets and they'll use the older title. That kind of stubborn local loyalty says something about how the market fits into the fabric of the city.

Around 40 traders set up each week, which makes this one of the smaller open-air antique markets in Antwerp. Smaller, though, does not mean thin. The stalls cover a genuinely varied range: silverware and glassware sit alongside coin collections and porcelain dolls. You'll find old books and newspapers, vintage crockery, ornaments, garden tools, and occasional pieces of furniture. The selection rewards slow browsing rather than a quick pass — items that look unremarkable at first glance often turn out to be exactly what a focused collector has been hunting.

For small-format collectors in particular, Sint-Jansvliet punches well above its size. Coins, silverware and decorative porcelain turn up regularly, and the compact layout means nothing hides at the back of a crowded hall. You can cover every stall without feeling rushed, then loop back to negotiate on anything that caught your eye the first time.

The location adds real appeal. Sint-Jansvliet sits close to the St. Anna Tunnel, the pedestrian crossing that runs under the Scheldt river and connects the old city to the left bank. The riverfront is a short walk away, and the views back across the water toward the Antwerp skyline are genuinely good. It is a practical reason to extend your visit beyond the market itself.

Antwerp has no shortage of weekend markets, but most draw a broader mix of food stalls and lifestyle goods. Sint-Jansvliet stays focused on antiques and secondhand objects. That clarity of purpose makes it easier to plan a visit and easier to leave having actually found something. Whether you come for a specific category or simply want to see what turns up, the market has the kind of unhurried, neighbourhood energy that larger fairs rarely manage.