Nothing is as ephemeral as graffiti. Yet, the neighborhood around the Eilandje has quite a few street art gems that remarkably withstand the test of time. Signed: Matthias Schoenaerts, just to name one. “For those who love street art, this area is a great free open-air museum,” says Tim Marschang from Street Art Cities. With five delicious pit stops as a bonus, foodies and sweet tooths can also indulge here to their heart's content.

A good start is half the battle. That's why this walk begins at Sint-Laureiskaai (no. 8), at the height of Beyoutiful, a work by actor Matthias Schoenaerts, aka Zenith. “Since his acting career has taken off, he sadly has less time for graffiti art,” says Tim Marschang, the driving force behind Street Art Antwerp and co-founder of Street Art Cities, the website and app that compile 60,000 locations of graffiti and street art worldwide.

Beyoutiful has also been included in that endless list of must-sees. “Schoenaerts collaborated with Dutch artists Does and Zenk One for this. With Beyoutiful, the trio aims to draw more attention to one's own inner beauty.”

Via Nassaustraat and Amsterdamstraat - with Burger Boutique Antwerp (1) and Cremerie Germaine (2) as the first tasting spots - it heads towards Londenbrug, Madrasstraat and - at restaurant Fiskeskur - turns right onto Kattendijkdok-Oostkaai. Walk towards the Mexicobrug. On the left side, Larsen Bervoets dropped the two-part work Airlite. “Larsen used Air Light, Italian paint that purifies harmful substances in the air through a chemical process,” Marschang knows.

Continue walking towards the Mexicobrug, parallel to the factory hall, and look across the Kattendijkdok. “There you see a figure on a bicycle, an illustration by Mauro Muretz from Brazil. For us, biking is a normal thing, but for many foreigners, it is not.”

Then walk via Schengenplein (across the street) to Napelsstraat. Cross Londenstraat diagonally to the left and walk through the alley to the staircase complex of the Parkbrug. Walk over the bridge and follow the path through the park to the skate park. Stop for a moment at the third pillar of the bridge. “Many famous graffiti artists started here,” Tim knows. “The little man with a stick between his teeth, for example, is an early work by the Spanish artist Belin.”

Proceed further through the park towards the summer bar. Turn right at the sports hall and follow the path. On the right side, another work by Zenith appears: The Mountain. “Matthias travels all over the world. During one of those trips, he photographed a mountain. This work is a silhouette structure of that.”

Via Visétraat, you reach Trapstraat and the Panamarenkohuis. At the intersection with Dambruggestraat, you can spot a work by Rise One on the right. “In this work, he typographically depicted the letters of the name Panamarenko with a wink towards the blades of a helicopter. Panamarenko had a passion for everything related to flying,” says Tim Marschang.

Walk along Oude Steenweg to Sint-Jansplein and Vondelstraat. Cross Italiëlei to Paardenmarkt. On the right side of the street, above Café Crossroads (no. 115), Chimpanzee catches the eye, a painting by JW Van De Maele. “The artist wants to make the viewer pause to reflect on essential themes, such as oxygen, water, and helpfulness.”

Continue towards Varkensmarkt. On the left side of the street, you first pass Café Rio (3), where you can enjoy a savory dish. Further on, in Hamerstraat, there’s also a mural by Nele Brughmans. Turn right from Varkensmarkt into Lange Noordstraat, not far from restaurant raapstraat20 (4), which is treating participants of Smaakmeesters today with a Berber snack. In this street, Simon Mannaerts - alias Simo - created his work Fear. “Simo made this scene in the aftermath of the Israeli invasion of Gaza.”

Turn right into Mutsaardstraat. Via Kaasbrug you reach Huikstraat (no. 2). The side wall of restaurant Cannolo (5), where you can score a delightful sweet treat, features a drawing by Charlotte De Cock. “It shows the faces of the owners and a reference to the Antwerp Mokatines. Nice detail: on the menu of this place is a dish that is partly based on a work by Banksy.”

More info at www.streetartcities.com.