Jonas Peeters

I am a typical Antwerp man, which my friends in Brussels say means loud and a bit proud of it. I grew up in Borgerhout, worked as a diamond sorter in the Hoveniersstraat for nine years, and then retrained as a guide when the trade moved to Dubai and Mumbai. The diamond district is still the heart of my tours, together with Rubens, the port and the fantastic houses of Zurenborg, where I now rent a flat with a turret I cannot afford to heat. I speak Dutch, English, French and German, and some Yiddish words from my old colleagues. I like groups who want real conversation, and I am good with teenagers, because my own two ask questions all day. I always end my tours near a good café, because an Antwerp walk without a bolleke of De Koninck is not finished. Now I show Antwerp live on a video call, phone in hand, and I answer questions as they come.