UAPremExecflyer

Antwerp is not affected by the Level 4 alert in Brussels.
That said, I would expect to see extra security at main points in the city.

Sjoerd

We were in Antwerp on Monday and Tuesday (this week). There is visible security in the streets (police, armed soldiers, armoured vehicles).
Other than that, everything was normal: shops all open, restaurants, bars open, transport functioning normally. I wouldn't hesitate to travel to Antwerp again.

catandmouse

I always tell my American friends that they have way more chance of being shot on the streets in the USA than pretty much anywhere in Europe.

You want to go where?

This is only somewhat true. While many US cities have high murder rates by comparison to Europe, in many of those cities, the murders tend to take place in areas where tourists and business travelers are very unlikely to venture, and most of those murders committed against someone the murderer already knows.

That said, while the OP was worried about the terrorism risk, I think most people were more concerned about the disruptions to every day life caused by the security restrictions rather than fear that they would be subject to a terrorist attack,

Concerto

Maybe I had my head up my rear end, but I did not notice any police presence while in Antwerp (but I, oddly, had forgotten about the security thing and wasn't actually looking out for it). I had a lovely time there, with some excellent and affordable eats (De Groote Witte Arend in Reyndersstraat 18, highly recommended for their prix fixe lunch menu at €13). People were lovely, and I found myself in the Cathedral (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal) where the composer Ockeghem was active in the mid 1400s. The curé took me on a personal tour and it was most interesting.

What a wonderful city, well worth a visit. I hope you, too, can enjoy places such as Antwerp without worrying too much about the security situation. Life must go on.

FlyinHawaiian

Our experience the past few days staying in the Grand Place area is that there is certainly enhanced security (for example, our hotel has limited the entry and exit to a single door with a walk through metal detector). We're pretty much in the middle of the large Christmas Market and I see some police and soldiers with sub-machine guns here and there but not in numbers/quantities that I find alarming. There was a parade last night that drew more security and some of the local transit stops were closed, but that was about it.

We took the train from Brussels - Midi to Bruges and back and didn't note any extraordinary measures being taken; it seemed quite normal.

You want to go where?

I saw nothing in the way of security. No metal detector at the hotel, no soldiers, a few police. The city seemed quite depressed except for the restaurant filled with Sunday lunch diners. Of course, the weather was miserable so that probably accounts for the depressed nature of the city.

GUWonder

BRU has often seemed rather dull and depressed in large parts of December and January. Even my Brussels-residing friends seem to rather more eager to do dinner with me in some place well beyond Brussels.

There is still some ramped up security presence around Brussels, but nothing that I would consider disruptive in the main to visitors. And it really isn't that much more than what I used to see in Paris during the 1990s.

dimramon

You can add the other 10 months to that statement