Those who can't afford the Michelin-starred food should at least visit the ninth-floor terrace,with amazing views across the city,the port and the river Scheldt. It's free to get up here (entry to the exhibitions costs up to €10[$13]),though you're likely to share it with restaurant diners sipping pricey aperitifs. There's a more affordable cafe,Storm,on the ground floor.

MAS is a clear indicator that Het Eilandje has finally completed its transition from neglected dockside to fashionable district. This regeneration has been masterminded by the city council and propelled by its decision 10 years ago to build the museum here in an area dubbed"Siberia"by locals because it takes a good half-hour to walk from the centre.

The docks were constructed for Napoleon in 1811,as a base for his planned naval invasion of London but by the middle of the last century had fallen into disrepair. The whole area - which includes Antwerp's two oldest docks,Bonaparte and Willem,and a grid of streets between the red light district and the main harbour - has undergone massive reconstruction and is now a lovely place for a stroll.

Most tourists come to Antwerp to stock up on chocolate,beer or diamonds (the city is one of the biggest diamond markets in the world) or to test its reputation as Belgium's hub for fashion and design. But Het Eilandje is another good reason to make the trip. Yachts bob prettily in Willemdok;there's a line of trendy bars and restaurants opposite MAS;and a few blocks away is the Felix Pakhuis (Godefriduskaai 30,felixpakhuis.nu),a meticulously restored warehouse that houses the city's national archive,and another artfully minimalist fusion restaurant.

The fashion designer Dries Van Noten has just moved his atelier to another warehouse conversion next door and around the corner is Marcel (Van Schoonbekeplein 13,restaurantmarcel.be),an excellent bistro housed in a former American presbyterian church.

So far,so gentrified - but much of Het Eilandje feels like it's holding its breath. The upper floors of many of the apartment buildings are plastered with advertisements for luxury loft conversions,but most still appear to be empty.

However,with the opening of MAS and several major projects planned - including the remodelling of several of the ugly high-rises and streets,and a new Zaha Hadid-designed port authority headquarters at the mouth of the harbour - the area is sure to lose its forgotten,industrial feel soon.

The Royal Ballet of Flanders moved recently into a new corrugated-iron headquarters on the corner of Kattendijkdok and Westkaai,next to a dilapidated,semi-roofless building from which millions of migrants once left for the US aboard Red Star Line ships. A museum dedicated to the Red Star Line will open here next year.

And a 20-minute walk from MAS there is another renowned restaurant,Het Pomphuis (Siberiastraat z/n,hetpomphuis.be),set in a former dry-dock pumping station. The three-storey building is spectacular:in the basement stand the three huge pumps that could once empty the neighbouring dry dock in two hours;while upstairs,under the soaring glass roof,you can enjoy a cocktail and fantastic fish dishes.

Food,art and culture can all be found in Het Eilandje but there's nowhere in the area to stay yet,apart from a Holiday Inn Express on Italielei. There are dozens of boutique hotels and B&Bs in the city centre,however,such as Boulevard Leopold (boulevard-leopold.be).

The other thing the area lacks is decent shopping. However,Antwerp is renowned for its fashion and design,so this is bound to change. It's worth taking your time to stroll around Het Eilandje and commit to memory a place that,within five years,is likely to have been completely transformed. As an area in transition,it is fascinating.

Emirates flies to the nearest airports — Amsterdam and Dusseldorf — for about $1890 low-season return from Sydney and Melbourne including tax. This involves flying to Dubai (14hr),then to either city (about 7hr),and lets you fly into one European city and back from another.

- Guardian News&Media