Ostend and the Belgian Coast

The 'Queen Of The Belgian Seaside' And Hub Of A 67 Km Coast Of Wide Sand Beaches, Linked End To End By The Coast Tram, Often Called The Longest Tram Line In The World · Ostend, West Flanders Province

Ostend (Oostende in Dutch, the language you will meet here; Ostende in French) is the biggest town on Belgium's short North Sea coast. It has called itself the queen of the Belgian seaside since the 19th century, when King Leopold II and wealthy Europeans came for sea bathing, the casino and the racecourse. It is the hub of a coast only about 67 km long, from De Panne on the French border to Knokke-Heist by the Netherlands, lined almost end to end with wide sandy beaches and a promenade and linked by the Coast Tram (Kusttram). People come for the sea air, long beach walks, grey shrimp and fish on the harbour quays, James Ensor's house and the art at Mu.ZEE, and easy day trips from Brussels, Ghent and Bruges. Beyond Ostend each town has its own character: belle epoque De Haan, chic Knokke with the Zwin bird reserve, the war memorials of Nieuwpoort and the dunes of De Panne. The honest caveat: much of the seafront is a wall of post-war apartment blocks, the water is cold and grey-green, and on sunny summer weekends the trains, trams and beaches are packed.

Ostend's seafront promenade, the Kursaal and the fishing harbour; the Coast Tram runs the whole Belgian coast from De Panne to Knokke, Ostend, West Flanders Province, Belgium

The beaches and the promenade are public and open at all hours, all year, and entry is free. Lifeguarded swimming zones usually run daily from about mid-June to mid-September, with some weekends and holidays earlier in spring - confirm the season for each town. Mu.ZEE and the James Ensor House usually close on Mondays and keep roughly 10 am to 5.30 pm hours - check the current schedule. The Mercator ship and the Amandine trawler open most days in summer with shorter winter hours. The fish stalls on the Vistrap work mornings to early afternoon, busiest at weekends. The Coast Tram runs all year, every 10-20 minutes in summer and less often in winter; check the De Lijn planner. Getting there: SNCB/NMBS trains from Brussels take roughly 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30, from Bruges about 15 minutes, and Ostend station sits by the harbour with the tram outside. Drivers crossing Brussels, Antwerp or Ghent must register a foreign car for their low emission zones in advance. Book July and August hotels and apartments months ahead.

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