Miles and miles of sandy beaches are the big draw when visiting the Belgian Coast. 40 miles of golden sand. Even better every one of those miles is linked up by the world’s longest tramline. For 42 miles (it kinks inland round rivers) the Belgian Coastal Tram trundles along connecting all the resorts.

Table of Contents
How we ended up visiting the Belgian Coast
Where to go for half term? GCSEs were looming. We wanted somewhere no more than three hours away from Cultural Wednesday Towers. A place that had a table that the teens could use for revision. Some walks with a cafe at the end for Mr CW and I to undertake in the morning, when the teens were working. Interesting stuff to do in the afternoon when the books got put away and good food for the evening. The Belgian Coast ticked all those boxes, so we booked the Eurotunnel and got planning. We opted for a two centre holiday the first half in an apartment with lots of space for revision and the second in an hotel with hot and cold running breakfast, because the CW family love an hotel breakfast.




Belgian Coast Cities
Well city is too big a word for the communities that line the Belgian Coast but villages they are not. What struck us most about the coast was just how built up it was. We were staying in February when it was largely empty but you can see that in summer the place must thrum with activity. There are officially ten towns and fifteen resorts, this confused us when we were searching for places to stay! For our tour we’ll start in the east next to France and work our way west toward the Netherlands.




De Panne
If sand dunes are your thing, then De Panne is for you. They stretch for miles toward the French coast. De Panne beach is the widest in Belgian, the hard flat expanse of sand exposed at low tide make it the perfect place to try sand yachting, I confess that whilst I like a spot of water sailing I have never been tempted onto a land based yacht and find their speed as a pedestrian scary! Less scary are these three heads at de Panne the De Drie Wijsneuzen van de Panne or the the Three Wise Noses of de Panne by Jos de Gruyter and Harald Thys.




Oostduinkerke
We stayed in Oostduinkerke. I chose it because it is here that the UNESCO listed shrimp fishermen are based. Trouble is modern Oostduinkerke is made up of several smaller places and we were in St Idesbald right at the opposite end to where the fishermen hang out! No matter, the beach was excellent, Mr CW and I enjoyed some fine walks and spent time in a couple of cafe’s. Koksijde is the place to go for bustle and big shops. Oostduinkerke itself is the best place to see fishermen.
Hoge Blekker
Hoge Blekker is a huge sand dune, well a complex of sand dunes at the Oostduinkerke end. It’s pinnacle is the highest point on the Belgian Coast. It’s name means ‘High Twinkler’ in English and marks the fact that it was the sight of a twinkling welcoming beacon to fishermen. We got a map from the local tourist office and spent a happy afternoon walking through the dunes and along the coast.




UNESCO Shrimp Fishermen
Regular readers will know that I love a UNESCO cultural site. The Shrimp Fishermen of Oostduinkerke are one of the intangible cultural things listed by UNESCO. At low tide the fishermen head out with horses to harvest shrimps. There are 12 households involved in the fishing, during the summer the fishermen set out twice a week. In the winter it is as and when they think that the catch will be good. Sadly low tide coincided either with nighttime or gathering dusk and we didn’t see them. They are one of the many reasons that we will return!
Paul Delvaux Museum
Paul Delvaux was a surrealist painter, friends with Magritte. He set up home in what was then the tiny hamlet of St Idesbald and encouraged his friends to join him. For a time St Idesbald thronged with artists. Now you can visit his house, just a word of warning some of his works have an adult theme.




- Paul Delvaux Museum, Paul Delvauxlaan, 42
- Open: April – September, Tuesday – Sunday 10.30am – 5.30pm. October – January, Thursday – Sunday 10.30am – 5.50pm
- Admission: Adults €10
Navigo
Everything you ever wanted to know about fishing in Belgium. Navigo is the national fishing museum. Here you can learn about life in a fishing village, aboard trawler and all things fishy …. provided that you speak French or Flemish.
- Navigo, Pastoor Schmitzstraat 5, Koksijde
- Open: April – October, Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 6pm. November – March, Tuesday – Friday 10am – 5pm, weekends 2pm – 5pm
- Admission: Adults €7
Nieuwpoort
Nieuwpoort is at mouth of the River Ijzer. That has put her in the firing line of many European wars, most notably the First World War. Faced with a seemingly unstoppable Germany advance the Belgian opened the sluice gates at the Ganzepoote (or goose foot) the point where five channels converged, causing widespread flooding. This flooded area became the Western Front, Nieuwpoort, like much of this part of Belgium was all but destroyed.




West Front memorial and museum
The Ganzepoote is now the site of the national memorial to the Belgian soldiers who died on the Western Front and their Commander in Chief King Albert I. Under the monument is a fascinating museum outlining the flooding opening of the sluices, once you have seen the museum you can climb to the top of the memorial and look across the low lying land that was flooded and the site of some of the most fearsome fighting in the First World War.
Oostende or Ostend
I first came to Ostend aboard a Sealink ferry, we got off and boarded a train to take us to Germany. It was more exotic that Harwich but still a working port. Ostend has changed massively since the 70s! She has great beaches, good restaurants, museums, art galleries and street art. All in the perfect destination for the Cultural Wednesday family, just as well that this is were we stayed!




Mr CW and I spent the mornings strolling around whilst the teens revised. On our first morning we made our way along past where the Sealink Ferry docked all those years ago, past many stalls selling fish. Ships still come and go in the harbour, but the marina looked be full of pleasure craft.




Back on the seafront we found ourselves surrounded by the huge red shapes that make up Rock Strangers by Arne Quinze. Whilst we were there there was an infant school outing visiting. The children ran up to the blocks, some of them hit them and enjoyed the resonating noise, some sat on the little ledges in the blocks, others leant up against some and some just roared round and round. It was fantastic to see how each child reacted differently and how when they went the grown ups did much the same but with no exuberant running.




Ostende has miles of wide sandy beach. She was once the seaside home of the Belgian Royal family. When they decided that they no longer needed a seaside pad it was given to the City and is now an art gallery. You can stroll along the Royal Galleries which were designed to shelter visitor from the elements as they made their way from the Casino to the race course.




Amandine
Ostend was once home to a sizeable fishing fleet that fished the Icelandic waters. The Amandine is one of the last ships that plied this trade from Ostend and is now open as a museum.




- Amandine, Vindictivelaan 35, Ostende
- Open: April – December Daily 10am – 5pm, Winter weekends only
- Admission: Adults €5, Child €3
Mercator
The Mercator is handsome ship, all masts and sleek lines. She is Barquentine or Barkentine or Schooner Barque …. all amount to the same thing … and was launched in 1932. Sleek and seaworthy she sailed round the Pacific before becoming a sail training vessel. Now you can step aboard and explore as she is a museum.




- Mercator, Opposite the station in the Mercator Dock
- Open: Daily 10am – 5pm
- Admission: Adult €5, Child €3
The Crystal Ship Street Art Trail
50 giant murals adorn the city forming part of the Crystal Ship Street Art Trail. You can hire a bike and undertake the 18 mile long trail or tackle the shorter 6 mile one by foot. We dipped in and out of the trail whilst seeing other things. Whichever way you choose to tackle the trail, you can pick up a map showing the route and locations at the Tourist Office on Monacoplein.




Marvin Gaye Trail
Did you know that Marvin Gaye used to live in Antwerp? In fact, he even wrote Sexual Healing here! To celebrate this fact you can hire an audio guide from the Tourist Board, in which you hear Marvin Gaye and people who knew him as you explore his haunts.




- Marvin Gaye Midnight Love Tour
- €5 per person
- Toerisme Oostende, Monacoplein 2
Muse.zee
What a splendid name for a museum by the sea! Here you will find the works of Belgian artists, especially those associated with the coast. James Ensor and Leon Spilliaert both Ostend artists have a gallery devoted to them. If you are fans of the pair Spilliaert has a gallery devoted entirely to him on the prom, check the website for opening times and Ensor’s house is currently being refurbished but you can pop along to gaze at the facade.
- Muse.zee, Romestraat 11, Ostend
- Open: Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 6pm
- Admission: Adults #9, under 26 €1
Atlantic Wall Museum
During World War II the German’s fortified the Belgian coast in what became known at the Atlantic Wall. Most of these defences are now gone but a complex of 60 bunkers, observation posts and gun emplacements can be seen a short tram ride east from Ostend at Raversyde.




- Raversyde, Nieuwpoortsesteenweg 636, Ostend
- Tramstop: Domein Raversijde
- Open: March – November Daily 10 – 5pm
- Admission: €8, under 13 free
Fort Napoleon
Wars have regularly swept over this part of Belgium. Napoleon was here too. Head west out of Ostend on the tram and you will find Fort Napoleon. Built in 1811 by Napoleon to defend against the British it is now open to the public. When we visited the fort was being restored but is due to reopen in July 2019.
- Fort Napoleon, Vuurtorenweg 13, Ostend
- Tramstop: Duin aan Zee
De Haan
De Haan is the one low rise resort along the Belgian Coast. Strict building controls were put in place when development started at the turn of the twentieth century. All the buildings are in a half timbered Anglo-Normand style, none of them more than four stories high. The beach is as sandy as all the others on the Belgian coast and it has pleasant bars in which to set and drink a beer whilst watching the sun set.




Two De Haan facts, that seem unrelated but are ….. I recently read Albert Einstein Speaking by R J Gadney and read that that Albert Einstein stayed in Le Coq sur Mer after leaving Germany and before catching a ship to America. Odd, I thought, I was convinced that he stayed in De Haan. I mentioned this to Mr CW who suggested that Le Coq and De Haan are merely the French and the Flemish name for the town. Feeling foolish I then enquired if that was why there were many human sized fibre glass chicken around the place. Mr CW has not stopped laughing yet.
Blankenberge
Blankenberge is billed as the Costa del Sol of Belgium. One friend, who used to live in Brussels, said how much she had enjoyed her visit. Our stay on the Belgian coast was bathed in sunshine apart from the day we visited Blankenberge when it was so foggy we couldn’t see from one end of famous pier to the other. In the summer on a fine day the beach has cute stripy beach huts on it and the nightlife is reputed to be livelier than elsewhere on the coast.




Zeebrugge
My first abroad ever was Zeebrugge. A Townsend Thorenson ferry carried us over from Felixstowe en route to Germany. She will always be glamorous in my heart. You can still catch a ferry from the UK to here, no longer from Suffolk but from Hull. There is a lookout on the Zweedse Kaai (Swedish Wharf) where you can see the ferries, cruise ships and vast tankers float by.
Knokke
Knokke is the place to come with money in your pocket. It is a swish resort with many designer shops to tempt you. Knokke started life as an artists retreat in the 19th century, it remains arty with over sixty galleries offering art for delectation. Now it is regarded as the smartest of all the Belgian Coastal towns.
Belgian Coastal Tram
I love public transport. Longest, shortest, tallest …. what child of the 70s did not watch Record Breakers and hanker after all things record breaking. The seaside is also a big favourite of mine. So a record breaking tram along the coast is just about heaven for me. De Kusttram covers the full length of the coast and you are never too far from a stop. You could easily visit the Belgian Coast without a car.




- Single ticket, valid for 1 hour €3
- One day pass €9
- 3 and 5 day passes, plus tickets that include entry into some attractions are also available
- Full details of tickets and timetable available online De Lijn.
Sculpture on the Belgian Coast
One of the great joys of the Belgian Coast was the fact that we kept on stumbling across great works of art just lurking in the sand dunes. Every three years the Belgian Coast hosts Beaufort, sculpture festival. After each one some of the artworks remain, like this human sized whelk by Stief Desmet. 2021 will see a whole new set of sculptures joining the existing works.




World War I and the Belgian Coast
Reminders of both the First and Second World Wars can be found along the length of the Belgian coast. If you have teenagers studying for History GCSE it is like being in a living history book. You see signs to war graveyards quite often as well as the hugely informative and thought provoking Altantic Wall and West Front museums. Although not on the coast we visited Ypres just a few miles inland.
Ypres
Our visit to Ypres, or Ieper in Flemish, was at the request of the teens who had been here on a school trip and wanted us to visit too. The first instance of them taking us somewhere!
The prosperous medieval wool town of Ypres has been lovingly rebuilt, you have to keep on reminding yourself that this was a town destroyed in the First World War. As you wander round the magnificent St Martins Cathedral you have to pinch yourself to remember that this is the place in ruins that you have seen in photographs.












My Grandfather and his brothers spent time here during World War I. What brings it all home is the Menin Gate, the huge memorial to more than 54,000 soldiers who were lost at the Ypres Salient between 1914 – 1918. That’s lost. Dead, not found. Thousands more died and were identified. It is a sobering place that makes you value peaceful European unity. Every night at 8pm the Last Post is sounded in memory of those who fought, you need to be at the gate at 7pm for the beginning of the ceremony.
Where to stay on the Belgian Coast
Belgian’s decamp to the Belgian coast by the bucket load, there are a mass of holiday homes available to rent. There also many camp sites and hotels, the latter are undergoing a bit of renaissance. In common with many Northern European seaside resorts the final years of the twentieth century had seen a period of decline now resorts and hotels are being spruced up to match the finery of the Belle Epoque.
For the first half of our stay we selected on of the many properties on offer on AirBnB. Sea Colours in St Idesbald ticked every box we had. Steps from the sea, close to shops and restaurants, two bedrooms and a table large enough for the teens to work at. Our previous AirBnB experience had left us wary but Kris was the perfect host, everything went smoothly and we are converts!
In Ostend we stayed at the Hotel Burlington overlooking the marina. In Ostend we wanted to be close to the centre, have parking and family room that had some space for work. Our room was in effect a mini suite, with the boys housed in an adjoining room equipped with bunkbeds and floor cushions. There was a roof terrace to lounging and a sauna in the basement.
Where to eat on the Belgian Coast
Fish is the thing to eat on the Belgian coast, especially brown shrimps straight from the North Sea. Every menu we saw had Shrimp croquettes on it and they were delicious. There are six Michelin starred restaurants dotted along the coast, book ahead if you want to eat in one of these. Carcasse in Sint Idesbald caught the teens eye but no reservation meant we had to look else where. Julia Fish and Oyster Bar has outstanding fish dishes. In Ostend restaurants line the Visserskaai offering all manner of fishy delights, on the harbour side of the road stalls offer lunch time fishy treats.




How to get to the Belgian Coast
Train, plane, ferry, Eurotunnel and car is the short answer of how to get to the Belgian Coast. We crossed the Channel via the Eurotunnel and then drove for an hour to get to St Idesbald. We could have also crossed the Channel on a ferry from Dover, P&O cross from Dover to Calais and DFDS operate both a Dover-Calais and a Dover-Dunkirk route. On the way back Mr CW and the teens drove and tunnelled back and I travelled by train spending a few days in Bruges on the way.
Trains from Ostend to Brussels take just over an hour, it is a few yards in Brussels to the Eurostar platform and trains to London take just over two hours. You could choose to stay on an extra couple of stops to Brussels airport to connect to flights all over the UK.
The ferries that I caught to Ostend and Zeebrugge from Felixstowe and Dover no longer run but P&O still operate a ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge. There is a daily overnight crossing, meaning that you can bookend you stay with a mini cruise.
Bruges is just a short hop inland by train or car, you can read about my weekend in Bruges. If your appetite is whetted for further exploration in Flanders why not visit Antwerp.




We were guests of Visit Flanders our stay in Ostend, all opinions and fondness for shrimp are our own.
It looks like a fab place to visit, something for everyone. Hope your teens got lots of revising done. Wishing them the best of luck in their exams!
Fab blog…so much to take in. I’ve always like Belgium but have only been inland…next time I shall try out the coast.
Author
Easy to do without a car too!
This is not an area I have ever thought to visit. I’ve been to the cities before but not explored elsewhere – looks like there is plenty to do. #MondayEscapes
Author
Lots to do, come rain or shine!
Your posts are always so thorough and informative. Never thought about the Belgium Coast before but looks like there is so much to do and with a choice of 6 Michellin star restaurants to choose from it looks like another one to add to the list for a short getaway. #MondayEscapes
Yay! I loved reading this piece as I’m a huge fan of the Belgian coast. When I was growing up we spent quite some summer holidays there and I’ve recently started to revisit all of these places. I simply love Oostende!
#FarawayFiles
Author
We will return to Ostend soon, it has the perfect mix and sea, sand and shrimp
Learn something new everyday. Looks like a fab place for a coastal escape. I’d love to see the shrimpers as well – sounds so unique! Thank you for sharing with #FarawayFiles (and best of luck to your GCSE takers, we’re on IGCSE tests over here soon!)
interesting places for sure! I saw a documentary on TV a few years ago about the Belgian coastal tram! #farawayfiles
We went to Ghent last year and I had planned to go to Antwerp soon – but I might head for the Belgian coast instead. I’d love to visit Ostend as my grandad stayed here with a family in WW2 and we’ve kept in touch (with extended family) ever since. Good luck with the revision, my daughter has he GCSEs too, cannot wait for them to be over! #farawayfiles
Author
Antwerp also excellent, we plan to return to both Antwerp and Ostend … could maybe do both?
Love all the sculptures you found along the coast. They’re just beautiful. How wonderful that you managed to get away and still persuade the boys to revise for their exams. I don’t know why I don’t associate Belgium with the seaside. I think it’s definitely time to explore Belgium properly. Thanks for inspiring me on farawayfiles
I absolutely love the Rock Strangers – such beautiful works of art. Ypres must have been an emotional visit – heartbreaking to think of how many men were lost. I’ve said it before, I never knew Belgium had all those beaches. And I think you did a fine job on the focus-free photo! It’s its own work of art! #culturedkids
Author
That complete lack of focus took a lot of doing!
I have to admit I knew little about this region before reading your post – sounds like a lot to see and do! #FarawayFiles
This is all new to me, which I like. I’ve never actually visited Belgium at all, meant to spend a weekend in Antwerp but the airline went into liquidation, so this post has made me feel I should renew my efforts! #culturedkids
Author
Pesky airline! A bit harder to get to from Scotland
Love all of the public art!
Author
It was a joy to come across as we explored the coast
I had never thought of Belgium and sea coast together. I have only been to Brussels and Brugge. Looks like you had an amazing time. I loved the art work on the beach. I would love to take the coastal tram. Thank you very much for the inspiration. #culturedkids
Author
We worth staying on a few stops beyond Bruges to get to Ostend!
I would love to go on the coastal,tramline. It sounds like fun. Amazing post. I have only been to Brussels and Brugge in Belgium. Would love to see the coastal side . Thanks for the inspiration #culturedkids
Do you know, we have hardly visited the Belgian coast, despite living in “neighbouring” Luxembourg? We often say “Let’s go on the next sunny weekend” but as you mentioned, we just find it a bit too built up and haven’t bothered for many years now. However I do love the idea of the tram, and I didn’t know about all the sculptures. Had no idea about the Marvin Gaye trail either – brilliant! :o) Thanks for educating me on #FarawayFiles
Author
Once you are are past the development there are gems to be found and the beaches are soooo sandy!
I loved reading this. I’ve been to De Haan and always thought the beaches in Belgium are a gem, although not widely thought of as a holiday destination. Ostend also has beautiful open squares and delicious waffles! Now I want to return to take the tram and see all the amazing sculptures.
Author
A day spent hopping on and off a tram, looking at sculptures with stops for waffles, shrimp and beer … perfection
So many great beaches with loads to see and do, the Belgian coast is definitely overlooked. We spent an afternoon at De Haan with the kids a few years ago after Bruges at Christmas time just got too overwhelming for them! It was pure joy for them to be able to run on the beach and play in the awesome beach playground, after putting up with intense tourist crowds! A nice easy drive from Bruges too.
Thanks for linking up to #MondayEscapes
Marvin Gaye wrote Sexual Healing in Antwerp?? I never knew it was so…. sexy! But I do love the place. This is a really useful guide – I really must put the Belgian coast on my list, as it’s so close to us. #CulturedKids
We visited Ghent earlier this year. Would love to see more of Belgium and this has just inspired some more places #CulturedKids
Author
Your Ghent post made me want to visit, so many places to see in Flanders!
I have only been to a few places in Belgium, and not one of those involved a beach. You have inspired me to see more of this part of the world now, I think it would suit us with our age range of children! 😀 #CulturedKids
Author
Beaches are perfect for children of all ages!
A great set-up for doing travel with the studying needs…. I like the consideration for proper workspace as you selected accommodations…. will have to keep this in mind for future half term breaks. It sounds like an interesting itinerary and one that many tourists don’t have time for. That red art installation was striking, and the fact that your teens suggested visiting Ypres is excellent – it was on my radar when we went to Bruges but we just didn’t have sufficient time to do it justice. Hoping for a return trip to visit, and this post gives me a fresh way to think about it. Thanks for sharing! #FarawayFiles
Your photos are gorgeous! I would love to see the Rock Strangers – how cool! #farawayfiles
I love Belgium, but not spent any time at the coast. I think I’ve been a bit overwhelmed about where to stay – it’s good to know that it’s all so accessible that you can easily see most of it. I hadn’t realised the tram runs out of season too – I like the idea of going outside of summer, so one for the houseswap wish list! The Menin gate sounds incredibly powerful – all those people lost! – and I would also love to see the German sea fortifications #CulturedKids
Author
An out of season house swap would be perfect
What an incredible region. I would have never thought of visiting the Belgian coast, but it looks so interesting. I love public art like Rock Strangers, so accessible to all ages, made to be touched and played on and with, and so striking against the backdrop of the sea. And seriously, who doesn’t love a tram by the seaside?
Author
It was the tram that sold it to me!
That’s a scenic place to revise! I hope it inspired them. You’ve highlighted so much to do from transport, street art, surrealism and sand dunes! I’d never think to visit there, but you’ve made a good argument for why I should!
#culturedkids
We only had 5 days in Belgium – not nearly enough time. Just loved it. #Fearlessfamtrav (didn’t know about MG either!!)
We’re always on the lookout for adventures just across the Channel and this has never crossed my mind! I love how all these beaches are connected by tram, and there is so much information crammed into this post – brilliant!
#fearlessfamtrav
Author
Trams and facts …. two things I love!