Going to Bruges in early May and am wondering about the coastal towns ie. Ostende and Blankenberge. I know many of you have done Bruges but has anyone experienced the coastal areas?
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9221 posts
I have been up to Ostende about 5 times. Simple, fast train from Bruges. Took about 15 min. and cost 3 euro or so.
I like it up there. The sea is wonderful and I like to walk along the beaches or the sand dunes on the other side of the promonade that seems to go the entire length of the coastline. There are also some left-over bunkers from WW2 along the coast here. That can be interesting. Ostende has a lovely church and a little harbor as well as the harbor where the ferries come in from the UK. I have to say I have never been up there in the summer, it has always been in Jan. or Feb., though I have been to Brugge in the summer.
The beach gets pretty wide when the tide goes out. I have gotten some lovely sunset photos from Ostende. The last time we were there, we rode the coastal tram for about 2 hours down the coast and then back again.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
The beaches of Belgium are my favorite in Europe, mainly because they most resemble those of the southern Jersey shore (no, not where that horrible TV show is set!) that I visited every summer growing up: wide and sandy with lively promenades, unlike the narrow, rocky beaches of the Mediterranean. I also like the fact that they serve as a cool refuge from the summer heat, not just another hot place to go to when it's already hot at home. In addition to Oostende and Blankenberg, my wife and I also like De Haan.
EDIT: I would also point out, De Haan avoided most of the damage from WWII. Although it has plenty of modern buildings, it retains more of its historical character. For anyone familiar with the South Jersey shore, De Haan is to Cape May as Oostende is to Atlantic City (not quite a fair comparison, because Oostende is pleasant, whereas I try to avoid Atlantic City at all costs...)
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
Good if you like the seaside. Don't bother if you're expecting beautiful historic buildings, the area mostly got flattened twice in the 20th century.
Posted by
OP
Punta Gorda, FL, USA
5 posts
Thank you kindly for your reply and your ideas. We are beach rats and will be in Bruges in May. We also will be in Amsterdam and Brussels but I am most excited about Bruges and have allotted 3-4 days to see it and the coastal areas.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9221 posts
Hmmm, I thought many of the buildings along this this area were beautiful, lots of late 1800 and early 1900's structures. Pretty churches too.