I already wrote about Knokke, a city at the Belgian coastline, before. This city is all about “seeing people and being seen”. Oostende is another city which is situated near the Belgian beaches, but it is completely different from Knokke. To me, Oostendeis much more down to earth. It doesn’t make it any less exciting to visit than Knokke, you just go there for other reasons.
Oostende is situated a little more south than Knokke but is still in the nothern half of Belgium. It’s easily reachable by car and train so that’s no reason not to visit 😉 It is a great city to start your beach day – long strands of beach, terraces on the side, and a nice promenade. It can get quite crowded during the summers but that is the case with most (more popular) beaches around the world. Over the last two years I’ve visited this city twice, both times it wasn’t blazing hot. For me personally this is a perfect time to visit the beach as well because there are far less people around and it allows you for a nice beach walk. Oostende is a great place to go to if you want to spend your beach day like that.
Oostende is not only a beach city. It’s city centre is great as well and therefore makes for a good place to go on a less sunny day. There are more than enough stores around for a good shopping spree! Or perhaps you would like to combine your beach day with something more cultural? The St. Petrus and St. Paulus Church, the Casino, Hippodrome Wellington, and the railway station are worth a visit.
