Belgium may not be the most tropical beach destination you ever heard of.
But the beautiful sand beaches ‘d surprise you on the coast of this tiny country in Europe!
And these beautiful beaches are not just a pile of sand bordering the North Sea! The beaches and beach towns in Belgium offer all amenities you might need to make your summer holiday in Belgium worthwhile.
All the beaches and towns we mention in this post have a beachside promenade or boulevard with restaurants and bars which offer views over the water.
By the end of this article, you’ll notice that Belgium is really an underestimated beach destination!
Let’s start with the most popular and best beaches in Belgium:
Blankenberge
Blankenberge has always been the most favorite beach destination in Belgium.
It offers long stretches of beach, supplied with drink stalls, rental lounge chairs, a seaside promenade with restaurants and shops,… and so on.
This town provides everything you might hope for when going on a beach holiday in Europe.
There’s also the iconic “Belgium pier“, with a restaurant on top.
You can find Blankenberge near the harbour of Zeebrugge and a relaxed beach walk brings you near the ship docks.
When traveling from Bruges, you can reach Blankenberge in 20 minutes by car or 15 minutes by train.
If you want to find the best beach near Bruges to plan a beach day during your city trip, choose Blankenberge. It’s super easy to reach and a brilliant place to hang out!
Things to do in Blankenberge (besides beach bumming)
- Engage in some water sports, like windsurfing, kite surfing, surfing, SUP, and more
- Visit the authentic fisherman’s cottage Huisje van Majutte
- Take a relaxed walk on the beach to Zeebrugge sea harbour
- Cycle with weird bikes at the velodrome
- Attend an event in town
Find accommodation in Blankenberge
Best sea view hotel in Blankenberge: Riant-Séjour
Best sea view apartment in Blankenberge: Apartment Beach
General info about Blankenberge beach
Lifeguards: Yes
Family friendly: Yes
LGBTQ friendly: Yes, but no specific bars
Nightlife: If you’re visiting Belgian beaches for the nightlife, Blankenberge is one of your best shots. Bars and music venues are open late and there are quite a few parties to go to.
Dogs permitted: They permit Dogs between October 15 and March 15 (low season). You can take your dog on the beach during prime season before 9h and after 21h. The stretches of beach outside of town allow dogs all year.
Knokke-Heist
Knokke-Heist is a larger city at the Belgian coast. So the beach areas are divided in multiple choices: Heist-aan-zee, Duinbergen, Knokke-Heist, and Knokke-Zoute.
Each of these has their own charms, but Knokke-Heist and Knokke-Zoute are the most popular and fun beaches to go to.
In Knokke, upscale beach bars occupy the beach area and the beautiful seaside boulevard. The beach town is cozy and lovely, but prepare to spend a little more money.
The beach itself is fully equipped, with rental sun chairs, a seaside promenade, and showers on the beach.
Knokke-Heist is also easily accessible from Bruges. By car, it will take you around 30 minutes. By train, you can reach Knokke in 20 minutes, but then you have to walk about 1,5km to reach the beach area.
Things to do in Knokke-Heist (besides beach bumming)
- Visit ‘Het Zwin’, a nature reserve in the dunes
- Check out Knokke Casino
- Venture out on the water while windsurfing, kite surfing, or sailing
- Attend one of the many events during summer
Find accommodation in Knokke-Heist
Best beachfront hotel in Knokke-Heist: Hotel Adagio
Best beachfront apartment in Knokke-Heist: Mariposa
General info about Knokke-Heist beach
Lifeguards: Yes
Family friendly: Yes
LGBTQ friendly: Yes
Nightlife: Most beach bars close around 20h, but there are quite a few cocktail bars in town.
Dogs permitted: In Knokke-Heist, dogs can’t come to the beach between 9h and 21h in prime season. Starting October 15 until March 15, they permit dogs on the beach. On the beach of Knokke-Zoute, dogs are permitted all year long.
De Haan
De Haan is a compact beach town in Belgium. It’s a cute and cozy place to hang out and relax for a few days. This town is popular among families with children and senior citizens.
The town and comprises three parts: De Haan centre, Vosseslag, and Wenduine beach.
De Haan also has a seaside boulevard, and a fully equipped beach with beach bars, rental lounge chairs, and showers.
People mostly visit this beach to relax and hang out on the beach.
You can reach De Haan from Bruges in 25 minutes by car. To get there by public transportation, you need to catch a train to Blankenberge or Oostende and then get the coast tram to De Haan village.
Things to do in De Haan (besides beach bumming)
- Catch the coast tram and make a day trip to one of the neighbor villages
- Practise your water legs during a stand up paddle board session
- Attend an event during peak season
Find accommodation in De Haan
Best hotel at the beach in De Haan: Villa La Tourelle
Best apartment at the beach: Petit Sable
General info about De Haan beach
Lifeguards: Yes
Family friendly: Yes
LGBTQ friendly: Yes, but no specific bars
Nightlife: Not really
Dogs permitted: Between June 1st and September 15, dogs are not allowed on the beach in front of town. On the surrounding beaches, dogs are allowed all year long.
Oostende
Oostende is one of the largest cities on the Belgian coast.
The beach in Oostende city is not the most pleasant beach in Belgium,… at all.
If you want to enjoy your beach time, pick a different city or one of the neighbouring small towns, which we also discuss in this article.
If you want to enjoy the Belgian coast from a larger city, Oostende might be your right pick.
There are a lot of bars, cafe’s, and restaurants available. And the city also has a harbour where people enjoy watching the many ships.
You can reach Oostende in a day trip from Bruges. By car, it takes 25 minutes to get there. A train takes you there even faster: 15 minutes.
Things to do in Oostende (besides beach bumming)
- Check out Fort Napoleon, a military fortress built in 1811
- Visit the Atlantic Wall open-air museum with WW fortifications and relics
- Explore the barquentine ship Mercator
- Visit Sand City Dreams, a sand sculpture festival with artists from all over the world
- Attend one of the other events that are organized during the summer
Find accommodation in Oostende
Best hotel with ocean view in Oostende: C-Hotels Andromeda
Best apartment with ocean view in Oostende: Villa Fluisterbos
General info about Oostende beach
Lifeguards: Yes
Family friendly: Yes
LGBTQ friendly: Yes, check out the LGBTQ bars Maxim, Valentino, and Your Place
Nightlife: Oostende has the most options for nightlife
Dogs permitted: In Oostende, dogs are not allowed on the beach from April 1st until October 1st during the day. You can take your dogs to the beach before 10h or after 20h. Dogs are also permitted on the beaches outside of town.
De Panne
De Panne is the last beach town in Belgium before you enter the country of France. This way, it is the furthest from Bruges. By car, the trip from Bruges to De Panne takes almost an hour, and a train takes even longer.
De Panne has a wide but cozy seaside boulevard, with bars, shops, and restaurants.
There are also some beach clubs, which open during the day in peak season.
On the beach of De Panne, you can find everything you might need: rental lounge chairs, showers, public bathrooms and beach bars.
Things to do in De Panne (besides beach bumming)
- For families, Plopsaland De Panne is a great day activity
- Make a trip to Westhoek Nature Reserve, which is set in the dunes
- Plan a day trip to Dunkirk right across the French border
- Engage in water sports like beach buggy sailing, surfing, or sand boarding
- Find more events in De Panne
Find accommodation in De Panne
Best hotel in De Panne: C-Hotels Continental
Best apartment in De Panne: Delmare
General info about De Panne beach
Lifeguards: Yes
Family friendly: Yes
LGBTQ friendly: Yes, no specific bars
Nightlife: A few bars, but not too much
Dogs permitted: Most beaches in De Panne allow dogs on a leach all year long. Only the beach zone at the very center doesn’t allow dogs between April 1st and October 30.
Bredene
Bredene is one of the smaller beaches on the Belgian coast, but it’s a busy and a popular beach area.
You can find the only nudist beach in Belgium in Bredene and that’s part of its popularity.
Bredene beach is squeezed in between Oostende and De Haan. It’s easily accessible from both beach towns with the coastal tram.
Aside from hanging out on the beach, there’s not too much to see and most people venture out to the nearby towns for activities.
Things to do in Bredene
- During peak season, you can engage in water sports, like surfing
- The town organizes multiple events during the summer months
- Enjoy an evening at the evening market in town (in the summer months)
- Take a day trip to Oostende, Brugge, or other nearby places
Find accommodation in Bredene
Best hotel in Bredene: De Golf
Best apartment in Bredene: Duinenzicht
General info about Bredene beach
Lifeguards: Most places
Family friendly: Yes
LGBTQ friendly: Yes
Nightlife: Not too much
Dogs permitted: Dogs are not allowed on the main beach between July 1st and August 31 from 10h30 until 18u30.
Good to know: Bredene has a nudist beach
Middelkerke
Middelkerke is another popular beach town in Belgium. It’s located near Oostende, but has more of a small town vibe to it. There is, however, a lot to see and do in Middelkerke!
Things to do in Middelkerke
- Visit the open-air museum Atlantikwall
- Enjoy the views from the Drakentoren
- Try your luck in Middelkerke casino
- Enjoy a nice long walk on the beach
- Walk all the way to Westende (on the beach)
- Check out one of the events in Middelkerke
Where to stay in Middelkerke
Even though the town has tons of hotels, we noticed that times have changed and people ofter prefer to stay in a rental home. By renting a holiday home in Middelkerke, you can enjoy the peace of a private place, all by yourself. When you feel like going out, you can explore the vibrant town whenever you like!
General info about Middelkerke beach
Lifeguards: Most places
Family friendly: Yes
LGBTQ friendly: Yes
Nightlife: There are a few nice beach bars
Dogs permitted: Dogs are not allowed on the main beach between the 15th of June and the 15th of September. There are, however, 3 dog beaches in Middelkerke. You can find the dogs beaches on this web page.
Less known beaches in Belgium
The beaches we mentioned above, are the most popular beach areas in Belgium.
But there are also smaller beach towns, which are less known. This doesn’t mean they aren’t pretty or cozy!
These towns have a beautiful seaside promenade with restaurants and cafes.
We’ll shortly mention a few of these smaller beach towns:
Koksijde-Bad
Koksijde Bad is a compact beach town near De Panne and it’s part of the town Koksijde.
This beach is relatively quiet.
People visit the beach mostly to spend time near the water.
There’s not too much nightlife going on, but there are plenty of restaurants and seaside bars to spend an outstanding day at the beach.
Mariakerke-Bad
Mariakerke Bad lies next to Oostende, and it’s a perfect getaway from the city.
This small beach town is at a walking distance from Ostend, so you can easily spend your evenings in the city and your days… well, beach bumming in this relaxed tiny town!
Nieuwpoort-Bad
Nieuwpoort Bad belongs to the town of Nieuwpoort and it can be found next to Koksijde.
This beach town is comparable to Koksijde bad in terms of size and amenities.
Oostduinkerke
Oostduinkerke is a small town near the French border. The town itself is not located on the beach, so you actually need to go to Oostduinkerke-Bad to be on the beach.
It’s a relaxed place to visit, especially if you want to enjoy some peace and quiet.
When to visit the beach in Belgium
Peak season
Peak season starts during the school holidays in Belgium.
July and August are the liveliest times.
This can be an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time.
There will be more people, but on the beaches in Belgium, there’s always a spot to escape the crowds.
The interesting part about peak season is the fact that most beach towns have a lot of events scheduled during those months.
You’ll likely encounter some music festivals, evening markets, sand sculpture festivals, …
Shoulder season
Spring and autumn are shoulder season in Belgium.
People don’t visit the beach to go swimming, but to enjoy the area in mild temperatures.
Most towns already (or still) have some events on the calendar.
Winter season
Winter season is the least busy time of the year.
Nevertheless, it’s still an outstanding idea to plan a day on the beach during winter.
Walking on a breezy beach in the winter sun is still a fun and relaxing activity. But you will need a warm jacket for this!
Best beach near Bruges
You might be researching this topic because you want to combine your city trip to Bruges with a day at the beach. You can also do this from Brussels!
I must admit that this is an awesome idea and it’s super easy to do for most destinations!
These are the travel times and distances from Bruges to the beach.
Blankenberge: 20 minutes by car – 15 minutes by train
Knokke Heist: 30 minutes by car – 20 minutes by train
De Haan: 25 minutes by car – no direct train
Oostende: 25 minutes by car – 15 minutes by train
De Panne: longer than 1 hour for both options
Recommended: Oostende for a city beach and Blankenberge for a beach town.
Conclusion: which are the best beaches in Belgium?
In short: all beaches in Belgium are cozy and offer all facilities, like public bathrooms, showers, lifeguards, restaurants, …
Accessibility and your own wishes will probably influence your choice.
If you want to visit a city with multiple nightlife options, choose Oostende.
But if you just want to switch between the beach, the restaurant, and a daytime cocktail bar, you have a lot more choices! Check out Blankenberge, De Haan, or De Panne.
For a more upscale vibe and pricier bars, check out Knokke-Heist.
Last, but not least: looking for a nudist beach: go to Bredene.
We hope you could find the perfect beach for your holiday!
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