Knokke-Heist Travel Guide

  De Haan, Belgium Feb 2008
by Cruiseone2003
 
  • De Haan, Belgium Feb 2008
      De Haan, Belgium Feb 2008
    by Cruiseone2003
  •   Knokke-Heist
    by AgentBrittany83
  •   Knokke-Heist
    by AgentBrittany83
  •   Knokke-Heist
    by AgentBrittany83
  • Knokke trainstation/grafitti that caught my eye
      Knokke trainstation/grafitti that caught...
    by Cruiseone2003
 

Pro

Helga67 profile photo

  Broad white beaches, beautiful nature, many activities, good drinking and eating 


Con

myriam_c profile photo

  Too crowded in the summer season, expensive 


In a nutshell

Maxlamy profile photo

  More than only rich people! 

 

Explore Knokke-Heist

Things to Do  

Walks along the beach

Walks along the beach, Knokke-Heist

 Cruiseone2003 Says:  The beach at Knokke goes for many miles , the sand is well groomed and clean and relatively easy to walk on. 

"Vlindertuin"

"Vlindertuin", Knokke-Heist

 Helga67 Says:  The Butterfly Garden is a green house not far from the nature reserve the Zwin with hundreds of colourful exotic butterflies. It's not very big, between 30 min to an hour will do to see it all.There is a path leading among tropical plants where butterflies are fluttering... 

Bay of Heist

Bay of Heist, Knokke-Heist

 Helga67 Says:  This nature reserve is quite unique at the Belgian Coast. In the early seventies the part of Heist closest to Zeebrugge had a very narrow foreshore, but now it shows a broad shoreplain, consisting of more than 50 ha of beach, dunes, mud flats and salt marshes. This is an... 

Hotels  

Hotel Van Bunnen

 16 Opinions

Lugano

 6 Opinions

Restaurants  

Het Vlinderhof: Het Vlinderhof

Het Vlinderhof: Het Vlinderhof, Knokke-Heist

 myriam_c Says:  Het Vlinderhof is the tearoom/restaurant next to De Vlindertuin (Butterfly Garden) in Knokke-Heist.It's a nice place, with a lovely outside terrace. Guests are welcome for lunch or dinner but also for a beer or afternoon coffee.Exceptional location: surrounded by the lovely... 

Siska: The best waffles at the coast

Siska: The best waffles at the coast, Knokke-Heist

 Helga67 Says:  Francisca Fincent, or better known as "Moeder (mother) Siska" was a miller's wife who was well known in the neighbourhood for her famous waffles. She had 12 children and they all learned how to make the famous waffles. Some of them started their own business. There are still... 

Rigoletto: Rigoletto

Rigoletto: Rigoletto, Knokke-Heist

 myriam_c Says:  Very good Italian restaurant in the centre of busy Knokke. Fairly large and therefore sometimes a bit noisy. But the food is very good and that's what is important after all.The restaurant is open for lunch, for dinner but also in the afternoon for gelato or pasticceria.... 

Nightlife  

Tracks and Travelers Bar and Hemingways: Nightime in Knokke

Tracks and Travelers Bar and Hemingways: Nightime in Knokke, Knokke-Heist

 Cruiseone2003 Says:  We found Tracks and Travelers while looking for an internet cafe' located across from the train station in Knokke and a bit to the left as you exit. We met the owner Patrick who made us feel at home during our visit. Tracks and Traveler's is the equivalent of a Belgian... 

Sunset

Sunset, Knokke-Heist

 Helga67 Says:  Isn't it romantic to sit on the beach and watch the sun go down? At the Belgian Coast, it's not always possible to see this spectacle, very often there are clouds over the sea at night. So enjoy it when you have the opportunity. 

Transportation  

Getting to Knokke was easy, EUROSTAR

Getting to Knokke was easy, EUROSTAR, Knokke-Heist

 Cruiseone2003 Says:  We decided to take the Eurostar train from London's St. Pancras station to Brussels vs Flying because quite frankly, I have found flying to be a big chore within Europe. For such a short flight time it's not worth the hassle. If you can find a deal on the Eurostar website... 

How to get there?

How to get there?, Knokke-Heist

 Helga67 Says:  Coming from the direction of Antwerp: take the N49 via Zelzate and Maldegem.Coming from the direction of Brussels: take the E40 via Ghent. Take exit 11 "Aalter" N44 via Maldegem and via N49 towards Knokke-Heist. 

Shopping  

Market day

Market day, Knokke-Heist

 Helga67 Says:  At least one day in the week is market day. It is open from 8 am to 1pm.Heist: on Tuesday at "Maes en Boereboomplein" (square close to train station and town hall)Knokke: on Wednesday and Saturday at Gemeenteplein (vegetables, fruit, flowers) and A. Verweeplein (cloths). 

Local Customs  

Many shops close midweek

Many shops close midweek, Knokke-Heist

 Cruiseone2003 Says:  When going out food shopping we discovered that many grocery stores are closed on Tue or Wednesdays. Even our favorite Bar Tracks and Travelers was closed on a Wed Night. There were still some shops open however. The open markets located near the train station had plenty of... 

Have a seat

Have a seat, Knokke-Heist

 Helga67 Says:  At the Belgian Coast you can rent a deck chair for half a day or a full day. It's nice and easy if you're only staying at the beach for one day. If you're staying at the coast for a longer period, you can rent a beach cabin. It's comfortable for all your beach stuff (deck... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Jelly fish

Jelly fish, Knokke-Heist

 Helga67 Says:  From time to time there are jelly fish around. You don't find them a lot during the summer months, but mostly during spring or autumn. This blue one is about 20 cm, you'd better don't step on it barefooted. 

Breakwaters

Breakwaters, Knokke-Heist

 Helga67 Says:  Breakwaters can be fun to stand on when the water is low, but beware they can be very slippery and when going for a swim stay away from the breakwaters because there can be some dangerous current around the breakwaters. 

Tourist Traps  

Restaurant 'Jordys': "Cheep" menu?

Restaurant  'Jordys': "Cheep" menu?, Knokke-Heist

 tanuki2002 Says:  Watch out for the cheep menus! We went to restaurant 'Jordys' near the beach. The food was good but the bill was not correct! There was a price list hanging at the bar, we picked a few beers but the prices we had to pay was higher than the one on the price list. Their... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Beach "Lekkerbek"

Beach "Lekkerbek", Knokke-Heist

 Helga67 Says:  Dogs and horses are not allowed on the beach between June 15 and September 15. The only exception is at beach ‘Lekkerbek’, all the way up to the north near the nature reserve ‘Zwin’ and the Dutch border. 

Zwin

Zwin, Knokke-Heist

 Helga67 Says:  Next to the Dutch border in the north of Knokke lies a unique nature reserve. It's the most important mud flat and salting area in Belgium.It's a paradise for bird lovers. You will find many birds here looking for a breeding place or a place to stay during winter.As a result... 

Favorites  

Useful phone numbers

Useful phone numbers, Knokke-Heist

 ealgisi Says:  The most common European emergency number 112 (following Directive 2002/22/EC: Universal Service Directive) and also standard on GSM mobile phones. 112 is used in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,... 

Official Belgium website

Official Belgium website, Knokke-Heist

 ealgisi Says:  Check out the official website of Belgium.http://www.visitbelgium.com/ 

The Place

Plan a Knokke-Heist vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Knokke-Heist locals

Experience Knokke-Heist
  •   91 Tips and Reviews
  •  146 Photos
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Map of Knokke-Heist
 

The People

4 Members Live Here
 
Our Members Say
 profile photo

 The beach at Knokke goes for many miles , the sand is well groomed and clean and relatively easy to walk on. 

4 members live in Knokke-Heist

 

Questions and Answers

mjbehands profile photo

Q:  Greetings! We are off a cruise ship Fri. 7 May and would like to go to Het Zwen for a few hours. What are the options: quickest,... 

Andrew_W_K profile photo

A: When I was in Knokke we hired bicycles to ride the couple of kilometres to the nature reserve. It all went very well until my wife punctured on the way back and we had to... 

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Top Knokke-Heist Writers

1

Knokke-Heist, my second home

Helga67 profile photo

 K N O K K E - H E I S T is situated at the Belgian East Coast next to the Dutch border. It consists of 3 villages: Knokke for the jetset, Duinbergen for the ones who like it quiet and relaxing,... 

2

Knokke, for the "rich and famous"

myriam_c profile photo

 Knokke (Knokke-Zoute) is a bit of an upscale resort with beautiful apartments along the sea promenade and white painted villas along the avenues. It has very nice and expensive shops, many art... 

3

Knokke - Heist

Maggies profile photo

 I came to Knokke-Heist only for half a day. I came in the afternoon, had a meeting in the evening and left the next morning. Still, after this short visit I noticed how pleasant the city is. I... 

4

Full Sail In Heist

steventilly profile photo

 In August 2002 while we were on holiday in Antwerp we took the opportunity to visit Heist to see Helga (helga67) and her husband Walter, along with fellow VTer Filipdebont. The day we went was the... 

5

Knokke - a very attractive Nordsee city

elva199 profile photo

 I've got some interesting experiences in Knokke-Heist. I'd love to share with you the 7 tips I've written, the 8 photos uploaded, and 0 travelogues I've created. 

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