Knokke-Heist Travel Guide

  De Haan, Belgium Feb 2008
by Cruiseone2003
 
  • De Haan, Belgium Feb 2008
      De Haan, Belgium Feb 2008
    by Cruiseone2003
  • Knokke trainstation/grafitti that caught my eye
      Knokke trainstation/grafitti that caught...
    by Cruiseone2003
  • Terry on the beach taking a winter stroll
      Terry on the beach taking a winter...
    by Cruiseone2003
  •   Knokke-Heist
    by hat53
  • Horses on the beach, Knokke
      Horses on the beach, Knokke
    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. 

A walk on the sand

A walk on the sand, Knokke-Heist

 ealgisi Says:  Summer or fall, winter or spring....It's always nice to take a walk on the sand and watch at the ocean... 

"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  

Binnenhof Hotel

 4 Opinions

Hotel St. Pol.

 10 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... 

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 and 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?
tanuki2002 profile photo
tanuki2002 7 reviews

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 excuse: "that price list is only for waiters" WTF? They also charged us €1.50 for a little bit of mayonnaise! 1.50!!!
Boss and waiters were friendly till we paid, no more smile, no more 'thanky you' or 'see you again'after that. Sad!
We paid the full price ... they lost 2 customers. Or maybe more.

Unique Suggestions: Watch out for cheep menus!

Written Feb 29, 2008

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 Beaches

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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,... 

Dunes

Dunes, Knokke-Heist

 Helga67 Says:  Along the Belgian Coast, you'll find a lot of dunes. A lot of people like to sunbathe in the dunes because there's more privacy and less wind. In Knokke-Heist, there is still an area of dunes between Heist and Duinbergen with a walking path. 

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Map of Knokke-Heist