Down on the Beach, Oostende

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Beaches aren't really my thing normally. I'm not the sort who wants to sit in the sun just to soak up rays for a day. But even I was quite taken by Oostende's Beach and seafront, which surprised me as I hadn't expected to be particularly impressed with what I knew to be a fairly modern seafront.

It's true that there are a lot of tall blocks of apartments etc along the seafront rather than quaint little old cottages but somehow with the views stretching away into the distance along the Belgian coast it just...well...works. It's probably helped by the fact that the place is pretty spotlessly clean and well maintained. There are a good number of cafés along the promenade and a few down on the beach itself.

For those that DO like traditional beach activities the beach is a wide stretch of clean soft golden sand...so enjoy.

have a nice walk along the beach, walk the boulevards, sit down to enjoy a beer or a colourful, tasteful icecream surrounded with fresh Belgian strawberries and topped with a cloud of sweet whipped cream, in a wide glass bowl on a high stem.......

mouthwatering qualities.......

While the beaches here are popular, particularly with Germans and Belgians, it always seemed there is a wind. They sell (and we bought) wind screens for some protection. I'd not buy another one but expect there to be wind!

The Pier - (oosterstaketsel)
Not to miss, a walk along the Pier of Ostend, where you can take, as it were, a walk above the sea. After a refreshing walk, there is the possibility to enjoy a drink on the terrace at the end of the p

The Belgian coast is 67km long, so even if it's very crowded, you allways find some place to get sunburnt ;-)
The cities of Oostende and Blankenberge (where this picture was taken) are the most crowded cities and every coastal town has its own atmosphere.
Peak season is during July/August when you can find lots of families enjoying a bit of sun.

Unless you're taking the ferry to England, you've only got one reason to visit Oostende: the beach in all its glory.

Don't be dissuaded if the sky is dark and cloudy -- here on the fringes of the North Sea, the weather is ever-changing. For me, the weather went from cloudy to sunny to cloudy to sunny again in the space of a few short hours.

And be sure to perch your camera on a wall to take a brilliant self-portrait.

You can choose from the Oosterstrand (eastern beach), the Klein strand (small beach), the Mariakerke beach, Raversijde beach or Groot-of-Westerstrand (western beach). East to west the beaches are traffic-free tiled promenades.

Look how quiet it was, and the weather was warm. Unfortunately, the water is cold. There is a port not too far, that has some impact on the water quality.
Classification: Boating/Water Skiing , Sailing , Photography , Site Seeing

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There's a lovely sandy beach, very popular when we visited when the sun was out. Pier crowded with fishermen, interesting to watch several catches.

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Sometimes we have a great summer end July and the month August, but the Belgian weather is really unpredictable, every year it's different, so checkout the weatherforecast.