Ostend Travel Guide

Nicknamed the ‘City by the Sea’, Ostend (Oostende in Dutch) stretches along about 7 km of wide North Sea shoreline, home to some of Belgium’s finest beaches. The year-round resort blends traces of Belle Époque elegance with reminders of its wartime past, while its cultural identity is enriched by figures such as painter James Ensor and singer-songwriter Marvin Gaye.

STAY

EAT

Apero Fish Palace (seafood)
Aquamarine (seafood)
Atelier D (gastronomic)
Bistro Mathilda (Belgian)
Den Artiest (meat)
Frenchette (global sharing dishes)
Haut (seafood-gastronomic)
ICE ICE AMY (artisanal ice cream)
No Nonsense (homey bistro)
Ocean (seaside seafood)
Restaurant Villa Ostinado (Belgian)
Savarin (seaside Belgian)
Vlass, Middelkerke (gastronomic)
Zaz Cuisine (European)

DRINK

Brasserie Albert (seaside)
Bubbles (champagne bar)
Café Botteltje
Café du Parc (Art Deco with terrace)
CultuurCafé De Grote Post (Art Deco)
Et Alors (seaside cafe)
Galerie Beausite (seaside cafe)
Le Châtelet (Art Nouveau house)
Mac Moules (vistrap terrace)
Max Consael Tearoom (Oosteroever)
Panorama (seasonal rooftop)
Silt Hotel (seaside terraces, Middlekerke)
Zig Zag Art Bar

SHOP

Brut (vintage designer fashion)
Jerseyhoeve De Haan (dairy farm with take-away ice cream/desserts)
Moeder Babelutte (caramels)
Olivier Willems (chocolates)
Reborn Sails (De Panne, upcycled bags and more)
Vieux Jeu (vintage-inspired sportswear)

EXPERIENCE

Film Festival Oostende, Feb
Garnaal Kroketten (Shrimp Croquette) Festival, Oct
Licht golf (light show), Nov-Jan
Night Shift (culture trail), March
Noordzeefakkeltocht (Torchlight Procession), Middelkerke, Aug
North Sea Offshore Windfarm Cruise, June-Aug
Marvin Gaye Midnight Love Tour
Oostende Koerse, July-Aug
Sand Sculpture Festival, Middelkerke, July-Aug
Theateraanzee, July-Aug
Winter in het Park, Dec

MUST-SEE

Ensorhuis (art museum)
Fort Napoleon (museum)
Klein Strand (seal observatory)
Royal and Venetian Galleries
Mu.Zee (art museum)
The Crystal Ship (street mural trails)
Villa Maritza (architecture)