Ostend Beach

Ostend’s beach is the reason the town became a resort, and it is still its biggest draw: a broad, flat strip of sand running for kilometres along the Albert I-Promenade, from Klein Strand by the harbour mouth past the Kursaal and the Royal Galleries towards Mariakerke and beyond. At low tide it is enormous, and even on a busy summer day you can find space by walking a little way west.

In the summer holidays lifeguards are on duty every day from 10:30 to 18:30, and you may only swim between the marked flags or yellow buoys; in June and September only a few posts are staffed. Smoking is banned on the central stretch between the Hertstraat and the Christinastraat, fires and barbecues are not allowed, and if you see a seal resting on the sand, keep at least 30 metres away.

Dogs are welcome on most of the beach from October to March. From April to September they are allowed only early in the morning and in the evening, except in a few year-round dog zones, including the Oosteroever beach beyond beach head 5. Concrete paths to the waterline help with wheelchairs and pushchairs at several access points.