Oostend - Worth a visit / Käymisen arvoinen

Oostende is about 1.5 hours drive west from Brussels by the coast. At summer time the driving can be much longer on a sunny day when "all" Belgians try to take their piece of the beach.

To me a big part of it is the sea - and particularly seafood. Hence fishing boats are part of the scenery.

For some reason they also have influence from East Berlin in some of the buildings...
But have no fear, local police is equipped to guarantee your safety also on sea.
When we visited there a week ago, the spring already showed it's presence.
As you know, Belgium also played a part in 2nd World War and Oostende has recognized some of the heroes.
In busy days parking can be a problem, but you should try the Visserkaai -parking if there is still free spots. It's next to the hot spots, which on the other hand are all at walking distance.
I suggest to take a walk by the peer and make sure to check out the fish markets. The "tents" below sell nice portions you can eat right away or take away, but there is also one where you can buy all sorts of fishes.

Later I will tell you separately about the fantastic seafood you have available.
I can tell you, they do have also better looking stuff then these ones.
This is where they come from. If you look carefully, you can see these guys were lucky - they are surrounded by seagulls!
There are plenty of nice restaurants by the sea, lots to choose from. And if you feel you have too much money in your pocket, they also have a big casino...
Like in many places, some areas are under constructions. I don't envy the restaurant owner between these two building sites.
When you have a break and enjoy desserts, don't forget to be creative with your food decorations.
There are plenty of quality goodies to choose from, so make sure you have an open mind to taste new things!
For kids fun you should take the 10 mins drive to visit Earth Explorer, an activity center where you will learn things while having fun.
If you wish to stay over, in addition to hotels there are many Bed&Breakfast places.
Or if you are more into camping, you might want to try this site...?
I definitely recommend a walk along the beach, there are many paths by the dunes.
Depending on your preference, you can take short, longer or loooong walks.
No matter how short or long it is, you can also do it by running up&down the dunes in a soft sand. Great exercise!
There are many kilometers of sandy beaches that get extremely busy at summer time, but it is nice to visit there at any time of the year. Just dress according to weather.
Nice place with multiple options. Great restaurants, beaches, nature, casino, basketball team, companies to arrange fun activities for private or company team-building... I like it, but still I won't join the thousands who head there on a sunny summer day!