All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
There are go-karts and candyfloss (but you're not in England), nude women and excellent food (but you're not in France). The Belgian coastline holds the answer for anyone in search of a traditional family holiday - with a difference.
Where to stay in Belgian Coast
Apartments can be rented from the following on-line agencies: www.immo-europe.be; ;www.immomarina.com. For good hotels and B&Bs in the area, visit www.weekendhotel.nl). Also recommended is the Kasteel en't Koetshuys (00 32 58 31 53 72), a lovely B&B in a rambling mansion in Veurne.
Where to eat out in Belgian Coast
HOSTELLERIE LE FOX
Walckierstraat 2, De Panne (00 32 58 41 28 55; www.hotelfox.be). Top restaurant serving exquisite food and wine in a genteel atmosphere. Closed Mon; also Tues Oct to June.
KREEFTEN EN OESTERPUT
Oude Wenduinses steenweg 16, Blankenberge (00 32 50 41 10 35;
www.oesterput.com).
MAISON VANDAMME
Tijdokstraat 7, Zeebrugge (00 32 50 55 13 51). Closed Tues, Wed.
'T KANTIENTJE
Lippenslaan 103, Knokke (00 32 50 60 54 11). Some of the best mussels around. Closed Mon eve and Tues.
't MOLENTJE
Baron de Maerelaan 211, Zeebrugge (00 32 50 54 61 64; www.molentje.be).
BEER
CAFE BOTTELTJE
Louisastraat 19, Ostend (00 32 59 70 09 28). The bar of the Hotel Marion, which serves upward of 300 Belgian ales.
SCHILDIA
Zeedijk 250, Knokke-Heist (00 32 50 51 50 58). A smart seafront café that has around 190 beers and excellent seafood.
Things to do in Belgian Coast
Chase rabbits in Westhoek nature reserve, looking out for polecats and wild cats as you go.
Go sand-yachting in De Panne. The broadest beach on the coast, with a section for precisely this.
Gaze at nudes in St Idesbald. The Paul Delvaux Museum (Delvauxlaan 42) is open Tues to Sun 10.30am to 5.30pm in August. His contemporary Rene Magritte caustically remarked that Delvaux's success was attributable solely to the amount of naked flesh that inhabits his canvases. In the museum, cunningly concealed beneath Delvaux's house, it is easy to see what Magritte was getting at. Droves of large-eyed, pale, nude women decorate practically every picture. Next to the Delvaux Musuem is a garden café serving pancakes and home-made ice cream.
Walk the promenade in Ostend. Ostend got a battering in both world wars, but it still has its 9km beach. Go as far as Our Lady of the Dunes, the little Gothic church where artist James Ensor is buried.
Go shopping in Knokke. This glitzy northern resort is often described as Belgium's St-Tropez, if such a thing can be imagined. And, with a square nicknamed Place M'as tu Vu ('Have you seen me?') at its heart, Knokke is a beach town with pretensions; and lots of fashionable shops.
Go surfing in Knokk-Heist. Or waterskiing, windsurfing or wakeboarding for that matter. There's even a club called Surfers Paradise (00 32 50 61 59 60), complete with Caribbean-style clubhouse.
Watch the birds in Het Zwin. These 150 hectares of dunes, salt marshes and mud flats are home to storks, cormorants, egrets, spoonbills, avocets, oystercatchers and shelducks, which nest in rabbit holes. In the summer, the reserve is carpeted in purple sea lavender.
How to get to Belgian Coast
Eurostar (08705 186 186; www.eurostar.com) runs up to nine return services daily from London Waterloo to Brussels Midi. Within 24 hours, onward connections in Belgium are free with your ticket; plan your journey on plannerint.b-rail.be. Eurotunnel (08705 353 535; www.eurotunnel.com) operates up to four shuttles per hour from Folkestone to Calais.
P&O Ferries (08705 202 020; www.poferries.com) operates one daily service from Hull to Zeebrugge. The outbound service departs at 7pm and arrives at about 8am.
Tourist information for Belgian Coast
Visit www.flemishcoast.co.uk