Belgium is famous for its beautiful cities filled with medieval architecture, chocolate shops and breweries. While all of those are wonderful experiences, a day spent riding on the Coastal Tram is a great way to leave the bustling tourist areas behind and explore the coast of Flanders.
The tram line is in its 128th year of service and at 69 km is the longest in the world. It runs between Knokke-Heist in northern Flanders and De Panne in the south, with 70 stops along the way. A day ticket costs €5 and includes unlimited travel and stops. Many of the stops are in the centre of towns or close to beaches and walking paths, and the trams run every 15 minutes so it’s easy to get off and explore for a while before travelling further.
Along the way there are many treasures to be discovered. The Belgium Pier in Blankenberge was built in 1933 and stretches into the North Sea for 350 metres.
Rows of beach huts stand deserted on the beach at Blankenberge in September, especially when the weather doesn’t favour swimming or sunbathing.
The Grand Hotel Belle Vue, not far from the tram stop in the centre of De Haan, was a favourite with Albert Einstein when he lived there for a few months in 1933.
In Oostende, take the time to visit the Sint Petrus-en-Pauluskerk; the Church of St Peter and St Paul. With its gothic façade it looks old, but it was only completed in 1908. The original stained glass was destroyed during WW2 and has since been replaced by modern works designed by Michiel Martens.
Enjoy wandering along the harbour and seafront in Oostende and admire the many yachts moored there.
To complete this day of leisurely travel on the Coastal Tram, find the nearest chocolate shop or beer garden. After all, you are in Belgium!
The Eternal Traveller 
Never been to Belgium and love that first photo.
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You must go! It is so pretty. It’s easy to get away from the busy tourist places too. Mostly they are in the centre of towns and if you walk a couple of blocks either way, you have the streets to yourself.
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And the chocolate is wonderful!
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Sounds like the perfect way to see the place. I wish our trams were that regular and consistent. Funny, that a few years ago, we thought that only Melbourne had trams, well for public transport, but it seems trams are making their way around the world, and they really are everywhere.
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There are trams in lots of European cities. This one is quite unique as it just does a continuous loop on this circuit. It was a fun day.
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What a lovely way to explore. Just been reading of your meeting with Cath in Singapore.
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The tram was a fun way to see some more of Belgium. It was great meeting up with Cath. We just talked and talked.
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Looks like a wonderful way to see Belgium and ending with beer and chocolate–doesn’t get better than that!
janet
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It was such a fun day and we didn’t even get to go the whole way because there was so much to explore. The chocolate was amazing and for a person who doesn’t really like beer, I seemed to sample quite a lot.
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Reblogged this on Discovering Belgium and commented:
Whatever the weather – but maybe particularly in the winter months when walking along the promenade or on the beach isn’t so pleasant – a great way to explore the Belgian coast is by tram. That’s what Carol from The Eternal Traveller blog did, and here’s her interesting post:
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When Denzil reblogged this I was wondering how I’d missed it in October, then spotted it was 2013! Looks a great way to have a varied day out.
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It was such a fun day, Anabel. Next time we’re in Belgium, I’d like to do the whole route from one end to the other.
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What a wonderful idea for a day trip. Or two, if one wants to get on and off often for a walk or sight. De Haan used to be my favorite coastal town when I lived in Belgium. In general, I am not a fan of the Belgian Coast, which is way too built up and crowded, but the tram journey sounds very enjoyable. Maybe next time I visit my aunt in Oostende, I’ll check it out! Thanks for sharing.
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It was an easy way for us to see more of Belgium, Liesbet and I loved just riding along looking out the window.. The best thing was being able to get on and off as we liked. We didn’t manage to cover the whole route in a day.
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I missed this! 🙂 🙂 Happy for Denzil to point it out. We were in Ostende about 40 years ago, in freezing fog. I wish I’d known about the trams.
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It was easy to get on and off all day and w saw so much. Perhaps you should go again.
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Wonderful taste of a beautiful looking place Carol. Chocolate and wine (or beer!) is always a good way to end any day.
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Belgium is beautiful, Miriam. We would love to explore more one day. Two weeks wasn’t long enough.
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