Discover Bredene: dunes, views and history

Dunes, coastal views and buildings from different centuries give Bredene a distinctive character. When planning your trip, the landscape, routes and historic sites offer different ways to shape your visit.

Coastal landscape and views

Bredene is the only Belgian seaside resort without a sea wall or promenade. The dune landscape adds another dimension to this distinctive feature of the town: inland dunes lie to the northeast, near the D’Heye nature reserve. A spur extends from there southwest towards the town centre.

Bredene is part of Natura 2000 site BE2500001, “Duingebieden inclusief IJzermonding en Zwin”. The site’s habitats range from salt mudflats and salt marshes to the beach and local foredunes, as well as calcareous and less calcareous dunes and polder landscapes. This is a broad spectrum, from salt-influenced coastal areas to different dune formations and polders.

Access to the D’Heye nature reserve is subject to a clear condition: it may only be entered as part of a guided tour. Bear this in mind when planning a visit to this natural area. For a different view of the coast, visit Spanjaardduin, on the border between Bredene and De Haan. From the summit, the view stretches from the port of Oostende to Zeebrugge.

Routes and the Grasduinen recreation area

Five walking and cycling routes lead to the Grasduinen recreation area. It lies between the camping areas on Koningin Astridlaan and Zandstraat in Bredene. Grasduinen is therefore a convenient destination for anyone looking to combine their time in Bredene with walking or cycling.

Free sports facilities there include volleyball courts, beach volleyball courts, tennis courts, table tennis tables and a mountain bike course. As visitor facilities can change over time, it is worth checking the current status of the facilities before your visit. If you are planning to include cycling routes, the Kustfietsroute is also a useful reference point: it connects Bredene to the cycling network.

Buildings and history

The Visserskapel Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ter-Duinen is a protected monument. Its construction history is easy to distinguish using two dates: the present building dates from 1736 and replaced a wooden chapel dating from 1717. The dates therefore refer not to two successive construction phases of the same surviving building, but to the predecessor building and the present one.

The Watertoren is a different kind of structure: this column-shaped water tower dates from 1955–1956 and is 50.58 metres tall. The former Turkeyenhof farmstead is also part of the area’s history. It is documented as dating from 1560 to 1571; after being destroyed during the Siege of Oostende (1601–1604), the farmhouse was renovated in 1737. At the chapel, the focus is on the replacement of a wooden building; at Turkeyenhof, it is on the history of a farmstead over a longer period.

The history of the Second World War is also connected to several buildings and installations. The gun bunker is the only surviving bunker structure of the Blaue Schleuse armoured strongpoint, a military structure from the Second World War. The E690 railway gun battery was installed in Bredene at the end of 1941 and was equipped with three 28 cm Kurze Brune guns. The bunker and the battery represent different aspects of military history: the bunker as a surviving structure, and E690 in terms of its installation and equipment at the time.

Discover more destinations: Koksijde, Pittem, Lendelede, Doomkerke, Kortrijk, Oostkamp, Kuurne, Spiere-Helkijn.

For the broader travel overview: West Flanders.