Ostend: Culture, History and Routes

Ostend brings together cultural history and routes through dunes and polders to help you plan your trip. The themes range from an interactive museum journey and historic sites to walks and cycling routes. If you’re looking for a hotel in Ostend, you can first consider whether museums, military heritage or outdoor activities should be the focus of your stay.

City history and historic memorial sites

The Stadsmuseum Oostende offers an interactive, guided journey of discovery through the city’s history. Tickets are available online and at the museum ticket desk. The James Ensorhuis is the house on Vlaanderenstraat where James Ensor lived and worked until his death in 1949. Another historical perspective is offered by the Mercator: the museum ship has been in Ostend since 1964, is a protected monument and made 41 voyages around the world. These provide different points of connection within the historical theme—from the city’s history and an artist’s life to the story of a sailing ship.

Military heritage and the dune landscape

Atlantikwall Raversyde is one of the best-preserved remnants of the German defensive line. The complex includes more than 60 bunkers, open-air and underground passages, observation posts and gun emplacements. Fort Napoleon offers a storytelling trail about the fort’s history; there is also an adapted tour for children. Batterij Aachen, meanwhile, is a World War I bunker complex set in a rolling dune landscape with sea views. The three sites each have a different focus: a defensive line with numerous structures, the history of a fort, and a bunker complex in a landscape with sea views.

Walks, polders and cycling routes

For a hike, the Oostendse kreken route leads through the historic creek area and the polders southeast of Ostend. By bike, you can choose the 29-kilometre Hoeveroute, which passes through the Ostend countryside and alongside Ostend farms. A distinctive landscape feature is the 35-hectare Tuinen van Stene, a food, landscape and agricultural park in a historic polder landscape. Provinciedomein Atlantikwall Raversyde is a natural area close to the sea. Its varied landscape is ideal for walking and cycling. On the Oosteroever, the dunes offer walks with sea views. The options therefore vary by activity and setting—from a named walk through the creek area and polders to a longer cycling route and walks in the dunes.

Getting around for your visits

A free ferry connects the centre of Ostend—the Visserskaai at the Noordzeeaquarium—with the Oosteroever at Maritiem Plein; the crossing takes a few minutes. Check the current timetable before travelling. The Kusttram is an affordable and convenient way to reach attractions, events and shops in Ostend. Check current services and frequencies before setting out. The Kustwandelroute walking map is available from the Ostend tourist office at Monacoplein 2, 8400 Ostend. Ostend Coast Greeters offer free introductions to the city: volunteer city enthusiasts accompany visitors, and advance registration is required. At the museum ship Amandine, both guided tours and self-guided visits are available. These tips can help you choose routes and visit formats to suit your planned activities.

Discover more destinations

Raversijde, Zandvoorde, Loppem, Lichtervelde, Veurne, Middelkerke, Heuvelland, Bruges

Return to the main travel overview: West Flanders.