Ostend (Oostende)

Tourist Information and Travel Guide

ABOVE: Ostend's beach and Kursaal (Casino).

Among English-speaking tourists, Ostend or Oostende is best known as a ferry port. Ships have shuttled between Dover and Ostend for more than 150 years, and today's high-speed catamarans move hundreds of passengers and vehicles between the two ports in just two hours. As a result, many British vacationers make day or weekend trips to Ostend, where they get a taste of the Continent before sampling duty-free wares on the trip home. The Dover-Ostend ferry route also provides quick access to Bruges and Ghent, two of Belgium's most attractive cities for tourists. (NOTE: As of this writing, a new ferry line between Ramsgate and Ostend should be in service. Check the Port of Oostende for a timetable.)

But there's more to Ostend than the ferry terminal. This thousand-year-old city of 70,000 residents is a popular beach resort with Belgians, who flock to Ostend for sun, surfing, sailing, and the Kursaal (Casino). The fishing harbor and old town draw many visitors, as do the North Sea Aquarium and other museums.

On the next three pages, you'll find dozens of links to tourist sites, hotel directories, museum pages, ferry information, and other Web resources for visitors to Ghent. I'd also like to recommend an excellent guidebook:

Michelin Green Guide: Belgium and Luxembourg
The Green Guide devotes three pages to Ostend. It doesn't have hotel listings, but it provides excellent sightseeing information and includes a color map of the city.

Web links for Ostend

Continued on page 2

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