Getting Here & Around

Getting Here & Around

If you're coming by car, the six-lane E40 from Brussels passes both Gent and Brugge en route to Oostende and Calais in France. Keep in mind that traffic on the E40 can be bumper-to-bumper on summer weekends. At such busy times, a better alternative is the N9; for Knokke, you branch off on N49. From Calais, the E40 has been completed on the French side, but a few kilometers of two-lane road remain before linking up with the rest of the E40 to Oostende and Brussels. The coastal road, N34, is very busy in summer, so allow ample time for driving between resorts.

Along the coast there's a tram service—a happily preserved relic of another era—all the way from Knokke to De Panne. The trams are modern, and it's a pleasant ride, but don't expect uninterrupted views of the sea; the tram tracks are on the leeward side of the dike. The service runs every 15 minutes Easter-September. Fares start at EUR 1.20 and go up depending on the distance traveled; you can buy tickets on board the tram, but they cost one third more than if bought in advance.