Knokke-Heist

Knokke-Heist (which includes five beach resorts—Knokke, Heist, Alberstrand, Het Zoute, and Duinbergen) is an area of dunes and sea, purple wildflowers and groomed golf courses. Heist, Alberstand, and Duinbergen are sports- and family-oriented beaches, but to young Belgians of ample means, K-H is the beach to show off designer fashions or a buff new beau. Those who inhabit the old-money villas of Het Zoute, inland from the beach, wouldn't flaunt their chauffeurs and butlers; you'd assume they were there.

Along the Kustlaan, on the leeward side of the dike, you'll find branches of virtually every fashionable shop in Brussels, all of them open Sunday. The Casino has an enormous 2,000-light Venetian-crystal chandelier in the foyer, perhaps the largest in Europe. Gaming, however, is for members only. In the late 19th century, painters settled in this coastal pleasure zone, and today there are dozens of galleries with works by Belgian and international artists; the Casino displays treasured murals by René Magritte, and in front is a bronze statue of a poet, cast by Zadkine in 1965. In 2005, Knokke's mayor, Count Leopold, revealed plans to build a giant ship-like building on the roof.

The Albertplein, widely known as the Place M'as-tu-vu (Did-You-See-Me Square), is a gathering place for the chic-at-heart.