beach
De Panne Beach
Belgium's widest sandy beach, famous for land-yachting and bordering the wild Westhoek dunes near the French border.
15 km · about 30 min drive
EuropeBelgiumFlanders
Westende
Flanders, Belgium · Europe
About Westende
Westende is worth a stop: 10 minutes from Middelkerke, 22km from Koninklijke Baan Coast Road.
Westende is in Flanders, Belgium, with about 5,500 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Middelkerke, about 5 km away.
Westende is a town in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It lies on the Belgian coast, also called the Flemish coast. It used to be the far west (West-ende: Dutch for west-end) of the island Testerep which lay along the Belgian coast.
Where to Stay in Westende
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Westende?
Within an hour or so of Westende: De Panne Beach (15 km), Koninklijke Baan Coast Road (22 km), In de Vrede (30 km), Bruges Markt (32 km).
Are there any good drives near Westende?
The nearest famous roads are Koninklijke Baan Coast Road and Brouwersdam.
Where is Westende?
Westende is in Flanders, Belgium, about 5 km from Middelkerke.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 5,522
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Belgium
- Region
- Flanders
- Timezone
- Europe/Brussels
- Coordinates
- 51.1596, 2.7687
Tags
Worth the detour from Westende
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
coastal drive
Koninklijke Baan Coast Road
The N34 'Royal Road' hugs nearly the whole Belgian coast, sharing its corridor with the world's longest tram line and passing Belle Epoque De Haan, dunes and beach resorts.
22 km · about 25 min drive
cafe
In de Vrede
The abbey café opposite Saint-Sixtus monastery in Westvleteren: effectively the only place on earth to reliably drink Westvleteren 12, long rated the world's best beer, at the source with a slab of abbey cheese.
30 km · about 35 min drive
landmark
Bruges Markt
The medieval heart of Bruges, where the climbable Belfry tower looms over a square of stepped-gable guild houses.
32 km · about 35 min drive
film location
Belfry of Bruges (In Bruges)
The 83m medieval belfry that Ray climbs and falls from in the climax of In Bruges.
32 km · about 35 min drive
cafe
Café Vlissinghe
Bruges tavern serving continuously since 1515: likely Belgium's oldest café, with a Flemish Renaissance interior, a stove-warmed main room and a boules garden out back; Van Dyck is said to have paid in paintings.
33 km · about 40 min drive
museum
In Flanders Fields Museum
Set in Ypres' rebuilt Cloth Hall, this museum tells the harrowing story of the WWI Western Front trenches.
35 km · about 40 min drive
landmark
Menin Gate
A vast memorial arch bearing 54,000 names of the missing, where the Last Post sounds every evening at eight.
35 km · about 40 min drive
Driving roads near Westende
- 22 kmKoninklijke Baan Coast RoadThe N34 'Royal Road' hugs nearly the whole Belgian coast, sharing its corridor with the world's longest tram line and passing Belle Epoque De Haan, dunes and beach resorts.
- 75 kmWestern Scheldt TunnelAt 6.6 km the longest road tunnel in the Netherlands, diving under the busy Western Scheldt shipping lane to link Zeeland with Zeelandic Flanders since 2003.
- 75 kmWesterscheldetunnelTolled 6.6-kilometre road tunnel under the Western Scheldt linking Zeelandic Flanders to Zuid-Beveland, replacing two ferries.
- 78 kmCap Blanc-NezDazzling white chalk cliffs on the Opal Coast with views across the Channel to England on clear days.
Driving in Belgium
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.74/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
Nearby Destinations
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