De Panne is the western most town in Belgium and sits between the French border and the North Sea. Being only a 45 minute drive from the busy French port of Calais along the A16 motorway, it is an easy spot to visit whilst on a day trip from England.
Widest Beaches in Belgium
De Panne boasts the widest beaches on the Belgian coast, with them being a quarter of a mile wide at low tide. The sand here is soft and almost white and lends itself perfectly to a wide variety of activities, from the gentler pursuits of sunbathing and walking to the more active ones of land yachting and beach volleyball. The first modern land yacht was developed around De Panne in 1898 by the Dumont brothers and the European Land Yachting Championships have been hosted here. As the beaches here are gently sloping, with no steep drops and generally gentle surf they are perfect for paddling or swimming with young children. There is also a stunning beach front promenade which you can walk or cycle along, lined with cafes, bars, shops and restaurants.
Belgian Waffles and Belgian Beer
One of the most famous Belgian foods is the sweet Belgian waffle. This is a batter based cake cooked into different shapes in a waffle iron and sold all over De Panne in cafes, restaurants and by street vendors. The waffles come sprinkled with sugar or covered in chocolate sauce and whipped cream. The only problem with these delicious treats is that they can be very messy to eat so plenty of tissue is also supplied. For a more savoury taste of Belgium try steak frites, available everywhere and consisting of perfectly cooked beef steaks with twice fried potatoes which are deliciously light and crispy. To wash this down, you can try one of Belgium’s 450 different varieties of beer, ranging from traditional tasting light beers to strawberry or raspberry flavoured ones, and produced at one of the countries 100 breweries.
Travelling to De Panne
Reaching the Flemish coast is very simple by road or public transport. Trains arrive into the town from all over Europe via the main station in Brussels and the town itself has an effective and efficient tram network. If arriving by road, De Panne is located on the N34, off of the A16 motorway which runs along the French coast, passing Calais before entering Belgium. Accommodation is plentiful in De Panne and ranges from self catering sea front apartments to charming hotels and has a variety to suit all budgets.
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