Belle Epoque-weg

Ostend


This lesser-known residential part of Ostend was once in ill repute, but savvy homebuyers have recently snapped up its wealth of utterly charming art nouveau/belle epoque townhouses, restored them and transformed the neighbourhood into a very desirable part of town. There's nothing in particular to do but wander the narrow streets admiring the architecture's finer details, or maybe picnicking in the lovely little park.

Follow Tourhoutesteenweg south of the Casino for about 1km until you reach Oude Molenstraat, then walk down the street admiring the facades until you reach Prinsenlaan.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Ostend attractions

1. Mu.Zee

0.36 MILES

Mu.Zee, Ostend’s foremost gallery, features predominantly local artists. There’s a significant collection by symbolist painter Léon Spilliaert (1881–1946)…

2. Shinkaitei Tuin

0.47 MILES

Evolving since 2001, architect Takashi Sawano has faithfully reproduced a Japanese garden just blocks from Ostend's seashore. Come to wander through its…

3. Léopold II Statue

0.51 MILES

Most of the beachfront is overshadowed by 10-storey concrete buildings, but beside the very ‘50s Thermae Palace Hotel there's some respite where a…

4. Mercator

0.57 MILES

This fully rigged, three-masted 1932 sailing ship was once used for Belgian Navy training purposes and is now a nautical museum that hosts changing…

5. Statue of Marvin Gaye

0.73 MILES

Soul superstar Marvin Gaye wrote his last hit, 'Sexual Healing', in 1981 while living in Ostend. His residency is marked by a wildly tacky statue of the…

6. St-Petrus-&-Pauluskerk

0.74 MILES

Ostend’s most striking historical building features beautifully ornate twin spires, a rose window and a gloomy neo-Gothic interior. It was consecrated on…

7. Museumschip Amandine

0.81 MILES

The last Ostend trawler to have fished around Iceland (1970s) is brought to life with waxwork figures, videos and sound effects. Highlights include the…

8. Stadsmuseum

0.91 MILES

One might expect this museum, occupying a house that hosted Napoleon in 1798 and Belgian royals from 1834–1850, to be a little more grandiose and exciting…