Zeedijk Live Cam

• West East

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Paint a sun, a sea and a beach. Put onto this background sandcastles, children playing, a beach cabin and people in swimsuits resting. Draw a pier and a breakwater in the sea, and don´t forget the ice creams and donuts in the people´s hands. Frame this holiday impression and hang it up on the sunniest wall in your home. That´s Blankenberge beach you have painted there.

The beach: An attractive sandy beach, 3,3 km long and 350 m wide at low tide: during the summer a real paradise for sun bathers : perfect beach comfort, possibility to hire beach cabins, relaxing chairs, sunshades. Also in the winterseason, a beautiful setting for interminable walks.

Pier (beach): A unique structure along the Belgian coast: a 350 m long bridge stretching out into the sea (built in 1933). Yachting-Harbour: The former fishermen´s harbour has been turned into a marina with 750 berths. Shopping centre: Cosy shopping and walking streets, traffic-free in the summer. The main street is the Kerkstraat from the station to the Sea-Promenade. The "Paravang" (near the harbour): The name comes from the French word "paravent" which means windscreen. This elegant structure with an oriental look dates back to the Belle-Epoque-era.

The old Town-Hall (Kerkstraat): This building in Flemish renaissance style was erected in 1860. It is the oldest preserved building in Blankenberge, and it has been declared "protected monument" in 1937. The house of Majutte (Breydelstraat): A completely restored fisherman´s house. Statue of Lippens and De Bruyne: Erected in honour of Henri August De Bruyne, a Blankenberge soldier who left for Belgian Kongo at the end of the 19th century to assist lieutenant Lippens. In 1892, both were killed in a horrible way in a battle against slavery.

The 2 Jetties (harbour entrance): At the west- and east-side of the harbour entrance. Two walking-bridges on which you have a beautiful view on the beach. The "Fonteintjes" (between Blankenberge and Zeebrugge): A small but wonderful piece of nature in the dunes, where walkers, naturelovers and anglers will find everything their heart desires. The meadow bird sanctuary "Uitkerkse Polder": This area is situated within the quadrangle Wenduine, Blankenberge, Zuienkerke and Nieuwmunster. Typical is the open landscape, without trees or hedges, and just a few farms. It is a unique nesting ground for meadow birds. The visitors centre Groenwaecke, along the Kuiperscheeweg, is open every Sunday from 2 till 6 p.m.

This 7 km long walking route through our seaside resort, will get you acquainted with the authentic Blankenberge. The starting point of your walk is the Tourist Office in the Leopold III Square. Along the way you´ll be able to admire some beautiful façades, as well as the house of Majutte (a restored fisherman´s house) and the old Town Hall. We also would like to focus your attention on monuments like the "Paravang" and the statue of Lippens and De Bruyne. And of course we won´t forget the harbour, the promenade and the pier! If you wish, you can even expand the tour with a 6 km long walk through the dunes. A detailed brochure with description of this route is available in Dutch and French in the Tourist Office.

Bathing in the sand and waves - The nostalgic call of seagulls, the age old play of ebb and flow in the summer months as the sun warms your skin, or on a cutting wintry day with the wind sweeping you along across the swirling sands... all of the seasons are at their best in Blankenberge, a town that continues to charm both young and old. The happy children playing on the white and golden carpet of sand, beautiful young people surfing in the waves, the older among us sauntering along the surf filling their lungs with the pure salty sea air and those who wish to quickly forget big city hustle and bustle stretched out on the sand reading a book or just relaxing. Blankenberge, where the beach is vacation.

Under the "social tourism" banner, you will find mainly holiday centres that are aimed at family tourism. They have special facilities for the disabled and senior citizens. This option for budget holidays is usually located close to tourist centres and sights.

If you want to spend your holiday in the country close to nature, why not spend a few days on a farm holiday. Farm tourism often has the additional attraction that you can roll up your sleeves and take part in some of the jobs around the farm.

Shorter periods are also possible. Here too, there is abundant choice, with rental prices reflecting the quality of the accommodation.

Holiday villages or bungalow parks are ideal for anyone who wants to get away from it all in comfort, and yet wants to retain a sense of independence. "Carefree holidays" is the motto of every bungalow park, partly because of the countless leisure facilities in the immediate vicinity.

Flanders is, as Brel sang, predominantly flat. Apart from our Dutch mother tongue, most Flemish people speak several languages.

Nowadays, Belgium is a federal kingdom with a population of 10 million. The monarch today is King Albert II. Belgium is a federation of three Communities (Flemish, French-speaking and German-speaking) and three regions (Flanders, Wallonia and Brussel).

It is the most dynamic and prosperous region of the country. The Flemish are approximately 60% of the Belgian population. Time zone at Flanders operates summer and winter time. In summer, our clocks are set to GMT + 2 hours, and in winter to GMT + 1 hour.