Oostende Flights:
Flights to Oostende
Known as Ostend in English, and Oostende in Dutch, this Belgian city is situated on the West Flanders coast in the north east of Belgium. Though famous as a port city and gateway to Belgium, Oostende actually has plenty of attractions itself.
The airport for flights to Oostende is the Ostende-Bruges International Airport (airport code: OST) but it has limited flight capability. However, you could fly to Alicante Airport (code: ALC) and then get a local flight to Oostende with Jetairfly or Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium. To Alicante, you can get a 1-stop flight with Iberia that connects in Madrid or with Air France for a connection in Paris. British Airways also goes to Alicante, but stops in London as well as Madrid.
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The Tourist Attractions of Oostende:
Oostende’s beaches used to attract visitors from around Europe, but with air travel being so much more readily available these days the beaches are now frequented more by locals and by Belgians coming here from inland cities. Still, the beaches are still nice and if you’re visiting to see some of the city sights you could combine your stay with a day or two on the beach, provided you come in the summer!
Sint Petrus en Pauluskerk
One of the major landmarks of Oostende is the main church of the city, the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, or in Dutch Sint Petrus en Pauluskerk. This is a wonderful building and a fine example of neo gothic architecture that makes it seem this church is older than it actually is. It was built between 1899 and 1908 on the site of an earlier church that burnt down and its design was inspired by two other churches, Cologne Cathedral and Vienna’s Votivkirche.
Art Museum by the Sea
The well named Art Museum by the Sea was created after two former art museums merged. In Dutch it’s called the Kunstmuseum aan Zee, and because both the fine arts museum and the museum of modern art merged, you can now see art from both of these periods under one roof.
James Ensor House
Another museum popular in Oostende is the James Ensor House, or James Ensorhuis. This was the home of the artist, James Ensor, when he lived in Oostende from 1916. As well seeing a historic Oostende house you will get to see museum exhibits that reflect the artist’s life and works.
De Plate Oostende Historical Museum
And one more museum worth visiting is the Oostends Historisch Museum de Plate. As the name suggests this is a history museum and it focuses on Neolithic and Roman artefacts that have been excavated in Oostende and the surrounding region. The building in which the museum is housed is also of interest as this was the summer residence of King Leopold, during the 19th century.
When Should You Visit?:
Obviously those beaches are great to visit during the summer, particularly July and August, when temperatures are warm. Oostende isn’t exactly a hot place though and even in the height of summer average highs only reach as far as 21C. There’s rainfall to contend with too, though July and August are the driest months. Spring and autumn can have nice warm days, and winters are mild, dropping to an average high of 6C in January.