De Haan

De Haan is a beach resort on the Belgian sea coast in West Flanders. Thanks to a clever and strict real estate policy, De Haan has kept the charm of the 1930s, with a lot of white villas and compared to the other Belgian seaside resorts a very limited number of postwar apartment blocks. It is forbidden to build buildings higher than 5 floors here. In 2018, it was home to 13,000 permanent residents.

Understand
De Haan (French: Le Coq) used to be a very popular destination among the French speaking aristocracy and rich.

The municipality of De Haan includes the villages of Klemskerke, Vlissegem, Vosseslag (which has a lot of campings) and Wenduine (which also is a seaside resort).

Get in
The coastal tram (de Kusttram in Dutch) is the easiest way to reach De Haan by public transport. The tram line runs from De Panne near the French border to Knokke near the Dutch border. One could take the train from Ghent, Bruges or Brussels and transfer to the tram at Ostend or Blankenberge, the railway and tram stations being next to each other. De Haan has 3 tram stops; you probably want the stop at De Haan aan Zee which has a very quaint, photogenic station building. De Lijn operates the coastal tram.

Get around
The central portion of the town is about a kilometre long and just over half as wide, so you can get around easily on foot. Between De Haan and Wenduine you can very easily take the Kusttram. However, if you want to see the sights in the inland villages of for example Klemskerke, than the best way to do so is by bike or by car.

See
A distinctive characteristic of De Haan is the fanciful architecture of many of its buildings, both commercial as well as residential. Many buildings are in the belle époque style. The buildings can be a reason in itself to visit De Haan. Most such buildings of interest are between the tram line and the beach. The commercial buildings (hotels, restaurants) are on the route from the tram station to the beach and along the beach itself. One should also look at the houses along residential streets as almost all have some degree of quaintness.


 * There is a small park at the end of the street Normandiëlaan which contains the life-size statue of Albert Einstein sitting on a park bench.
 * There is a small park at the end of the street Normandiëlaan which contains the life-size statue of Albert Einstein sitting on a park bench.
 * There is a small park at the end of the street Normandiëlaan which contains the life-size statue of Albert Einstein sitting on a park bench.
 * There is a small park at the end of the street Normandiëlaan which contains the life-size statue of Albert Einstein sitting on a park bench.

Do
Walk, play or sleep on the beach, bike on the seafront or in the country.

Buy
De Haan is not known as a shopping destination, but of course there are the high end boutiques that are typical for sea side resorts.
 * There are two other supermarkets (Smatch and ALDI) located along the Grotestraat, a bit more south of the centre.
 * There are two other supermarkets (Smatch and ALDI) located along the Grotestraat, a bit more south of the centre.

Drink
De Haan is not the place to go to if you want to experience some buzzing nightlife. However, there are a few spots that offer a nice setting for a relaxing tea or coffee.

Go next

 * Take the tram to other coastal places such as Knokke, Ostend or Nieuwpoort. Also neighbouring Bredene-aan-zee is nice to visit, as it is the only Belgian coastal town where the original coastal dunes have not been destroyed by the 'Atlantikwall' of endless rows of uniform, ugly and grey apartment blocks so characteristic of the Belgian seaside. In Bredene, there is no seaside promenade, the town is behind the dunes and high-rises are limited. On the beach, all you see behind you are dunes, and a couple of casual beach bars. A few WWII German bunkers (part of the original Atlantikwall) still stand on top of the dunes. Bredene is also home to Belgium's only nudist beach (a small section of the beach east of town centre). Bredene is halfway towards Oostende, and you can get there either by coastal tram or by walking along the beach (5 km).