Oostende is a cosmopolitan city with many advantages and a rich historical past. There is the harbour, the yacht-basin, the airport and 54 hotels. The wide range of affordable hotels includes four-star hotels (379 beds), middle-class hotels (2 600 beds) as well as simple hotels with basic amenities. In addition to this, Oostende also has extensive accommodation for meetings and seminars. Besides there is a good co-operation between Toerisme Oostende vzw and the local horeca (hotels, restaurants, pubs ...). Excursions to the historical cities of Bruges or Ypres with the In Flanders Fields are possible. The Casino-Kursaal: for those who enjoy a bit of gambling. The nightlife: with pubs, delightful clubs and 2 cinema complexes in the Langestraat and the surrounding area. The gastronomy: in the restaurants at the Visserskaai and the Albert I-Promenade one can sample all the delicacies the sea has to offer. The shopping experience: in the Kapellestraat you will find branches

Oostende is a cosmopolitan city with many advantages and a rich historical past. There is the harbour, the yacht-basin, the airport and 54 hotels. The wide range of affordable hotels includes four-star hotels (379 beds), middle-class hotels (2 600 beds) as well as simple hotels with basic amenities. In addition to this, Oostende also has extensive accommodation for meetings and seminars. Besides there is a good co-operation between Toerisme Oostende vzw and the local horeca (hotels, restaurants, pubs ...). Excursions to the historical cities of Bruges or Ypres with the In Flanders Fields are possible. The Casino-Kursaal: for those who enjoy a bit of gambling. The nightlife: with pubs, delightful clubs and 2 cinema complexes in the Langestraat and the surrounding area. The gastronomy: in the restaurants at the Visserskaai and the Albert I-Promenade one can sample all the delicacies the sea has to offer. The shopping experience: in the Kapellestraat you will find branches of most of the large department stores. For a stylish outfit, you can pay a visit to the Adolf Buylstraat with its more exclusive boutiques. The Feest- & Cultuurpaleis with the nice belfry on the central square Wapenplein has now changed into a shopping center with up to twenty shops. Shop-aholics will love to hear that the stores in the city centre open every Sunday and on holidays in the afternoon! Also the many shops in the Alfons Pieterslaan and Petit Paris are well worth a visit. And of course ... there is the sea, with more than 9 km of fine sandy beaches. A visit to one of our numerous places of interest must also be on your list. For example: the indoor theme park Earth Explorer, the Three Master Mercator, the Iceland Vessel Amandine, the Fort Napoleon, the North Sea Aquarium, the James Ensor House, Domain Raversijde, the Japanese gardens, Oostende's Historical Museum ‘De Plate’ and the large Provincial Museum of Modern Art (PMMK). Furthermore Oostende becomes more and more THE City of Events at the Sea. All year round, many activities take place. Some highlights are: Oostende at Anchor, Theater by the Sea, Sparkling Mondays, Magic Lights in the Park, the Christmas Market with huge ice-skating ramp, Carnival week-end with the very known Dead Rat Ball and many more ... The city has undergone many changes through several renovations during the past few years, such as the renovation of the Albert-I-Promenade (from the Casino-Kursaal up to Mariakerke), the Fort Napoleon, the Fishermen's Quai, different squares and streets in the city centre, such as the Stationsplein, the Van Iseghemlaan, the St. Petrus-and Paulusplein and the charming Vissersplein with its sun-drenched terraces. The fully renewed Kursaal reopened 17th of December 2004 and not only serves as an event location, bus also as a congress location. But lots of projects are on the way such as the development of the East shore, the huge Thornton-windturbine project, the relocation of the Fine Arts Museum next to the PMMK, the renovation of the Albert I-Promenade (from the Casino-Kursaal to the harbour) and the renovation of the ancient Post building into a cultural centre.