GR5A Coastal Route: hiking along the Belgian seaside

This perfect multi-day hike for beginners stretches along the Belgian coast. Part of the GR5A long-distance route, which roughly follows the contours of the provinces of West and East Flanders, the Coastal Route runs through dunes and forests, over beaches, and past monstrous apartment blocks.

When we moved back to Belgium in 2019, we bought a GR5A hiking guide. 500+ hiking kilometres, it seemed like a nice challenge. Partly due to the corona pandemic, which locked us up at home, we failed to complete the entire loop yet. A few detours later, we returned to round up some unfinished business. Renting an apartment in Bredene for a month, we aimed to at least wrap up the part of the GR5A that runs along the Belgian seaside. We started near the French border, hiked until De Haan, where the GR5A branches off towards Bruges, and continued along the coast until the Dutch border.

The Coastal Route offers an ideal opportunity for those who are new to long-distance hiking. Thanks to the Belgian coastal tram – the longest tram line in the world, which always runs more or less parallel to the GR5A Coastal Route – this trail can easily be divided into shorter stages according to everyone’s ability. And even though the Belgian coast is reputed to be ugly, there is still a lot of (natural) beauty to be enjoyed along the way. A few highlights:

1/ Dunes, dunes, dunes

The GR5A Coastal Route barely leaves the dunes between the French border and Nieuwpoort. We trudged endlessly through the coastal dunes of the local Sahara – nature reserve De Westhoek – and climbed the highest dune on the Belgian coast, Hoge Blekker. ‘Blekken’ means to shine in the local dialect, famous for swapping g’s and h’s, a reference to the fishermen who saw the dune glitter from their barges. In the right season, you can pick free vitamins everywhere. Sea buckthorn tastes great in smoothies and juices, in a salsa or on pancakes.

2/ Ostend: city by the sea

If you’re coming from Bredene, you spot the skyline of Ostend from afar. The white-blue striped lighthouse and the 33-floor high Residence Eurocentrum, the tallest building in the province of West Flanders, rise above the environs. If, like us, you’re approaching from the other side, the encounter is gentler. Ostend is without a doubt – sorry, Blankenberge – the biggest city by the sea in Belgium. Like most cities, it’s a place of contrasts – fancy tea rooms shoulder fishermen’s pubs, casinos share space with derelict working-class neighbourhoods.

Ostend is also a city of rock ‘n roll, of music and art. Marvin Gaye retreated here to escape the stardom, drugs, alcohol and financial sores that followed him in the USA. Gaye liked the rain and the wind, the openness of the sea, and the Belgian take on sole meunière. Far away from bad friends, he brought his life on the tracks again, went for regulars jogs on the beach and got himself a race bike. In that wholesome environment, Gaye wrote Sexual Healing.

The GR5A Coastal Route focuses on the royal side of Ostend, a city heavily influenced by Leopold II. The king wanted to turn Ostend into the second city of Belgium and heaped money extracted from the Congo on that vanity project. We walked along the Venetiaanse en Koninklijke Gaanderijen (Venetian and Royal Galeries) – the coastal promenade he commissioned, cut in half by a statue of the king facing the sea. Note the amputated hand on one of Leopold’s Congolese “admirers” in the bottom, an activist’s indictment of Leopold’s brutal regime.

Below the galleries, an underground connection led to the house of the mistress of the king. Like many members of the Belgian royal family, Leopold II was a notorious philanderer. He was, however, smart enough to name the impressive Maria Hendrika Park after his wife. Inspired by the Bois de Boulogne, a landscape park outside of Paris, this wild piece of nature is a welcome change from all the dunes. On a windless day, photographers will enjoy the mirror pond.

3/ De Haan, where Einstein felt at home

We’ve sung the praises of De Haan before. Step out of the coastal tram at the most photogenic stop, built in the typical belle epoque style which was once common in these regions. This is where Albert Einstein arrived, nine suitcases under his arms, to escape the nazi regime in his home country. He enjoyed long afternoon walks through the Concession, a lush neighbourhood full of whitewashed villas. He also developed a penchant for Belgian raisin bread. Even today, De Haan hasn’t lost any of its charm. No wonder many locals consider it the most beautiful of all Belgian beach resorts.

Onwards to the Netherlands using the local hiking network.

Amidst the Duinbossen (dune forests) of De Haan, the GR5A bends towards Bruges, resuming its course through polders and fields. It is, however, very easy to continue along the coast using the local hiking network. We followed the dunes towards Wenduine, trudged forward on the beach until the most white trash of all Belgian coast towns, Blankenberge. We crossed the port of Zeebrugge and ended up in Het Zoute, the most exclusive and expensive place on the coast. Lots of sweaters in pastel colours here, lots of French-speaking. A snapshot of Belgium’s old money.

Where to eat and drink along the GR5A Coastal Route?

There’s no shortage of tearooms, mussel and seafood restaurants, fry shops and waffle shacks (speciality on windy days: waffle with beach sand) to keep the inner man strong. We enjoyed breaks at these places:

Café Saint Antoine (Ghyvelde, France)

Okay, I’m cheating here a bit. This is not technically on the coastal part of the GR5A but a while earlier. A few steps over ‘de schreve’ (as the locals call the border with France). this old-fashioned village pub serves 50s pop music and French chanson, the local aperitif picon and generous complimentary servings of camembert. Sacrebleu!

Café Bristol (Nieuwpoort)

Authentic working-class pub, in a street leading up the quays where fishermen unload their catch of the day. Dirt cheap, too. We had coffee and jenever for the price some urban cafés wouldn’t even turn on their coffee machine for.

OHK (Ostend)

Bric-a-brac youth club in the old swimming pool cafeteria of Ostend. Not everywhere can you drink your beer whilst viewing an empty basin. Regular events and exhibitions.

Frituur D-Licious

Whist living in Bredene for a month, we got to try some of the fry shacks in the village. Despite the tacky name, this one was our favourite. Generous portions, proper selection of vegetarian snacks and very welcoming and accommodating owners.

Hiking the GR5A Coastal Route: practical information

The GR5A coastal route is signposted with GR’s typical red and white markings. To keep your bearings, however, it’s not a bad idea to buy the guidebook of the whole hike or the brochure of the part along the coast. A gpx-track is available here.

Read about the GR5A between Bruges and Antwerp.