Formerly a 15th century mediaeval fishing village which has grown into a town. During the 18th century, the “Ostend Company” brought wealth to the town through trade with the Far East. Ostend is situated on the North Sea coast, approximately midway along the 40-mile Belgian coastline stretching from De Panne via Nieuwpoort – Westende - Middelkerke - Oostende - Den Haan - Blankenberge to Knokke. Ostend (East-End), which lies east of Middelkerke (hence the name), was at one time the summer residence of the Belgian Royal Court and was therefore known as the “Queen of the Coastal Towns”. The “Royal Villa” (built in the reign of King Leopold I) has been transformed in to an hotel-restaurant. Nowadays the Royal Court only visits Ostend on official occasions. Ostend is the only Belgian coastal resort that is as lively in the summer as in the winter. Culture, sport or gastronomy: in short, there’s a huge variety of things to choose from.

	Country:	Belgium
	Location:	North
	Country Code:	+32
	Population:	68,594
	Language:	Dutch, French, German
	Currency:	Euro (€)
	Time Zone:	GMT+1
	Train Station:	Ostend Station
	Tourism:	Ostend Tourism

By Car Ostend (spelt locally: Oostende) is linked to the A10/E40 motorway, which is directly connected to the Belgian, Dutch and German motorway network.

By Train Ostend Station is serviced by national and international lines. Belgium is connected to France, Holland and Germany via the TGV Thalys service with up to 3 trains daily from Paris to Brussels.

By Ferry Ostend ferry port was served by services from Dover, however this service (last run by Hoverspeed) ceased operation in 2002. In mid 2004 a new passenger ferry service was launched from the port of Ramsgate in South east England and is gradually becoming a rival for the more established services from Dover. The new service, run by Transeuropa ferries currently operates up to 3 times weekly with a sailing duration of 4 hours.

• Museum of Local History (De Plate)
• Museum of Fine Arts
• James Ensor House
• North Sea Aquarium
• Schooner Mercator

The Museum of Local History has collection of objects from Neolithic and Roman times. Next to many photographs, posters and pictures from the 19th century there is a maritime section, a Belle-Epoque section and a section from the First and Second World Wars. The Museum of Fine Arts offers different works of art from Ostend such as Ensor, Permeke, Spilliaert, Finch, De Clerck, etc.. there’s a large variety of works from Belgian masters from 1830 until 1914. James Ensor House was the home and studio of James Ensor (1860 - 1949) situated in the Vlaanderenstraat 27. On the ground floor you will find a collection of shells and souvenirs from his aunt and his uncle. On the first floor there is a documentation room and an exhibition room. On the second floor you can visit the painter’s original sitting room and studio. The North Sea Aquarium displays flora and fauna from the North Sea. Next to a collection of shells and seaweed you can admire the aquariums with fish, crustaceans and shellfish from the North Sea. The Schooner Mercator is a former Belgian training ship of the Belgian Merchant Navy , which transported the remains of Father Damiaan. A Schooner which kept her authentic interior and which has been restored as a nautical museum.