5 Best Sights in Bruges and the Coast, Belgium

Despite its relatively diminutive size, De Haan lays claim to having Belgium's largest beach: an expanse of white sand stretching around 12 km (7½ miles) from end to end. This size means that even in high summer it never gets overly crowded. At the western end is the Belgian coast's only officially designated nudist beach. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (free); toilets; water sports. Best for: nudists; sunset; swimming; walking; windsurfing.

Oostende's long, sandy Large Beach is popular with sun-seeking families and sporty surfers alike. On the landward side, the elevated Albert I Promenade is lined with shops and tearooms that compete for attention with views of the sand and sea. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: sunset; surfing; swimming; walking.

Similar to the tablet-dominated Beer Museum around the corner, Historium Brugge uses technology (film and virtual reality) to depict the story of the city's golden age. Housed on the site of  the old Waterhalle, a vast warehouse that was once at the heart of the trading hub that was medieval Bruges, the museum makes fine use of its impressive setting. However, whether you learn anything depends less on your tolerance for history and more on your ability to absorb tales of romance played out on virtual reality headsets.

Knokke-Heist's beach is officially split into four different areas (Heist, Duinbergen, Albertstrand, and Het Zoute), but to untrained observers they form one continuous 9-km (5½-mile) stretch of sand, bordering the industrial port of Zeebrugge at one end, and the dunes of Het Zwin nature reserve and the Dutch resort of Cadzand at the other. The eastern half is more popular, with the bulk of the facilities concentrated around Albertstrand Beach, which is steps from central Knokke.If you're looking for solitude, head to the western end, although the views from there of Zeebrugge are somewhat less appealing. Amenities:  food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; sunset; surfing; swimming; walking; windsurfing.

Koksijde's stretch of the Belgian coast is another expanse of white sand, popular with families. There are orientation poles here at regular intervals, each with a different brightly colored figure on top, designed to be easily recognizable wayfinders for lost children. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); toilets; water sports. Best for: sunset; swimming; walking; windsurfing.