The beautiful weather is approaching, and it's the perfect time to enjoy delightful outdoor activities with your dog. A fantastic outdoor activity with your dog is visiting a dog beach. In this new blog, we highlight the five most enjoyable dog beaches in Belgium. Are you also curious about the top locations for dog beaches in the Netherlands? Be sure to read our blog: 'Discover the 5 Most Enjoyable Dog Beaches in the Netherlands!'.
The first dog beach on this list is the beach in Ostend. In Ostend, dogs are welcome 24 hours a day from October 1 to March 31. In the months of April to June and September, dogs are allowed before 10:30 AM and after 6:30 PM. In July and August, dogs are welcome before 10:00 AM and after 8:00 PM.
On the East Bank up to Bredene, on the Small Beach, and from the Westlaan to Middelkerke, dogs are welcome all day, year-round. For the latter two, dogs must always be on a leash. On the Sports Beach, dogs must also always be on a leash.
The second dog beach is Knokke-Heist, where dogs are not welcome between March 15 and October 15. In Het Zoute, there is a section of beach where an exception applies; here, dogs are welcome year-round and may run off-leash. Het Zoute is located east of Surfers Paradise up to the Dutch border.
The third dog beach is Blankenberge. In Blankenberge, dogs are allowed to run off-leash year-round between Westerstaketsel and De Haan. Between J. Gadeynehelling and Zeebrugge, dogs can run off-leash from October 16 to March 14. From March 15 to October 15, they must be on a leash here. Between Oosterstaketsel and J. Gadeynehelling, dogs must be leashed from September 15 until the Easter holidays. From the Easter holidays to September 15, dogs are not welcome here at all.
The fourth dog beach on this list is Middelkerke. Here, dogs are allowed on a leash from September 16 to June 14. From June 15 to September 15, dogs are prohibited from being on the beach.
In summer, there are 3 dog beaches where dogs are welcome. Namely, east of the guarded area Carlton to Ostend, where dogs can run off-leash. West of the Sports Beach, on the strip at the height of Louis Logierlaan, dogs must be on a leash with a maximum length of 10 meters. And west of Crystal Palace, which is at the height of Idyllelaan, heading west to Nieuwpoort, dogs must also be on a leash with a maximum length of 10 meters.
The last beach on this list is De Haan. Here, dogs are not welcome from June 1 to September 15 between 10:00 AM and 7:30 PM. Outside these times, dogs are allowed on the beach and can even run off-leash.
All beaches have a clean-up requirement, so make sure you always have poop bags with you and take your trash with you.