Belgium and Luxembourg (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

Exploring Western Flanders

The Belgian coast is a chain of beach resorts terminating

in the north with the Zwin nature reserve. A little inland

is Bruges, with the beautiful canal landscape around

Damme to its northeast. The battlefields of World War I

run in a strip from Diksmuide to Ieper and on to Mesen

and the hills of Heuvelland. The delightful and historic

city of Ghent is the biggest regional centre in Western

Flanders, ringed by interesting towns, from Kortrijk and

Oudenaarde to Dendermonde and St-Niklaas. All these

needed defences, and the green landscape is dotted with

castles, such as Beauvoorde, Ooidonk and Laarne. Around

Oudenaarde and Geraardsbergen, the landscape becomes

quite hilly, inspiring the label the Flemish Ardennes.

For additional map symbols see back flap

106 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION

Under the Blinde Ezelstraat bridge on a tour of Bruges

Sand yachts with bright sails

on the coast near De Panne

SEE ALSO

• Where to Stay pp264–6


• Where to Eat pp288–91

SIGHTS AT A GLANCE

Villages, Towns and Cities

Bruges pp108–117 (^1)
Damme 2
Dendermonde d
Geraardsbergen s
Ghent pp130–35 (^) y
Ieper e
Knokke-Heist 3
Koksijde 9
Kortrijk t
Lissewege 6
Oostende 7
Oudenaarde a
Poperinge r
St-Niklaas f
Veurne 8
Zeebrugge 4
Castles
Kasteel Beauvoorde 0
Kasteel Ooidonk i
Kasteel Laarne o
Museums
IJzertoren q
Stoomcentrum
Maldegem p
Tours
A Tour of World War I
Battlefields pp126–7 (^) w
A Tour Around St-Martens-
Latem p136 (^) u
Areas of Natural Beauty
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