Parking by the sea

What should you definitely pay attention to?

Take your blue parking card with you when you leave
Look at the signs on the streets: does it say pay? Then you definitely need to pay. Is there a parking ticket icon? Then put your parking card in the car, and you can park in that spot for a certain time. Depending on the municipality, this can be from half an hour to 4 hours. PLEASE NOTE: In some municipalities, this sign is at the beginning of the zone and not at the beginning of each street.
Do not leave important items in the car when you are parked.
If you go to Zeebrugge, you're in luck: here you can park pretty much everywhere for free!

Reserved spaces?

In Knokke, Blankenberge, De Haan, Koksijde, Ostend and Bredene, you can park for free and without parking time limitation in both reserved and non-reserved spaces. Do check in which zones this regulation applies, as sometimes you can only park in the so-called red zones to a limited extent.

In De Panne and Nieuwpoort, you have to take a parking ticket if you park in a non-reserved area with a disabled parking ticket.

In Middelkerke, the reserved spaces in the paying zone are not free and so you have to buy a parking ticket.

What are the fines/retributions?

These are different from coastal municipality to coastal municipality, but you will be fined if:

You park for longer than the allowed/paid time
You do not place a valid parking ticket/parking card behind your windscreen

The fees range from €20.00 to €30.00 and must be paid within a certain time period.

Are there any holiday formulas?

Some municipalities have a formula for day or residential tourists so that parking at the coast will be even easier. Below is a brief overview.

Knokke

You can apply for a holiday season ticket for July and August as a residential tourist by the sea. This season ticket costs €35.00 per week and allows you to park in the green zone. You can apply for it at the Knokke parking shop.

Bredene

In Bredene, you can buy a parking pass to park in paying car parks. There is no separate formula for residential tourists, but if you go to Bredene for a week you can apply for a weekly card for €20.00 (valid for 7 consecutive days). You can buy the card at the town hall or at the Meeting and Event Centre Staf Versluys.

Ostend

For €3.00 per day you can park in the Ostend Beach car park, but only during the summer holidays. This car park is close to Ostend station, so you always have a connection to the coastal tram!

Middelkerke

At the underground car park Middelkerke Centrum you can use the 'Weekendje Weg' formula: after entering the car park and parking, insert your ticket in the ticket machine and select the 'Weekendje Weg' rate. The vending machine will then give you a second parking ticket that allows you to drive in and out of the car park without restriction throughout the weekend. This ticket costs €12.00 and is valid from Friday afternoon at 12:00 until Monday afternoon 12:00.

Nieuwpoort

If you go to Nieuwpoort several times in a 2-month period, you can buy a scratch card that allows you to park in the green and green shaded zone for a maximum of 15 freely selectable days.

If you go to Nieuwpoort for a week, you can buy a ticket at the ticket machine that allows you to park in the green and green shaded zone for a maximum of 7 consecutive days.

De Panne

It is not a real holiday formula, but for €9.00 you can park in the Park & Ride car park near De Panne train and tram station and travel to De Panne and back by tram. By the way, the ticket is valid for all passengers.