To De Panne by car: You reach De Panne via the E40 to the coast and then the A18 towards Veurne and Dunkirk; take exit 1 Adinkerke.
To De Panne by bike: Yes, from De Panne station you can cycle to the centre and promenade of De Panne in about 15 minutes, and from France you simply ride across the border.
Airports near De Panne: The nearest airport is Ostend-Bruges Airport near Ostend, about 32 kilometres from De Panne; for more flights choose Lille or Brussels Airport.
Traffic on the way to De Panne: Traffic to De Panne is heaviest on sunny weekends and during the school holidays, when the E40 to the coast fills up, and on Saturdays, when many holiday homes change over.
Getting around De Panne: No, you do not need a car in De Panne: the centre, the promenade and the beach are within walking distance and the tram takes you to the station, Plopsaland and the other resorts.
The train station of De Panne, De Panne station, is in Adinkerke, about 3 kilometres from the centre and the beach.
Station: the terminus of the line from Ghent; the Coast Tram leaves right by the station (stop Adinkerke Station) and Plopsaland is within walking distance.
Trains: direct intercity trains run from Ghent (about 1 hour 10 minutes), from Brussels via Ghent and Aalst and from Antwerp via Sint-Niklaas and Ghent, stopping at Diksmuide and Veurne on the way.
From abroad: from Paris and Cologne take the high-speed train to Brussels-South (Midi) and change there; from the Netherlands usually via Antwerp or Brussels.
On to the centre: the tram takes about 10 minutes to the centre and the promenade; see by public transport.
How do you travel to De Panne by public transport?
Take the train to De Panne station in Adinkerke and then the Coast Tram to the centre of De Panne; from France, the free DK'BUS bus runs to the station.
Coast Tram: it runs every 10 to 20 minutes during the day depending on the season, and about every 30 minutes in the evening. In De Panne and Adinkerke the tram stops at Plopsaland, De Panne Kerk, Esplanade, Centrum and the terminus Golfstraat, among others; it runs via Koksijde and Nieuwpoort to Ostend.
Works in De Panne: De Lijn is renewing the tram tracks between the station and the centre in phases up to and including 2028. During the works some stops may be closed temporarily or a replacement bus may run; check delijn.be before you travel.
To Dunkirk: DK'BUS line 20 runs from the station via Bray-Dunes and Zuydcoote to Leffrinckoucke, where you change to the C1 or C2 express buses to the centre of Dunkirk. DK'BUS buses are free but do not run very often.
De Lijn Flex: De Lijn's on-demand flex bus serves the whole municipality, also in the evening and at weekends; book in advance with De Lijn and check delijn.be for the stops.
Tickets: buy a ticket or day pass in advance in the De Lijn app, at a Lijnwinkel (De Lijn shop) or at a ticket machine; with a day pass you can hop on and off along the whole coast.
You reach De Panne via the E40 to the coast and then the A18 towards Veurne and Dunkirk; take exit 1 Adinkerke.
From Brussels and Ghent: follow the E40 via Ghent and at Jabbeke stay on the E40 (A18) towards Veurne and Dunkirk; straight on, the A10 goes to Ostend.
From Antwerp and the Netherlands: take the E17 to Ghent and then the E40. From Zeeland, drive through the Westerscheldetunnel, toll free for cars, motorhomes and motorcycles since 30 December 2024, and via Bruges to the E40.
From France: from Lille take the A25 to Dunkirk and then the A16, which becomes the A18 at the border; from Paris take the A1 and the A25.
From Germany: from Cologne and the Ruhr via Aachen, Liège and Brussels (E40) or via Antwerp.
Driving time without traffic: Ghent about 1 hour 15 minutes, Brussels and Antwerp about 1 hour 45 minutes, Lille about 1 hour, Rotterdam about 2 hours 45 minutes, Paris about 3 hours and Cologne about 4 hours.
On arrival: from the exit you drive past Adinkerke to the centre; parking near the promenade is usually paid, see parking for car parks.
Yes, from De Panne station you can cycle to the centre and promenade of De Panne in about 15 minutes, and from France you simply ride across the border.
From France: from Dunkirk you ride along the coast via Zuydcoote and Bray-Dunes to De Panne, about 15 kilometres; the last stretch passes the De Westhoek nature reserve.
Bikes on the train: on NMBS/SNCB trains you buy a bike supplement in advance; folding bikes travel free. Bike spaces are limited, especially on summer days towards the coast.
Bikes on the tram: you can take your bike on the Coast Tram if there is room, with a separate bike ticket; on regular De Lijn buses only folding bikes are allowed.
The nearest airport is Ostend-Bruges Airport near Ostend, about 32 kilometres from De Panne; for more flights choose Lille or Brussels Airport.
Ostend-Bruges Airport: about 32 kilometres, a small airport with mainly holiday flights. From Ostend take the Coast Tram to De Panne, about 70 minutes.
Lille:Aéroport de Lille in Lesquin, about 90 kilometres and 1 hour by car via the A25, A16 and A18.
Brussels Airport: about 160 kilometres and 1 hour 45 minutes by car; by train via Ghent to De Panne station.
Brussels South Charleroi Airport: about 210 kilometres and 2 hours 15 minutes by car; take the shuttle bus to Brussels-South (Midi) and the train to the coast from there.
Traffic to De Panne is heaviest on sunny weekends and during the school holidays, when the E40 to the coast fills up, and on Saturdays, when many holiday homes change over.
Sunny beach days: on sunny weekends there are often queues on the E40 towards the coast in the morning, especially around Ghent and the Brussels ring road, and in the other direction from late afternoon. Leave early or take the train.
Holidays: it is extra busy during the Belgian summer holidays (July and August), the Easter holidays, around Ascension Day and Whitsun and on 21 July and 15 August; French, Dutch and German school holidays are also noticeable on the coast.
Changeover day: many holiday homes and apartments change over on Saturday, so the roads to the coast are busy from late morning into the afternoon.
Locally: near Adinkerke a lot of traffic heads for Plopsaland and the border shops on busy days, and the car parks in the centre and near the promenade fill up quickly. See parking.
No, you do not need a car in De Panne: the centre, the promenade and the beach are within walking distance and the tram takes you to the station, Plopsaland and the other resorts.
Walking: from the promenade you walk straight onto the wide beach or into the dunes of De Westhoek.
Bus: De Lijn's flex bus runs on demand throughout the municipality and the free DK'BUS line 20 runs from the station to Bray-Dunes; see by public transport.
Bike: cycle paths along the coast and through the polders and dunes take you quickly to the neighbouring resorts; see cycling for routes and rental.
Leave the car: parking in the centre and near the promenade is usually paid and full on busy days; see parking for car parks.
Useful during your stay
Once you have arrived, these pages will help you on your way.
Parking: car parks, rates and free parking in winter
