26km (16 miles) SW of Ostend; 7km (4 miles) SW of Oostduinkerke
De Panne, near Dunkirk, is Belgium's closest coastal point to France and England. During World War I, it was here that King Albert I clung to Belgian resistance against German occupying forces. Today, its wide beach and spectacular sand dunes bring hordes of visitors to De Panne each year. The dunes are made all the more scenic by wooded areas that turn them into a wonderland of greenery banding the white sands of the beach and the gray sea beyond.
