Nightlife

The concert hall of the Kursaal Oostende, Monacoplein (tel. 070/22-56-00; www.kursaaloostende.be), part of the Casino-Kursaal complex is a venue for symphonic concerts, operettas, and ballet. In its opulent interior are also a panoramic rooftop restaurant, the Ostend Queen; a coffee house; a snack bar; and the Lounge Bar nightclub.

If you want a quiet drink in the evening, visit the Old Flemish-style Café Rubens, Visserskaai 44 (tel. 059/80-85-08), or one of the cafes with sidewalk terraces around Wapenplein. For late-night dance clubs, cabarets, and bars, head for Langestraat, which runs east from Monacoplein, in front of the Casino-Kursaal. Or take the kids for an ice cream at George's Tearoom, Adolf Buylstraat 15 (tel. 059/70-29-25).