Loop along the coast from Knokke to Breskens

Kilometers of cycling by the sea and detours to pretty villages: that's what awaits you on this circular tour. With Knokke-Heist and Breskens, the route also has a Belgian seaside resort and a Dutch port town. For a large part of the tour you will be on the coastal cycle path, which is closed to cars.

You start your tour directly on the beach promenade of Knokke-Heist, where on your left people are splashing about in the sea and on your right, equally chic snacks are being eaten in chic bistros. It fits the image of the sophisticated seaside resort only too well that art soon awaits you along the way: a large rabbit sculpture by the artist Barry Flanagan. After a few kilometers you will discover another facet of the Belgian coastal town: you drive along the Het Zwin Nature Park. While tall buildings still dominated the panorama in the center of Knokke-Heist, nature has taken control here. From your bike you can observe numerous birds that breed here or pay a flying visit to the area. And you probably don't even notice that you're crossing a national border.

After almost ten kilometers of the tour, the Netherlands welcomes you. You pass Cadzand-Bad, the first coastal town on this side of the border. The cycle path runs parallel to the beach here. You can look forward to gentle ups and downs right through the dune landscape. The sea is your faithful companion. If you want to feel some sand under the ground with your feet, you can now take a break in a beach pavilion every few kilometers. At Nieuwvliet-Bad the landscape changes: you look at the Verdronken Zwarte Polder nature reserve with its salt marshes and the great diversity of animals and plants. Shortly afterwards, the sandy beach and the sea appear before your eyes again. In the distance you can see the skyline of the port city of Vlissingen. It doesn't go quite that far today. Shortly after cycling past the black and white striped Nieuwe Sluis lighthouse, you arrive at the Breskens ferry port. From here it becomes urban. You take a detour to the central square of the maritime town. Here you can fortify yourself with fresh fish, for example.

Now it's time to return to Knokke-Heist - this time no longer along the coast, but through the interior. But don't worry, here too you can expect one or two special features along the way. This definitely includes the detour to Groede. The village impresses with picturesque house facades, nice cafés and art galleries. Afterwards you explore the surroundings of Groede - especially the collection of several polders. Mighty draft horses look over at you from a pasture. Children will find a play area here - climbing tower and slide included.

Just before you cross the Dutch-Belgian border again, you'll discover more inland villages, which are usually more interesting than their flashy counterparts near the beach. You drive through Cadzand-Dorp, where the Welfriedensflamme fire burns next to the church. Next we go to Retranchement with its windmill near the market square. Once you leave the village you are back in Belgium. The finale of the tour runs in Knokke-Heist along the Zoutelaan, which is lined with chic villas. Back at the starting point you look out over the sea again.

Knokke-Heist has a train station that is wonderfully connected to Brussels, for example. You can take food and coffee breaks both at your starting point and along the way in Breskens or Groede.