Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Last weekend we decided to play tourist again in our own coastal town. A thermos of tea, our hiking boots on, the best croissants in West Flanders, and… smartphones in hand. Because we'd discovered something new: the free app Ostend City Walks. This will guide you along the route of The Crystal Ship, the famous street art festival in Ostend.
Ostend is full of street art. And with this free app, you won't miss a single piece!
The Ostend app is our new digital guide
The app is super handy. Just download it, choose a route, and you're off. We chose the route that takes us past the murals of The Crystal Ship. And what a discovery!
Even though we know Ostend well, we saw places and murals that we would otherwise have passed by.
Some works are enormous and immediately eye-catching. Others are smaller, tucked away in a side street or on a facade you might otherwise miss.
What's great is that the app provides additional information for each artwork: who the artist is, the meaning behind the work, and sometimes a fun anecdote. That's precisely what makes it so captivating.
Murals reveal another side of Ostend
We won't soon forget one of the murals: a giant portrait of a woman with her eyes closed, painted on a blank wall between two apartment buildings. So much peace, so close to the bustling city center.
We sat there for a moment. A seagull flew past, the wind whistled in our hair. Indeed, the scene was just perfect. Ostend is that beautiful.
Or that work on the facade of an old fisherman's cottage, right on the edge of town. Without the app, we never would have found it.
So even if, like us, you've been coming to Ostend for years, this way you'll suddenly discover other neighborhoods of Ostend. And that makes the walk even more enjoyable.
Be sure to download the Ostend City Walks app
After a good two hours of walking, with plenty of stopping, looking, and taking photos, we ended up on a bench by the beach. Sneakers covered in sand, heads full of impressions.
For us, it's clear: Ostend continues to surprise. And this app is highly recommended if you're looking for something different than the classic dike walk.
Are you inspired to go out on your own? Then be sure to download the Ostend City WalksApp and be surprised by the art on the street.
And who knows... afterwards you can relax in a cozy and warm atmosphere with a glass of wine in our apartment with sea view. Just as we enjoy the afterglow.
Many walking greetings,
Anke & Hans