A dim screen
The journey begins with a 500m walk from the port gates to the tram stop called Zeebrugge Kerk, located near a church. My first task seems simple enough: buy a day travel pass. But the ticket machine's screen is so dark in the sun's glare that I can barely make out the options. It is no wonder that it took forever for the people before us to get their tickets. The tram arrives. Hesitantly we step aboard hoping to be able to get a ticket somehow. The machines on board will issue only single ride tickets.
A guilty conscience
Guilt settles in. We are so uneasy that we get off at the very next stop determined to make things right. Ironically, there isn't a ticket machine there. Experience prompts us to cross over to the opposite platform. Our hunch is right and, happily for us, the screen is finally visible. Relief. We are able to buy not one, but two day passes, with the same contactless bank card.
The unlimited travel pass costs €9.50—a small price for peace of mind and a day of freedom.
Winging it
While waiting, we overhear someone mention that the best way to reach Bruges is to get off at Blankenberge and catch Bus 40. Sometimes the best travel advice isn't found in a guidebook but in the conversations drifting around us.
A couple of stops later, the display confirms Blankenberge. We get off, find the bus stop, and wait with a handful of other travellers. After tapping our card on-board, the 30-minute ride to Bruges bus station begins.
Everyday life
The route takes us through several small towns, with more than twenty stops along the way. It is always interesting to share public transport with the locals who rarely glance out of the windows at the passing scenery. Perhaps they have seen it all before. For us, however, every view is new, and we are all agog, taking it all in.
A famed ride and route
The experience is repeated on our return to Blankenberge. As we alight, instead of heading towards Zeebrugge, we decide to take the tram in the opposite direction. We still have nearly two hours to return to the cruise port, and it seems the perfect opportunity to experience more of the Belgian coast—and, in a small way, to slow down and simply observe.
The Belgian coastal tram is a remarkable piece of history: stretching 68 kilometres from De Panne, near the French border, to Knokke-Heist, close to the Dutch border, it is the longest tram line in the world. With 65 stops and a journey of more than two hours from end to end, it offers a fascinating way of experiencing the changing character of the Belgian coastline.
As the tram moves along, the scenery continually shifts. The coastline offers a surprising variety—busy resorts, family-friendly attractions, historic sites and open landscapes shaped by the sea. At some stops we glimpse the North Sea; at others, the coast is hidden behind buildings, dunes or streets. Cyclists pass by, families gather with beach bags and children in tow, and each seaside town has its own character.
All is well
There is something strangely comforting about travelling this way, without any particular destination in mind. The tram becomes an opportunity to watch life unfold outside the window. After 45 mins we decide to get off and take the train back to the cruise port.On our way , a group of schoolchildren boards under the watchful supervision of their teacher. Within seconds, the peaceful tram is filled with youthful energy. They scramble for seats, squeeze together to make room for their friends, chatter excitedly and seem perfectly capable of entertaining one another without a single gadget in sight.The teacher, meanwhile, looks like a pro.
What strikes us most is the diversity within this small group of children. Different ethnicities, different backgrounds, yet here they are together—laughing, teasing, sharing seats and simply enjoying being children. There is something wonderfully innocent and reassuring about the scene. Watching them, we are reminded that the things that connect us are often much simpler than the things that divide us. On this little tram, for a few stops at least, the world seems to have got things just right.
With our departure still some time away, we find ourselves reflecting on how often, when travelling, we focus so intently on reaching the next destination that we overlook what lies between. This short detour along the coast reminds us that sometimes the unplanned journey, and the places we pass through almost incidentally, can become the most memorable part of the experience.
