With its name translating as “The Rooster”, De Haan is a coastal Belgian resort overlooking the North Sea. It centres around a picturesque core renowned for its Belle Epoque buildings and is surrounded by expansive sand dunes. De Haan was famously home to Albert Einstein for several months before he migrated to the United States.
Things to do in De Haan
Enjoy a stroll through De Haan’s Concessie district, which is clustered with Belle Epoque villas dating from the late 19th century. Admire the grandiose Town Hall, which was built as the first luxury Grand Hotel du Coq in the town, and photograph the iconic De Haan aan Zee (“The Rooster by the Sea”) tram station.
One of De Haan’s most famous buildings is the Villa Savoyarde, where Albert Einstein lived for six months in 1933 after escaping Nazi Germany. While the villa is not accessible to the public, there’s a small park at the end of the street featuring a life-size statue of the theoretical physicist sitting on a bench.
If you’re visiting in the summer months, you can spend your days relaxing on the long stretch of sand that extends the entire length of De Haan and is backed by a promenade dotted with cafes and restaurants. For sweeping views across the coast, climb to the red-roofed pavilion that tops the 31-metre-high Spioenkop - the second-highest dune in Belgium. Alternatively, head to the Nature Reserve D’Heye, which protects a 1,000-year-old dune system.
Getting around De Haan
De Haan is a 25-minute drive from Bruges and around an hour from Ghent while Brussels Airport is 1.5 hours away. Buses are the main means of getting to De Haan and the town is connected to destinations along the North Sea by the Coast Tram.