There is plenty of parking space near the beach and shopping areas. Unfortunately in Oostende paid parking has been introduced. In most parts of Oostende there is paid parking seven days a week.
Free parking lots
You can park your car on the free parking lot just outside the city centre at the Maria Hendrikapark (address: Iependreef).
On foot: in 6 minutes (about 650 meters) you walk up to the beginning of the shopping street: Kapellestraat. In 18 minutes (about 1.4 km) you walk to the beach. By bus: every 30 minutes, the shuttle bus n° 1 will take you to the city centre.
Parking eastern shore
You can also park your car for free at the peripheral parking in the Ankerstraat (Explorado) and Vuurtorenweg (Fort Napoleon).
Paid parking applies almost everywhere in the centre of Ostend, but on the edge of the city you park for free.
Free:Maria Hendrikapark (Iependreef), ±650 metres from Kapellestraat with a city bus every 30 minutes; also free: Ankerstraat (Explorado) and Vuurtorenweg (Fort Napoleon) on the Oosteroever.
Beach and centre:Zeeparking (Leopold II-laan), Kursaal (Monacoplein), Visserskaai and Europacentrum (Christinastraat).
Coaches can park in the parking lot at Mercatorlaan in Oostende.
On foot: in 6 minutes (about 650 meters) you walk up to the beginning of the shopping street: Kapellestraat. In 18 minutes (about 1.4 km) you walk to the beach.
Free parking in Ostend is at the edge-of-town car parks; in the centre and by the beach paid parking applies.
Edge-of-town car parks:Maria Hendrikapark (Iependreef), ±650 metres from Kapellestraat with a city bus every 30 minutes, and on the Oosteroever Ankerstraat (Explorado) and Vuurtorenweg (Fort Napoleon).
Bike: at these car parks you can borrow a bike for free for a day to ride into the centre.
Where and how can you park with a disabled parking card in Ostend?
In Ostend a disabled parking card lets you park for free and without a time limit, provided you first register it with handyPark.
Reserved spaces: always free.
Paid spaces: free and unlimited after a one-off registration in the handyPark app or on handypark.be, where you link your card number to one or more number plates. Visitors from outside Ostend can register too.
Every time you park: start a session in the app and choose the number plate you are parking with. Also keep your card clearly visible behind the windscreen.
Exceptions: on 20 or 30-minute short-stay spaces that limit applies to you as well, and spaces for residents and permit holders are off limits. Public car parks run by an operator are not free.
Help: the city's parking desk (Parkeerloket) can help you register, also by phone on 059 65 06 75.
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