Ostend

A long, straight promenade dyke and a vast North Sea sandy beach, the heart of seaside life. Off-season dogs run freely on wide stretches; in summer they are confined to signposted dog zones.

A monumental casino and concert hall on the seafront, heir to the royal splendour of the 19th century. The interior is off-limits to dogs; you walk past the building and its panoramic terrace on the leash.

The house-museum of the painter James Ensor, a figure of expressionism, recreated with his studio and its shop of marine curios. Dogs are not allowed inside; the shopping district around it can be explored on the leash.

A former three-masted training ship moored in the marina, turned into a floating museum. Dogs are not accepted on board, but the harbour quays make a pleasant leashed walk.

Early 20th-century Venetian galleries, white arcades open onto the dyke and the North Sea. An open-air passage crossed on the leash, sheltered from the wind during seafront strolls.

The coastal tram running the whole Belgian coast, from De Panne to Knokke, the world's longest tram line. Dogs are allowed with a ticket, handy for reaching neighbouring beaches without a car.