Oostende (Ostend) is a very nice city located at the Belgian Coast.
Sometimes Oostende is called "Koningin der badsteden", which is Dutch for
"Queen of the seaside resorts".
The workshop itself will take place at Hotel Royal Astrid, which is situated about
50 m from the beach and close to the center of the city.
A few pictures (gathered form the website
of the hotel):
How to reach Hotel Royal Astrid by public transport?
Oostende has a major railway station, which makes it reachable by train
from almost everywhere in the country. In particular there is a speedy
train connection to and from Brussels National Airport (see Brussels Airport).
For your convenience it might be interesting to know that Brussels National
Airport has it's own railway station (underneath the airport building,
immediately accessible from the arrival hall).
From the airport there are
very frequent train connections to Brussels and beyond. Basically any
train connection to Brussels or Gent is easy to continue with a connection
to Oostende. Detailed timetable information can be found at
NMBS
(Dutch version) or at Belgian
Railways (English version) where one can buy tickets online too.
(Pay attention: Brussels airport railway station is
called "Brussel Nat Luchthaven" or "Bruxelles Nat Aeroport")
Upon arrival in Oostende, a rather easy way to reach the Royal Astrid
hotel, is taking a tram in the direction of "De Panne". Tram tickets are pre-saled at the railway station (eg. at the Press Shop) and cost 1.20 EURO, when you buy your ticket on the tram it can be a bit more expensive.
The second stop (called Koninginnelaan) from the railway station (stop near the "Swimming pool" or "Hotel
Royal Astrid"), is just across the street, next to Hotel Royal Astrid.
About Oostende and the weather
In Oostende and its surroundings, one can find nice sandy beaches, dunes as
well as a lively city, with many things to see and do.
You can visit the website of the office for tourism for more information.
In Belgium the overall weather situation is difficult to predict. However, generally
speaking, May and June should have a reasonable proportion of nice days. Typically,
the coastline (first few kilometers along the sea shore) profits from relatively
better weather conditions (more hours of sunshine although typically a little cooler).
You can have a look at the actual weather (webcam) and the forecast
here.
