De Panne is at the western end of the Belgian coastal tram line (De Lijn), which runs the full length of the Belgian coast from Knokke-Heist in the east to De Panne in the west — a 68 km journey and the longest tram line in the world. From Brussels, take the intercity train to Veurne (about 1 hour 45 minutes with a change at Ghent or Bruges), then bus or taxi the 10 km to De Panne. There is no direct train station in De Panne itself.
By car, De Panne is about 60 km from Bruges and 130 km from Brussels. Parking can be difficult in summer — the town has several car parks at the edge of the beach area.