Knokke-Heist has 12 kilometres of sandy North Sea beach running from Heist in the west to Het Zoute at the Dutch border. Each stretch has its own character: Heist's beach is wide and family-oriented; Duinbergen attracts painters and is relatively quiet; Albertstrand in front of the casino has beach bars and more action in summer; and Het Zoute, the most exclusive neighbourhood, has a quieter beach that connects directly to the Zwin nature reserve.
The North Sea here is cold by most standards — water temperatures reach perhaps 18°C in August — but Belgians and Dutch are inured to it, and the beaches fill in summer with a cheerful indifference to the temperature. Out of season, the beach is magnificent in a different way: empty and windswept, with views north to the horizon and, on clear days, the faint outlines of the English coast.