Ostend Ferry Terminal
Lasting Impressions....
Quick Reference Terminal Guide
Here is some information that we've picked out of from your reviews. Be sure to read the review pages for the most up-to-date info:
- cold
- no lights
- wooden benches
by Greg
"Made a long haul from Tuebingen, Germany to London England in Feb 96 - I'd left out of Germany as French rail was entirely crippled by a nation wide strike. Unfortunately, I chose to travel on the one day that Belgian Rail went out on strike as a show of force for the SNCF. This was not anticipated. At the German/Belgian border, we were herded off the train (around 9 pm) and escorted onto a bus, with minimal explanation. an hour and a half later, the bus pulled into a very deserted (but for policemen and dogs) Brussels rail station, where there remained one train bound for the coast. There was no heat, no lights, and no conductor, and the engineer was working to rule, that is, making stops at every rinky dink town from Brussels to Oostend. The train arrived 10 minutes AFTER the last ferry of the night had set sail for Ramsgate. This left me and maybe 6 other weary travellers in the Oostend ferry terminal on a bleak and rainy Sunday night, in the company of a dozen skinhead punks who were using one corner of the terminal to conduct boisterous games of football with the cans of beer they were rapidly emptying. There was no security, no heat, and only short (4 foot) wooden benches to curl up on. The first ferry arrived 6 hours later, and I arrived at my final destination, Oxford, nearly 30 hours after beginning what should have been a 10 hour journey. A little bit of Hell, yes, but a valuable experience and one that I will always remember."
