Above are the impressive (early) medieval trading routes of the Frisian merchant marine, some of which remained active well into the eighteenth century. These were the ancient ways to reach or leave Frisia. No worries, below we will provide you with the modern alternatives.
Getting to the start
The starting point of the trek is the estuary of ’t Zwin in the region of Flanders in Belgium. The trick is to reach the nearest major town, Zeebrugge — or alternatively, Knokke, in the western Flemish region. Both towns are close to the estuary, with Knokke being the nearest.
By plane — The nearest airport to starting point estuary ‘t Zwin is Flanders International Airport Ostend-Bruges. At the time of writing, Ostend-Bruges airport has connections with Alicante, Almeria, Antalya, Barcelona, Bodrum, Burgas, Chania, Corfu, Djerba, Enfidha, Eskisehir, Faro, Gran Canaria, Heraklion, Hurghada, Ibiza, Izmir, Kos, Malaga, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodos, Sharm el Sheikh, Tenerife, and Varna.
Other near airports are Zaventem Brussels Airport and Flanders International Airport Antwerp. At the time of writing, Antwerp airport has connections with Alicante, Barcelona, Florence, Ibiza, Innsbruck, London, Malaga, Murcia, Andorra, Palma, Mallorca, Split, and Zürich (CH). Brussels airport has numerous connections worldwide, including all European countries, United States (Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, New York and Washington), UAE (Abu Dhabi and Dubai), China, Russia, and many African destination.
By rail — The cities of Antwerp and Brussels can be reached by international high speed trains in Europe, including Eurostar and Thalys. From here you can take trains to the town of Zeebrugge and — better — to that of Knokke. This will take you around 2,5 hours. From Brussels this also possible, and takes you around 2,5 hours, too.
By car — If you have a drivers license and a car, this is a option as well. Be aware, if you are and N2N’r and hike the Frisia Coast Trail in one go, your car will be at estuary ‘t Zwin for quite a while.
Getting home
The town of Ribe in Denmark is the end of the trail. Ribe is connected to the rail network and can bring you to the towns of Esbjerg, Kolding, and Tønder. Nearest airports are Esbjerg, with connections to the the city of Aberdeen in Scotland and the town Stavanger in Norway, and Vojens airport, where you can bring your private jet. No regular flights from here. Your best bet is Billund Airport with many connections all over Europe, including with the Danish capital Copenhagen from where you can reach the world. No trains to Billund Airport but public buses go, among others, to Esbjerg.
If you came to the start of the trail by car, we guess you first have to go back to estuary ‘t Zwin in Belgium before getting home finally.
Frisia Coast Trail 