De Kom van Weesp

What is De Kom van Weesp?

De Kom van Weesp is the historic harbor basin in the center of Weesp, beside the lock where the Smal Weesp canal meets the Vecht river. It isn’t a lake. Boats wait here for the lock and bridges, visiting boaters tie up in the municipal harbor, and waterside cafés look straight onto the water. Weesp has been part of the municipality of Amsterdam since 2022, and direct trains from Amsterdam Centraal take about 16 to 18 minutes.

The water has a long history. A lock was built at the mouth of the Smal Weesp shortly after 1500 to control the busy route between the Vecht and Amsterdam, and the lock that now separates the Smal Weesp from the Vecht dates from 1816. The whole lock-and-bridge complex was restored in 1978. The party held to celebrate that restoration became the Sluis- en Bruggenfeest, which the town still throws every summer.

I’ve lived in Amsterdam for years, and De Kom is where I come when I want canal views without the city-center crowds. It’s small, so don’t expect a big attraction. The appeal is sitting by the water with a local beer as the sun goes down, watching boats line up for the lock, and then wandering off into one of the best-preserved fortress towns near Amsterdam.

Things to do at and around De Kom

Have a drink by the lock

De Heksenketel, at Achteromstraat 8, is a small café in a listed building right on the Kom and the lock, with a terrace looking out over the Smal Weesp. It works well for lunch or an afternoon drink while boats pass through. Opening days vary through the week, so check De Heksenketel’s website before you plan around it.

Take a boat trip on the Vuurlinie

The Vuurlinie is a tour boat built by local volunteers to look like the wooden houses of Weesp’s old vuurlinie (line of fire) along the Utrechtseweg. It has been in service since 2016, runs from April to October, and moors on the Vecht or in the Kom itself. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays it sails up the Vecht to Fort Uitermeer and back. The trip takes about two hours and includes two drinks. Check times and book on the Vuurlinie website.

If you’d rather go out with your own group, the Weesp Sloepennetwerk has about 10 skippered sloops, with trips starting at two people for two hours. Rental companies in Weesp also hire out boats, SUP boards and canoes for the Vecht.

See Weesp’s three windmills

Three historic windmills survive in Weesp, but they aren’t all at the Kom. The closest is ‘t Haantje on the Korte Stammerdijk, beside the Smal Weesp. The other two stand next to each other on the Utrechtseweg along the Vecht, on the other side of the old center.

Windmill	Where	Built	Can you go inside?
‘t Haantje	Korte Stammerdijk 17, on the Smal Weesp	1820	Only on National Mill Day (second Saturday of May) and Open Monumentendag (second Saturday of September)
De Vriendschap	Utrechtseweg 11a, on the Vecht	Mill on this site since 1694	Yes, free every Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00, including the mill shop
De Eendragt	Utrechtseweg 13, on the Vecht	1691	No, it’s a private home

Weesp’s three surviving windmills and how to visit them.

De Vriendschap is the one to plan around. Volunteers still run it as a working corn mill when there’s enough wind, and the shop sells flour, baking products and baking supplies. See Korenmolen De Vriendschap’s visitor page for group tours by appointment. If windmills are the main reason for your trip, our Kinderdijk vs Zaanse Schans comparison covers the two big windmill sites.

Walk the fortress ramparts

Weesp is a fortified town, and a loop along the old ramparts is about 3 kilometers, or 30 to 45 minutes on foot. On the Utrechtseweg, look out for the small wooden vuurliniehuisjes. They were built in wood because of the “forbidden circles,” zones near the fortifications where solid buildings weren’t allowed, so they could be cleared quickly in wartime. They’re also what the Vuurlinie boat was modeled on.

Pack a Weesp picnic

I usually pick up cheese, bread and a Weesper mop in town before settling by the water. A Weesper mop is a local cookie made from almond paste rolled in sugar, and the name is also a nickname for someone born and raised in Weesp. On Tuesday mornings, the weekly market fills the Grote Plein and Nieuwstraat until 13:00.

Drink beer brewed in a church

Wispe Brouwerij has brewed in the former Sint-Laurentiuskerk at Herengracht 16 since 2020. The neo-Gothic church on the water now holds the brewery, a café-restaurant and a beer shop. It’s a short walk from the Kom and an easy place to end the day. Hours and tour options are on Wispe’s website.

Best time to visit

Go between April and October. That’s when the Vuurlinie sails and Weesp’s boating season is in full swing, and the waterside terraces are at their best. The local boating season traditionally opens on the first weekend of April with a sloop-rowing race.

Which day you pick matters more than the month, because the Vuurlinie, the windmill and the market each run on fixed days:

Day	What’s on near De Kom
Tuesday	Weekly market on the Grote Plein and Nieuwstraat until 13:00; Vuurlinie trip to Fort Uitermeer (April to October)
Thursday	Vuurlinie trip to Fort Uitermeer (April to October)
Saturday	Molen De Vriendschap and its shop open free, 10:00 to 16:00; Vuurlinie trip to Fort Uitermeer (April to October)

Fixed-day activities to plan a Weesp visit around.

For a lively visit, come during the Sluis- en Bruggenfeest on the last full weekend of August. It’s three days of live music, a braderie, an association market and water games across the town center. For a quiet visit, avoid that weekend and sunny summer Saturdays and come on a weekday morning instead.

Autumn and winter are calmer, and the harbor is pretty in low light, but expect fewer boats and no Vuurlinie trips. De Vriendschap still opens on Saturdays.

How to get to De Kom from Amsterdam

The train is the easiest option. Direct trains from Amsterdam Centraal to Weesp take about 16 to 18 minutes over roughly 13 kilometers. You can tap in and out with a contactless bank card or phone; our OVpay guide explains how it works on Dutch trains. From Weesp station, it’s roughly a 10 to 15 minute walk through the old center to the Kom.

By bike, it’s about 15 kilometers from central Amsterdam through flat countryside. A headwind can make it feel much longer. By car, take the A1 east and exit for Weesp; allow about 20 minutes outside rush hour, and check parking signs in the historic center.

You can also arrive by boat. The Smal Weesp connects directly to the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal and reaches the Vecht through the lock at the Kom, so boaters coming from Amsterdam or Utrecht can moor in the town center.

Weesp pairs well with other short trips out of the city. For more ideas, see our day trips from Amsterdam.

Frequently asked questions