Lesser-known Dutch city nicknamed 'Little Amsterdam' that's cheaper and less crowded but just as cool
CYCLES with baskets on the front trundle over bridges as gabled buildings are reflected in the calm canal waters.
If I didn't know any better, I'd think this was Amsterdam — but I'm a 20-minute train journey away from the Dutch capital, in a lesser-known city called Weesp.
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Nicknamed Little Amsterdam, Weesp is a dead-ringer for its famous neighbour but its streets are less crowded, and the prices are cheaper.
A coffee at the canal-view Cafe Toeters En Bellen, for example, sets me back €3 (compared with the average €4 in The Dam).
It's not just the canals, bridges, bikers and 17th-century buildings that Weesp has in common with Amsterdam, either.
The city sees the capital's Heineken Experience brewery — and raises it with the Wispe Brouwerij.
Set inside a restored 19th-century church, with a sky-skewering clock tower and steeple, this independent brewery is packed with locals day and night.
As with the Heineken attraction, visitors can take guided tours — which also take in the area where they distil jenever, The Netherlands' answer to gin.
The cost of a combined tour and tasting is €15 in Weesp, compared to €24.95 in Amsterdam.
Yet I find it just as rewarding to station myself at a table in their Grand Cafe and let Weesper life unfold around me.
Almond pastries
Surrounded by tables of friends sharing beer flights, and families with kids scribbling in colouring books, I savour a glass of spicy mango beer and munch on a plate of bitterballen — a pillowy mix of roux and slow-cooked stew that's served in a crunchy coating, like Holland's answer to the French croquette.
And there's one thing the Wispe Brewery offers that you won't find at Heineken — accommodation.
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Dozens of metres above the taproom, in a part of the church tower that used to be occupied by three giant clocks and church bells, there's a luxury suite.
All exposed-stone walls, arched windows, chandeliers, crucifixes and linen whiter than a nun's habit, it features a free-standing bath and delivers 360-degree views of the city.
It comes at a price, though — a night's stay costs from £440, so it's quite a splurge.
For more affordable places to lay your head, the Hotel Het Hart van Weesp is in the centre of town, overlooking the canals and just a seven-minute walk from the station.
Just like Amsterdam, Weesp has an impressive foodie scene. It is sprinkled with independent bakeries, pizzerias and restaurants as well as coffee shops.
Bobby's Blue has a menu that changes weekly — inspired by the world's Blue Zones, areas of the world where people live measurably happier and longer lives.
I find a spot next to a sash window one lunchtime and, over a plate of homemade lasagne and a tumbler of zingy white wine, spend a contented hour watching the city's cyclists.
I'm amazed at what they carry in bike baskets, from potted plants to their toddlers.
Over at Bocconcino de Rimin, visitors pay a set price (€33.50 Wednesday to Thursday and €35.50 Friday to Sunday) for an unlimited number of Italian and Mediterranean tapas dishes, with the only proviso that you can order just two at a time.
If you taste only one thing in Weesp, though, it should be the city's signature Weespermoppen.
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These bite-sized pastries, made from almond paste, egg yolk and sugar, are on sale at Patisserie en Chocolaterie Hendriks in the town centre — alongside multicoloured macaroons and whipped cream truffles.
For Weespermoppen with a kick, though, visitors should head back to Wispe Brouwerij where they make Weespermoppen liqueur and mix it with the likes of lemon juice and Angostura bitters to create craft cocktails.
On the topic of cocktails, Weesp can party like its more celebrated counterpart, too.
On weekends, in bars like De Heksenketal (aka The Witches Cauldron) and Toeters En Bellen, the dancefloors start to fill up by 9.30pm, with locals boogying their proverbial clogs off to a soundtrack of Europop, dance and throwbacks, until late.
Of course, visitors comparing Weesp to Amsterdam may notice a lack of street art and the absence of a flower market.
Yet the city is home to one of the greatest icons of the Netherlands — a windmill.
Open to the public on Saturdays, its sails can be seen spinning just by the WSV Vecht marina, a ten-minute walk from the city centre.
You don't have to go far to spot a wheel of Dutch cheese in Weesp, either.
At Alexanderhoeve, in the city centre, shelves bow beneath satellite dish-sized orbs of gouda, edam and borenkaas — a semi-hard, tangy variety that's known as 'farmers' cheese'.
Amsterdam has recently been accused of being the most anti-tourist city in Europe.
In Weesp, however, the locals are warmly welcoming and chatty.
During my visit, a few are surprised to hear an English voice.
Once the cat is out of the bag about this Dutch secret, however, I suspect British accents won't be uncommon for much longer.
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