Weeze is in Lower Rhine. It's a town of 12,000 inhabitants (2021) whose main claim to fame is the airport which is sometimes marketed by associating it with Düsseldorf some 80 km east.
Understand
[edit]
The town of Weeze is one of handful in Europe that was "put on the map" by low cost airlines serving the local airport. In the case of Weeze the local airport originated as a Royal Air Force base of the British occupying power and was put to civilian use as part of the hoped-for "peace dividend" at the end of the cold war. The main reason Ryanair and others fly to such airports is the lower fees. Ryanair in particular uses the dominant position they have at this airport to extract concessions and they threaten to - and sometimes do - cancel routes or an entire base on short notice if their demands aren't met.
Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]- 1 Airport Weeze (NRN IATA). Also known as "Flughafen Niederrhein" (which is what the IATA code refers to), this former British airbase is now a focus city for Ryanair and also served by Freebird Airlines and Sky Express. Airport Linie SW 1 is a regular bus, partly a cab bus, and it runs every 60 minutes, to and from the train station. The cab bus only runs by appointment at least 30 min before departure by calling +49-2841-8822444 daily from 06:30 to 22:30. Search for "Weeze Terminal 1" in the bahn.de search. If you'd like to use a cab, look at the taxi tariffs mentioned in "Get in" and figure that it is about 6 km from the airport to Weeze train station.
By train
[edit]
- 2 Bahnhof Weeze. The regional express Niers-Express (RE 10) Düsseldorf - Krefeld - Kleve runs M-F during the day every half hour (otherwise hourly) on the line, which is not electrified from Krefeld and single-tracked from Geldern. A cash one-way adult ticket between Weeze to Düsseldorf is €18.90, buy from the ticket machine at the station or from the bus driver when boarding in Weeze or at the airport, conductors will fine you a €60.00 penalty without ticket. The platforms are accessible, the underpass has stairs, instead take a detour via Karl-Arnold-Strasse.
By bus
[edit]Due to the airport, more intercity bus lines serve Weeze than comparably sized small towns. The bus routes usually only serve the airport and not downtown, but you can easily hop on an airport shuttle bus to get downtown if that's where you're headed.
By car
[edit]- Coming from the Rhineland/Ruhr area: Via the DE|A|57 Direction Nijmegen until exit Uedem|4, then follow the airport symbol.
- Approach from the Netherlands: Via the NL|A|77 to the German border and continue on the DE|A|57 to exit Goch|3, then follow the airport symbol.
- If you are going to the airport, you can input 47652 Weeze, Flughafen-Ring 1 into your GPS program.
Get around
[edit]Mandatory travel area, which taxis have to serve, is the entire district (Kreis) Kleve. The base price is €4.70 and the per-kilometre rate is €2.70 during the day and €2.80 at night and all day on Sundays and holidays (as of 2025). A ride from the airport to Weeze station will set you back €20-€25.
See
[edit]- 1 Schloss Wissen, Schloßallee 26, 47652 Weeze. Moated castle in neo-Gothic design, dating back over 500 yeas.
- 2 Schloss Kalbeck, Kalbeck 5, 47652 Weeze. Castle built in the 1300, not accessible to the public.
- 3 Haus Hertefeld (Hertefeld Castle), Hertefeld 1-6, 47652 Weeze. Baroque castle ruin and park, belonging to a long established noble family. Fell in disrepair during the 20th century, being renovated to old glory in the early 2000s.
- 4 Saint Cyriakus (Sankt Cyriakus), Kirchpl. 5, 47652 Weeze. Churches have stood in its spot since at least 900AD, the current building is a reconstruction after being destroyed by allied shelling at the end of WW2. The historic wooden ornaments have survived.
- 5 Weeze War Cemetery (Kriegsgräberstätte Weeze), Uedemer Str. 11, 47652 Weeze (ca. 1.6 km from Weeze station). The final resting place of the 2016 German soldiers that fell in their pointless resistance to the allied forces invading in late February 1945. The landscaping is held minimalist, not putting focus on individual graves. Since 2015 the cemetery is included in the Liberation Route Europe.
Do
[edit]Events
[edit]Two notable music festivals are held on the grounds of the airport every year
- 1 Parookaville. One of Europe's largest EDM festivals, held annually in mid July on the grounds of a former RAF base next to Weeze airport.
- IMPAQT (formerly known as "Q-Base"). Festival with Hardcore and Hardstyle Tech music.
Buy
[edit]Despite being a small town, you'll find a couple grocery stores, a drugstore, pharmacy, shoe store and and bike shop in the town centre.
Eat
[edit]Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]- 1 Best Deal Airporthotel Weeze, Flughafenring 17 (900 m (3,000 ft) from the airport terminal), ☏ +49-2837-665577, [email protected]. 24/7. 24/7 check-in and check-out via a machine. No meals served. €65.
- 2 Hotel Schloß Hertefeld, Hertefeld 2 (5km northeast of Weeze Airport), ☏ +49 2837 2035, [email protected]. Located in Hertefeld Castle. From €139.
Connect
[edit]Go next
[edit]- Nijmegen, historic old city centre, and a young and vibrant bar scene thanks to it's student population
- Kevelaer, pilgrimage cathedral and turbulent history
- Xanten, visit the old roman settlement found here, only place in the country that starts with a X.
- Düsseldorf, the wealthy state capital