East shore of the large Weissensee lake opened for skating (2026)

The large Weissensee lake has been opened for skating, in part, from Friday 23 January 2026. It concerns the eastern shore of this much-loved mountain lake. The magnificent sheet of ice looks untouched.

Skating the large Weissensee lake in 2026: what you need to know

The Weissensee is one lake, but for convenience it is ‘split’ into two parts: the western part and the eastern part. The western part is also called the small lake , and the eastern part the large lake.

There is nothing quite like skating that large lake. The ice there is often unbroken, with beautiful stretches of black ice. Along the shallow shores it can even look emerald green. Glorious.

• Anyone who wants to skate the eastern part can only do so from the east shore. “Pay close attention to the barriers and the signs”, says Visit Weissensee.
• “Access to the west shore is currently not possible from the east shore”, the tourist organisation adds. So there is no connection between the two.
• This means skaters have to park at the east shore, for a fee, which is easily done at the ticket machine on site.

Safety first: anyone wanting to skate the large lake does so, for now, only at the east shore.

First-class natural ice conditions at the 2nd Alternative Dutch 11-City Tour

Because of the extreme cold, Weissensee News speaks of arctic nights:

• “(…) Night-time temperatures below -20 degrees and sunny days up to -5 degrees Celsius are now producing first-class natural ice conditions on the Weissensee.”

Excellent news, then, for everyone taking part in the second Alternative Dutch 11-City Tour of 2026, which starts on Friday 23 January, on the small lake.

“The combination of cold and sunshine creates ideal conditions for fast, safe, high-quality ice sports”, writes the Weissensee digital news bulletin.

Photo: © Visit Weissensee