Gelderland: Nature, Heritage and Long-Distance Routes

Gelderland is known as a cycling and hiking province: diverse landscapes, well-maintained cycle paths, and distinctive walking routes shape the travel experience. There are also museums, historic defensive lines, and natural areas with their own unique character. When looking for a hotel, base your initial choice on the focus of your trip: landscapes and longer tours, museum visits, or heritage.

Landscapes and Regions

Gelderland's visitor regions include the Veluwe, the Achterhoek, the Betuwe, the Arnhem region, and the Rijk van Nijmegen. Extensive forests, heathland, and drifting sands define the landscape of the Veluwe. De Hoge Veluwe National Park covers 5,400 hectares of forest, heathland, and drifting sands. Its landscapes range from coniferous and deciduous forests to farmland.

Veluwezoom National Park covers more than 5,000 hectares. Forests, heathland, drifting sands, country estates, and hills define its character; when visibility is good, views from the Posbank can reach as far as Germany. The Achterhoek offers a different landscape, with winding roads, hedgerows, and hidden country estates. The region also offers room for long cycling tours and regional produce. These differences give you a range of starting points for planning your trip, without requiring nature experiences and cultural visits to take the same form.

Cycling and Walking Routes

The main cycle route network connects cities, villages, and key facilities. Its fast cycle routes are wide and comfortably surfaced, have few obstacles, and give cyclists priority wherever possible. The MaasWaalpad fast cycle route between Cuijk and Nijmegen and the F348 between Arnhem and Velp have been completed. Check the latest route information before setting off, as conditions on individual routes may change.

Walking routes also vary in length, scenery, and destination. De Hoofdige Boer runs 21.3 kilometres from the old Hanseatic city of Zutphen through varied landscapes and past country estates to Almen. Rondje Woudrichem follows the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie for 11 kilometres, from Woudrichem to Slot Loevestein. The 20.4-kilometre Verscholen Dorp day hike passes through extensive forests near Vierhouten. The distances provide a practical guide to choosing a route; check the individual route description for updates before setting off.

For longer journeys, two routes follow the Limes between Katwijk and Nijmegen, passing more than 40 historic sites: the Limesroute is a 200-kilometre long-distance cycling route, while the Romeinse Limespad is an approximately 300-kilometre long-distance walking route. This lets you choose between a cycling and a walking route without losing sight of their shared historic course.

Culture, Museums, and World Heritage

The Dutch Water Defence Lines form a defensive system stretching more than 200 kilometres, made up of forts, dykes, locks, pumping stations, canals, and floodplains. Noord-Holland, Gelderland, Noord-Brabant, and Utrecht share responsibility for this World Heritage site. The section of the Hollandse Waterlinies in Gelderland runs for approximately 35 kilometres through the Rivierengebied, from Fort Everdingen to the Batterij onder Poederoijen. Another World Heritage site, Frontiers of the Roman Empire – the Lower German Limes, includes sites in Gelderland’s municipalities of Arnhem, Berg en Dal, Nijmegen, Overbetuwe, and Zevenaar.

Slot Loevestein is also part of the history of water defence: the medieval castle dates from 1358 and is part of the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie. In June 2021, Slot Loevestein was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site. During a visit, you can explore the castle, outer bailey, and soldiers’ village; together, they tell stories of knights, soldiers, Hugo de Groot, and water defence. The garden at Paleis Het Loo is the only reconstruction of a Baroque garden in the Netherlands. One of its distinctive features is the Koningssprong, a fountain that shoots water more than 13 metres into the air.

Gelderland’s museums offer a range of perspectives. At the 44-hectare Nederlands Openluchtmuseum, original mills, houses, farmsteads, and a dairy showcase Dutch history; historic trams are also part of the museum park. Visitors can see millers, blacksmiths, printers, and conductors at work, and learn a craft in a workshop. Individual workshops may vary.

The Kröller-Müller Museum is located in De Hoge Veluwe National Park. A visit to the museum and sculpture garden takes approximately three hours; check the latest opening details separately. The garden features more than 200 modern sculptures by internationally renowned artists. The Museonder, an underground museum offering insights into organisms living below the earth’s surface, past and present, is also located in the heart of the park. The national park offers more than 40 kilometres of cycle paths for visitors to explore the landscape.

Museum visits can also be part of your trip planning: Gelderland has approximately seven large museums and 120 smaller ones, each with its own story. The museum offering may change. At Apenheul, visitors can enter areas where monkeys roam freely. The park is hilly and accessible to wheelchair users; exceptions are the Apenboompad and a bridge in the free-roaming area for François’ langurs and mantled guerezas. Check the accessibility information again before your trip.

Explore More Destinations

Harderwijk, Hattem, Heerde, Heumen, Lingewaard, Lochem, Maasdriel, Millingen aan de Rijn, Montferland, Neder-Betuwe, Nijkerk, Nijmegen, Nunspeet, Oost Gelre, Oude IJsselstreek, Putten, Renkum, Rheden, Rijnwaarden, Rozendaal, Scherpenzeel, Tiel, Ubbergen, Voorst, Wageningen, West Maas en Waal, Westervoort, Ede, Apeldoorn, Arnhem, Beuningen, Brummen, Buren, Culemborg, Doetinchem, Druten, Duiven, Epe, Ermelo, Doesburg, Berkelland, Barneveld, Neerijnen, Zevenaar, Aalten, Lingewaal, Oldebroek, Elburg, Bronckhorst, Emst, Lochem, Overbetuwe, Geldermalsen, Groesbeek, Wijchen, Winterswijk, Zaltbommel, Zutphen

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