Gelderland is the largest province in the country and one of the most varied. The Veluwe with its woods and villages, the Achterhoek with its farmland, the rivers in the south, and in between cities such as Arnhem, Nijmegen, Apeldoorn and Ede. On Buurtje.nl, residents of Gelderland have written 754 reviews of their neighbourhood. Put them side by side per municipality and a clear pattern emerges: the smaller municipalities on the Veluwe and in the Achterhoek score highest, while the big cities sit in the middle.
One caveat. We only include municipalities with at least five reviews, but five or ten reviews is still a small number for a whole municipality. In Aalten, the number one, there are six. In Nijmegen, 88. The higher the number, the firmer the score.
At the top: Aalten, with Elburg and Ermelo close behind
Aalten scores 8.8 (6 reviews). This Achterhoek municipality, with Aalten, Dinxperlo and the small fortified town of Bredevoort, gets a 9.2 from residents for education and for housing and a 9.0 for community. One resident has lived there happily for 24 years. In Bredevoort someone describes clean streets, peace and safety for families. A critical note from Dinxperlo: the streets with social housing are changing. There are around fifty homes for sale in Aalten.
Elburg follows with 8.7 (8 reviews). Besides the old fortified town on the Veluwemeer lake, the municipality includes 't Harde. Greenery gets a 9.5, the highest greenery score on the whole list. The reviews talk strikingly often about street committees: barbecues, bouncy castles for the kids and neighbours you can always borrow something from. See the homes for sale and homes for rent in Elburg.
Ermelo comes third with 8.6 (10 reviews). Greenery (9.4) and education (9.2) score highly, community clearly lower (7.3). Residents call it safe and child-friendly, with the woods next door; one family had their car broken into once, "otherwise nothing ever happens". With almost 150 homes for sale, Ermelo has a generous supply for its size, plus a number of homes for rent.
The Veluwe dominates the top ten
After the top three the picture stays the same. Of the ten highest-scoring municipalities, six lie on or at the edge of the Veluwe.
- Barneveld: 8.5 (11 reviews). Education gets a 9.0, safety and community an 8.8. Residents mention child-friendly neighbourhoods and events such as the Veluwe market. The flip side: houses have become expensive, and one resident mainly finds it quiet. Barneveld has the largest supply in the top ten: almost 300 homes for sale and a number of homes for rent.
- Oldebroek: 8.4 (9 reviews). The positive reviews come mostly from Wezep: friendly, quiet, with the centre and schools nearby. A resident of Oldebroek village does miss amenities. See the homes for sale in Oldebroek.
- Nijkerk: 8.4 (9 reviews). Residents of Corlaer and Groot Corlaer have often lived there for years, with greenery around the corner and the station within cycling distance. There are around 150 homes for sale in Nijkerk.
- Nunspeet: 8.2 (12 reviews). Greenery (9.0) and cleanliness (8.6) are the strong points. In Elspeet opinions are divided: the nature is beautiful, but two residents do not always feel welcome in the strongly religious village if you are "different". See the homes for sale and homes for rent in Nunspeet.
That recurring point deserves an honest mention. On the Veluwe, safety and community score highly, and residents value the peace and the way people look out for each other. A few reviewers also note that the churchgoing character of some villages does not suit everyone. Worth knowing if you are thinking of moving there.
The Achterhoek: neighbourliness in practice
Besides Aalten, two more Achterhoek municipalities make the top ten. Berkelland scores 8.1 with seventeen reviews, the best supported score in the top ten. In Geesteren a resident writes about noaberschap (the Achterhoek tradition of neighbours helping each other), festivities and togetherness: "We have lived here 4 years, it feels like 40." Those living outside the villages do notice that everything is far away without a car. There are around 150 homes for sale in Berkelland.
Winterswijk also gets an 8.1 (8 reviews), with a 9.0 for education. Street barbecues and garden parties come up in almost every review, as do the woods around the village. See the homes for sale in Winterswijk.
The big cities: a solid middle
None of Gelderland's four largest municipalities makes the top ten. Ede (7.9, 45 reviews) and Nijmegen (7.8, 88 reviews) sit around the provincial average of 7.8. Arnhem comes in at 7.6 (75 reviews) and Apeldoorn at 7.2 (74 reviews). Part of that is down to make-up: in a city, quiet leafy districts and busy urban ones end up in a single average, while a village has fewer extremes. To see which districts in those cities do score highly, check the city lists below.
At the bottom, but no fails anywhere
Notably, no municipality in Gelderland with at least five reviews scores below 7. At the bottom are:
- Rheden: 7.1 (19 reviews). The municipality of Velp, Dieren and Rheden itself, on the edge of the Veluwezoom national park. In Dieren-West residents are happy: lots of nature, and the intercity train gets you to Arnhem or Zutphen in ten minutes. In part of Dieren-Noord, residents instead see their area declining, with poorly maintained houses and quarrels. There are over 200 homes for sale and around twenty homes for rent in Rheden.
- Buren: 7.2 (5 reviews). Cleanliness scores high (8.6), education low (6.4). Lienden and Beusichem get good reviews; in Maurik and Eck en Wiel residents mention nuisance. See the homes for sale in Buren.
- Lochem: 7.2 (9 reviews). Beautiful nature (greenery 8.6), but community and amenities get a 6.1. Residents in the countryside miss contact and facilities, although it is safe. There are over 200 homes for sale in Lochem.
- Lingewaard: 7.2 (14 reviews). In Huissen, one resident of 28 years cannot think of a better place, with Park Lingezegen nearby. In the new-build district of Loovelden residents complain about dog mess and miss a railway station. See the homes for sale in Lingewaard.
All Gelderland municipalities side by side
| # | Municipality | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aalten | 8.8 | 6 |
| 2 | Elburg | 8.7 | 8 |
| 3 | Ermelo | 8.6 | 10 |
| 4 | Barneveld | 8.5 | 11 |
| 5 | Oldebroek | 8.4 | 9 |
| 6 | Nijkerk | 8.4 | 9 |
| 7 | Nunspeet | 8.2 | 12 |
| 8 | Berkelland | 8.1 | 17 |
| 9 | Winterswijk | 8.1 | 8 |
| 10 | Brummen | 8.1 | 9 |
| 11 | Neder-Betuwe | 8.0 | 11 |
| 12 | Putten | 8.0 | 8 |
| 13 | Westervoort | 8.0 | 5 |
| 14 | West Maas en Waal | 8.0 | 8 |
| 15 | Zaltbommel | 8.0 | 11 |
| 16 | Culemborg | 8.0 | 12 |
| 17 | Harderwijk | 7.9 | 16 |
| 18 | Berg en Dal | 7.9 | 12 |
| 19 | Ede | 7.9 | 45 |
| 20 | Nijmegen | 7.8 | 88 |
| 21 | Zutphen | 7.8 | 22 |
| 22 | Wageningen | 7.8 | 14 |
| 23 | Oude IJsselstreek | 7.8 | 18 |
| 24 | Heerde | 7.8 | 6 |
| 25 | West Betuwe | 7.8 | 16 |
| 26 | Epe | 7.7 | 9 |
| 27 | Overbetuwe | 7.6 | 22 |
| 28 | Arnhem | 7.6 | 75 |
| 29 | Bronckhorst | 7.6 | 10 |
| 30 | Beuningen | 7.5 | 5 |
| 31 | Renkum | 7.5 | 11 |
| 32 | Doetinchem | 7.5 | 25 |
| 33 | Tiel | 7.5 | 18 |
| 34 | Heumen | 7.4 | 8 |
| 35 | Oost Gelre | 7.4 | 9 |
| 36 | Montferland | 7.4 | 7 |
| 37 | Zevenaar | 7.3 | 11 |
| 38 | Apeldoorn | 7.2 | 74 |
| 39 | Lingewaard | 7.2 | 14 |
| 40 | Lochem | 7.2 | 9 |
| 41 | Buren | 7.2 | 5 |
| 42 | Rheden | 7.1 | 19 |
How this ranking was made
We use all reviews residents posted on Buurtje.nl up to 15 October 2026, added up per municipality. A municipality counts from five reviews. Residents rate safety, accessibility, community, greenery, housing, education, amenities and cleanliness; the municipality score is the average of these. Gelderland as a whole comes out at 7.8.
Search further yourself
Click a municipality in the table to see all its districts, neighbourhoods and reviews. Live in Gelderland? Rate your neighbourhood; especially in municipalities just short of five reviews, every review makes a difference.
For the cities themselves we have separate lists: the best neighbourhoods in Arnhem, the best neighbourhoods in Nijmegen, the best neighbourhoods in Ede and the best and worst rated neighbourhoods in Apeldoorn.
