Gelders Arcadië



Gelders Arcadië is an area in between the Veluwezoom dunes and the river IJssel. The area is notable for its high density in (former) estates, many of which, especially around Arnhem have been turned into public parks. The complete region consists of three municipalities, whereas this article only includes two: Rheden and Rozendaal. Arnhem, which is part of the region, has its own article.

Understand
The Veluwe, which Gelders Arcadië borders and is partly in, has been settled for over 2000 years. The oldest known settlements in Rheden date from the 9th century. Over time, many castles and later estates were built where the Veluwezoom meets the river IJssel. These estates were most always in the woods, allowing for hunting opportunities, while also being easily reachable from the rest of the Netherlands. The boom in estates happened not long after Staatslijn A (The Arnhem — Leeuwarden railway) was completed in the 1860s. The region has always offered a beautiful retreat for the wealthy Dutch, but is now accessible and affordable for practically anyone. Aside from estates, the region is littered with forests, hills and heath on the Veluwezoom side (northwest), while being relatively flat at the floodplains of the river IJssel. Velp and Dieren, at opposite sides of the region, are the biggest cities.

By car
Coming from either the Western or Southern Netherlands, first head to Arnhem via the A12 highway (from The Hague) or A15/E31 (from Rotterdam), make your way onto the A12 heading east towards Zutphen. This will get you onto the A348. If you'd like to get to Velp, turn off of the highway directly into town at the Velperbroek Interchange (Knooppunt Velperbroek). The A348 will get you to Rheden, and terminate not far from Dieren. To get to Dieren from here, turn left onto the N348, and follow this road turning right near Ellecom. This will send you right into Dieren.

From the Northern Netherlands and Overijssel, the A50 is the main route you want to follow (From Hengelo, take the A1, which meets the A50 at Apeldoorn). Exit the A50 at exit 23 (Loenen) not long after passing by Apeldoorn. Here, turn left, following signs to Dieren. The road you're on, the N786, will terminate not far from Dieren's railway station. From here, you can turn right onto the N348, after which you can either use the A348 or Zutphensestraatweg to get to De Steeg, Rheden or Velp.

From Oberhausen, follow the Autobahn 3 towards Wesel, following the A3 all the way into the Netherlands. The A3 will become the A12 after crossing the border at the former border checkpoint at Beek. The first major river you will cross is the IJssel. Here, turn onto the Velperbroek Interchange (Knooppunt Velperpoort) and either take the first exit on the interchange to turn onto the A348 heading for Dieren, or use the second exit to get directly into Velp.

By public transit


Gelders Arcadië has three stations, all of which are on Staatslijn A (Arnhem — Leeuwarden). These are, and. On this line you will find Intercity trains to Zwolle, Wijchen, Nijmegen and Roosendaal, as well as Sprinters (stopping trains) from Nijmegen/Wijchen to Zutphen and vice versa. Dieren is the only station where Intercity trains stop, the other two stations only see Sprinters. Dieren also sees heritage trains to Apeldoorn, but these run rather infrequent (see Do).

Get around
To get about, renting a bike is recommended, given you have the time to cycle from town to town. If you don't perhaps rent a car in nearby Arnhem or use public transit. Buses will get you from Velp to Dieren and everywhere in between via line 43, which runs from Arnhem to Apeldoorn. Line 70 will get you to Rozendaal.

See

 * Gelders Arcadië houses many estates. Some of the highlights are:

Do

 * Gelders Arcadië borders and partly includes the Veluwezoom National Park, which, like its bigger sister, the Hoge Veluwe National Park, consists of many sand dunes, forests and heath fields.
 * A highlight of the park is the.

Go next
Other destinations in Midden-Gelre are:
 * Arnhem, the only city in the Netherlands to run trolleybuses.
 * Nijmegen, the oldest city of the Netherlands.
 * Wijchen

Other easily reachable destinations are:
 * Achterhoek, a mostly agricultural region with cities such as Doesburg, Doetinchem and Groenlo.
 * Zutphen
 * Apeldoorn, the largest town of the Netherlands, on the Veluwe.