Renting a Home in Nijmegen-East

Nijmegen-East is the city's largest district. Over 35,000 residents (2025) inhabit an area stretching from the city's ring roads to the hills of Berg en Dal. Half of the homes predate 1945. There are mansions from the Belle Époque along the main roads, workers' houses in Bottendaal, and villas on the Hunnerberg. Anyone considering renting a home in Nijmegen-East chooses the district where everyone wants to live. And where competition for rental properties is fierce.

Bottendaal: The District That Never Sleeps

Bottendaal is nestled between the railway line and the Berg en Dalseweg. The first houses were built there in the 1880s. It was a mixed neighborhood: workers, factory owners, and the middle class lived alongside the Dobbelman and Thieme factories. The factories are gone, but the mix has remained.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Bottendaal changed. Students moved in, followed by creative entrepreneurs. Now it's the neighborhood where you can drink coffee at Thiemepark on a Sunday morning and visit one of the pubs on Houtstraat on a Thursday evening. The streets are narrow, the facades are close together, and the atmosphere is village-like in an urban setting.

The homes are compact. Upper floors, studios, and rooms in pre-war buildings with steep stairs and high ceilings. Rental prices are above the city average. This is the price for a neighborhood you can experience on foot. The Architectenbuurt, three streets named after Nijmegen architects Semmelink, Weve, and Van der Kemp, boasts the most characteristic facades.

Berg en Dalseweg: The Main Road as a Residential Street

The Berg en Dalseweg stretches three kilometers through Nijmegen-East, from Mariaplein to the hills of Berg en Dal. It is the axis along which the district has grown. Along the road stand mansions and villas from the 1880-1920 period, built in the Parisian style: stately facades, deep front gardens, wide sidewalks.

Berg en Dalseweg is also the culinary strip of East. Restaurants, cafes, and specialty shops give the neighborhood its character. It's the kind of street where you do your grocery shopping at the cheese shop and get your dinner at the Italian, all within walking distance.

For renters, Berg en Dalseweg means: upper floors in characterful mansions. High ceilings, wooden floors, a garden behind the house. The houses are old and not always well insulated. Ask about the energy label and heating costs.

Hunnerberg and Kwakkenberg: The Quiet Hills

The Hunnerberg is located on the push moraine above the Waal. Approximately 4,400 residents (2025) live in villas and mansions on spacious plots with views over the river landscape. It is the wealthiest part of Nijmegen-East. Rental properties become available here incidentally. Those who find one have had patience and luck.

Kwakkenberg is right next to it, a little further from the center. The same spacious layout, the same green streets. The homes here are younger than on Hunnerberg, predominantly post-war. It is the edge of the city, where the greenery of the Ooijpolder begins.

Heyendaal: Campus and Residential Area

Heyendaal is the estate where Radboud University established its first faculty in 1951. By 1988, the entire university had moved to the campus. Radboudumc borders it, and HAN University of Applied Sciences is adjacent. Nijmegen Heyendaal Station serves the campus.

The residential area of Heyendaal features post-war homes from the 1950s to 1970s. Terraced houses and apartments in a green setting. It is quieter than Bottendaal, closer to the university. For students and Radboud employees, it is the logical choice. Rent prices are lower here than in Bottendaal and the city center.

What Renters Should Know

Nijmegen-East is the city's most popular district. This means: the most supply, but also the most competition. 53% of homes are rental properties. The offer consists of upper floors, apartments, studios, and rooms in pre-war and post-war buildings.

The choice is clear. Bottendaal for atmosphere and vibrancy. Berg en Dalseweg for character and space. Heyendaal for the campus. Hunnerberg for peace and views. Each neighborhood has its own profile and price range.

Renting a home in Nijmegen-East requires speed. Set up notifications, respond the same day, and have your documents ready. The homes are old. Ask about the energy label. A mansion from 1920 can cost significantly more in heating than a newly built apartment in De Waalsprong.