Best rides I've been on in a while! I am coming from the Orlando area, and I've tried all of the parks there without leaving as happy as I was in this park. It had all of the whimsy I LOVE without feeling like you were being forced to consume merchandise the entire time. I am absolutely going back the next time in the NL. For reference, I am 31 years old, and went with a friend. We had a blast. This is truly fun for all ages! read more

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I was quite surprised by how much I loved Efteling. I grew up with trips to Disneyland and in the past 20 years I've grown more and more disenchanted with it. Efteling, situated in a forested area, and with a non-commercial essence from old fairy tales, was magical. It brought out my inner child. it was clean, mostly uncrowded, relatively inexpensive and fun. A few rides were totally unexpected and inventive. read more

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A reasonably priced fairytale themed amusement park, this is one worth going to. It's a lot of fun to see how amusement parks are in different places. This one is affordable, has a lot to see and do, and can easily take a day or two to go through. Make sure to get food reservations if you want to eat there. read more

I have been to Americas Disney and many famous amusement parks. But I have never seen a more beautiful amusement park in my life. I'll be back read more

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It is a good place for people with children. I really enjoyed watching the parents discussing the fabules with their children. Unlike Disney where the interaction occurs between the spectator and the attraction. Here I felt that the interaction is between parent and child regarding the attraction. I don't have children, so I was able to breeze by the attractions and get to the rides so a several hours was enough for me. read more

"I've never ridden anything like this!" is what I kept saying over and over again throughout the day at this wonderfully unique (and bizarre) theme park in the Netherlands. I had never heard of Efteling and was immediately intrigued when I read that Theme Park Insider declared that it had dethroned Tokyo DisneySea (my favorite park) as the best theme park in the world. By dumb luck I learned this when I already had a trip to Amsterdam planned. A day trip to Efteling was going to happen no matter what. The admission price was a complete shock. A theme park in Florida costs over $100 USD for admission. An adult ticket to Efteling costs $45 USD (not a typo). This is a park with world-class attractions so I did not expect that at all. The entrance to the park is an epic, oddly shaped building called "The House of the Five Senses" which is the largest reed roof in the world according to Wikipedia! I was fascinated by the both the inside and the outside of it. The park itself just oozes history and charm. It's over 65 years old and I don't think I've ever seen a park that incorporates so much natural beauty. When viewed from the observation tower what you see the most is trees. Seeing all of the park is a monumental task because of its size and number of offerings. On the day we went the park was open 8 hours and we were there for 7. It wasn't a busy day and we were able to walk right on some attractions and even with that in our favor we didn't come close to seeing everything that I wanted to see. The park's rides really have something for everyone. If you love coasters there's a fantastic dive coaster called Baron 1898, dueling wooden coasters, a regular steel coaster, a bobsled ride, and an indoor coaster I especially loved called Vogel Rok. If you like traditional dark rides then the state of the art trackless dark ride called Symbolica should be at the top of your list along with wonderfully weird and unique Droomvlucht (Dream Flight) and the boat ride Fata Morgana. If you want to check out nature you can view the park from the observation tower, take a twenty minute relaxing boat ride, or ride a train. If you want to beat the heat there's a water coaster as well as a traditional raft ride. Theme park ride traditionalists should love the carousel and the rare "madhouse" ride called Villa Volta. The park really embraces the bizarre. Some of the garbage cans are strange faces. When you put garbage in their mouths they speak. There's a donkey statue that shoots souvenir coins out of its butt when you pay fifty cents. The fairytale forest has goats dressed in clothes sitting at a table playing a game. Not a lot of it makes sense but it's fun to see! The food in the park was a delight. I had chicken soup and a banana pancake with chocolate for lunch that was delicious. An afternoon snack was my introduction to stroopwafels and I loved them! I wish we had a chance to try the poffertjes because I became a big fan of them in Amsterdam. Even though we only speak English it was no problem navigating the park thanks to the wonderful smartphone app. We didn't hear a single guest speaking English the entire day but all of the employees were able to answer our questions in English, which was much appreciated. The park has fully adopted contactless payments. I didn't touch my wallet the entire day and paid for everything with Apple Pay. Hopefully they'll add more rides to their fast pass system. Currently it was only in use for the Python roller coaster. Getting to the park from Amsterdam wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. The official website says to take the train to Tilburg train station and then hop on a bus. That didn't make sense to me because there's no direct train to Tilburg from Amsterdam. You have to switch trains at 'S-Hertogenbosch. Google Maps said to just get on a bus from 'S-Hertogenbosch, which is what we did. The fewer steps the better in my opinion. I feel so lucky that I got to experience this theme park. A few months ago I didn't know that it existed and now it is one of my favorite places! read more

Beautifully landscaped park with typical Dutch setting. I visited this as a kid and this park is a cultural treasure. Efteling has the ambition to focus on international guests as they've publicly stated, and this is where the problems become apparent. They don't have that appeal yet, and they can't compete yet. First, as a Dutch guest, the magic is starting to wear off. I think this is caused by a couple of things. First of all, I see some regression with the current attractions. One example is Vogelrok. The music and sound design was pretty good - it tells a story - but last time the music was gone, replaced with some generic music that didn't align with the ride itself. Suddenly the ride was 50% less engaging. I see old attractions being kept and a park identity crisis surfacing ("we want to keep this because it's what people know from when they were little!" versus "let's innovate for the new generation!"). This is very much apparent with lots of Sprookjesbos 'mini attractions' and things like Spookslot. It looks dated, and the new generation doesn't know or care about what was relevant during the '60s of last century. A completely new interpretation/reinvention is necessary in my opinion for the part to stay relevant. I do praise what they are capable of considering the budgets they have to work with. Most likely a single animatronic at World Disney is the complete budget of an Efteling attraction. So they have to be super smart. 'Baron' is an example of that: take a off the shelf ride design and theme it really well! A failure in my opinion is 'Symfonica', a circus themed ride with a confusing combination of themes and a character that has absolutely zero international appeal. The ride itself is a potpourri of ideas seen elsewhere in the park, with a very mediocre implementation of 'interactive ride'. I have no idea how my choices correlate to what the ride serves me. It's a well executed experience but the concept is mediocre and not well strategized with international appeal in mind. Lastly I would suggest Efteling to focus more on the little ones as well. A small family park like Hellendoorn has more to offer there and I think Efteling could emphasize the youngest audience a bit more. Efteling is still in my heart - but they have to step it up and get fresh management who dares to innovate and embrace new technologies and themes! read more

I'm American and ever since the first time I visited de Efteling, I've wanted to go back every single time I visit The Netherlands. The art style of the park is very unique, bizarre and humorous. A donkey that shoots souvenir plastic gold coins out of it's butt? Priceless. I love the fairy tale forest, even though I can't understand a word they're saying, the animatronics are wonderful. Though, I've yet to visit a time when the Troll King is actually working, it's been broken every single time. :( The rides; many people may not know this, but the pirate ship ride in de Efteling is actually the largest pirate ship ride in the world. If you sit on the end rows, you actually go upside down a little bit. I could ride "Joris en de Draak" all day. I want to go on "Python" when I work up the nerve to do it. "Droomvlucht" is my favorite dark ride of all time. Among many other great rides in the park. The food in the park is kind of lack-luster though. As far as meals go, they don't cater to vegetarians very well, as far as I could tell. The vegetarian population in The Netherlands is a lot larger than the USA, you'd think a vegetarian croquet or veggie burger on the menus wouldn't be too much to ask. Though, I will say that the fresh made Stroopwafels are amazing... Well, it was the only time I'd ever had a fresh made Stroopwafel, but it was still amazing. :) The Paper Gobblers around the park, I've never had so much fun throwing away my trash. They make me wish I had more trash to give them just to hear them thank me every single time I put something in their mouth. This park makes me feel like a little kid again. ^_^ read more

Efteling - de Efteling entrance [Source: wiki] - Amusement Parks Near Me - Kaatsheuvel, New Brunswick

Epic theme-park for kids and people who'd like to be kids forever! This park has plenty of cool atractions and rollercoasters as well as a whole world just for kids where they tell the kids all kinds of different fairytales. We absolutely love this park as long as it is not too busy, a saturday in the middle of the summer is not a good day to go... read more

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The Efteling has taken the first place of my absolute totally favorite parks EVER. The reasons for this number in the 100s!!!! There are at least that many fun things to do and experience. To attempt to sum up: there is a hotel if you wish to stay with family or friends; the wonderful early toddler rides in the separate area; the enchanting Fairy Tale Forest which is a delight to young and old (my family's favorite part); the good food in various areas of the Efteling park (though not cheap); the more challenging rides as the ages of the visitors progress (which is not immediately visible from the way they have set uo the park but which you discover as you walk around); the boat ride when you prefer to take it down a notch; the train functions on that same level yet provides an overview all around the park; and on and on. I will try to add more pictures here, as the Efteling is a prime example of how words cannot touch its reality: you really should experience its joy for young and old. read more

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I love the Efteling, always have, always will. Almost everything about it is perfection and I don't know many people who disagree. However, the one thing I think we all can agree on is that the Efteling is just TOO DAMN EXPENSIVE!!! We always buy our tickets through some sort of promotion (Chocomel, Albert Heijn or even sometimes through work) but still end up paying around twenty eight Euros per ticket. Which is ridiculous! What's even more ridiculous is that you pay the same damn price during the "off season". This used to mean they would close the entire park down for a few weeks and do all the major maintenance work and while it's a good thing that they are now open every single day of the year, it means they close rides down for maintenance while the park is open. That's all fine, BUT they don't mention it on their website all the time. For instance last time we went, there were only really two rides I could go on due to my pregnancy. We arrived there and found one of those two rides to be shut down for maintenance. Sh**. If I would have known, I wouldn't have waisted sixty Euros on tickets. For some reason the park was especially busy that day, which meant that I could only go on the other ride once as the line for it was about forty-five minutes long. Very disappointing. The food here is decent though. Usually we bring our own sandwiches and drinks, but every once in a while we'll have something from the restaurant 't Witte Paard. The pricing there is fairly reasonable. The other restaurants however, like the Poffertjes restaurant and the Pannenkoekenhuis are $%(^$&(%* expensive. Which seems to be an added theme to the Efteling. The Efteling is a theme park of fairy tales and high pricing, but one thing you can't deny is that even though it's WAY overpriced, it's a very magical place. Especially during Winter and even more so if you're lucky enough to be here when it's actually snowing. There's nothing quite like it. And they know that. So they overcharge us. But the high prices do mean they lose a star. read more

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Awesome place for kids, fairy tail theme park. Winter hours are not that long so make sure you come from the minute they open if you wanna see/do it ALL! They got a lot of rides for kids but also some thrilling rides for adults. The water attractions were under construction while there but was to cold to go on anyways. Make sure you don't miss the fountain show at the end when the park closes. read more

Best theme park I've been to so far, it might be because of nostalgia (being from a neighbouring town and all) or simply because it's that great..I think it's a mix of both. The entire park makes you feel like you're walking around in an old-fashioned fairy tale land. Theres a lot of diversity in the rides available and it's huge. My favourite rides would have to be 'Vogelrock' & 'Villa Volta', the first being a roller coaster in the dark and the second is a house that rotates around you and makes you feel like you're the one swirling upside down. If you find yourself bored in Noord-Brabant -The Netherlands & it's the season, go there, you'll love it. read more

It's a bit of a drive from Amsterdam, and it's overall pretty old-fashioned and cheesy, but this amusement park has the power to somehow make even a dreadful day with my in-laws not too bad. It's probably best for kids 6-years old and up, but our 3-year old found enough to do to last an afternoon. There are boat rides, train rides, and large spinning platforms that go up in the air rides that we could all take as a big group. There are also two playgrounds for the little ones. We came for the Winter Efteling, which is where they keep the park open in the winter and try to compensate by putting up big fires all over the park, and selling you lots of Unox sausages and hot chocolate. I thought I would be freezing, but dressing in layers with good boots and a ridiculously large hat kept me toasty all day. Definitely download the efteling app to your phone before you go. They have it in Dutch and English. I found it invaluable for navigating the park, since your little arrow icon moves along with you as you walk through the maze of paths, so you always know where you are. The paper maps they give out were just confusing in comparison. The app also gives you waiting times for all the rides, so you know which ones to avoid and try later. It also keeps track of all the attractions you mark as a 'favorite' so you can always check if there's something nearby you wanted to go to. Finally, the ticket prices are crazy expensive, so try to go on a day they have some kind of sale or special price going on. It will feel much more sane of a family outing then! read more

Visited Efteling park on our journey in Amsterdam. Definitely not Disney but it is very fun for kids and adults. You can download their app and will help get around and navigate you also. It's approx 1 1/2 hours away from the heart of Amsterdam but what a beautiful drive. My kids and including myself and my wife loved it. Well worth a day to spend at Efteling. The cost is €38 and a great deal. Enjoy !!!!! read more

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We drove all the way from Paris to visit and stayed one night at their hotel, wasn't disappointed, magical in every way, the waiting time for the rides was so short and lines were moving very fast, the staff were so nice and helpful, definitely worth it and definitely coming back again with friends.... read more

My wife and I headed here on our Euro trip so we could experience a European theme park. It's very similar to what we've got stateside. (Better garbage cans!) I had a great day (I love theme parks!) but I'm not sure I'd send the average tourist here. It's possible (but very tough) to hit every ride in 1 day given the size of the place. Pro Tips: Check the crowd calendar and make sure to go on a low crowd day. I paid up for ticket extra so I could get into the park 30 minutes early. I completely failed here as for the first 10 minutes I was waiting outside on the main Promenade (inside the park) thinking those around me also had ticket extra. (They all had regular tickets). Head to the Restaurant octopus to gain early access to the park. In any event I'm not sure it's worth it as none of the better rides are open for Ticket Extra. Skip PandaDroom. This "4d" movie does not get the 3d effects right and I'm surprised they even show this. Arrive at the park before opening time and head for Joris en de Draak, De Vilegende Hollander, and Python first before lines get too long. Afterword take advantage of single rider lines on Baron 1898 and Bob. Don't miss the Raveleijn Park show. (Reservations can be made at Ton Van de Ven Plein. (When you get your reservations you are right near the great Villa Volta ride!) The Fairytale Forest (Sprookjesbos) is shaded and good for a couple hour stroll during the heat of the day. read more

Had a fun day at this amusement park but it was really crowded. Went with husband and kids ages 16 and 12. Park is very large and spread out. Surprised at scale. Was thinking it would be more like Legoland California but it was actually more like a spead out Disneyland. Be sure to check out park map online to get familiar with layout before you go. The park has an handy app that you can download onto your phone that has a map and also shows wait times for each item. My best advice is on a busy summer day is to pay extra to get into the park early or get there right when it opens. We wanted to do all the thrill rides so if that interests you make a bee line immediately Baron. The Baron (sit down suspended roller coaster with legs dangling that starts with a huge vertical drop) was our favorite ride. It is kind of in the middle right side near the steel and wooden coasters). It is the most popular ride with teenagers so the lines averaged 90 minutes and the shortest time I saw was 45 minutes. Single rider lines never got shorter than 40 mins. If we were to do this park again we would head straight to Baron and ride it twice using single rider line (or group line if less than 5 minutes). Then would head back towards to the right back corner of the park to the steel and wooden roller coasters. Those lines averaged 60-90minutes so try to do those two right after riding Baron. Once you get those 3 rides done then everything else is extra. read more

This is a magical place! Just wonderful! It's a theme park based on Dutch folklore, legends, fables and ancient myths. In America's Disney you will see more modern caricature compared to what's at the Efteling which is ancient fairy-tale so it makes it all the more interesting. Anton Pieck was the one responsible for designing almost everything in the theme park so if you are familiar with his books and artwork you will definitely enjoy this park. This park is like a huge forest, red mushrooms with white polka dots big enough to sit on and there is folk music playing out of them through out the whole park. Of my favorite attractions to visit at the Efteling is "Spookslot", if you are wierded out by pentagrams and demon-like creatures with wings don't visit this attraction cause it will definitely creep you out..just a little. "Villa Volta" is another interesting ride for me mainly because of the legend behind it. The only con of this ride is that the whole legend is spoken in Dutch through one of the life-size marionettes. Still an interesting thing to experience due to the folklore. They should definitely have a dummy next to the other dummy to translate in English cause the Dutch folklore is just wonderful (Just google Villa Volta legend or Buckriders Legend). And "Droomvlucht" which is full of fairies and gnomes and elves and twinkling castles in the night air, floating through cotton candy. read more

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A very unique place. It has fun attractions for young and old. There are roller coasters, A woods with fairy tailes wich is really fun for young children. I would definitely recommend the place. read more

This was an incredible experience, we took my Husbands, 4 year old, niece, we were as excited as she was! We stayed in the Assepoester (Cinderella) Suite and WOW!!! a child's DREAM!! With candy all over the place , a voice which tells you a tale every time you enter and leave the room!! The Park was also incredible! You will need at least a FULL day to complete or maybe even 2 days! Its like walking through a fairytale book!! It was fun being a kid again!!! Make it weekend trip!!! read more

This is a wonderful way to spend the day. Very well organized, not expensive, lots of variety, great rides.

The Efteling is on top of my list of favorite places to go to! I have been a regular guest for years and keep being amazed by the great looks and feels of this amusement park. A perfect mix of thrill and relaxtion in an atmosphere where nature plays a big part. read more

I have come here since I was a young child. After a slow expansion in the 90's the direction is now really going for gold to become the best entertainment park in Europe and though I am a Disney fan this company has nailed down their goals and are on par if not better than EuroDisney! read more

Our family had an amazing time at the park. We visited over two days and had a blast. The roller coasters were fast and exciting, and not too much for our young children. The fairy tale park with recreations of classic fairy tales was also quite fun and charming. We went on what was supposed to be a high season weekend and we didn't have to wait much in lines -- especially right when it opened (things don't really get busy until lunch time). read more