Efteling review, theme park Netherlands

Efteling is a magical fairytale theme park in the Netherlands. It is one of our favourite things to do with kids in the Netherlands. In this Efteling review you can find out all about this enchanting theme park, my opinions and tips for visiting Efteling with kids. Find more theme parks in the Netherlands here.

Ad – we were given press tickets to visit for two days in early August 2022. We have since revisited in 2025 and paid for the tickets ourselves. All photos, thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Our Efteling review

One of the reasons we chose to visit the Netherlands for our the first time was due to how amazing the Netherlands looked for kids. One of the places that really stood out in our research for the trip was Efteling. We’ve since visited the Netherlands 3 more times. We truly love the Netherlands for family holidays.

Efteling is a theme park based around traditional fairytales from Hans Christian Andersen and the Grimms brothers. As soon as we stepped through the gates we knew we were set to experience a day like no other. At the time of our visit, my girls were 6 and 9 years old. They love anything fairies and magical so they loved every minute of our trip. 

We spent 2 amazing days exploring the park. We tried lots of rides, some we loved so much that we went on them on both days! We returned in 2025 when they were 9 and 12 years old and we still loved the theme park.

We also enjoyed the Ravelijn show which is being refreshed for 2026 so it’s a whole new show!

My kids had their photos taken with Pardoes the majestic jester, fairies and Princesses. They loved the rides and fairytale forest too. 

They really had 2 of the most magical days. They left both days tired but smiling and singing “happy birthday” (from the Efteling celebrations). We spent over 10 hours there on both days! We thankfully planned a quiet day in between which was needed! 

We covered most of the park over the 2 days so below I’ll share details of all the attractions as well as answer some frequently asked questions and share some top tips for your visit. 

Dark rides at Efteling 

Efteling makes the most magical dark rides and for us, it was one of the unique features of the park and very different to any ride we’d been on before. 

Dark rides are not scary, they’re not haunted houses or ghost trains that you might think of although there are a couple that aren’t suitable for little kids. 

Dark rides are indoor rides and the ones we loved are magical experiences. Efteling knows how to make intricate and magical worlds that enchant riders, young and old. 

You ride around a space filled with sets and animatronics with lots of detail and moving parts. There are lots of special effects too like wind, water spray and of course music and sound to really enhance the atmosphere. 

Our favourites are Droomvlucht, Symbolica and Carnival festival.

Droomvlucht – which translates as dreaming with your eyes open. 

On this ride, you are in seats connected to an electric system above your head. This means that the ride can and does, go uphill and then in a spiral down a beautiful fairy woodland. 

The ride isn’t very fast (but it does pick up speed as you spiral down around the fairy forest) so is fine for young children. The beautiful scenes throughout really do feel like a magical fairy dream world. 

Symbolica

This one takes you in a boat-like electric seat (2 rows of seats that fit 2 families of 4 in) through many magical scenes. 

There are 3 route options to choose from music, heroes or treasure trail. Some of each track/route is the same and some bits are unique. 

We loved the ballroom dance at the end that all routes join in with. We also loved the bit near the beginning where a whale breaks through the glass and we all got a little wet. 

We tried all 3 tours and found them all equally enchanting and fun. There is a lot of similarity between the 3 routes as they only differ very slightly in the middle so don’t worry too much about which to choose if you only have time for one. 

Carnival Festival

On this one, you sit on a train which takes you on a ride around the world. The colourful scenes depict different countries of the world. There are lots of details to spot including moving cute characters. 

We love the lively music and teaching the kids which countries there were. The London scene was particularly fun with the beefeaters having the traditional appearance on one side and frankenstein-like faces on the reverse. 

Fata Morgana

This ride is based on 1001 nights and you are in a boat on real water. Don’t worry you don’t get wet and the boats are on a track that automatically moved you through the ride. 

The theme is Arabian nights and you float through markets etc listening to lots of music and sound effects. The ride is a little scarier but only in the sound effects and some scenes like snakes etc. 

Efteling roller coasters

There are 6 different rollercoasters at Efteling. My girls don’t like rollercoasters so we did go on any but here are the details if your kids do. My husband tried a couple out and loved them. 

Vogel Rok

This is an indoor rollercoaster. It is a very fast and dark ride where you appear to be eaten by a snake. My husband tested this one out on his own and enjoyed the experience. It is based on a story from Sinbad’s second journey. 

Joris and the dragon

Again my husband rode this one on his own and enjoyed it. There are two options, a red (fire) and a blue (water) and the trains race each other around separate tracks with no inversions. This is a traditional fast wooden rollercoaster. 

Max & Moritz

This is a family rollercoaster for children over 1 meter in height.

De Vliegende Hollander

This is a water coaster and you will get wet! Riders must be 1.2 meters tall.

Baron 1898

This rollercoaster is only suitable from 1.32 meters tall. It includes a straight-down free fall of 37.5 meters!

Python

This is a steel rollercoaster with a double loop.

Other Efteling rides

There are loads more rides at Efteling. Some that stood out for us were:

Pagoda

In this ride, you slowly climb to 45m and the pagoda gently rotates so you get a really good view of the park and surrounding areas. You can even see the inland sand dunes. 

Steam train

This steam train runs around the park and there are two stations so you can use it to get from one side of the park to the other. It’s a lovely way to see the park too.

Fabula

This is a 4D film which has no words so don’t be put off by thinking you need to understand Dutch. It’s a short an sweet 4D film about a bear and a squirrel and the adventures they have. It’s perfect for all ages. My kids loved wearing the special glasses and they enjoyed the cute film.

Because of the 4D effects, it often feels like the creatures are coming out of the screen. There are also additional special effects like light water spray and the wooden benches that you sit on have seats that jolt up ever so slightly.

When you come out of the film, you are in a really cool indoor play area based on the film. There is a large slide made to look like you are in the artic, under the sea areas, safaric like areas and more. There’s a good mix of places to climb and crawl along with interactive features like touch screens and film projections.

There is also a cafe inside this area too.

Pirana – River rapids

This was the first ride we went on and we loved it. We did get very wet but as it was so hot we soon dried off. We’ve been on a few river rapid rides in the UK and this was better than them all. There are waterfalls and onlookers can use water shooters to wet you. 

Villa volta

This ride is more suitable for older children as it has effects that make you feel as though you are going upside down despite never actually doing so. My husband really enjoyed this one.

Tradition fairground rides

There is a whole area of traditional fairground rides like carousels to enjoy. There is also an indoor steam carousel that never had a big queue and is in our opinion the best fairground ride.

Play areas 

There are a few different play areas dotted around the park. Our favourites were Nest which is perhaps the newest play area and is well thought out and a really magical play area for kids. We also found a member of staff in this area when our youngest grazed her knee (a fairly common occurrence for her) who had an entire pocket full of different-sized plasters. There is also a first aid hut at Eftliong if you should need it.

Another play area my kids loved is Archipel Island which is a water play area. Don’t forget to pack a towel and swimwear on a hot day.

Fairytale forest 

This is a lovely area for all fairytale fans. It’s a bit of a maze to get through but it’s a beautiful large area with magical fairy tales character and mini buildings complete with animatronics around every corner. Use the paper map or app to find your way around this area and to make sure you see the installations in order so that you don’t miss any.

Each one has a storybook sign telling you which fairytale it is and a bit about the story. These do have English translations which are handy as we weren’t familiar with all the fairy tales. 

There are plenty of ones that we are familiar with in the UK like the little mermaid, little red riding Hood and the emperor’s new clothes. 

Many of these installations have sound (including spoken words in Dutch). We didn’t spend as long as some in a few of the 30 fairytales as without understanding Dutch, we didn’t appreciate the storytelling. 

Nether the less we spent a full hour walking through this area including the very short six Swans ride (less than a minute! but very little queue and a beautiful short ride) and watching the Indian water lilies dance. 

Shows at Efteling 

Raveleijn 

We really enjoyed this show which is in collaboration with Puy du Foy. It features knights on horses, falcons and a very large animatronic, three-headed monster. There are also special effects like fire and water.

The show is on regularly throughout the day with the times on the app and digital map boards around the park. The show lasts about 20 minutes and we loved it. One not to miss.

Find out more about Puy du Foy here – Puy du Fou Review.

Aquanura – Water fountain show

This has to be the perfect way to end your day at Efteling. The water show is huge and includes loads of water jets and fountains, lights and fire jets all within the large lake by the entrance. It’s the biggest water show in Europe!

The show lasts a full 12 minutes and when we visited it was on at a quarter past every hour from 7:15 until 10:15 pm. 

We caught the 8:15 pm show, the sun was still very bright so we couldn’t really see the coloured lights but the water and occasional blasts of fire set to music was an amazing way to finish our visit. 

The water jets shoot up at all sorts of different heights and it really is spectacular. There are 200 fountains and 900 lights! I can only imagine how magical it is in the dark.

Caro

We didn’t manage to see this show but I have heard great things about this 70 minute show on in the evenings. You do need to purchase extra tickets for the show.

You don’t need to speak Dutch to enjoy this show which is more acrobatics than the spoken word.

Find out more here * Caro

Efteling tickets

A day at a theme park is never going to be cheap but I’d say that Efteling tickets are reasonably priced. As of August 2025, ticket prices in the summer for adults and children over 4, around 47 euros. The price does vary depending on your chosen day. Parking is 15 euros

Book your tickets here – Efteling tickets

Food and drink at Efteling

There are lots of places to buy food and drink around the park. You’re never far from a place selling food and drink. 

We found the prices to be very reasonable considering but some places were more affordable than others. For example, a hot dog was approximately 5 euros and a cornetto 2.80 euros (August 2022). 

There are lots of Dutch treats available like mini pancakes, chimney cakes and Dutch pancakes. The mini pancakes are absolutely delicious and the service was really efficient at ‘y Pofferje. You order your food from your phone and pay as you place the order.

A few restaurants can be booked in advance including the pizza restaurant (Pinocchios) and the pancake House (Polles Keuken). We found they booked up at meal times days in advance so plan ahead. 

We loved the pancake House (Polles Keuken) with lots of incredible details in the restaurant theme including the large animatronic kitchen display that moves and plays music regularly.

We ate at Pinocchios restaurant and found the service very slow and the pizza bases were very odd. I definitely recommend the pancake House over the pizzas. We also found the service slow in the cafeteria (Het Witte Paard) and the main dishes weren’t to our taste (and my husband isn’t generally fussy). The kid’s pasta dishes here were very good though and they got given a musical toadstool with it which my girls love. 

You can also take your own food into the park and there are places to picnic. food and drink aren’t allowed on any of the rides or in the shows either.

How to get to Efteling 

We drove from our nearby campsite and found Efteling really easily as it was well signposted from the main roads.

The address is Europalaan 1, 5171 KW Kaatsheuvel, Netherlands.

Parking at Efteling 

There is plenty of parking at Efteling. It is currently 15 euros per day and can be booked online or a ticket purchased at the ticket office. 

The car park is huge but there are signs at the end of each row with a number and a fairytale image to help you remember where you parked. 

There are electric car charging points. 

What age is Efteling suitable for? 

I really believe there is something for all ages at Efteling. There are rollercoasters for older kids and play areas, the fairytale forest and smaller rides for younger kids. The shows are great for all ages. 

Does it matter that we don’t speak Dutch? 

Not at all. We found the staff spoke really good English and many signs were even translated into English (along with Dutch, German and French) 

We watch the Ravelijn show and although there was a bit of Dutch talking, we still got the point of the story. The majority of the show is about the skilled horse riders, storytelling through the actions and the giant robotic dragon! 

We soon learnt the Dutch for entrance (ingang) and exit (uitgang). 

Is there shade on hot days? 

We visited on a hot and sunny day but found plenty of shade within the park. A lot of the rides have shades over the main queuing area. 

In addition, the park is really beautifully landscaped with lots of planting creating shady areas. The park is 70 years old so there are plenty of mature trees. 

The fairytale forest is a particularly shady area to explore if you are seeking shade. 

How long do we need to explore Efteling? 

You can Cover the whole park on foot in a day but you couldn’t go on every ride. We really enjoyed having 2 days to fully explore all the rides we wanted to. We went on a few rides twice. 

If you do go for just one day, make sure you have a plan of which rides you really want to go on and prioritise these. 

Can you stay the night at Efteling? 

Yes, there is an Efteling hotel and they are currently building a second one due to open in 2024.

There are also 2 holiday villages to choose from if you prefer self-catering accommodation. 

Efteling Loonsche land – A holiday village set in nature but still walking distance to Efteling. There are self-catering properties and another hotel. Find out more here – Efteling Loonsche land

Efteling Bosrijk – Another holiday park set in nature, just 10 minutes walk from the park. Find out more here – Efteling Bosrijk

How long are the queues at Efteling? 

We visited at the beginning of August 2022 and 2025. Whilst it did seem very busy, we never queued for more than 45 minutes even on the most popular rides. More often though the queues were shorter than this. On our last visit there was a new feature on the app for a couple of the busy rides including Droomvluct where we joined a virtual queue and then enjoyed the surrounding areas until it was time to get on the ride. This worked really well.

The staff at Efteling are very efficient at getting you on and off rides which keeps ride times down. 

The Efteling app makes planning which rides to choose based on ride times easy. There are also digital map screens throughout the park telling you ride times. Do check the queue times as we found some varied massively throughout the day. 

Can you visit Efteling in winter?

Efteling is open all year round and there is always plenty of fun to be had. I imagine the fairytale forest will be beautiful with the autumn leaves. In the winter, Efteling is transformed into a winter wonderland and there are also bonfires, fireworks, twinkling lights, winter attractions and Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Find out more about Winter Eftleing here.

Efteling tips to make your visit amazing

• Take some snacks. There are plenty of places to buy food and it is delicious and reasonably priced. My kids though had a habit of deciding they were hungry whilst they are waiting in line for rides so it was useful to have some snacks for that. 
• Take water bottles especially if it is a hot day. There are drink water taps around that you can refill them in too. Of course, there are plenty of places where you can treat yourself to a coffee or delicious soft drink too. 
• Plan to arrive at 10 am and spend a full day there. There is so much to do you need at least 1 full day. The park is open from 10 am to 10 pm in the summer (check the app or website for your visit as opening and closing times vary). 
• Book your tickets and parking tickets online in advance. We found leaving the park at the end of the day a lot quicker than some theme parks. Because it closes at 10 pm, there isn’t one big rush for everyone to leave the park at the same time. 
• Download the Efteling app before you go (Find out more about the * app here). The app is fantastic and we used it all the time. There is a map to help you find your way around as well as showing you where each ride is and the current queue times. You can also see show times and find somewhere to eat (including pre-booking various restaurants).
• You might want to pack your power pack for your phone. I found between using the Efteling app and taking photos, my battery didn’t last a full day.
• You can pick up a paper map in English from the entrance building before you pass through the ticket gates. 
• Digital map boards are dotted around the park regularly and these are another great way to see how long the ride times are on each ride as well as helping you find your way around the park.
• Check ride times. They do change frequently throughout the day. For example, Symbolica was up to 45 minutes at one point, a couple of hours later, just 5 minutes (so we went on twice!).
• Hot day? Pack your children a towel and swimsuit and let them cool off in Archipel Island water play area. 

Find out more here Efteling website

Where to next?

No visit to the Netherlands is complete without seeing some windmills. Find out where you can see 19 at the UNESCO world heritage site Kinderdijk – Visiting Kinderdijk windmills

We loved Visiting Naturalis museum, Leiden with kids which is an award-winning natural history museum in the Netherlands.

Perhaps you’ll combine your trip to the Netherlands with a trip to Belgium? If so find loads of things to do in Brussels with kids here.

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