Exciting Days Out At Efteling Theme Park

Last Updated on: 8th June 2022, 03:24 pm

If you do not know about Efteling theme park that is in the Netherlands, then I will give you a quick back story. Efteling started life 70 years ago this year as a small fairy tale forest and a playground for kids to play. These days it has dozens of rides for people of all ages, so there is something for everyone. We were gifted some tickets to Efteling theme park in exchange for an honest review.

We visited the park as a group of people of different ages to get different perspectives from everyone. Our group consisted of me (a grandma), 2 adults in their 20’s, Tilly a preteen, a little girl of 7, and two under 3’s. The under 3’s are free to get into the Efteling theme park.

Park opening times vary throughout the year, so please check the timings before you visit to make sure you have the best experience possible.

When You Arrive At Efteling Theme Park

You need to book your tickets online and pay for them. There is nowhere to buy them at the park. But in my opinion, this is better because there were no huge queues to get in. You just go through the entrance with your tickets. They are scanned and you are free to enjoy the park.

Even if you see crowds upon crowds of people at the entrance, it doesn’t mean the park is going to be overly busy. The Efteling theme park is so big, that after you enter, people go off in different directions. When we visited the park, there were a few rides and attractions closed for maintenance and updating. They should all be ready for the summer holidays though.

If you download and use the app, you can see queue ride times and work out which rides you want to do. This saves you a lot of time.

The Important Things Like Food!

When I go for a day out in the UK, I always pack a picnic to keep costs down. But at Efteling theme park there was food for every budget and family. If you want Italian then you can eat in Pinokkio’s pizza & pasta restaurant. If you are looking for an a la carte restaurant, then head to Panorama restaurant. But if you want to eat on the go as we did, then there are also snack bars and takeaways like Station De Oost. We chose to eat there and had fries and snacks, with a bottle of drink. The meal came to 7 Euros and was more than enough for lunch.

There are also sweet places to eat too. You will find ‘t Poffertje, a Dutch pancake restaurant. There is also ‘t Melkhuysje, where you will find Churros and milkshakes. There are plenty of places to buy candy floss and ice cream too.

If you are thinking about visiting soon, you are allowed to take your own food and drink to the park, but it is easier just to buy them there.

The Rollercoasters At Efteling Theme Park

There are 6 rollercoasters at Efteling theme park.

• De Vliegende Hollander – This is a watercoaster, so you will certainly get wet.
• Python – A steel rollercoaster, it is not the original one that was built in 1982. It was rebuilt a few years ago.
• Max And Moritz – A family rollercoaster for kids over 1m high.
• Joris En De Draak – A wooden rollercoaster where you get to battle a dragon
• Baron 1898 – The newest roller coaster in the park. This is a dive rollercoaster, are you brave enough?
• The Vogelrok – This is an indoor rollercoaster, built with the Sinbad theme

The rollercoasters are the busiest rides in the park. So try to do them as soon as the park opens, then the queues are smaller and you should get to go on them a few times then. Make the most of single rider lanes, especially if you are going on your own. Sitting next to a stranger for a couple of minutes isn’t going to be too bad. The rollercoaster also has a baby swap. So if you are with small kids for the day you don’t need to queue twice. One parent goes on the ride, whilst the other parent watches the kids. Then when the ride is finished, you get to swap.

Our Favourite Relaxing Rides At Efteling Theme Park

Stoomtrein

Efteling theme park can be a very long day, so you might need to take some time out and relax. This can easily be done, whilst going around the park too. Firstly you have Stoomtrein, which is the steam train. You can get on and off at one of the two stops around the park. There is Station De Oost, right at the other end of the park. And there is also Station Marerijk, near the park entrance. The steam train is popular and takes about 25 minutes to get around the whole park. But you get to see parts of the park, that you might have missed already.

It is great for kids to rest their tired legs and for parents to relax for a few minutes. There are no chains or doors to close on the train, so you do need to supervise your kids the whole time.

The Gondeletta

The Gondeletta is a boat that goes around the lake. Don’t worry, you do not have to row or pedal the boat. It is on a track that you follow, so you can relax and enjoy the scenery. The lake is full of ducks to get the little ones excited and there is so much lush greenery.

Each Gondeletta is covered so you can use it in all weathers. They only hold 6 people, so as we were a group of 7, we had to go separately. The ride takes 20 – 25 minutes, so you get time to relax and take everything in. There are cameras around the lake, so the staff can make sure that everyone is safe at all times. And if you stand up or rock the boat, you get told off over the tannoy (quite rightly too).

You do need to get on and off the Gondeletta whilst it is moving. So if you are taking small children on the ride, please remember this. You also need to duck to get on and off the Gondeletta, otherwise, you will bump your head.

Visitors With Disabilities

If you are visiting with someone who has a disability, Efteling theme park is equipped to make their day special too. You can apply for a facility pass to make your trip easier, this is for people with mobility problems and hearing/speaking.

There are free wheelchairs for a disabled person to use at the park, but it is advisable to book at least 1 day before your visit. You can also hire an electric wheelchair for a small cost for the day. Most of the rides are accessible for people with disabilities and there are special entrances for them to use.

What Did We Think Of Efteling Theme Park?

Absolutely loved it! There was no running around rushing from one ride to another, it is the calmest theme park that I have ever been to. The food is a big win for me because when you take a family out it can get expensive. So having affordable food, means one less thing to worry about.

The park is huge, so there is plenty of room for everyone to enjoy themselves. The queues were well organised and the staff were very patient when a stubborn 2-year-old granddaughter, refused to get off the ride. They eventually coaxed her off with a driving license.

There is so much to do and to make the most of the park, you really need to stay at one of the hotels. Or even stay privately somewhere local. If you are going to go more than once or twice, it’s worth looking at getting an annual pass to save money.

Would we go again and pay 45 Euros to get in? Yes for sure. There was a variety of things to do and see for everyone. But I think we would probably book to stay there next time.