Efteling

As a Disney fanatic, I am often reluctant to visit any other theme park where I cannot wear giant mouse ears.

Efteling is a fantastic example of an excellent European Theme Park, brilliantly themed, close to the crossing, better value and an incredible day our for toddlers.

It is the largest theme park in the Netherlands and one of the oldest in Europe making it full of whimsical charm that visitors of all ages will love.

We have visited in both winter and summer. Although both were magical, I think there was a bit more entertainment around the park in the warmer months.

There are so many European theme parks I would like to visit. The fact that I returned to Efletling shows how good this theme park really is.

Efteling felt really good value and, unlike other theme parks we have visited, there were so many nice touches included which just helped you relax on the day.

For example, theme park ride photos were complimentary. A simple extra like this made such a difference to our day.

Though not free, for just 5 euros you can hire these wagons, for when your little ones get tired, which our daughter actually fell asleep in!

A handy tip is that if just one person in your party has their birthday a maximum of 6 guests can get highly discounted tickets in the month of their birthday, plus the first 15 days of the following month.

Another money saving perk is that only children 4 and over (usually it is 3 years in many other theme parks). Which is such a money saver if you have two toddlers.

Acommodation at Efteling with Toddlers

Efteling Bosrijk is a mix of simple hotel rooms and self-catering houses. This resort is also within walking distance to the theme park.

Similarly, Efteling Lonsche Land consists of a hotel and self-catering lodges within walking distance of the theme park. This option feels a little more rustic and natural than other accommodation options and there is a play area and farm animals for toddlers to enjoy.

We love Center Parcs so stay at Center Parcs De Kempervennen in Westerhoven, which is only about a 40-minute drive away. We have only ever spent one day in the theme park so this works better for us.

I also highly recommend Marvilla Parks – Kaatsheuvel for incredible toddler facilities and cheap self-catering accommodation just a short 10 minute drive away.

There is a Kaatsheuvel Eurocamp really close to Efteling but we have never stayed here.

It is also relatively close to Beekse Bergen, a highly recommended holiday park for toddlers.

Visiting Efteling with Toddlers

The entrance to Efteling really sets the precedent. With a huge overwhelming thatch roof, you just know the theming is going to be fantastic.

Both of our visits were with different groups of friend with older children. The good thing about Efteling is that there really is something for everyone.

Though I will be focusing on the toddler friendly attractions, as we were with friends, my husband and I were lucky to go on some of the bigger thrill rides so I have briefly summarised those below:

• Baron 1898: My husband got to ride this steel rollercoaster and although short it has an oblivion style drop.
• Python: A classic double-loop and corkscrew steel roller coaster.
• Joris en de Draak: This was my favourite ride I did without the kids as I just love a wooden rollercoaster. There is that extra added thrill element of will I survive this rickety track or not? It is double-tracked so two trains race each other. With a 1.10m height requirement this would also be great for adventurous older toddlers.
• De Vliegende Hollander: A combined dark ride and water coaster themed after a ghost ship.
• Vogel Rok: An indoor enclosed dark ride roller coaster set in the dark.
• Danse Macabre: This had just opened when we visited and it is really different to any ride I have done before. I don’t want to spoil anything and I actually don’t think I could describe it if I tried. It is really spooky so not suitable for sensitive children.

Though we didn’t need it as we were with friends, all of the above offer Baby Switch.

Trying to swap your baby for another is frowned upon; instead one parent queues whilst the other waits with the baby at the ride queue and once the parent exits they can then ride without queuing.

Rides for toddlers at Efteling

Max & Moritz: With a 0.9m height requirement, toddlers can access this family-friendly roller coaster. It consists of two tracks, green and blue, which apparently are different but they felt the same when I rode both! There are also a few interactive activities in the queue to keep little ones occupied.

For mote tips on queuing with toddlers click here.

Symbolica: Is my absolute favourite ride in all of Efteling. Annoyingly, it was the first ride we ever did so I was forever chasing that feeling throughout the rest of our trips. It is a trackless dark ride where you chose a track during the queue. Though they are similar, as there are three different tracks you can essentially ride this three times and have three different experiences. We managed to catch the queue low quite a few times, but if you choose to queue a bit longer for any ride, let this one be it.

Droomvlucht: As my second favourite ride, this is such a cute ride for toddlers and especially any that love fairies. It is an enchanting suspended dark ride through an imaginary forest filled with fairies and trolls. Though the queue for this can get quite long, I think it is worth waiting for.

Carnaval Festival: Is like it’s a Small World on crack cocaine. Carriages rather than boats, take you on a journey around the world with an equally annoying song.

Fata Morgana: Is a slow-moving boat dark ride through an Arabian Nights-themed forbidden city. It is nothing to write home about but worth a ride if there is a short queue.

Piraña: This water ride has no height requirement but children must be able to walk independently. The rapids were shut during both trips but presume it is a typical river rapid ride, knowing the Dutch I am sure there is a troll or two thrown in there.

Pagode: This ride dominates your view when you venture in to the theme park. It is a massive Thai observation temple tower that gives you fantastic panoramic park views. You cannot take prams on the ride so waddling toddlers near the railings can give you twitchy bum feeling.

Gondoletta: This is a peaceful cable-towed scenic boat ride alongside water gardens with plenty of ducks to entertain toddlers.

De Oude Tufferbaan: Is a cute little ride on an old fashioned steam cart around farm animal models. We went on this whilst everyone else rode Python.

Kinderspoor: We did not ride these self-pedal trains as the maximum age is 12 and my children were too young to pedal themselves.

Hooghmoed: Though we did not ride this, with a 0.9m height requirement older toddlers can enjoy this up and down drop ride.

Stoomcarrousel: Is an 1895 old-fashioned indoor steam carousel suitable for all.

Towards the back of the park, Efteling Square, is the original part of the park and gives that authentic fairground feel.

Here you will find plenty of play areas and original fairground attractions suitable for toddlers plus it is a really cute part of the park.

Vermolen Carousel is a typical carousel with horses and seats for toddlers or babies too small for the horses.

Anton Pieckplein are swinging chairs and although they are toddler friendly they are definitely not hangover friendly.

There is also a cute monorail where you can admire this area from the treetops.

Efteling Square also has plenty of play areas suitable for toddlers for some free play.

Other attractions for toddlers at Efteling.

The highlight of Efteling and perfect for any toddler is Sprookjesbos – The Fairytale Forest.

My toddlers loved exploring the different interactive themed areas.

Though I thought some areas were incredibly creepy and did affect my sleep that night, my toddlers were not phased at all.

Here you will find areas dedicated to Hansel and Gretel, The Wolf and the Seven Kids, Snow White, Little Red Riding and so much more.

It is much larger than I thought it would be, so on our return trip we scheduled a lot more time to walk through as we didn’t see everything previously.

Efteling Stoomtrein is a nice way to explore the park. It is a historical steam train that takes your around Efteling. You can take a pram on but it must be fully collapsed.

There are two stations so you can also use it as a way of resting those little legs and getting to the other side of the park.

Fabula is a cute 4D film, about woodland creatures, that our toddlers really enjoyed. Annoyingly, we had missed this on our first trip and was even more annoyed when we exited the ride to find a huge play area.

Diorama: Is an extremely intricate indoor miniature world. The detail is incredible but my toddlers were not interested in this at all.

Efteling Museum is where I believe all the curses of the Netherlands are held. I would avoid this for anyone that wants to keep hold of their children’s souls.

There are plenty of toddler-friendly play areas around Efteling including: Nest, Keluterhof and Kindervreugd. We used these a lot for free play and to wait for our friends when they rode the bigger thrill rides.

Entertainment for toddlers at Efteling

As we were only at the Theme Park for one day with didn’t manage to catch any of the shows at Efteling.

Though we did catch some street shows which, although in Dutch, my toddlers enjoyed.

There’s plenty of entertainment and characters around the park to enjoy and, as I said previously, we found more going on during Summer.

Make sure to download the app to check what is on the day of your visit.

There are also lots of interactive games and activities around the park that cost money to get coins and collectables. I didn’t even entertain this with my toddlers as didn’t want to remortgage our house.

Instead, we had lots of fun putting rubbish in the paper gobblers: trash cans that make noises for rubbish. Sounds ridiculous but my toddlers found them hilarious!

There is also a renowned water fountain show Aquanura. Unfortunately, we have never stayed long enough to watch this but it is meant to be brilliant.

I really recommend Efteling as a day out or mini European holiday for toddlers.

We have friends that go every Christmas and the ‘Sand Man’ visits accommodation, which I am unsure if that is exciting or terrifying, but they enjoy it.

I would wait until my toddlers are a bit older to stay on site and visit for more than one day but it is a great day out if you are staying nearby.

If you have any more questions about Efteling with toddlers feel free to contact me.