Can we have an Efteling appreciation thread?

[EarlofShrewsbury]

I nearly didn't start this thread as I don't want the secret to get out...

.. but I've just got home after my first visit and I'm sad about it. It's the most wonderful place and I'm trying to stretch out the joy that little bit longer.

Efteling. The most magical place on earth.

The best way I can describe it is... you know when you're a kid and theme parks have that lovely sense of wonder about them, but then you grow up and when you visit as an adult the facade drops and you see them for what they are?

Efteling is like going to a themepark as an adult but getting that nostalgic feeling like being a kid again.

Many, many years ago, when I was young and Mars Bars were 5p a throw, I used to compete at slalom on the water ride at Efteling. I loved it back then and would like to go again some day.

Is it any good with teens? Would my dc aged 13 and 15 like it? Thinking about October HT.

What terrified him ? Was it one particular area or character ? There was one huge genie my DD was sacred of in the fata Morgan ride but that was the only thing ? It's so vast with different araa and theming.

It's got a heart and soul and is run for itself not a commercial company like disney.

I went as a kid, it was magical 😊

We have been three times already and planning our 4th. Love the place especially Piranha and Droomvlucht :)

Eindhoven is 30 mins awayish by taxi. We have also done public transport but obviously with connections it takes longer.

Oops just realised this was started a year ago. Still stands though absolutely love the place and much better than disney. So much to do. First time we stayed in the waterside lodges, second time the hotel itself and third time a hotel down the road from it. Rented bikes etc. My youngest is 16 and we are all going again this year.

We went as a couple with no kids and we loved it! Spent two days there which felt like just enough time. We'd love to go back, our only gripe is how unaccessible it is from the airport. It's either spend a fortune on a taxi or waste two hours of your life hopping from bus to train to bus to train

We started going in 2017 and have been six times! We absolutely love it, we tend to go either the week before Christmas or October half term, we have found that in recent years it has been much busier, we feel sad that the secrets out, but also pleased for them!!

We haven’t got it booked for this year, but hope to go next year, dd has finished school now so can go in term time when it will hopefully be quieter (her college holidays tend to be longer/slightly different dates to the schools).

She was small when we started going and still adores it!

It's a magical place.
We've done Disney Florida multiple times and it's definitely up there with the magic. It's actually better in many ways.

I first went to Efteling back in 1971.

As a child I always had nightmares about wolves; not actual wolves but more the anthromorphic kind. We went to Efteling again last summer and when I saw the 6ft wolf trying the handle of the 7 little kids cottage I suddenly realised where the nightmares had come from 😁(picture is static but the actual model jiggles the door handle)

We went after the Dutch schools had gone back right at the end of August and I wasn't impressed to encounter multiple groups of (Dutch) kids on school trips. They'd only been back at school a week!

@allymccoist my 19 yo loves it.

We’re going for the fourth time this summer! We’re completely obsessed! Just love how chilled it is but there is so much to do. We’re staying in a woodland house at Bosrijk for the first time after previously staying in the secluded hotel at Bosrijk. I’ve promised my daughter we’ll stay in the Grand Hotel one day, we were there for its opening last year and that was magical!

I took my 14 and 16 year old last year and they both loved it and want to return. Also their app is amazing as we need gluten free food for 1 traveller and it not only tells you the places with gf food it also shows pictures of the food available so you don't have to go and check each one out on foot to see if they are serving what you want. Made the whole trip easier.

We've done Duinrell, which was a great holiday for all ages.

Then we did Beekse Bergen which honestly is the most mind blowing place, we stayed right on safari overlooking giraffes, rhinos... It was amazing. It's really close to Efteling so we did a day there.

There are a couple of really good center parcs close to Efteling, I think de Kempervennan is close by from memory. Center parcs in the Netherlands are amazing, much better than the UK ones in our view.

Efteling is good, I didn't love it as much as I thought I would but my kids were young so it was a slight slog.

Going to the Netherlands again this summer. Once you get the bug you can't stop!

Ooh I’m excited to see this thread as we’re going to the Netherlands in a few weeks, staying at a Euro Camp and I was wondering about a day trip.

Our kids are 12 and 14 so I’m happy to see that it looks like there are rides they will enjoy.

This has been on our list for years.
Dc is 13 so looks like we may have to try and make a last minute trip this summer.

For those with older teens I can throughly recommend Phantasialand in Cologne, Germany. Lots of great rollercoasters! A few great zones for younger kids too eith really pretty rides.

We went over the Christmas holidays and they had a winter festival on. Gorgeous light displays all around the park which was open until 9pm

Food was very good and reasonable. Not the usual theme park overpriced burgers and chips etc either.

Plus Cologne itself is a beautiful city
Some of the Christmas markets are still on until 6th Jan

We went to Efteling when DC were around 9-10 yo, stayed onsite for a night. We all absolutely loved everything about it, what a gorgeous and magical place, and vowed to come back for a longer stay.

So, we decided to book as a 'nearly end of primary' treat for Easter break... April 2020.

We never did go back and now DC are basically adults, too busy with their A-levels and grown-up things.

I still think wistfully about those couple of magical days.

@Pureclass

Phantasialand is brilliant.

Did you go on FLY?

Our GCs were too small for some of the rides, but we found plenty to do. I wish the eldest had been too small for FLY - I was absolutely terrified (but I'd do it again).

They also loved Efteling and we are definitely going back.