The Magic of Efteling
Today’s adventure takes us farther than we have ever been: a different country, a different language and by far the most unique and beautiful theme park we have ever had the privilege of experiencing. Join us for a day spent in Efteling, the most renowned theme park in the Netherlands!
As guests of the Efteling Hotel, we were able to enter the park 30 minutes before official park opening. We promptly made our way to one of the most popular attractions, Baron 1898. Baron has been hailed as the world’s best themed “dive coasters”, and we wholeheartedly agree. Baron and its surrounding are a sight to behold, and the show building houses a unique pre-show and dark ride scene before you drop straight into the misty mines below. If you have “littles” with you, or don’t feel like taking the dive yourself, be sure to fully explore the Baron area. You can enjoy the energy and ambience, grab a tasty treat, and listen for the “Wailing Women” as you watch miners take the plunge.
After a breathtaking ride on Baron, we headed further into the Ruigrijk area to ride Python, the first coaster ever built at Efteling. Python rides like a brand-new coaster, and that is because it kind of is a new coaster! Efteling invested so much in preserving this historic attraction that it got a whole new life with new track and new trains a few years ago. That investment has absolutely paid off, because it rides like a dream - and was a worthy international coaster credit for us to claim on this trip!
For lunch, we stopped in a one of Efteling’s many quick service locations, Kashba Restaurant. This eatery is a “grab and go” style market but we were blown away by the variety of food options and that everything looked (and tasted) so fresh. We helped ourselves to an diverse salad bar, fresh made smoothies, veggie “comfort” soup, and a saucijzenbroodje (a Dutch sausage pastry). If you are looking for healthier and more interesting theme park food, Efteling has absolutely got you covered!
Another coaster credit we were looking forward to from this park was Vogel Rok, an indoor coaster that rides mostly in the dark, reminiscent of the various Space Mountain attraction(s) at the Disney parks. This ride really surprised us with its smooth (but intense) layout and its killer onride soundtrack; not to mention, the impressive façade of a gigantic prehistoric bird, and one of the biggest animatronics we have ever seen!
Vogel Rok is an indoor roller coaster in the dark that quickly became one of our favorite - and most terrifying - coaster credits, as well as the first international coaster credit that we have ever claimed!
Our next destination was the Marerijk area, the home of the world-famous dark ride Droomvlucht (Dreamflight). This ride became an instant favorite for us with its gorgeous scenes, delightful scents, and dream-worthy onride soundtrack. Next, we faced the cursed Villa Volta, a Vekoma Madhouse with another knockout onride soundtrack. This one may not be suitable for guests with vertigo or motion sickness, and we certainly felt the effects of the “curse” by the time we were through. Worth it, though, for the music!
The better part of our afternoon was spent wandering through Efteling’s Sprookjesbos (Fairytale Forest). This area is home to some of the most unique and charming sights in the whole park, featuring larger than life animatronics, beautifully themed structures, and exquisite landscaping. Some fairytale scenes may be familiar, such as Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, and Pinocchio, but we were also delighted to learn new (to us) stories such as “The Six Servants”, “The Indian Waterlilies”, and “The Gardener and the Fakir.”
The end of Fairytale Forest adventure took us right to the entrance of Symbolica, another fantastic dark ride. Of course, being the huge fans of dark rides that we are, Symbolica also became one of our favorites. This trackless dark ride allows riders to “choose their own adventure” - or rather, tour - of the fantastical castle that houses this attraction. Of our many rides on Symbolica, we came to like the Hero Tour best, but every tour was a must-do experience on this trip. This ride also boasts a wonderful soundtrack and some of the most impressive dark ride scenes we have ever witnessed.
The mischievous Pardoes was our guide through the various tours of the ‘Symbolica’ dark ride at de Efteling, always looking for ways to inject a bit of fun and magic into our quick stops in each room and environment of the great castle halls!
After back-to-back rides on the dueling family coaster Max & Moritz, it was time to grab a quick bite to eat and find the perfect spot to watch Aquanura, Efteling’s evening fountain show. Now, what we failed to realize prior to booking this summertime trip was that sunset in the Netherlands in July does not occur until after 10:00PM. While the fountain show was impressive and beautiful, the colorful lighting package was a little harder to see. However, we still thoroughly enjoyed the water effects and listening to the park music that we heard throughout the park all day.
We tried our best to capture the wonder that is de Efteling, and our hope is that our experience inspires others to explore this absolute gem of Dutch ingenuity, creativity, and fantasy. Check out our Day 1 vlog for onride footage and a more in-depth review of our perfect day in ‘Dutch Disneyland’!
