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Over in the Netherlands, you can find Efteling. It’s the 2nd most visited theme park in Europe
after Disneyland Paris. Efteling opened in 1952 as a fairy tale nature park,
and today it’s evolved into a fantasy theme park sprawling over 180 acres. The park is beautiful
and it has so much charm. All the rides and attractions bring many different fairy tales,
folklore, ancient myths & legends to life. There’s everything in this park from slow-moving
dark rides to water rides, thrilling roller coasters, walk-through experiences and so
much more! Even the trash cans are themed. This is a nursery rhythm character named Hollebolle
Gijs who was hungry all the time and couldn’t stop eating, and here he eats your garbage.
The park is just so unique, it has impeccable theming and is filled with so much whimsical
fun. There is so much to do and see and I loved every second of my time there. So
today let’s my explore my list of the Top 10 Best Rides & Attractions at Efteling.
Number 10 When it comes
to a park like Efteling, there are so many unique experiences you won’t find anywhere
else. One that I wouldn’t miss out on is Volk Van Laaf. It’s this small village named Lavenlaar,
inhabited by the Laaf people. These are them. They’re interesting looking but they
have this European charm, don’t you think? As you explore the Village you’ll get to
see them going about their daily business. Now there are two ways to see everything;
either by foot or with the monorail. The monorail ride takes about 5 minutes to go around the entire
circuit and it does give you a nice bird eye view of the village. I mean talk about immersive
theming. It’s a good way to scope out areas you’d wanna explore by foot. When you’re on the ground,
you are able to see a lot more of the Laaf people. There’s everything in here from a schoolhouse,
to a bakery and even this factory where it looks like they’re making some sort of juice or potion,
or something. There so much detail is put into everything so do not miss out on Volk Van Laaf!
Number 9 The next ride on the
list is gonna take us into this beautiful Moroccan Palace. When you enter the courtyard you might be
greeted by a giant Jinn puppet. It is massive & the performers are entertaining but as you make
your way to the back of the courtyard, you’ll find Fata Morgana. It’s a water-based dark ride
themed to the tales of 1001 Arabian Nights and it is truly magical. Once you board your boat,
you’ll enter a lush Jungle before your encounter with a wizard. With the snap of his wand, he
magically transports you into a forbidden Arabian city. With these detailed and immersive sets,
everything comes to life with the help of, 140 animatronic figures, a catchy soundtrack, and
different scents in each scene. It smelt fantastic in here. Now since Fata Morgana opened in 1986,
some of the animatronics are a bit janky but the ride has a certain charm to it.
It was sort of nostalgic in a way even though I had never been on this ride before. It was a
really bizarre feeling but I loved the ride. The great thing about this ride
system is that everything is timed, so it’s always just your boat in the scene. It made
the ride feel very intimate and immersive. With a ride time of just over 7 minutes,
Fata Morgana is the perfect way to explore the tales of 1001 Arabian nights.
Number 8 Just across the way from Fata Morgana, you’ll
find Max and Moritz. This powered family coaster opened in 2020 and it’s currently the newest ride
at Efteling. It’s based on the German tale of Max and Moritz who are these two mischievous little
pranksters. The theming is super quirky but before you get to the load station, you need to decide if
you wanna do the Max or Moritz track. Once you get to the Cuuclock workshop, you’ll see Max
and Moritz are up to no good. Once you leave the station, an onboard soundtrack sets the tone for
the ride. It honestly makes this whole experience just that much better. It’s a catchy little tune.
Both tracks feature a series of twists and turns but it's nothing too wild;
that’s until the train passes through the station again,
increasing momentum and reaching a top speed of 36 km or 22 miles per hour. The tempo of
the music also changes which makes it feel just that much faster but really it’s not
that intense at all. I personally liked the Max side a bit better but both are a lot of fun,
so I definitely recommend trying each of them if you can. With a ride time of about 1 minute
and 20 seconds, Max & Moritz is the perfect coaster introduction for the younger ones.
Number 7 Standing 26 feet tall,
it’s hard to miss the giant Roc bird which is home to Vogel Rock. The ride opened in 1998
and it’s a fully enclosed indoor steel roller coaster manufactured by Vekoma. Vogel Rock is
actually based on the 2nd Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor. In the story, he encounters a giant rock
bird, and then ties himself to the bird's leg. Now once you’re seated in the train,
the ride allows us to experience Sinbad’s flight on the bird. Apparently, it was a night flight so
expect a very dark but very fun coaster. Reaching speeds of up to 65km or 40mph, get ready for an
exhilarating 2 minutes full of twists, turns & helix through the dark. It feels a lot faster
than what it is. The track layout is pretty tame but the onboard soundtrack adds that extra layer
of excitement to the ride. If you’re looking for a bit more thrill, then I’d suggest doing the back
since it did feel more intense. The line was never really that long either, especially near
the end of the day, so it's possible to get a couple of rides in on Vogel Rock.
Number 6 Saint Nicholas Square is home to one of the
most unique and charming dark rides at Efteling. Droomvlucht, otherwise known in English as Dream
Flight, is a suspended dark ride that opened in 1993. It’s truly a magical 6-minute dream flight
filled with pure zen and wonderment. You start by passing through the castle realm. Here 4 beautiful
castles move in such a way that foreshadows the magic that’s in store. Before you know it, you’re
taken right out of reality and placed in the Wondrous Forest. Here you’ll find many different
fantasy creatures like ferries, trolls, elves, talking trees and so much more. The level of
detail is remarkable and it continues on into the other scenes. I mean the ride is a fever dream but
in the best possible way. Now as you slowly make your way around the track, you’ll also smell the
environment and that’s one of the great things about Efteling. Almost all the major rides use
smells to further enhance the experience. Now the most unexpected part of the ride is the final
42-foot spiral free fall through the forest. It’s not overly fast but you’ll reach speeds
up to 20km or 12 miles per hour. A troll swings from a vine, there’s rain, more trolls a pond,
detailed sets. I mean there’s everything here. You cannot miss Do not miss this ride.
Number 5 The next ride
on the list is Joris en de Draak, which is a GCI wooden racing coaster. It opened in 2010 and it's
honestly one of the smoothest wooden coasters I’ve been on so far. Now the ride is inspired
by the tale of Saint George and the Dragon. The dragon can be seen while you’re on the ride but
you get a better view of the animatronic from the ground. Now the two tracks you can choose
from are Water and Fire. They both start off the same but they are not identical mirrored layouts,
making this more of a dueling coaster. Each of them offers good pacing and some really
nice moments of airtime. As it whips you around the corners you’ll reach speeds of up to 75km or
46 miles per hour. It’s nonstop speed for the entire 2-minute ride. It’s a lot of fun. The
interaction between the two tracks also adds a lot of excitement, especially when you come back
together for the final run to the finish line. I also love the thematic elements on this coaster.
It’s nothing other the top, but its enough to set the tone. Like when the winning train comes
back into the station, it lowers the banners to celebrate the win and there’s music! These small
thematic details really take this coaster to the next level. I think I enjoyed the fire track a
bit more but definitely make time to experience both sides to see which one you like better!
Number 4 Just across from Joris en de Draak,
you’ll find De Vliegende Hollander. In English, it translates to the Flying Dutchman and this is
a water coaster and dark ride hybrid that opened in 2007. Now the story is based on the tale of
the Flying Dutchman which was a ghost ship in the 17th century. Once you enter the interior queue,
you’ll find yourself in Captain’s house. It's all really detailed and it’s such an immersive queue
but just be aware that if you use the single rider line, you’ll miss all of this. Now the loading
area is themed to the Harbour at night, giving these Pirate of the Caribbean vibes. It turns
out the captain was actually practicing piracy so it makes sense. Now the ride begins as a classic
dark ride placing you in a storm on sea before making your way to the Flying Dutchman Ghost ship.
Once you dive under the bow and ascend up the lift hill to the top, the doors open
and you plunge down the 72-foot drop reaching speeds of up to 69km or 43 miles per hour.
The coaster section is extremely smooth and there are a couple small moments of airtime. Before you
know it you’ll be speeding around the bend, and making your big splashdown in the lake.
Now when I rode the Splash never got you wet but I feel like it depends on the temperature that
day. This day was kind of cool this day. With a ride time of about 3 minutes and 45 seconds,
De Vilegende Hollander is filled with everything you could ask for in a thrill ride.
Number 3 Over in the center of the park,
you can find Symbolica. This trackless dark ride opened in 2017 and it’s definitely the
best dark ride at Efteling. Once you enter the pre-show Pardoes, the park’s mascot,
interrupts the footman and casts a spell to take you on a magical tour of the palace. Now once
you’re seated in your ride vehicle, you’ll explore the many rooms beginning in the Observatory.
Illumina Fantasia
One of my favorite rooms was stopping here
in the botanical gardens. The level of detail is fantastic.
Now a unique aspect of Symbolica is that at the beginning of the ride,
there are 3 different paths you can choose. There’s the Music Tour, Treasure Tour & Hero Tour,
and depending on which tour you’ve chosen, your journey through Fantasy Depot is unique.
There are 3 different rooms and paths, giving you 3 completely different ride experiences.
Illumina Fantasia
It really makes Symbolica another great one for re-rideability. Now there is a single rider line
and although you do get to watch the pre-show, you can’t choose which tour you wanna take. So
just keep that in mind. The great thing about this ride though is that no matter which tour
you get it’s incredibly immersive. Unlike other dark rides at Disney where you look up
and there’s scaffolding and lighting, here on Symbolica even the ceiling is themed. They’ve
really taken the details to new heights. It's a fully immersive experience in the palace.
With a ride of 7 minutes, Symbolica is a really fun modern dark ride that you won’t wanna miss!
Number 2 Not too far from Symbolica,
you’ll find the B&M dive coaster, Baron 1898. The ride opened in 2015 and although the coaster
is a pretty standard dive coaster, the theming takes this ride to the next level. Now before
you enter the first pre-show, you’ll be given a ticket with your group and row number so be
sure to hang onto this until you board. Now the experience begins here where Baron invites us to
his mine only to discover the gold is being protected by the spirits of the Wise Women.
Now as you continue your visit, Baron sees you on your way but things just still aren’t quite right.
Once you board the train, you’re taken into the boiler room where the spirits of the Wise women
appear again. They warn us they’ll sabotage the descent into the mine. That doesn’t stop
the train from moving forward though and it proceeds to make it up the 98-foot lift hill.
The anticipation builds as you get closer and closer to the top. Here you’ll crest the edge,
stalling for 3 seconds before plunging down the 131-foot drop. As you fly into the tunnel,
be prepared to reach speeds of up to 90km or 56 miles per hour as you’re propelled
into an immelamn loop. That’s immediately followed by a zero-g roll into a helix.
You’ll definitely feel the wind in your hair. With a total ride time of 2 minutes,
Baron 1898 is an exhilarating coaster and you’ll wanna ride this one over and over again!
Number 1 Sprookjesbos,
otherwise known as the Fairytale Forest, is the heart and soul of Efteling. When the park opened
in 1952, there was only the Fairy Tale Forest. It began with 10 Fairytales and over the years
it has grown to feature 30 different stories which cover 15 acres today. Now in North America we’re
used to Disney’s Happily Ever After take on European fairytales but many of the original
stories are actually dark. This not-so-happy tone is reflected in these mini attractions at
Efteling. It’s so unique to the European culture. You’ll find many well-known stories like Sleeping
Beauty, Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin & Hansel & Gretel. To bring these 30 fairytales to life,
there are dozens of animatronic figures, immersive physical sets,
and even special effects like Pepper's ghost effect. The newest story is the Six Swans which
made its debut in 2019. Here they use this mini swan ride. It takes you inside to tell the story
of six brothers who are enchanted as Swans and their sister has to knit sweaters to free them.
Pinocchio is another newer fairytale which was added in 2014. They’ve staged a couple different
scenes but just make sure you stick around long enough to see everything happen. It’s
all continuous but sometimes you need to wait a minute or two. Some of my other favourite
fairytales were Donkey Lift Your Tail where it shoots a gold coin out of its behind…mmhmm
that’s right. The Indian Water Lillians which had this little quirky animatronic show,
The Emperor's New Clothes & The Little Match Girl. The production quality of this one was
top-notch. Now everything is spoken in Dutch. So as you approach each of the fairy tales,
you’ll find this Storybook that tells you the story in English,
Dutch, French & German. It gives you a better understanding of what’s going on. My advice
would be to follow the main path and give yourself a good 2 and a half to 3 hours to explore it all;
trust me you’ll need the time because there are many surprises around every corner.
So have you ever been to Efteling? What are your thoughts on this European theme
park? I’d love to know! Leave a comment down below to start a conversation and
don’t forget to hit that like button if you enjoy the video.