When we say nobody ever heard of the park, this is of course not true. It´s a big park and a lot of people know about it, but not in Sweden were everybody instead is talking about the "big park outside of Paris".
The oldest part of the park is a fairytale forest where you walk around and explore. You will encounter Snow white and Little Red Riding Hood, but also stories like Long neck and The talking parrot. Some of the stories we know well and some are new to us not from Holland, but that doesn't really matter.
A big attraction for every visitor is of course the talking paper gobblers! They are located all over the park and will ask you to please put the paper here. This is an perfect example of how they make a boring task exciting, of course you won´t see any trash close by :-)
Second of, spending a night at the Efteling hotel is an adventure in it self. (We have not slept in the other locations close to the park and can't really say anything about them) The hotel looks a little bonkers and contains a few things to explore once inside! You might have an extra guest in your room, or something might be forgotten in a cupboard...
Of course the park in super child friendly and that goes from toddlers to older children. Well this is of course no surprise, but the even go the the extent of having something called baby switch several at attractions. If you are two adults with one small child that can't go on the attraction, only one adult needs to stay in line and wait. This is super amazing for those who can't bring grandma!
Efteling is one of Europas biggest amusement parks and it opened 1952 in Kaatsheuvel a city in the middle of Holland. It´s about 1 h 15 mins drive from Amsterdam and the park is open all year around! You pay an entrance fee and the go wild in the park, all the attractions are included!
This park is big and consists of a few different parts, we highly recommend you stay the night and do the park in a least 2 days. This is not only so you don´t need to rush, but you will get a really cool experience in the hotel as well! And this park has something for everybody, don´t only bring the kids, bring grandma and grandpa!
The oldest part of the park is a fairytale forest where you walk around and explore. You will encounter Snow white and Little Red Riding Hood, but also stories like Long neck and The talking parrot. Some of the stories we know well and some are new to us not from Holland, but that doesn't really matter.
In some places the characters will move and even talk to you or react to something that you do, very exciting even for grown ups! Again, make sure you have a lot of time, especially when accompanied by kids!
In the late seventies and early eighties the park started adding attractions as the scary Haunted house, the thrilling roller coaster Python! (a personal favorite) or the slow ride on the Gondoletta boat-ride!
From then on the park has expanded the attractions, restaurants, added shows, a hotel and a golf corse. And the park continue to grow and renew it selfe, every visit is a little bit different!
A big attraction for every visitor is of course the talking paper gobblers! They are located all over the park and will ask you to please put the paper here. This is an perfect example of how they make a boring task exciting, of course you won´t see any trash close by :-)
Why should you stay the night as we recommended in the beginning? Well, first of you get early admission to the park, adding extra valuable time to spend before queues to the attractions get to long!
Second of, spending a night at the Efteling hotel is an adventure in it self. (We have not slept in the other locations close to the park and can't really say anything about them) The hotel looks a little bonkers and contains a few things to explore once inside! You might have an extra guest in your room, or something might be forgotten in a cupboard... 
Of course the park in super child friendly and that goes from toddlers to older children. Well this is of course no surprise, but the even go the the extent of having something called baby switch several at attractions. If you are two adults with one small child that can't go on the attraction, only one adult needs to stay in line and wait. This is super amazing for those who can't bring grandma!
On one of our visits, one in our group had injured her knee and needed crutches and a wheelchair to get around. As we flew in from abroad we borrowed a wheelchair free as charge from the park. Don't forget to book in advanced. Getting around in the park is really easy and staff is helpful. If you need extra assistance to go on rides, most of them have a wheelchair access entrance and you can bring 3 people with you. You might have an other kind of disability and the staff will help with that as well, but don't forget to read up on how you should prepare before go there because you will need a special declaration.
And what about food? The list of restaurants is long and you can choose from a light snack, a buffet or a sit down place. Pick and choose, but a final tip is you can´t go to Holland and not have Poffertjes!
All the pictures in this post is collected from Eftelings image library!
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