Efteling Review | Amazing Fairytale Theme Park in Kaatsheuvel, Netherlands

Efteling is the largest theme park in the Netherlands, featuring a classic fairytale theme, over 30 rides, and multiple roller coasters. Here you'll find everything from elaborate dark rides, classic shows, brilliant theming, and an incredibly charming atmosphere.

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Production, Filming, & Editing: Taylor Bybee and Sarah Anderson
Logo: Kristopher Werner
Intro: Casey Rentmeester

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[toby]

Efteling's unique selling point is nostalgia. Your parents and grandparents went there when they were kids. You'll actually find elements from the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's when you visit.

[DaanBruins]

'Carnaval Festival is like It's a Small World, but without the annoying song' The song of Carnaval Festival is iconic and famous for being annoying and getting stuck in your head. Out of the 18 million people in the Netherlands, I guarantee you that 99% of them hate that song.

[StamfordBridge]

Taylor, this makes me happy to hear. Everyone’s welcome to their opinions, but Efteling is SO charming and your original review always left me rather sad. So glad you’ve had a chance to get back and see its charms!

Now maybe in five years you’ll get back to Bakken and notice its charms, too! 😂

[wplays]

I’m so happy whenever I see people from outside of the Netherlands talk about the Efteling. It’s such a fantastic park, that is not talked about enough.

I’ve been to many world class parks (Disneyland/world Paris and Orlando and Universal Orlando). But none have the vibe the Efteling has. Yeah, it might not have a lot of thrills. But that’s not what the Efteling is going for.
Thrills can be found at Walibi, or smaller parks around the Netherlands. But what the Efteling offers is one of a kind.

[jarodemoor]

What almost very person loves about the Efteling is the nostalgia it brings if you go more than twice, the atmosphere is memorising. I also really love the lines of the rides because they are so immersive and are an attraction on its own! I am really proud to be a Netherlander for this one!

[The_Potionist]

Honestly the way you complimented every detail in Efteling is amazing! I think you have seen all the things that makes us Dutchies proud of this park. Good job!

[FWDijk]

Vogelrok is the one I could not get enough of in 1998. Python was my first real rollercoaster. Thank you for the review.

[Unown_]

''Carnaval festival is like a small world but without the anoying song.'' All Dutch people can relate to having that live in your head rent free

[SjaakDeTovercavia]

It's always such a pleasure to hear about the experiences of foreign visitors at this piece of Dutch culture. Also a nice surprise to spot myself at 4:14 working at Carnaval Festival, haha!

[smurvje]

Fun fact about the Gondoletta boat ride shown on 7:08. It was actually built as a test of the ride system for the Fata Morgana darkride. It started out in the open, but in a later stage part of the ride would have been built over for the indoor scenes. Plans however changed and Fata Morgana was redesigned to its current form and location. One of the reasons was that the Gondoletta's quickly became quite popular, especially among elder visitors, for just being the relaxed slow boat ride that they are.
When I was (a lot) younger we visited Efteling once per year with our family. We used to eat our lunch in the boats. Which, in hindsight, was a brilliant idea of my parents. 20 minutes of peace and quiet and not haveing to watch 4 kids who always wanted to go in 4 different directions!

[macmartin]

I've been to the Efteling, and I think what it doesn't need is more coasters, because there are already so many parks that offer all kinds of rollercoasters that would really not fit with Efteling, not only does it take up space, destroy the view of the forest area and make a lot of noise. It's because Efteling is mainly a themed family park for all ages, coasters are mostly for teenagers and adults, I like that Efteling has a magical forest and focuses on every detail, almost every attraction has lore behind it and is carefully crafted. This is what makes Efteling unique and special. And if it keeps making attractions this way, it will keep it's legacy that Anton Pieck and Peter Reijnders (the founders of Efteling) left behind.

[Mechanical_Insanity]

I love that you translated the names very well. And your pronunciation of Spookslot was spot on. Spookslot translated is Ghost castle. Better is Haunted castle. Joris en de draak in English is George and the dragon. I love the Efteling, me and my friends visit it twice a year one time in summer and one time in winter, because the park is beautiful and charming in all seasons. And I have been coming there almost every year since i was a toddler.

[finchvink]

As a Dutch person (you probably hear this a lot, as Dutch people love mentioning that they're Dutch...) I'm always happy to see people praise the Efteling because it's so dear to me. Even as I've become an adrenaline junkie in terms of coasters, I will always choose Efteling above other parks here because the aesthetic is so on point! I still discover new things every time I go.

Last time I went on Bob was a few months before it got removed. Me and my then-boyfriend got stuck on it on top of a lift hill. It's a fun memory at least, the staff was so nice about it! Honestly, it's a rite of passage for all my foreign friends, they NEED an Efteling trip. And a crappy hotel or B&B nearby because I'm cheap and also cannot drive. So far all of them loved it though! AS THEY SHOULD.

Loved this video, glad you gave the park another chance!

[zahra]

I like how the efteling also uses dutch folklore in their attractions. Like the baron 1898 and the flying dutchman are inspired by the urban legend of the 'witte wieven', which are old lady ghosts that would drag people down into the moors. Or the villa volta which is based on a band of robbers that roamed around in the southern Dutch hills.

[arnoldbreuer]

Amazing how someone's opinion can change with a second visit. And afcourse many reactions of dutch viewers. The park is an experience wich many (grand)parents want to pass on. They see there children have the joy they experienced in the early days. And that's what makes it family friendly. Everyone who grew up with this experience goes back to their childhood.
Great job of squeezing this much in such a short review. (and the park map is confusing for us also, they rotated it 90' degrees since the new entrance.)

[HorridCrow]

Obviously biased as a Dutch person, but this is my favourite park in the world and I've been to many. Always feels like coming home. Python was my first 'real' rollercoaster back in the nineties.

[phantafan]

It's so true that it's a park for the whole family, because even people that don't like rides at all can enjoy it greatly. It's my mother's favorite theme park simply for that reason. While me and my older siblings enjoyed the more thrilling coasters, my mother liked to go through the fairy tale forest with my younger brother and both groups had a great time. Then there are all these mild dark and boat rides that we could all ride together.
It's not the park I'd need to revisit the most, but it was the park that provided the most complete experience for my family. I really appreciate that.

[theawesomegeneral]

Love the review. Hearing you call the station of de vliegende Hollander a pirate town instead of your average Dutch town is funny as the legend is often associated with pirates

[avasd]

Although I haven't been to that many theme parks here in the Netherlands, this really is my favorite park. I've always been excited to go and even more so now with the addition of several roller coasters in the past 10 plus years or so.

[michelbanen]

I've been to theme parks around the world but Efteling is by far my far my favourite. The nostalgia is legendary there, it still makes the same impression on me that I had there when I was 5 while now I'm 50. They renew and touch up old things in the park without destroying the soul of it.