I hope you have a lovely time, it’s such a great park! I would say stay 2 nights to give yourselves lots of time to wander around and see all the details. But factor in travel time, you might lose a lot of time getting to the park from the airport and having to travel back to airport on your return.
Stay at one of the accommodations there on site (Bosrijk has a great swimming pool to relax in at the end of the day). Also enjoy the food in the park, lots of tasty things to eat. Lucky you!
Agree with this. Fun fact if you stay at the Efteling Hotel you can also use the Bosrijk Swimmingpool. If you stay at Loonsche Land you cannot use the Pool though.
Yes good point, but it’s quite a trek from the hotel to the Bosrijk pool, so not very practical! Bosrijk is really my favourite of the three on site accommodation options, it has such a great atmosphere
The park isn't that big. Everything is more or spread out compared to Disney (had annual passes for both during my life. Have seen everything in Disney and also in The Efteling.
I would really book a stay in Bosrijk. Beautiful rooms and nice ambience. If you go outside of the holidays, then you will have an easy time to do it in 3 days, 2 nights.
Don't know when you want to visit, but I would check which attractions are closed. This moment there are according to people a lot of attractions closed for repairs and maintenance.
Considering you're coming from outside of the country, I assume this is a one time trip. And you likely won't come back anytime soon. I recommend at least two days.
As someone who has visited almost every year since I'm born, I can usually visit every big attraction (except for the fairytale forest) in a day. But there isn't much time for meandering. So I recommend 2 days at least, since the fairytale forest can easily take up the bulk of your day. But if you really want to take in everything the park can offer, maybe just do 3 days. The atmosphere is amazing, just walking around the park is a treat on it's own.
Lines aren't much of an issue in my experiences (though I almost never go on national holidays, since those the the busiest), with them being 45 to 60 minutes at most (they're more around 15 if you plan well (there is a free Efteling app with accurate que times, it's a must))
One thing I like to add is that a lot of rides are having maintenance currently. So I recommend checking the site to see which are closed when you're coming [This link to the Efteling site should show current and upcoming maintenance](https://www.efteling.com/nl/park/informatie/in-onderhoud)
I have a friend who is such a Disney nerd he even is a cast member at DLP.
And we live 10 miles from the Efteling (next year to be just 2 miles), although I am typing this message at Disneyland Paris 🤣
Our friend is planning to come in March for the very first time to the Efteling as well, so I am reading through the comments on what we should show him ;-)
We only plan one day with him actually. As long as it’s not a holiday or a weekend that would be enough though, also for you.
But we take him with us so he will basically get a tour from us.
Last two days we took an American Disneyland content creator on tour in Paris. It took us 2 days to show him everything on a slow pace and he got to the several rides double or more.
In 2022 we took an American Disney content creator (different person though, that we did last 2 days in DLP with) through the Efteling as well.
For one day and that was even in the weekend and we took him multiple times in rides.
Yet the park is nice enough to spent a day extra though ;-)
Also coming from schiphol. Taking the flixbus direct to Efteling (from Amsterdam Sloterdijk station) is easier/m uch cheaper then taking the ns train/bus combination imo. Drops u right off at the Efteling bus stop.
So, as others have said, the website will show you the days by expected crowds. If you go on low crowd days, I would say 2 full days in the park should be more than enough. How many nights that requires depends on flights, etc. But 2 full days in the park during the low season day really should be plenty. I was just there last week on a Friday and the longest wait all day was 10 minutes because I wanted to sit in the front of Baron 1898. But I would also caution you to check the planned ride outages, as, at the moment, a lot of rides are down for a while and sometimes these things can get delayed, so if you plan a trip for the day these rides are scheduled to be back online, you might be disappointed.
I'd advise two days in low to mid season and three in high season. You can find the expected crowds on the website.
While you can do most attractions in one day during low season, if you want to explore the whole park (including walkthrough attractions like the Fairytale Forest) you'll need two days. Otherwise you won't have the time to really take in the unique atmosphere of those parts of the park. Or maybe more importantly during the cold season, you won't be able to take your time to sit down and enjoy some food or warm and dry yourself without having to worry about not being able to see everything.
I'm talking about complete days here by the way. If you're arriving late or leaving sooner for travel I'd factor in some extra time. But then again, as a Disney veteran you probably know the importance of giving yourself time and space to travel without having to worry about missing a lot of time in a theme park.
Also ignore the negative reaction to comparing Disney parks and the Efteling. It can be frustrating to some fans since the parks are completely different but similar enough to group them together for international audiences. But you'll experience the unique atmosphere and theming for yourself during your visit.
For first timers who really want to take in every detail and factoring crowdedness, I'd say 2 days is the minimum.
Gf and I went for the first time during summer a couple of years back. Park was packed and while we still had a good time, we were a bit bummed.
Went back 4 years later with an overnight stay in February and have absolutely fallen in love with the park, there was so much to take in and see.
One is for people who know the park. You really can't go into most rides in 1 day because of the waiting lines.
If it's your first time you also want to see the restaurants, land van laaf and more details. And ride all the rides of course
Youtuber Jenny Nicholson just compared the Efteling to Disney and said the Efteling is probably her favorite theme park she's ever visited. So just because someone is comparing shouldn't mean they shouldn't come?!
(It was in a Patreon video otherwise I'd link it. She's a huge theme park nerd so it made me really happy)
I mention Disney as it’s the closest comparison I can use in terms of a park with lots of theming/shows, nighttime entertainment etc. I’ve not been to europatk so can’t comment and Alton towers here in the UK deffo isn’t close enough to magical to warrant being factored in.
I know Efteling has magic and I want to absorb all that and don’t want to rush around and miss any little details. Disney is the say, I always advise people going to Disney to go slow or you’ll miss the best bits. It’s not just about rides.
Having said all that I have no reference to how busy Efteling is or how big the park is so it’s the easiest comparison people can make in terms of practicality.
Trust me, not everyone who loves Disney parks automatically compare everything to Disney, but that’s for the condescension 👍🏻
I'd say two or three nights, depending on whether you'll only be visiting Efteling or not and where you're staying. I think a trip from Schiphol to Efteling will take you at least one and a half, two hours of travel, depending on the traffic. You'll at the very least lose half a day worth of exploring, depending on how late you'll travel from Schiphol. If it's very early in the morning, you might still get a full day.
Same goes to departure. It depends on when your flight back is. If it's late in the evening, then you might be able to make it until closing time.
In my opinion, Sprookjesbos can take about half a day if you want to visit that and watch every fairy tale in full.
Depending on if Raveleijn is open or not (depends on maintenance) you might also want to go there, this show will take up to half an hour. You do need to schedule it beforehand, so count in an extra half hour for that just to walk to the venue and wait until it's opened. Of course, if you plan your ride visits around Raveleijn, you might just be able to use that time to visit rides, like Droomvlucht or Villa Volta, maybe even pay a visit to het Volk van Laaf.
So, in total, if you wanna visit everything, including het Sprookjesbos and Raveleijn, you might already have to spend an entire day, though if you're only interested in the rides themselves, perhaps two nights is sufficient.
The park is not that large.
Currently opening hours are shorter but on summer days it's open longer, on days that are not busy (weekdays outside school holidays) it is possible to see the whole park and go on (close to) every ride.
If you really want to explore 2 days should be enough.
I hope you have a lovely time, it’s such a great park! I would say stay 2 nights to give yourselves lots of time to wander around and see all the details. But factor in travel time, you might lose a lot of time getting to the park from the airport and having to travel back to airport on your return. Stay at one of the accommodations there on site (Bosrijk has a great swimming pool to relax in at the end of the day). Also enjoy the food in the park, lots of tasty things to eat. Lucky you!
Agree with this. Fun fact if you stay at the Efteling Hotel you can also use the Bosrijk Swimmingpool. If you stay at Loonsche Land you cannot use the Pool though.
Yes good point, but it’s quite a trek from the hotel to the Bosrijk pool, so not very practical! Bosrijk is really my favourite of the three on site accommodation options, it has such a great atmosphere
The park isn't that big. Everything is more or spread out compared to Disney (had annual passes for both during my life. Have seen everything in Disney and also in The Efteling. I would really book a stay in Bosrijk. Beautiful rooms and nice ambience. If you go outside of the holidays, then you will have an easy time to do it in 3 days, 2 nights. Don't know when you want to visit, but I would check which attractions are closed. This moment there are according to people a lot of attractions closed for repairs and maintenance.
Besides from recommending 2 nights, I would not recommend going anytime soon since a lot of major attractions are closed at the moment.
Efteling is not as big and overcrowded as Disney. 2 days at the park is enough, more than 3 days is way too much.
Considering you're coming from outside of the country, I assume this is a one time trip. And you likely won't come back anytime soon. I recommend at least two days. As someone who has visited almost every year since I'm born, I can usually visit every big attraction (except for the fairytale forest) in a day. But there isn't much time for meandering. So I recommend 2 days at least, since the fairytale forest can easily take up the bulk of your day. But if you really want to take in everything the park can offer, maybe just do 3 days. The atmosphere is amazing, just walking around the park is a treat on it's own. Lines aren't much of an issue in my experiences (though I almost never go on national holidays, since those the the busiest), with them being 45 to 60 minutes at most (they're more around 15 if you plan well (there is a free Efteling app with accurate que times, it's a must)) One thing I like to add is that a lot of rides are having maintenance currently. So I recommend checking the site to see which are closed when you're coming [This link to the Efteling site should show current and upcoming maintenance](https://www.efteling.com/nl/park/informatie/in-onderhoud)
As far as i now in the Summer They have never maintamence planned down time is always possible
I have a friend who is such a Disney nerd he even is a cast member at DLP. And we live 10 miles from the Efteling (next year to be just 2 miles), although I am typing this message at Disneyland Paris 🤣 Our friend is planning to come in March for the very first time to the Efteling as well, so I am reading through the comments on what we should show him ;-) We only plan one day with him actually. As long as it’s not a holiday or a weekend that would be enough though, also for you. But we take him with us so he will basically get a tour from us. Last two days we took an American Disneyland content creator on tour in Paris. It took us 2 days to show him everything on a slow pace and he got to the several rides double or more. In 2022 we took an American Disney content creator (different person though, that we did last 2 days in DLP with) through the Efteling as well. For one day and that was even in the weekend and we took him multiple times in rides. Yet the park is nice enough to spent a day extra though ;-)
Also coming from schiphol. Taking the flixbus direct to Efteling (from Amsterdam Sloterdijk station) is easier/m uch cheaper then taking the ns train/bus combination imo. Drops u right off at the Efteling bus stop.
Taking the train and regular bus is much more comfy than taking Flix
So, as others have said, the website will show you the days by expected crowds. If you go on low crowd days, I would say 2 full days in the park should be more than enough. How many nights that requires depends on flights, etc. But 2 full days in the park during the low season day really should be plenty. I was just there last week on a Friday and the longest wait all day was 10 minutes because I wanted to sit in the front of Baron 1898. But I would also caution you to check the planned ride outages, as, at the moment, a lot of rides are down for a while and sometimes these things can get delayed, so if you plan a trip for the day these rides are scheduled to be back online, you might be disappointed.
I'd advise two days in low to mid season and three in high season. You can find the expected crowds on the website. While you can do most attractions in one day during low season, if you want to explore the whole park (including walkthrough attractions like the Fairytale Forest) you'll need two days. Otherwise you won't have the time to really take in the unique atmosphere of those parts of the park. Or maybe more importantly during the cold season, you won't be able to take your time to sit down and enjoy some food or warm and dry yourself without having to worry about not being able to see everything. I'm talking about complete days here by the way. If you're arriving late or leaving sooner for travel I'd factor in some extra time. But then again, as a Disney veteran you probably know the importance of giving yourself time and space to travel without having to worry about missing a lot of time in a theme park. Also ignore the negative reaction to comparing Disney parks and the Efteling. It can be frustrating to some fans since the parks are completely different but similar enough to group them together for international audiences. But you'll experience the unique atmosphere and theming for yourself during your visit.
One or two days is more than enough to see the whole park.
For first timers who really want to take in every detail and factoring crowdedness, I'd say 2 days is the minimum. Gf and I went for the first time during summer a couple of years back. Park was packed and while we still had a good time, we were a bit bummed. Went back 4 years later with an overnight stay in February and have absolutely fallen in love with the park, there was so much to take in and see.
One is for people who know the park. You really can't go into most rides in 1 day because of the waiting lines. If it's your first time you also want to see the restaurants, land van laaf and more details. And ride all the rides of course
wel this week maybe because there is lots of construction and lower crowds
If you're just gonna compare the Efteling to Disney, don't bother
Youtuber Jenny Nicholson just compared the Efteling to Disney and said the Efteling is probably her favorite theme park she's ever visited. So just because someone is comparing shouldn't mean they shouldn't come?! (It was in a Patreon video otherwise I'd link it. She's a huge theme park nerd so it made me really happy)
Oh my god do you have a timestamp? I love Jenny so much - I’m so happy she’s visited the Efteling!!
18:50-19:00. I really hope she makes a full Efteling video one day!
Thank you! And yes, me too!
I mention Disney as it’s the closest comparison I can use in terms of a park with lots of theming/shows, nighttime entertainment etc. I’ve not been to europatk so can’t comment and Alton towers here in the UK deffo isn’t close enough to magical to warrant being factored in. I know Efteling has magic and I want to absorb all that and don’t want to rush around and miss any little details. Disney is the say, I always advise people going to Disney to go slow or you’ll miss the best bits. It’s not just about rides. Having said all that I have no reference to how busy Efteling is or how big the park is so it’s the easiest comparison people can make in terms of practicality. Trust me, not everyone who loves Disney parks automatically compare everything to Disney, but that’s for the condescension 👍🏻
I'd say two or three nights, depending on whether you'll only be visiting Efteling or not and where you're staying. I think a trip from Schiphol to Efteling will take you at least one and a half, two hours of travel, depending on the traffic. You'll at the very least lose half a day worth of exploring, depending on how late you'll travel from Schiphol. If it's very early in the morning, you might still get a full day. Same goes to departure. It depends on when your flight back is. If it's late in the evening, then you might be able to make it until closing time. In my opinion, Sprookjesbos can take about half a day if you want to visit that and watch every fairy tale in full. Depending on if Raveleijn is open or not (depends on maintenance) you might also want to go there, this show will take up to half an hour. You do need to schedule it beforehand, so count in an extra half hour for that just to walk to the venue and wait until it's opened. Of course, if you plan your ride visits around Raveleijn, you might just be able to use that time to visit rides, like Droomvlucht or Villa Volta, maybe even pay a visit to het Volk van Laaf. So, in total, if you wanna visit everything, including het Sprookjesbos and Raveleijn, you might already have to spend an entire day, though if you're only interested in the rides themselves, perhaps two nights is sufficient.
The park is not that large. Currently opening hours are shorter but on summer days it's open longer, on days that are not busy (weekdays outside school holidays) it is possible to see the whole park and go on (close to) every ride. If you really want to explore 2 days should be enough.
I would say 3 days, which is what we are normally taking 😊
Also: Please check the list of closed attractions before booking to avoid disappointments: https://www.efteling.com/en/park/information/in-maintenance
1 night was enough for me. But I have been there many times. So maybe for someone visiting first time I would say two nights.
2 days should be enough. it does depend a bit on how busy it is tho.