Efteling

Efteling opened in 1952 around a Fairy Tale Forest designed by the illustrator Anton Pieck, and it grew into the largest theme park in the Netherlands while keeping a character quite unlike the American parks: dense woodland, hand-drawn romanticism, and an atmosphere that leans on storytelling rather than branded characters. The old forest is still there, with its animated tableaux of Sleeping Beauty, the talking Sprookjesboom and the Long-Necked Wonder, and it is where Dutch children's memories live. Around it the park added serious rides, among them wooden and inverted roller coasters, a boat ride through an Arabian legend, and the elaborate indoor Symbolica palace, all set among lakes and mature trees. It is beautiful in autumn colour and turns on a much-loved Winter Efteling with lights and skating in the cold months.

History

Efteling officially opened on 31 May 1952 with its Fairy Tale Forest, designed by the artist Anton Pieck: some ten fairy tales brought to life from Pieck's drawings, with mechanics, lighting and sound by the filmmaker Peter Reijnders. It grew from a nature park with a playground into a full theme park and is one of the oldest in the world, three years older than Disneyland (Wikipedia, Efteling).

What to look for

• The Fairy Tale Forest - the original 1952 woodland of animated fairy-tale scenes.
• Symbolica - the elaborate indoor palace ride at the park's heart.
• The roller coasters - the wooden, inverted and launched rides among the trees.
• Winter Efteling - the lit and decorated park in the cold months.

When to go

The park runs almost year-round; spring and autumn have the shortest queues and the best light through the woods, summer is busiest, and the Winter season from November brings lights and skating. Dutch and Belgian school holidays fill it, so avoid those weeks if you can. Arrive at opening for the headline rides.

Before you go

It is a full-price theme park and a full day on your feet, with real queues in peak season; booking online ahead is both cheaper and faster to enter. Much of the storytelling and nearly all of the signage leans Dutch, so some charm is lost on visitors who miss the references. It is out in Brabant rather than near the main tourist cities, so factor in the journey or stay overnight.

Nearby

The Loonse en Drunense Duinen sand dunes are close; 's-Hertogenbosch with its great cathedral is half an hour away.

Key facts