EFTELING FIRST TIME TIPS! How To Make The Most Of Your First Trip! | AD

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If you have just a booked a first time trip to Efteling, watch this video!
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[@toaojjc]

Get a paper plan in your language at the entrance. The app is great but the paper plan is nicer to see the distance and it's a nice souvenirs. And a tip if you are staying at Efteling, check the time characters are at your accommodation. Usually in the morning before the park opens and in the early evening before kids bedtime.

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

Loving these tips. They are so helpful to everyone visiting the comments. Thank you for watching 😊 x

[@marcusfranconium3392]

I Got one big tip and that is : Take your time and enjoy it . The Efteling park is located in a nature reserve . and each season will bring something extra , like the fairy tale forrest in autum where you can smell the wet fallen leaves . the more cool air . In the spring you will see young birds and animals flowers popping up . Its just one great park to enjoy and relax .

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

Fantastic! Love the tip to take your time. There was so much to explore and enjoy. ❤️ thank you for watching x

[@EspenSGX]

Next to checking for Dutch (school) holidays, also check for Belgian ones, as the park is close to Belgium. Also avoid September/October. These are very busy months because the discounted tickets you can get at supermarket chain Albert Heijn are about to expire. You might also go during the Summer season or certain dates during the Winter Efteling when the park is open longer and you can walk around in the dark. It's an experience on itself, as the Efteling has been lit very well. Especially the Fairytale Forrest is a must (re)do in the dark. Note that during the Winter Efteling a number of rides are closed. Check for that in advance. During the Summer season (July and August) the Efteling puts on extra entertainment. The court in front of Fata Morgana has a giant puppet walking around of the ride's Djinn. The Max & Moritz Square has Frau Bolte (of the chicken restaurant), the baker, a trio of musicians and Max and Moritz themselves getting up to all kinds of stuff. In front of Droomvlucht you have an fairy swing and fairies swinging and walking around. There's more and each year they add stuff. At the grass field between the Anton Pieck Square (the nostalgic fair, which was designed by Michel den Dulk who now works for Disney and oversees the Frozen lands being build at Hong Kong Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo DisneySea) and Vogel Rok they put up a specially themed area. During Winter Efteling it's the Warm Winter Meadow, last year for the 70th anniversary you could attend the Mad Hatter's tea party, and this Summer there will be a Carnival Festival themed beach. You can always get special foods, merch and play games. A tip for every theme park with waterrides, meaning Piranha for the Efteling, pack some plastic covers. Or dry clothes of course. Currently there are two major projects going on at the Efteling. Next to Symbolica on the site of ghostly animatroics castle show Spookslot, Danse Macabre is being build. It will use the titular music of Camille Saint-Saëns, just Spookslot, and will open in 2024. The haunted toilets and food shop will already open this Summer. The other project is Efteling Grand Hotel, which is being build right next to the park entrance and will itself serve as a park entrance, as it will do the same gatehouse thing the Bosrijk castle does where you need to walk through it. It too will open in 2024. The Efteling is also really into refurbishment. Droomvlucht just got a lengthy refurbishment (a handful of months, which is short compared to how Disneyland Paris does it). Next are Fata Morgana and Piranha. No dates are set yet, so keep a look out for when they'll happen. Visit Eftelpedia, an encyclopaedia website about the Efteling that has information on about everything Efteling. You do need Google Translate for this one, though, but it can be a fun read anyway. For regular park update videos check out EftelWesley. He makes videos on the ongoing projects and other developments without commentary. A great supplement to the Efteling's own videos. Finally, there's more than just the Efteling in the area. South of the park (so behind the resorts) is nature reserve the Loonsche Land which is the theme and is inegrated with the Efteling's second resort the Loonsche Land. You can ask reception for an explorer's kit and walk a special trail. The reserve is free to enter. Near the Efteling there's also safari park Beekse Bergen. While no relation to the Efteling you could consider it the Animal Kingdom to the Efteling's Magic Kingdom, to make a Disney comparison. You can also stay there in accomodations that border a savannah. A bit further on there's a rising star of a theme park: Toverland. Also without any relation to the Efteling you could still consider this the little sister. They also have some great theming and great rollercoasters, including the Booster Bike, a prototype of the same rollercoaster that is in Disney parks as TRON Lightcycle Run. It's build by the world renowned Vekoma, which has its factory close by. The two big halls will also be a dream come true for kids. Unlike the Efteling Toverland does put on Halloween events and has the best one in the area, if you ask me. With great haunted houses (for a fee), scare zones and a closing firework show. If you're still here to read this (this turned out way longer than I thought), I hope you can use the above. Good luck!

[@MaikNL]

Awesome !

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

I want to thank you for taking the time to craft such a wonderfully thorough comment that is going to not only help others in the future but us as well. I’ll definitely be coming back to this one before our future trips. Thank you so much for watching 😊❤️ x

[@EspenSGX]

@@sohelenaandmartyn You're very welcome!

[@ToastAbrikoos]

Tips: don't be afraid to bring your own drinks and snacks yourself. They don't mind as long as you don't go over the top (bring your own camping kitchen or such) and you dispose the garbage properly. There are (big) lockers for you to put your stuff in if you don't want to drag around stuff. You can use Euro's to lock them and collect them back when opened. The Polle's Keuken. The pancake restaurant is quite popular so book early if you want a spot. Take your time and enjoy the nature. One of the big flagships of the Efteling is to keep the status of a 'nature' park. There is a lot of work to maintain the flowers, plants and trees. The fairy tale Forest is the heart of the Efteling. It's where it all started and since then grew to the park it is today. Even if it sounds boring and childish, please give it a try. it's also a lovely walk through when it's dark or around the winter time.

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

I loved all of these tips. The one about snacks and drinks is a great one. Thank you for taking the time to comment and share these. 😊 x

[@erikalowe]

The food at Efteling is outstanding! We tried various places and everywhere had such good quality food (you'll have to go back for the bakery cakes near Max and Moritz... Wow!) I'd say if you can definitely stay onsite at least one night! Works out quite cost effective given park tickets are included. We stayed at Loonsche Land!

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

We were so impressed by the food at Efteling. There was too much for us to try 😂😂 we have to go back to try more. We missed the bakery by max and Moritz. Thank you for watching x

[@mariskavisser7568]

I really liked your videos of the Efteling. Nice of you to make a video for people in Efteling. We can often be found in the Efteling, which lives a stone's throw away. At the moment we have an annual subscription from Efteling. In the summer there is also a lot of extras to do because of the summer evenings and they are also open longer

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

Thank you so much for watching 😊 we’re a tad jealous of you being so close 😂 it’s such an amazing park. We’d love to get there when there’s longer hours. X

[@waagzangertje]

So i thought i gave a reaction *or did you remove it?* But first tip: don't make a big plan, don't plan the food. Except maybe dinner when the park is closed/closing anyway. Because it's simple: you cannot really plan the weather, breakdown of attractions, waiting lines etc etc. Second and it's a big one: people with disabilities. You can get a disabiltiy card that allows you to enter a lot of attractions through a different entrance *or exit for some* and some "like villa volta" have a room where you can watch a vid of the ride. There is also a special room for people where they can take a break if they become overwhelmed/need a break. And you can take *i think* up to three persons with you. And the third tip: maybe not completely up to date and things can change but check what attractions are in maintenance or due for. If you are really looking forward to go on an attraction and the thing is not open then that can be a big bummer. Attractions can still breakdown but knowing in advance when you can't experience something is good for the "plan" I have never stayed overnight but i think overal good tips, you covered a lot of them.

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

Hiya 😊 not sure what happened with your comment but we definitely didn’t delete it. We love all of your tips. This will be so helpful to so many people. We did not know about the disability card. Thank you for sharing ❤️ x

[@SuperDutchjohn]

I have one more important tip, when you want to book a stay in one of the hotels it is very clever to do it at least 3 months before, than you get a 20% cut on the total price!

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

Great tip! Thank you so much for sharing and for watching 😊 x

[@ilsekuiper01]

You can also take a map, if you don't have app, by the entrance. And allmost every store has it that when you stay in parc they deliver. You just say where you are staying, room, cottage etc and they deliver what you bought

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

That’s such a good thing for the shops to do. Makes it easier to purchase. 😊 thank you for watching x

[@mjahrot]

The steam train is great for when you want your kids sleep for a bit while you can still see a lot of the park 😅

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

Amazing! This is such a good tip. 😊 thank you for watching x

[@rutgerdejong1660]

When I visit I always go for 1 day, because 10 years ago that was still enough to do almost everything. Nowadays it's not enough to do everything anymore but I've been so many times that I always skip some rides I don't care that much about. But for a first time visit, def do 2 days at least, yes!

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

We’re so glad we had more than one day. We would t have been able to take in much at all. It really does have a lot to explore. A lot more than we thought. Thank you for watching 😊 x

[@RHTubeOnYouTube]

Noooo!!! So you're saying we could have kept the night caps and story book!!! Oh well, that's just another reason to go back 😂 Hope you're having a fab time 🚢

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

We didn’t know either! 😂😂 I would be wearing my night cap around the house. Thank you for watching 😊 x

[@katerinagermanou6313]

I see now in a video that they charge 50 euros to keep them. Can you tell me if something like this is valid?

[@janklaassen6404]

The three tours of Symbolica also have different routes as it's trackless. You get to see the show a bit differently besides the unique room that each route has.

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

Yes! That’s definitely a plus of riding the three different versions. Thank you for watching 😊 x

[@janklaassen6404]

@@sohelenaandmartyn Thanks for making those brilliant Efteling video's. That must have taken a long time to edit. Thx for the work. Really enjoyed them.

[@mizzshy8]

The timing of this is perfect, I just booked for my first trip back in over 10 years today! I'm so excited to go back and your vlogs and this video have been so helpful, thank you for sharing!

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

We hope you have the most amazing time when you revisit 😊 thank you for watching ❤️ x

[@anbelgium3039]

Ik love your story's, I Iove the Efteling! 🍄✨. 😉

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

Thank you so much 😊 x

[@mrsclairemoose]

Now watching you guys from hospital (the morning sickness escalated 😮) but you make me smile as always. Can't wait for hopefully cruise vlogs!

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

Sending you our love ❤️ we’re glad we could raise a smile. Thank you for watching x

[@suesiehhin8818]

Next time come during the Winter Efteling, it is a entire new experience.

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

We would love to! 😊😊 thank you for watching x

[@clairewrightham7560]

We are going to Efteling for my daughters 16th birthday at the end of August. I've been watching your vlog and got so much information for when we go. Thank you for been so informative. From Claire

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

Thank you so much for watching 😊 we’re glad they’ve helped a little. We hope you have a fantastic time x

[@petra84]

I loved the Efteling vlog series. It was lovely to see you discovering and enjoying a park I love so much and have visited often. It was so nice to see you also explored the less obvious attractions and experiences. Those are often the heart of Efteling. I am so excited you would like to visit again in the future. Perhaps next year to visit Danse Macabre, the new attraction they are building at the moment? I have stayed in some of the cottages in Bosrijk and it was a wonderful stay every time! I am looking forward to staying in the Efteling hotel next summer, that will be a first for me. A tip for the Fairytale Forest: start at Sleeping Beauty’s Castle (as mentioned in the video) and follow the red brick road. This way you will encounter all the fairytales. The short cut paths are grey bricks, so it’s easy missing out on fairytales following those. The fairytale forest also has a talking tree (Babbelboom Kniesoor) who will greet you by name (if the privacy settings in the app are set correctly). I always enjoy that coming round the corner 😂. You can find information about this online. I can’t wait for the bucket list recap video.

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

This is a fantastic way to know how to get the best out of the fairytale forest. I’m going to sing “follow the red brick road” next time to help us. We loved all the different parts of Efteling. Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment ❤️ x

[@Yochemm]

Next time you come, take a basic lessons of Dutch!! Yes = Ja, No = Nee, Hello = Hallo, Goodmorning = Goedemorgen & Goodevening = Goedeavond!!! Here you see why speak Dutch people speak english, because it's very similair in many ways (and in many ways not, but that's the real learning path). I did enjoy you video's about the Efteling!!!

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

This is so helpful, thank you for sharing. 😊 We definitely want to try and learn more Dutch for the next trip. X

[@TTHBLOX_]

Love that you made this video for more "newbies" to the efteling.

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

Thank you for watching 😊 we hope it helps some people with their planning x

[@TheMagicInWonderland]

Very helpful! So looking forward to visiting. Not booked yet - we’ve got a couple of trips already booked this year, but definitely next year if not later this year! 😊

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

We hope you have a magical time when you decide to go. 😊 thank you for watching x

[@Liesy13]

I gave Polle's keuken a try and the pancakes were pretty good, but it still won't top my fav. pancake place 't Achterhuus

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

We haven’t heard of ‘t Achterhuus but it comes with a lot of recommendations. Thank you for watching 😊 x

[@ilsekuiper01]

Kids here go and sit on the paddestoel in fairytaleforrest. So nice. I have pictures of me, but also of my kids

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

So many amazing photo opportunities in the the park 😊 thank you for watching x

[@marcusfranconium3392]

PS , A belgian comic book franchise did some specials on the efteling , with the opening of certain rides and atractions , Like the little lily pad elves to fatamorgana. A total of 4 albums featuring efteling from the 70s to late 80s The commicbooks are known as Suske en Wiske , Or spike and suzy in the UK . Great fun to read . en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_and_Suzy

[@EspenSGX]

This comic series went to a host of theme parks. Some others are Bellewaerde (Belgian theme park/zoo), Walt Disney World and in the most recent volume Phantasialand.

[@marcusfranconium3392]

@@EspenSGX True. Walt disney was the Krekelige ketje.

[@marcusfranconium3392]

Manneke pis on adventure .

[@sohelenaandmartyn]

Amazing! I love this sort of stuff. Will definitely check out. Thank you for watching 😊 x