Photo: Lucavanmeijl (CC BY 4.0, resized)
Efteling — Private Day Trip from Amsterdam
The Netherlands' own theme park, older than Disneyland and stranger in the best way. Fairy tales in a real wood, serious roller coasters, and a driver who takes you door to door instead of two trains and a bus.
- Whole day
- 3hours riding time
- Up to8passengers
- Mercedes sedan, V-Class or Vito
Tour highlights
- The Fairytale Forest, set in genuine old woodland rather than a car park
- Roller coasters that satisfy teenagers without frightening small children
- Indoor dark rides, so rain does not end the day
- Around ninety minutes from Amsterdam, the closest big park to the city
- Your driver waits, so coats and bags stay in the van
- Late closing in high season — you can stay for the evening
Efteling — older than Disneyland, and quite unlike it
Efteling opened in 1952, three years before Disneyland in California. It grew out of a fairy-tale playground and it still feels like that at heart — the Sprookjesbos, the Fairytale Forest, is laid out through real mature woodland, and the attractions sit among the trees rather than on a concrete plaza.
That is the thing visitors do not expect. It is a large modern theme park with proper roller coasters, but the atmosphere is closer to a strange old wood than to a corporate resort.
Why families book the van
Efteling is at Kaatsheuvel, which is not near a station. Public transport means a train to Tilburg or ‘s-Hertogenbosch and then a bus, with a pushchair, in the rain, at the end of a long day with tired children.
We collect you from your door and put you at the gate in about ninety minutes. Your driver waits all day, so coats, spare clothes, snacks and anything you buy live in the van rather than on your back. When the children have had enough — which is rarely the time you planned — you message and the van is there.
Good across a wide age range
This is the tour we suggest when a family has a nine-year-old and a fifteen-year -old and cannot agree. The younger one gets the Fairytale Forest and the gentle dark rides; the older one gets Baron 1898 and Joris en de Draak. Nobody spends the day being polite about someone else’s choice.
Book the tickets yourself, in advance
We do not sell park tickets and we do not mark them up. Efteling sells dated entry online and busy days genuinely sell out, so book before you travel and send us the date. We will set the pick-up time around it.
Where is it?
Photos
Your day
- 08:30
Pick-up in Amsterdam
About ninety minutes down. We aim to have you at the gate for opening, because the first hour is worth two of any other.
- 10:00
Park opens
Go straight to the big rides while the queues are short, then slow down. Most people do it the other way round and regret it.
- 13:00
Lunch inside the park
Plenty of options, none of them cheap. Some families bring their own and leave it in the van for a picnic outside.
- 17:00
The quiet end of the day
The Fairytale Forest is at its best late on, when the crowds have moved to the exit and the lights come on.
- 18:30
Head back
Later in summer if you want the evening. Just tell your driver during the day — nothing is fixed.
- 20:00
Back in Amsterdam
Dropped at your door, with tired children asleep in the back.
What's included
- Private Mercedes V-Class or Vito minivan
- Hotel or apartment pick-up and drop-off
- English-speaking driver for the whole day
- Fuel, tolls and parking
- Bottled water and free child seats
Not included
- Efteling entrance tickets
- Food and drinks inside the park
Can be added
Stay for the evening
In high season the park stays open late and is genuinely beautiful after dark. We can wait — it only changes the drop-off time.
Ask us
Schiphol drop-off afterwards
If you are flying out the next morning we can take you straight to an airport hotel with your luggage already in the van.
Ask us
Frequently asked questions
Is Efteling only for small children?
No, and that surprises people. It has several serious roller coasters alongside the fairy-tale attractions, which is why Dutch teenagers still go. It works for a family with a wide age range better than almost anywhere else in the country.
Should we buy tickets in advance?
Yes. Efteling uses dated tickets and busy days sell out. Book online before you travel and tell us your date — we will match the pick-up time.
How long is the drive?
About ninety minutes each way from central Amsterdam, traffic permitting.
What if it rains?
A large number of the attractions are indoors, so the day still works. It is one of the few outdoor days in the Netherlands that survives bad weather.
Where do we get a park map and the opening times?
From Efteling's own website and their app, efteling.com. We deliberately do not copy opening hours, ticket prices or the park map onto this page: they change, and a guest driven ninety minutes to a park that shut early is the worst thing that can happen to a day out.
Can we leave when we like?
Yes. Your driver waits and there is no fixed return. Message when you have had enough and the van is at the gate.
Is it better than Disneyland Paris?
Different. Efteling is older, stranger and much more Dutch, and it is a ninety-minute drive rather than a day of travel. If you want Disney characters, go to Paris. If you want somewhere genuinely unusual, come here.