Photos from the Fairytale Forest at Efteling

The Fairytale Forest at Efteling in the Netherlands is said to be the world's largest living picture book. Efteling is such a magical place and you can't help but be immersed in the magic of fairytales when you visit. I thought that my three children (aged 8, 10 and 12) may be a little too old to visit the Fairytale Forest but it turns out you're never too old for fairytales and we all had a magical time and really enjoyed this part of the park.

I'd advise keeping 2-3 hours to see this attraction which you don't need to queue for and is a self-guided walk-through tour. It's the ideal place to visit if you need a break from the thrills and noise of the main theme park and is a brilliant place to escape for all ages. The route is pushchair and wheelchair friendly and there are toilets and snack/drink shops dotted about at various points along the route.

We spent 1.5 days at Efteling - our first day was spent enjoying the fantastic rides and we wanted a slower paced second day so spent a full morning exploring the Fairytale Forest before ordering pancakes from the pancake house for lunch and heading home. The Fairytale Forest needs to be seen to be believed I think. It really is the most magical place where fairytales are brought to life before your very eyes. Expect to see snoring giants, try to steal treasure from a dragon without him noticing, watch Snow White's magic mirror come to life, try and spot Pinocchio in the whale's mouth, meet a talking tree, walk through a tiny gnome village and watch as Rapunzel lets down her hair from the tower. There are character walkabouts and various shows at the theatre in the middle of the forest throughout the day too - check the Efteling app or notice boards around the park for timings.

There are about 30 Fairytales to discover in the most beautiful setting. The talking is all in Dutch but there are fairytale storybooks by each attraction featuring an English translation of the story so it's pretty easy to follow what's going on. The whole experience is fantastic and full of surprises. Expect light shows, water features, animatronics, music, laughs and something new to see and interact with around every corner. I hope you like my pictures which just share a few highlights from this immersive and interactive experience. Let me know if you'd like to visit this attraction. Remember, this is just a tiny part of what Efteling has to offer.....

Entrance to the Fairytale Forest

Paths are accessible

Checking out the gnome village 

The cute gnome village - you can walk through their houses

This guy was one of our favourites 

Little Red Riding Hood (you can see the wolf dressed as Grandma inside the house)

When Heidi met Little Red Riding Hood 

This guy was so cute 

Reading the stories in English

Rapunzel and her super long hair

I love this photo of Heidi as she woke up the dragon

Mr Wolf needs no introduction

Hansel and Gretel's Cottage 

We could smell real cakes as we walked past

Knock Knock...

Snow White's Castle with Magic Mirror inside 

Walking around the beautiful gardens and meeting the Frog Prince

We had to creep past the snoring giant so we wouldn't wake him

Talking trees....

My favourite talking tree

We stayed at Bosrijk Village for one night which included 2 days entry to Efteling, parking, evening storytelling and swimming pool access for 5 for £280 booked directly with Efteling here. We travelled to Holland from Newcastle with DFDS Seaways for £470 return for 5 (including a 5-berth cabin and car) using their early booking offer. You can find out more and check prices here (affiliate). Efteling is around a 90-minute easy drive from the port. I managed to drive it myself and it was my first time driving abroad.

Would you like to escape to the Fairytale Forest for a few hours? 

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