As you might have read in my Efteling Theme Park guide, I absolutely adore this family fun theme park in the Netherlands. It is the perfect family-filled day trip when you’re in the Netherlands. But some parts of the park are not for the whole family. As a young adult, I like the Efteling roller coasters and adrenaline rides the best.
If you’re anything like me and like to know what things to do at the Efteling for daredevils, then you’ve come to the right place. I shortly highlight the different roller coasters in the Efteling theme park and offer other adrenaline rush rides. Strap in, let’s go for a ride!
Disclaimer: I have been going to the Efteling since I was 6 years old. Over the past 30 years, I have visited the Efteling more than I can count. All the below information was gathered and experienced during that time. On my recent visit, the Efteling invited me to enjoy the park for a day with my family. But as always, all my opinions are my own.
This post does contain affiliate links. If you decide to purchase something via one of my links, I earn a small commission. This comes at no extra cost to you. All images are my own unless otherwise stated.
Efteling Roller Coasters
The Efteling theme park started in 1952 as a family-friendly park in the Netherlands. Mainly focusing on young families with small children. What is not to love about the fairy tales come to life at the fairy tale forest? The Efteling lets you marvel at a magical world of wonders.
Over time, the park offered more daredevil-fitted rides that attract a slightly older crowd. So it doesn’t really matter if you’re a family with small children or older kids, the Efteling has a couple of thrilling roller coasters for all!
Bird Rock – Indoor roller coaster
The Vogelrok, or Bird Rock, is built in Sinbad the Sailor theme. You enter underneath the mythical bird above the entrance. Once inside, you’ll ride the roller coaster in the dark in a thrilling flight to escape the snake-like bird of prey!
This steel Efteling roller coaster reaches 65 km/h (40mph) but doesn’t go upside down. The whole ride is indoors which makes it the perfect all-weather roller coaster in the Efteling.
The Vogelrok doesn’t have a single rider line but it does have baby switch, so parents don’t have to queue twice but can take turns. You have to be 1.20m (3.94 ft.) tall to ride this roller coaster.
My Scream Thrill Index for the Vogelrok
I find the idea of Sinbad the Sailor adventure fantastic. I love the gigantic bird at the entrance and you see a glimpse of the creature and its nest throughout the ride. But the ride is completely in the dark, with small sound and light effects during the ride.
I still don’t know where we’re going, which is part of the thrill. I always tear up from the speed and the wind but I miss a bit the outdoor feel. The roller coaster is perfect for bad weather, as the Efteling park is open 365 days a year.
I give the Vogelrok a 3-star rating for thrill-seekers. It is good to warm up a bit and does produce a good scream at the first drop.
Joris and the Dragon – Wooden roller coaster
Ride this wooden double-track roller coaster to slay the dragon and save the kingdom! Help the king to free the empire from the dragon and ride against the beast to defeat it with water or fire!
The rattle of a wooden roller coaster gives me chills all over my arms. This Efteling roller coaster looks massive with all the wooden beams supporting the roller coaster. Before you enter the ride, you choose a side, water or fire, and you race each other. Only the team that wins will be rewarded!
You must be at least 1.10m tall to ride this roller coaster. If you’re between 1.10m (3.6 ft.) and 1.20m (3.94 ft.) you must be accompanied by an adult and ride in the middle. Right from the entrance is a side entrance for the single riders’ queue. This roller coaster has baby switch too.
My Scream Thrill Index for Joris and the Dragon
What can I say? I love Joris and the Dragon. It doesn’t turn upside down but the race is super-fast. The drops and turns are exhilarating and I can’t stop laughing once I get on. If you like speed, this is the ride to take! Joris and the Dragon roller coaster is not so much scary but very exciting.
I give Joris and the Dragon a 4-star rating for thrill-seekers. It is perfect for speed chasers. On several occasions, the ride makes me bulge my eyes and scream a little, but mainly it’s just uncontrollable laughter.
Flying Dutchman – Dark Water Ride
Do you dare to ride this cursed ship? Captain Willem van der Decken sailed the seven seas, looking for riches and fortune on his ship the Dutchman. He was so greedy, he even set sail on Easter Sunday, which was forbidden. The ship was cursed and doomed forever to sail the seas. Take a ride on the Flying Dutchman at the Efteling!
The Flying Dutchman roller coaster has a baby switch system so parents don’t have to re-queue while watching the baby. You can ride this roller coaster if you’re taller than 1.20m (3.94 ft.).
You enter the Flying Dutchman in a make-belief harbor town. All houses resemble boats or have a nautical theme. Through corridors and old pubs, you’ll enter the harbor to board the Flying Dutchman. The first part of the ride is in the dark before the doors open and you fly over the track to end in the water with a big splash.
My Scream Thrill Index for the Flying Dutchman
The Flying Dutchman in the Efteling is the definition of thrill! First the anticipation of what happens in the dark. The sound, light and smell effects are amazing and built up the tension.
The Dutchman flies around the track at an exciting pace and some of the drops and turns are quite scream-worthy. You do get a bit of splash here and there, which might make people shreek too.
I give The Flying Dutchman a 5-star rating for thrill-seekers. Maybe the track isn’t all that fast, it doesn’t go upside down but the ambiance and sinister atmosphere make for a thrilling ride that does make me scream on several drops.
Python – Steel Roller Coaster
As a young girl, this was my first real roller coaster to ride. With shaking knees, trembling hands and a full bladder, I only dared to ride in the middle of this Efteling roller coaster. The Python is based on a story of a mythical strangling snake, wanting to get you.
With 2 loops and a corkscrew, this roller coaster is not for the faint of heart! The steep climb up to the top gives you breathtaking views across the park and its surroundings. You have to wait for the big drop but eventually, it will happen.
Set mode to scream!
The Python roller coaster was built in 1981 and completely rebuilt from the ground up in 2018. It is now smoother, more silent but just as exciting as when I was a young girl.
You have to be at least 1.20m (3.94 ft.) tall to ride the Python roller coaster. There is a single rider queue which is a good alternative if you’re riding solo. If you visit the Efteling on a busy day and the waiting time is longer than 15 minutes, you need a boarding pass to enter the ride. You can reserve your time slot at the entrance of the Python or reserve a slot on the app.
Efteling Boarding Pass
During my last visit to the Efteling, it was the first time I used the boarding pass for the Python. And it’s absolutely amazing.
In the past, 1.5 hours waiting were not unheard of, but now, you can exit the nearby Joris and the Dragon or Flying Dutchman, see if there is a slot available at the Python and book it via the app.
Then just walk over to the Python and in less than 15 minutes you’re dropping, looping, and turning in the corkscrew of the Python. Read below how to get the Efteling app.
My Scream Thrill Index for the Python
Can you guess what I think of the Python? Yea, I absolutely love it! Even after more than 100 times, I still find the Python exciting and it is still one of my favorite Efteling roller coasters. The impressive drop, the 2 full loops, the whirling corkscrew, and the sling at the end.
I give the Python a 5-star rating for thrill-seekers. With a big loud scream at the first drop, you’re all screamed out for the rest of the ride as the loops and corkscrew leave you out of breath.
Baron 1898 – Dive Coaster
The newest roller coaster of the Efteling opened in 2015 but takes you back to the mining industry in the region of 1898. You’ll go through several rooms that tell you the mythical story of the white ghost ladies that stopped the miners from going down the shaft and delve all the riches of the earth.
With this story in mind, you embark on your seat and ascend to a great height. You’ll plummet to the ground from 37,5 meters high before you finish the ride with 90 km/h (56 mph). One loop and a corkscrew will bring you back to the mining station.
The Baron roller coaster has a single rider queue which you can join next to the normal queue. You have to be 1.40m (4.6 ft.) tall to ride this roller coaster.
My Scream Thrill Index for the Baron 1898
The scream index goes off the scale with the Baron 1898. I found this Efteling roller coaster too scary for me. I did ride it 2 times (because one is never enough) but I decided I found this roller coaster a bit too exciting and scary to really enjoy.
The near-vertical drop at the beginning had me scream with terror for sure. The speed is exciting and the sound and other effects are pretty amazing.
I give The Baron 1898 a 6-star rating for thrill-seekers. The ultimate Efteling roller coaster for the real daredevils!
Other exciting rides at the Efteling
Wow, with 6 roller coasters (including the new Max & Moritz ride to replace the previous Bob Sleigh), the Efteling is not a roller coaster theme park but still has enough to attract thrill-seekers and keep the adrenaline pumping.
If you’re still looking for an exciting ride at the Efteling, but want to mellow down a bit, there is still plenty to do. Don’t want to enjoy the fairy tales at the fairy tale forest? Then these rides will still get you excited!
Piraña – River Rapids Ride
Embark the rubber rafts on this Maya and Inca based river rapids ride. The boat follows a track of 360m with rapids, waterfalls and tumbling water. Can you manage to stay dry? Where’s the fun in that?
This is a fun family ride but children shorter than 1m must sit on the lap of an adult. Try to remain seated as the boat drifts away on the wild river. Dodge the water guns, try to maneuver the boat away from the waterfalls (you can’t) and avoid bumping into other boats at a rapid. Nothing you do will change the outcome: you will get wet. But that’s half the fun.
I give the Piraña ride a 3-star rating for thrill-seekers. Not blood rushing exciting but this ride does make you produce shrieks of joy and loads of laughter.
Halve Maen – Swinging Ship
The largest swinging ship ride in the world will rock you back and forth until you reach 180 degrees! Say what? Embark this ancient VOC ship at the Halve Maen Harbor and let’s get rocking! You’ll swing back and forth until you experience the feeling of weightlessness, do you dare to raise your arms?
Everyone can ride the Swinging Ship, only children shorter than 1.20m (3.94 ft.) need to bring an adult to accompany them. The ride has baby switch option for parents but no single rider queue.
I give The Swinging Ship a 3-star rating for thrill-seekers. Not majorly exciting but it does give you a nice thrill.
Villa Volta – Revolving haunted house
Enter the house of Hugo van den Loonsche Duynen, the headman of a local pack of thieves who got cursed. His gang, the Buckriders, pillaged a local Abbey where the lady of the Abbey tried to stop him. Blinded by greed, he cracked the altar and looted the place.
Once he came home to his own mansion, the lady was standing on top of his house, waving her arms and putting a curse on him and his house. Hugo will never find peace of mind and rest in his own home until a human with a clear conscience will enter and lift the curse.
You can enter his house and experience what he experiences every day. After the first 2 stories, you’ll take a seat in the revolving room. Of course, what happens can be explained by science and logic, but it is way more fun to just go with what your body feels and your eyes see. It turns the house upside down!
There is no single rider queue but parents can use the baby switch.
I give the Villa Volta a 2-star rating for thrill-seekers. It’s not so much scary as you don’t actually go upside down, but it can cause some dizziness and it’s just a thrill to see the room revolt and experience the weird sensation in your stomach. The music is amazing and adds to the experience.
Efteling App for waiting times
As you can read from the above, the Efteling has enough roller coasters and thrilling rides to entertain older children and adults (with or without children). Whenever you go to the Efteling, I recommend downloading the Efteling app on your smartphone.
There is free Wi-Fi in the park and you can tag certain rides and roller coasters as favorites. You can quickly see which ones have the longest waiting line and if you can use the single rider queue.
To quickly board the Python roller coaster, you can add a boarding card to your smartphone and enter at the right time. This saves a ton of time and waiting around. You can add boarding cards for multiple persons on one phone, just re-scan the boarding pass multiple times.
Download the Efteling app for Android here, or for iPhones here.
Quick Tips to Enjoy the Efteling Roller Coasters
The Efteling roller coasters are the rides with the longest waiting time (on average). Here are some quick tips to make the most of your visit to the Efteling:
- Be at the park before it opens. You can already enter the park before 10 am and you can wait until the gates open. Or you can buy an early bird ticket and get to enter the park at 9.30 am.
- Head straight to the area with the roller coasters when the gates open. The first half-hour after opening, the rides have only 5 to 10 minutes waiting time.
- My strategy is first Flying Dutchman, then Joris and the Dragon, get your boarding pass for the Python and you can do these 3 roller coasters before 11 am without waiting too long.
- Get the app to check waiting times at the roller coasters. Sometimes getting a drink or snack at peak times is better and then wait in line when the waiting time decreases.
- Check if the single rider line is available and an option for you. Sometimes it is not so bad to sit next to a stranger. Especially useful for groups of uneven people as one has to ride alone anyways.
- Get your boarding pass for the Python via the Efteling app. Wait till your slot is available, scan your ticket on your smartphone and you’ll have a shorter waiting time.
Buy your Efteling Admission Tickets in Advance here
Are you traveling to the Efteling? Not sure if the Efteling theme park is exciting enough for you? I hope I convinced you it is.
Too much adrenaline? Read more about the other rides and attractions at the Efteling in my complete Efteling 101 Introduction Guide.
