Toverland is a family-owned Theme Park in Sevenum,
around 25 miles east of Eindhoven in The Netherlands.
Despite only opening in 2001, Toverland has quickly grown
into a fantastic attraction, placing first & second respectively
in the Park World Excellence & European Star Awards in the
“best regional theme park” category.
I’ve just returned from a 3-day trip to the Netherlands with
friends, reusing my itinerary from my first solo European park
trip – 2 Days at De Efteling followed by a day at Toverland.
Whilst I was beside myself with excitement to revisit my
favorite park in the world in De Efteling, Toverland was a park
that left me a little cold on my first visit. The big question for
me heading into this trip, therefore, was “Would I enjoy
Toverland more the second time around?”
Why didn’t I like it last year?
On paper, my first trip to Toverland happened under ideal circumstances: gorgeous weather,
off-peak day with low crowd levels and a full 8-hour park day to enjoy. So why did I leave at 3pm
with a twinge of regret?
Part of the reason was no fault of the park itself – I was tired, both physically & mentally from
back-to-back-to-back park days and the stress of my first time alone in a foreign country.
Another factor was that I was comparing Toverland to literally my favorite place in the world and
having been spoilt rotten by the gorgeous Efteling for two days, any other destination would
have felt like a step down.
The downside that really sunk Toverland for me on my first trip, however, was what I felt to be a
top-heavy ride lineup, lacking in quality support rides. Though Troy & Fenix are undoubtedly two
of the best coasters I’ve ever ridden, a lot of the “filler” attractions at Toverland are very much
aimed at a younger audience. Playgrounds abound & the older, indoor section of the park had
little to keep me around after I’d ticked off the kiddie creds from my to-do list.
Merlin’s Quest, Toverland’s only dark ride, has a truly wonderful indoor section, but the slow
boat journey to & from that section felt like a dull unengaging commute as a solo traveler. Add to
that a few large school trip parties & relatively slow ride operations and I felt like I’d done as
much as I wanted to do at Toverland after only 5 hours at the park.
With all that being said, I was determined to go in with an open mind and give a second chance
to a park with such a stellar reputation. With a cohort of friends alongside me and the sun at our
backs, I ventured into Toverland in 2025 with fresh optimism that I could enjoy my day and
hopefully discover the reason why this park was so well-regarded.
Back to Back
We began our day with the most pivotal of rope drops.
If you are heading to Toverland and want to make the
most of your day, you simply must get there for park
opening and immediately head to Maximus’ Blitz Bahn at
the back of the park. This electric bobsleigh is a capacity
nightmare: a ride vehicle that can contain a maximum of
two adults that dispatches only around once every thirty
or forty seconds. This is a fun little ride, the ability to
compare your “lap time” with the others in your party is
a super little addition, but 10 minutes after we speed
walked straight into the station at park opening, it was
already posting a forty-minute queue! I did get the
second-fastest time from our party of ten though,
so maybe my silver medal bragging rights
have endeared it more to me on this occasion!
Continuing to capitalize on the relatively empty indoor area at the
back of the park, we then moved on to some of the kid-centric filler
attractions, filling half an hour with slides, climbing frames, a
funhouse and outdoor “adventure playground”. I’d bypassed all these
attractions on my first visit, but without a child in sight to make you
feel self-conscious, I can’t deny the fun factor of rampaging around a
playground as a posse of 20 and 30 somethings!
The oldest area of the park, Toverland’s indoor section is squarely
aimed at kids, but in their absence, I will admit to having a fun time
with my friends. I didn’t feel comfortable doing these attractions as a
solo traveler last year, and I wouldn’t have done later in the day when
the crowds filtered through to this area, but I can’t deny that I had fun!
Sometimes being a theme park enthusiast does feel like indulging your inner child, and what
better way to do that than hooting and hollering your way through a deserted adventure
playground with your pals?
The Awkward Middle
The centre of Toverland is where you can really see its growth from the “Kiddie Park” roots to
the family-centric market it attracts at present. Comprising of the ancient Greek themed Ithika &
Magische Vallei (Magic Valley), the central section of Toverland comprises a couple of family
thrill coasters, Dwervelwind & Booster Bike, a pirate ship, a solid river rapids, Djengu River,
another of the ubiquitous adventure
playgrounds and the most
impressive & thrilling wooden roller
coasters I’ve ever ridden: Troy.
Sadly, Troy was closed for this most
frequent visit, but I remember it as
the highlight of my initial trip. I was
incredibly disappointed when I learnt
that Troy wouldn’t be operating on
the day of our visit, so enamored by it
I was on my first visit. The first ride
you see upon approach to the park,
this 32-metre-tall monster takes you
by the scruff of the neck and propels
through swooping drop after crunching turn. A rambunctious, rip-roaring rollicker of a roller
coaster, I’d say Troy alone is reason to visit Toverland if you are an enthusiast who loves thrill
coasters. But, as I say, this time it was closed, so what else does the centre of the park have to
offer?
The highlight of this area of the park for me on this
trip was Djengu River, Toverland’s river rapids
attraction. After climbing up through the beautifully lit
artificial cave system that makes up the end of the
queue line, you find yourself on a rapids ride made
unique by its elevation within the area. Every other
rapids I’ve experienced has been at ground level
within a park, but the true charm of Djengu River is
the decision to build it above the pathways that snake
through the area below. So distracted are you by the
glimpses of the park beneath you that riders may miss upcoming water features designed to
give you a mild (but not excessive) soaking.
Of course, it almost goes without saying that I enjoyed this more when riding with friends; not only does the extra weight in the boat encourage larger waves to threaten your ride vehicle, but the true joy of a rapids ride are the laughs you share along the way. The glee from narrowly avoiding a deluge, or the spluttering disbelief when the water “gets you” but not your friends, I can’t think of a ride type better suited to be enjoyed as a group. So Djengu River, definitely a plus for me this time around.
A word too for “Expedition Zork”, the path’s log f lume. Whilst the ride entrance & station are located in the older indoor section of the park, the main drop stretches down outside and the “adventurer” theming and higher thrills than the rides that surround it make Expedition Zork feel more spiritually at home within Magische Vallei. I love a water ride, but I don’t like getting soaked for the sake of it with no additional theming or purpose (cough *tidal wave* cough) and I found Toverland’s log flume to strike the perfect balance between fun & a light soaking.
Unfortunately, I can’t find much to recommend in the coasters found in the centre of the park. Booster Bikes suffers from a ride system with desperately uncomfortable restraints, pinching you in place at your chest (not great for girls) and lower back. The launch is nippy and thrilling, but the uncomfortable ride position meant I spent the back half of the ride mostly just waiting for it to be over so I could be free of the restraints.
I didn’t even brave Dwervelwind on this visit, so unpleasant did I find it last year. On this I will absolutely concede that your mileage may vary, but I have no stomach for spinning rides so this was a no for me this trip. The adventure playground over water in this area of the park was packed with children by the time we reached it, so we gave this a miss, but judging from how busy it remained during the course of the day, aided no doubt by its central location, I’d have to say it had strong appeal with the family audience.
Avalon – The Jewel in Toverland’s Crown
Fenix, Toverland’s newest thrill coaster, is a perfect example of how a beautiful setting can elevate a good coaster to a great one. I love the first drop on a wing coaster, particularly the “alley-oop” over the crest of the turn into the descent so I preferred the left wing, but the views over the gorgeous Avalon area and short, punchy layout make this a must-do attraction at Toverland wherever you’re sat. The biggest downsides for me were the sluggish one train operations and relative free-for-all in the station to line up for seats, but visiting with friends mitigated these factors as I enjoyed their company whilst waiting.
The newest and most impressive area of Toverland is Avalon – featuring a medieval fantasy theme anchored by the Merlin’s Quest boat ride and the Fenix wing coaster swooping over it. This area is almost a self-contained park, a capsule of complimentary attractions following a cohesive theme, partitioned off from the main Toverland park. If the other three quarters of Toverland show the park’s growth and expansion throughout its first two decades of operation, Avalon is a five-star showcase of everything the park’s creative team have learnt and what they are capable of achieving.
Another ride for the “better with friends” category (a category that is absolutely filling up, I note) is Merlin’s Quest. Anyone who knows me, or has read my previous work, will know that I am entirely a “Dark Rides > Coasters” girlie, so I was really looking forward to re-experiencing Merlin’s Quest. Even when offset by riding with friends, I do still feel that the short indoor section does not quite offer enough “ride” to offset the relative boredom of the journey to & from, despite the marvelous setting. The stately pace of the vehicle and lack of on-board audio makes it somewhat of a drag and the three short scenes, as beautifully crafted and Lapsang Souchong scented as they are, perhaps don’t justify the long ride time.
The Avalon area has a handful of supporting attractions, each with their pros & cons. The Dragonwatch parachute drop tower suffers from its location at the edge of the park, meaning that only half of the seats look over the park, whilst the other half of the riders bounce up and down looking at empty fields & car parks. Waterdwarf Alley is a quaint little walkthrough that expands the area’s mythos through visual storytelling, but unfortunately doubles as a major thoroughfare, so it is difficult to enjoy fully during the middle of the park day. There are more playgrounds, a carousel and the surprisingly well themed “garden tour” ride aimed at the young family market. Finally, the park’s newest addition, sky flyer Pixarus. This visually impressive flat ride sits at the centre of the Fenix helix, no doubt providing some great interactions, but as mentioned above, I’m not one for spinny rides so I didn’t brave it on this occasion!
One final piece of the Avalon area about which I have no criticism is “The Flaming Feather”, a fully Medieval themed sit-down restaurant. The food choices felt on-theme, without being gimmicky, everything was reasonably priced and my “lunchtime special” of bread, cheese, ham, croquette & onion soup was up there with the best meals I’ve ever had in a theme park. Whilst the ample outdoor seating was fully occupied at lunchtime on our sunny visit day, we had no issue finding a large enough table for our party of eleven in the gorgeous indoor space and we even returned here at the end of our park day to enjoy a beer by the f ireplace before we had to leave. A masterclass in making a theme park restaurant feel like part of a themed area, the Flaming Feather is somewhere I would have no hesitation not returning to in any future Toverland visits.
Summary
So that about sums up Toverland. In answer to the question I posed at the beginning of this post, “Is Toverland better with friends?”, my answer would be an unequivocal “yes”. Really though, that’s a disingenuous question because isn’t every theme park, and indeed almost everything in life, better when you have people to share it with? A better question to gauge the merit of a theme park is “Would I recommend it to a first-time visitor?” On that, I’d say “yes”, but with an asterisk. Whilst I enjoyed Toverland and would absolutely recommend it to anyone close enough to visit as a day trip, I recognize that my readership is primarily British and that travelling to European parks requires a not insignificant commitment of time & money. I’d firmly classify Toverland as a “One day Park”; Troy & Fenix are excellent coasters, Avalon is a wonderful area and the supporting rides are solid enough, but even on a peak day, I think you could comfortably ride everything you wanted to in a single day at Toverland. With that in mind, to a UK-based reader, I would recommend Toverland as a fantastic day out within a larger trip, perhaps coupled with days at surrounding parks or enjoying the city of Eindhoven, but I don’t think it’s quite big enough yet to justify a trip out for just this one park. Let that not take away, however, from the fact that Toverland is a cracking little park and well worth your time if you’re in the area!
Until next time, - Keira
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