Winter Efteling 2026-2027: Ice Rink, Evening Tickets and Best Dates

1. Winter Efteling 2026-2027 at a glance

A 77-day winter season

16 November 2026 to 31 January 2027 €40 to €56 per day Evening ticket at €33 Ice rink partly covered

The park presented its winter season on 8 October 2026. Winter Efteling has run since its first edition on 11 December 1999, and the 2026-2027 version adds an ice rink and a new ride on the Warme Winter Weide, the park’s winter plain. Efteling also names two other new features: the Cirque Papillon ride, a caterpillar-style ride designed with families in mind, and the Cirque Miragio show, about twenty minutes under a mirror tent. The Raveleijn area reopens too, with the Ravenring attraction (dates in section 6). The previous season, which ran from 10 November 2025 to 1 February 2026, is no longer a reference for dates or prices. Official press release of 8 October 2026.

The park had 4.98 million unique visitors in 2025, for 5.78 million visits, according to its annual results published in April 2026. At a park this busy, 31 December was already sold out when we checked.

Key points

• One continuous season from 16 November 2026 to 31 January 2027, with no mid-season closure announced
• One ice rink, De Gladde Piste, with a seated area indoors
• An evening ticket at €33 over the Christmas holidays, which costs less than a full day
• Train and bus access from Tilburg or ‘s-Hertogenbosch

The card below is for travellers staying in Amsterdam with a free day. It has no link to the park: the excursion leaves from Amsterdam and visits the windmills of Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam and Marken. It isn’t included in your Efteling ticket.

Pixidia tip: check the exact date and time of your visit on the tickets page before you go. The key dates (Raveleijn, the evening ticket, 31 December) don’t all follow the same rules.

Day trip to Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam and Marken from Amsterdam €46.55 to €49 per adult (2-adult basis), checked on 25 October 2026

Book my day trip to the north of Holland

2. Dates, holidays and key days

Two dates frame the season: opening on 16 November 2026 and closing on 31 January 2027, both given in the official press release of 8 October 2026. Between those dates, a few days change how you visit the park. The table below lists them in calendar order.

Source: Efteling press release of 8 October 2026, for the season dates and the evening ticket; Dutch holidays from Rijksoverheid, checked on 25 October 2026.

For UK families, school Christmas holidays are set by each council or academy, not by a national calendar. In the council calendars we checked on 25 October 2026, most English Christmas breaks start around 21 December and end on 1 January 2027, though some begin on 19 December. Look up your child’s school on the gov.uk school term and holiday dates page before you pick a day. We left out one other source’s date range because we couldn’t confirm it.

In the Netherlands, the holidays run from 19 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 in every region. The two weeks around New Year are not a quiet time to visit, so choose your day before you go, then book the matching ticket.

When to go? The Christmas holidays probably bring the biggest crowds. That is an inference from the school calendar, as Efteling doesn’t publish a crowd forecast for the season. Outside the Christmas holidays, the Tuesdays and Wednesdays in November and the second half of January should be quieter, again by inference.

Should you book ahead? Yes. That’s what guides to earlier seasons recommend, advising you to book both your ticket and your parking. Check these tips on the tickets page before your visit, as they may have changed.

If you’d rather stay on site, the park offers 2026 holiday packages that include access to Winter Efteling, bookable since 2 June 2026. See the holiday offers on efteling.com. Each offer has its own conditions, so read them before you compare them with a day ticket alone. If you’re comparing with another year-end trip, our guide to the Hamburg Christmas markets 2026 covers dates and opening hours.

3. Opening hours: what the season changes

Hours don’t follow a single pattern. The published minimum is 11 am to 6 pm. Most often the park opens at 10 am and closes at 7 pm. During the Christmas holidays, closing can go as late as 8 pm, except on 31 December, when hours are reduced. Efteling doesn’t publish hours day by day on the pages we read, so check the hours for your chosen day before you go.

Source: Efteling press release of 8 October 2026; 31 December from the Oud & Nieuw page, checked on 25 October 2026.

What this means in practice: on a weekday outside the holidays, plan a full day and don’t count on a late evening. Over the Christmas holidays, the late closing lets you stay until the evening without rushing, as long as you already have the right ticket.

4. 2026-2027 tickets: prices, evening ticket and parking

Three options to compare

Day ticket: €40 to €56 Evening: €33 Parking: €15 or €10 with the evening ticket

The day ticket comes in five price levels, depending on the date you choose. Children under 3 enter for free. The flexible ticket, at €56, stays valid for a year: it suits you if you plan to come back, not if you’re visiting once. The evening ticket is a separate product, new in 2026, and works differently: it gets you into the park from 4 pm until closing, during the festive period.

Source: Efteling official price pages for day and flexible tickets; evening ticket and linked parking, official announcement of 8 October 2026; parking rate, checked on 25 October 2026.

For two adults, the total changes a lot depending on the option. A day ticket at the lowest rate (€40) costs €80, plus €15 standard parking, so €95 in all. At the highest rate (€56), the same day comes to €127. The evening ticket, at €33 per person, comes to €66, or €76 with the €10 parking. These totals exclude the train, the bus and meals.

Check the evening ticket carefully. It starts at 4 pm, but it’s only valid from 21 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, except on 31 December. Outside that window, the evening ticket isn’t offered.

5. The De Gladde Piste ice rink: what is confirmed

De Gladde Piste, on the Warme Winter Weide

Partly covered Seated area indoors Ticket inclusion not confirmed

The ice rink is one of the season’s new features. It sits on the Warme Winter Weide, the park’s winter plain, and it is partly covered: the official communication describes a seated area indoors. So it is neither a fully covered rink nor a fully open-air one. Official announcement of the ice rink and the ride.

Three points are still open. First, is access to the rink included in the entrance ticket? No official source we read says so, and we won’t assume it. Second, the price to rent skates isn’t published in the sources we consulted: the €2 figure you may find in older articles dates from 2018 and can’t be used as a reference. Third, the rink’s opening hours, which may differ from the park’s, don’t appear on the pages we read.

Before you go, open the tickets page, read the conditions for each product and ask the park whether rink access is included. Keep a written record of what you buy: that’s how you’ll know on arrival whether the ice is included or sold separately.

6. New Year’s Eve and Raveleijn: two dates not to miss

31 December has its own ticket, sold separately. Tickets for that day were sold out when we checked, and the park offers a notification for 2027 in case places open up. Don’t plan a New Year’s Eve at Efteling without a ticket in hand: on that date, an unplanned visit is not an option. Efteling’s Oud & Nieuw page is the only reference to check.

The Raveleijn area reopens in two stages. The Dutch press release of 8 October 2026 gives 1 December 2026 for Premium ticket holders, and 3 December 2026 for all visitors. An English press release from 1 September 2026 gave 1 December without any distinction. We go with the most recent date, from 8 October, and suggest you check the park’s page before booking a specific day.

7. Getting to Winter Efteling by public transport

The park isn’t reachable by a direct train. Take the train to Tilburg or ‘s-Hertogenbosch, then a bus. Two traps come up often: the OV-chipkaart card doesn’t give access to the park, and the NS Efteling Dagretour ticket covers the train but not the bus. So you’ll need to buy a bus ticket as well, or a combination that covers both.

Source: Efteling’s official public transport page, checked on 25 October 2026.

The journey involves at least one change, between the train and the bus. Allow some margin for a 10 am or 11 am opening, and for the return trip, check bus times on the transport websites when you book, especially with an evening ticket.

By car, parking is paid: €15 at the standard rate, €10 with the evening ticket. According to a guide to an earlier season, the space is reserved with the ticket, with no counter on site; confirm this on the tickets page. We don’t give a driving time: it depends on where you start and is best checked on a map.

What other guides don’t tell you

Several online guides repeat information from the 2025 season, or wording generated without a source. Here are six points that come from the official pages, checked on 25 October 2026.

• The season doesn’t run from mid-November to early February. It runs from 16 November 2026 to 31 January 2027, as the park announces. Official press release of 8 October 2026 (checked on 25 October 2026).
• The ice rink is partly covered, not open-air. De Gladde Piste has a seated area indoors, on the Warme Winter Weide. Official announcement of the ice rink (checked on 25 October 2026).
• The evening ticket exists, and it has a precise window. It costs €33, from 4 pm to closing, from 21 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, except on 31 December. The linked parking costs €10. Some travel sites show it starting at 5 pm, or leave it out altogether. English official announcement (checked on 25 October 2026).
• 31 December has its own ticket, sold separately. Tickets for that day were sold out when we checked, and the park offers a notification for 2027. Oud & Nieuw page (checked on 25 October 2026).
• The OV-chipkaart card isn’t enough, and the NS ticket excludes the bus. The trip goes through Tilburg or ‘s-Hertogenbosch, then a bus. Official public transport page (checked on 25 October 2026).
• 2026 prices are not the 2025 prices. The official price pages give €40 to €56 for a day ticket, where older guides show €38 to €53 for the previous season. Official price pages (checked on 25 October 2026).

8. Budget and tips by traveller type

On a tight budget, the evening ticket is the biggest saving. Two adults arriving at 4 pm pay €76 in total, parking included, against €95 for a day ticket at the lowest rate. This calculation leaves out the train, the bus and meals, which can weigh more than the ticket itself. The park doesn’t publish food prices on the pages we read, so budget a margin for that.

Your priorities change with your profile:

• Families with young children. Children under 3 enter for free. A full day lets you move from the ice rink to the covered areas without rushing. Bring warm clothes and plan a seated break indoors.
• Couples without children. The evening ticket, at €33 per person, is enough for a focused visit. Add an excursion the next day if you’re staying in the Netherlands.
• Tight budget. The evening ticket (€33) is only valid from 21 December to 3 January, which by inference is the busiest period. Avoid 31 December, which was sold out when we checked.
• First visit. Arrive at opening to enjoy the ice rink before the day fills up. Book the ticket for the day you’ve chosen rather than relying on a generic ticket.
• Reduced mobility. Accessibility information doesn’t appear on the official pages we read. Contact the park before your visit to ask about suitable access.

What a day at Winter Efteling looks like

A well-planned day can start on the ice rink, then move on to the covered areas. The Cirque Miragio show (about twenty minutes, under a mirror tent) and the Cirque Papillon ride, designed with families in mind, are among the new features Efteling names. For a break or a meal, the official pages mention pea soup, waffles, hot chocolate and mulled wine; the park doesn’t publish food prices. Keep the late afternoon for the rides you care about most. If you’re coming for the evening, arrive at 4 pm and skip the rest of the day.

Pixidia tip: in winter, the cold sets in fast in late afternoon. A second layer and gloves matter more than a second show.

9. Mistakes to avoid

• Relying on a 2025 price. The price structure changed for 2026-2027, and the evening ticket didn’t exist in this form last year.
• Assuming the ice is included. Until the tickets page says so, rink access remains to be checked.
• Arriving on 31 December without a ticket. Places were sold out when we checked.
• Counting on the OV-chipkaart card to get you in. It doesn’t give access to the park, and the NS Dagretour ticket doesn’t cover the bus.
• Booking without checking the hours for the day. Closing time varies between 6 pm and 8 pm depending on the period.