Sprookjesbos or the ‘Fairy Tale Forest’ houses many different fairy tale characters, from the familiar to the obscure.  This is the oldest part of the park, and what Efteling was known for in its earlier days.

Here is the (albeit long) list of attractions in the fairy tale forest:

Sleeping Beauty (1952: Castle, 1953: Sleeping Beauty figure and sleeping cooks,  1981: Witch added)

Herald Square, The Magic Clock and The Frog King (1952)

Snow White (1952: Snow White figure, 1999: Stepmother ‘Mirror Mirror on the Wall’ added)

Dwarf Village (1952)

The Six Servants (Langnek) (1952)

The Chinese Nightingale (1952: bird on a branch, 1999: Emperor’s Palace added)

The Talking Parrot (1952)

Vrouw Holle (1952: Well of Vrouw Holle, 2006: Vrouw Holle figure added, 2022: rebuilt)

Little Red Riding Hood (1953)

The Red Shoes (1953)

Hansel and Gretel (1955)

The Wishing Table, The Donkey and the Club in the Sack (1956: Donkey added, 1999: Inn with magic table and club added)

The Flying Fakir (1958)

The Indian Water Lilies (1966)

The Little Mermaid (1970)

The Wolf and the Seven Kids (1973)

The Dragon (1979)

The Troll King (1988)

Tom Thumb (1998)

Rumpelstiltskin (1998)

Rapunzel (2001)

The Little Match Girl (2004)

Cinderella (2009)

Sprookjesboom (2010)

The Emperor’s New Clothes (2012)

Pinocchio (2016)

The Six Swans (2019)

…Let us not forget Kleine Boodschap, who is pointing the way to the toilets!

The scenes are inspired by the tales of Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Andersen, and the Brothers Grimm, including some scenes which do not relate to any particular story.  Some scenes are indoors, some are out, some talk, and some don’t, but they are all made more interesting by being surrounded by a forest.

You can easily get lost in the forest too!  Most buildings and figures stand on their own surrounded by trees, which you cannot see beyond, so unless you are very familiar with the forest, you will have no idea what is around the corner!

Some of the attractions in the forest are interactive, to a point.  The Dragon for instance, has a treasure chest in front of him, and when a guest pulls the crown inside of it, the Dragon comes to life and warns you away from it!  Also the donkey from the story of The Wishing Table (or The Table, The Donkey, and The Club in the Sack) delivers coins from his rear end when 50 Cents is put into the slot on his podium (and he now even takes contactless cards!).  This is one of the most popular places to visit in the fairy tale forest, and ‘Donkey money’ is a cheap and cheerful souvenir.