Efteling opens new fairytale mini boat ride, ‘The Six Swans’

On Saturday, Sept. 28, Efteling, the fairytale theme park in the south of Holland, welcomed its 30th fairytale attraction to the Fairytale Forest.

The new attraction, “The Six Swans,” can be found between the fairy tales of Snow White and Cinderella.

“Fairy tales have been the origin of Efteling since 1952. That is why we continue to enrich the Fairytale Forest with new stories. This relatively unknown fairy tale is a classic – a beautiful and interactive addition that underlines our role as guardian of the fairy tale,” said Fons Jurgens, CEO of Efteling.

Taken from the Brothers Grimm fairytale, “The Six Swans” tells the story of Elisa, the brave younger sister who has to break the spell upon her brothers. This new attraction is the first in Fairytale Forest that can be experienced in two unique ways: either by riding on the back of an almost 10-foot-long swan or by entering the castle on foot and seeing Elisa from the side.

Once inside the castle, guests will meet Elisa and see that her six bothers have been turned into swans by their jealous stepmother. To break the spell, she must not speak or laugh for six years and knit six shirts made from aster flowers. Inside, Elisa is surrounded by 606 twinkling aster flowers – 101 asters per brother – that light up as the swan boats pass. Outside, around the hidden castle, thousands of aster flowers can be found.

To celebrate the opening of Efteling’s 30th fairytale, guests can also visit a temporary exhibit at the Efteling Museum that is entirely themed around the 30 fairytales in the Fairytale Forest.

To learn more, visit Efteling.com/en.