Themepark Review: Toverland - The Youngest Park of the Netherlands

This blog is a transcript from my review video of this park. If you don't want to read, but want to see a motion picture, you can scroll to the end of this article. But you'll miss some nice pics :-).

Park Introduction

It wasn't so long ago that Toverland opened in Sevenum, near the Dutch & German border. On May 19, 2001 the gates were opened for the first time.
On this day the park consisted of only one indoor hall, in which there was not only a classic wave Swinger, but also a family coaster from Vekoma. Playgrounds, slides and gastronomy were offered in between those.

Already in 2004 the success was built on and a second hall was opened, the Magic Forest. This not only brought the log flume ride, but also the second roller coaster "Booster Bike" into the park and had thus also opened up the first outdoor areas.

In 2007 the small park got its third roller coaster. The one they opened with "Troy", named after the Trojan wooden horse was a large Wooden Coaster build by Great Coasters International. This ride is still a favourite of the international amusement park scene. The area around the roller coaster was extended in 2010 by the swinging ship and the mechanical horse ride.

After the "Dwervelwind" roller coaster had been opened in 2012, the theme area "Magic Valley" followed in spring 2013. The rafting ride "Djengu River" not only offered a second water attraction, but also enriched the theme area with carousels and playgrounds.

The last big step was taken in 2018, when not only the new theme area "Avalon" with its impressive wing coaster and elaborate boat trip was opened, but also a new, large entrance area, the "Port "Laguna", was added to the park.

Review Introduction

The Park Reviews highlight the following focal points: Offers for children under 1m in height, family rides and major rides for thrill-seekers. In addition, impression of the theming and presentation, as well as a final assessment of the price value. Each Category can get a maximum of 5 Stars.

Category Kids

Attractions intended exclusively for the smallest are limited to playgrounds in most amusement parks. In Toverland, however, it has been made sure that even the smallest ones can use many rides. Some highlights where children can have fun even under 90cm, sometimes accompanied by an adult, are Merlins Quest, the Paarden van Ithaka horse ride, the nostalgic carousel, the whirl tree or the Toverhuis. There are also many playgrounds and climbing opportunities. This makes Toverland a really good choice for families with very young children. Therefore, I can unpack the full score here. Of course, you're welcome.

Category Family

The Park stands there even more strongly, if one considers the offer for all family members. in the list of highlights for a wide audience are rides such as Troy, Dwervelwind, Scorpios, the log flume ride "Expedition Zork" or the Djengu River. The Maximus Blitz Bahn and Booster Bike are also suitable for families. On top of that there are various sacks and boat slides, as well as various rides for every taste. It should not be hard to fill out the whole day at the Toverland completely. Boredom is certainly not a problem here.

Thus the Toverland presents itself also particularly strongly in the family entertainment. Only a bigger show might be missing in this area, that's where other parks are a bit ahead. Nevertheless, I can give a healthy 4 stars rating for the family offer.

Category Thrill

The Toverland is certainly not a paradise for thrill-seekers per se, but there are some pearls for those who like it a bit more action packed.
Of course, Fenix is the first choice, this B&M Wing Coaster surprised me with its fast and intense ride. The coaster is extraordinarily generous for its type in terms of the forces it exerts and leaves no time to breathe from the first drop into the depths to the final brake. As a fan of intensive roller coasters this ride is in my opinion a "must ride".

But also coasters like Troy and Booster Bike are convincing. Not on the level of Fenix, but Troy is an absolute fun machine. Typically GCI the track changes the directions really stubbornly sometimes and the short but crisp Airtime moments should let each Coaster fan the heart beat faster. With Booster Bike it is again the somewhat rarer seating position that makes the ride as attractive as it is. So also for us thrillseekers there is activity and if you are honest with yourself, the choice of a few pearls is sometimes better than the absolute overkill, where you don't know where to start, right?

The Toverland gets 3 stars from me when it comes to thrill. One of them alone goes to the courage to put such an intense wing coaster in the park. That should be rewarded.

Category Theming

This leads us to the category of theming, which is also an outstanding strength in Toverland.
This starts with the already mentioned Darkride part of "Merlins Quest", but runs through all areas and types of rides. Every corner, every attraction and every building has a little story to tell. Everywhere everything revolves around magic and sorcery. Even the buildings of the entrance area hide magic effects that can be triggered. With the new entrance area, the overall image of the park has also been improved, as the transitions to the individual areas have been simplified.

In addition, the halls have also been improved several times in the meantime and are no longer inferior to the outdoor areas in any way, resulting in a wonderful overall picture, which usually does not have to hide from the big ones of the industry.

Only at a few corners, such as the bare hall wall at the Fenix Station from the direction of the final brake, one notices that budgets or time were sometimes a little too tight here. However, it must also be clear that there is no multi-million or even billion company behind Toverland, as is the case with Universal and Disney.
I have a very good 4 stars rating for the overall picture of the park and the design.

Category Price & Value

Finally, let's look at the prices, because these must also match the offer, otherwise the best portfolio will not be convincing.
Since the prices change every now and then depending on season and novelties, I always recommend a look at the homepage of the park. At the moment, the price scale of Toverland is as follows:

The day ticket for children between 90 and 120cm height costs 23,50€. Children under 90cm have free entrance. Adults and guests over 120cm pay the full price of 33€. In view of the fact that many attractions can be used by all age groups, one can understand the full price beginning at this size. Moreover, the total price is not exaggeratedly high and those who buy their ticket online in advance get a discount on most ticket types.
For visitors aged 55 and over, or with disabilities, a ticket is available for 28.50 euros.
For wheelchair users and guests who have birthday at the day of visiting and can identify themselves by passport there is free access to the park.
Parking at Toverland costs 10€, which I think is a lot, but is not unusual anymore.
If you travel with a group of 20 people or more, you pay 25 euros per ticket. There are also individual offers for youth clubs. Please visit the homepage of the park for individual offers.

You can obviously also spend much money in the park. Especially when it comes to food and drink, although the park is not more expensive than others. Snacks and drinks are between 3 and 8 euros. One gets full meals between 8 and 15 euros, whereby the limit can be much higher depending on the choice. But this is really nothing unusual.

All in all I see the Toverland well positioned with those pricing. they rank here in the healthy mid class of the family parks and offer a lot of quality for the called prices. That gives them 4 stars for the called prices.

Now just in short on the opening times

Toverland has not only a summer but also a winter season. The opening hours vary depending on the season and events. Here you should have a look at the homepage first. In winter the park has different opening times than in summer and only the two halls and on weekends the Troy Area are open. Those who come in midsummer should first check if you could make it to the midsummer evenings with extended opening hours.

With this, we got an overview of the Toverland, but as always, all of this is only my personal opinion about the park. Do you see it differently? Do you have anything to add? Then get it down in the comments, I am looking forward to your opinions.