Getting to Kaatsheuvel without a car

Kaatsheuvel is not on a railway line. It is a small village ten kilometres north of Tilburg, and Tilburg is on a railway line. The standard public-transport route to Efteling is therefore: train to Tilburg, then bus 300 from Tilburg railway station directly to the park's main entrance. The bus runs every 20 minutes during park hours and the ride is about 25 minutes. The combined journey is straightforward once you have done it once.

From Amsterdam

Direct train from Amsterdam Centraal to Tilburg, roughly 75 minutes. Then bus 300, 25 minutes. Total door-to-park: just under two hours. The most reliable connection is the 9:00 train from Amsterdam Centraal which arrives Tilburg 10:15 and meets the 10:35 park bus, putting you at the entrance at about 11:00 — an hour after the park opens but in time to still beat the worst queues.

From Eindhoven

Direct train from Eindhoven to Tilburg, 25 minutes. Then bus 300. Total: about 1 hour. From our home in Eindhoven we usually leave at 9:00 and are at the gates by 10:15. This is our standard family-day routine.

From Rotterdam

Direct train Rotterdam Centraal to Tilburg (about 60 minutes via Breda), then bus. About 1h45 total.

From Brussels (for our Belgian friends)

Train Brussel-Zuid to Antwerp Central, change to a direct train Antwerp - Tilburg, then bus. About 2h15 total. The connection at Antwerp is usually 12 minutes which is enough but not generous; if you have small children, allow for an earlier train.

The parking situation if you do drive

The car park is large and well-organised. It is several minutes' walk from the main entrance, and a free shuttle runs every few minutes between the car park and the gates. The shuttle is more useful with small children than you would expect (the walk is otherwise about ten minutes through the wooded approach).

The car park has a flat day-fee that does not vary with time of day or arrival. The fee structure is on the park's site. Public-transport visitors do not pay this fee, which over a year of visits is the main reason we use the train when only one of us is going with the kids.

Bicycles

The park has bicycle parking near the main entrance. Cycling from Tilburg is about 50 minutes on a relaxed route through the forest paths of the Loonsche Land. We have done this on three separate occasions and it was each time among the best parts of the day. Recommended for visitors aged ten and up.