We both love reading and all his favourite book characters were present. Frog, the Very Hungry Caterpillar, Little Donkey, Miffy, Dikkie Dik, Elmer the Patchwork Elephant and many many more…

Location of the Children’s Book Museum

The Children’s Book Museum is located in the National Library. The library can be found right next to The Hague Central Station, so it’s very easy to get there by public transport. It took us about 35 minutes by train from Haarlem. Of course the train ride was an adventure in itself. From the train station it’s only a few minutes walk to the Library. There are signs pointing the way. Once inside the building, again there are signs pointing towards the Children’s Book Museum (follow the signs ‘kinderboekenmuseum’).

Exhibits for kids ages 0 to 6

Once you’ve paid for your tickets, I found it a bit unclear where to go. You enter a floor with lots of paintings, who all turned out to be authors (make’s sense…). For the youngsters, you need to go to up one flight of stairs. There, you will find two permanent exhibits: ‘Ik ben Kikker’ (I am Frog) and ‘ABC met de dieren mee’ (ABC with the animals). Every book has it’s own little space. There are a lot of little crawl-throughs and places to discover. I have to say, on a busy Saturday, it was a bit stressful having to chase after our 3-year old while he was crawling around.

Exhibit: I am Frog

The ‘I am Frog’ exhibit is the first exhibit the museum also offers in English. The new Frog exhibit was opened on Dec 10, 2016 so it was all still very new when we visited. There’s a 150m2 separate area completely dedicated to Frog. It’s very interactive and like in the books it helps kids learn about intense emotions, such as love, fear and happiness. Go bake a cake in Pig’s house, enjoy ice skating on the lake with Duck or go fishing or treasure hunting. The Frog exhibit is meant for kids ages 0 and up.

Exhibit: Animal ABC

In the animal ABC exhibit lots of Holland’s favourite children’s books come to life. Crawl through the Very Hungry Caterpillar’s foods and become the beautiful butterfly, get lost in Dikkie Dik’s corn maze or try to give Elmer the Patchwork Elephant back his colours. Target group for this area is ages 2-6. It’s very well done, in attractive colours and basic designs. Although some of the areas could use a little touch up, our little one really enjoyed it.

Exhibits for older kids

For older kids (from age 7) there’s an exhibit called ‘Papiria’ at the bottom floor. To be honest, the whole experience of the top floor was exciting enough for our little one. Next time we go we’ll make sure to properly explore the place. I’m sure there’s a lot we haven’t seen yet.

Children’s Book Museum address

Prins Willem-Alexanderhof 5
2595 BE Den Haag
phone: 070 – 333 96 66
email: info@kinderboekenmuseum.nl
www.kinderboekenmuseum.nl

Children’s Book Museum opening hours

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 14:00-17:00
Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and holidays: 12:00 – 17:00
The museum is closed on Mondays.

Children’s Book Museum entrance fee

Kids up until 1 years old: free
Kids 2-6 years old:€6
Kids 7-18 years old: €7
Adults: €8,50

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This blog post is linked up with #TuesdayTreasures, #MondayEscapes and #CulturedKids

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Sprookjeswonderland is not as busy or expensive as most of the other Dutch amusement parks, such as Efteling, Walibi or Julianatoren. It doesn’t have any thrilling or scary rides, there is no loud music and no long lines. As a result it works really well for younger children. All parents I know of that have visited the park said their kids loved it. As a day trip from Amsterdam with young kids, Sprookjeswonderland is a great option.

For what ages is Sprookjeswonderland best suited?

Fairy tales (‘sprookjes’ in Dutch) are great for kids of all ages, but this park is designed specifically for the little ones. There’s no age limit, but I’d say it’s most suited for kids up until about 7 years old. There’s a lot to see and to discover. The park even has a small petting farm! Unlike the Efteling or other large attraction parks in The Netherlands, this smaller scale park doesn’t offer any thrilling rides. But it’s all a matter of perspective. The mechanical horseback riding, the ladybug boats and the oldtimer cars are quite an adventure for younger kids. While the large boat swing, that goes up pretty high in the air, is cool and exciting for the slightly older children (ages 5 and up, 100 cm length).

If your kids are a bit older or used to larger and more thrilling amusement parks, the Efteling is a good option. Check out these tips if you’re planning to visit.

Sprookjeswonderland’s Enchanted forest

The enchanted forest is home to the gnomes, witches, wizards and you will find lots of familiar fairytale figures such as the Frog King, Snow White and the Sleeping Beauty. Say hi to well-known characters like Tom Thumb, Puss in Boots and the Big Bad Wolf. Afterwards, take a stroll through the gnome village and discover how they live and work. Peep through the windows to see the gnome doctor treat a patient and hear the gnomes sing their songs.

Shows at Sprookjeswonderland

The park offers a number of shows, all automated with puppets. At Violinde Castle (‘Kasteel Violinde’) you can watch a musical about the spoiled little princess Violinde. The musical takes about 30 minutes. Small kids love the songs and the rapidly changing decors. The House of Time (‘Tijdshuis’) shows you all four seasons in about 25 minutes, under the watchful eye of Father Time. In the springtime two elves hold a snail race and the flowers sing and dance, while in the wintertime two farting trolls fall in love. It’s captivating but also funny. The Gulliver’s Travels display tells the well-known story of the ship’s doctor Gulliver who is washed to shore on the island of Lilliput after a shipwreck. It had our toddler watching in awe for a good 10 minutes!

Sprookjeswonderland is affordable

Other than at bigger attractions like the Efteling, where you pay a hefty parking fee (sometimes as high as €10!), Sprookjeswonderland offers free parking. Also, you’re allowed to take your own food and drinks, but the prices at the park’s restaurants are definitely very reasonable. You can get a coffee for €1,20 and an ice-cream for €0,60. Regular entrance fees for Dutch amusement parks are between €20-40 per person, so at €9,95 Sprookjeswonderland offers a wonderfully affordable alternative.

Background of Sprookjeswonderland

Sprookjeswonderland’s history started with one man, who made a gnome doll as a joke. This was in 1973. Actually, the founder is still actively involved in the park today. A lot of the attractions are custom made by the park employees. Just this year they launched a new attraction called ‘Hekspeditie’ and improvements are made constantly. The park has about 250.000 visitors a year. Compared to the Efteling, which has well over 4 million visitors yearly, it’s a very small scale operation. But that’s exactly what makes it so attractive.

Practical information

Address: Sprookjeswonderland Kooizandweg 9 1601LK Enkhuizen
Website: Sprookjeswonderland.nl

Entrance fee Sprookjeswonderland

• Children under 2 years have free entrance
• Everyone from 2 – 65 years: €9,95 per person
• Elderly people 65 years and older €8,50 per person
• Groups of 15 or more people: €8,50 per person

Getting to Sprookjeswonderland by car from Amsterdam

• get onto the A10
• take exit s118 towards the A8/E22 (Leeuwarden/Purmerend/Zaanstad)
• at interchange Knooppunt Zaandam follow signs for A7/E22 (Purmerend/Leeuwarden)
• take exit 9 towards the N302 towards Hoorn-Noord/Enkhuizen/Lelystad
• when you enter Enkhuizen follow the signs ‘Sprookjesland’

Getting to Sprookjeswonderland by train from Amsterdam

There is a direct connection by train. From Amsterdam Central Station it takes about 60 minutes to reach Enkhuizen Station. From the station, you can either walk (20 minutes), take a taxi or take the special Sprookjeswonderland tram. During the summer months, the tram runs every day between 10:00 and 17:00. Outside the summer season it only operates on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

• 2nd class return ticket Amsterdam Central Station – Enkhuizen Station: €22,50
• Return tram ticket Enkhuizen Station – Park entrance: €2
• Taxi to Park entrance: €7 (normal car), €11 (minibus)

Combinations with other nearby attractions

Of course, you can always combine a visit to the park with some of the nearby attractions. If you want to experience the real Holland, away from big city Amsterdam, why not find a hotel in the area?

• The Zuiderzee museum offers an indoor and outdoor section where you can discover the culture and history of the region
• Recreatieoord Enkhuizerzand, right next to Sprookjeswonderland, offers the municipal pool and a beach on the shores of the IJsselmeer
• Bare feet walking trail ‘Gouwe Voeten’ at Bovenkarspel. A 1,5 hour walk without shoes to truly experience nature. Next to a camp ground that offers trampolines, soccer and volleyball fields and a playground.
• Education about the environment at MAK Blokweer in Blokker, with a nature park, visitors center and a farm.

Booking.com

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