Duinrell is a family-owned amusement park and holiday resort set among the coastal dunes of Wassenaar, Netherlands, just outside The Hague. What began in 1935 as a public restaurant and orangery on a centuries-old estate has grown into one of the country’s most visited leisure destinations, blending a full amusement park with a large campsite, lodge accommodations, and the Tikibad indoor water park.
Today Duinrell draws more than a million visitors a year to its mix of family rides, three roller coasters, and 21 waterslides. Its best-known attraction, the Falcon, holds the record for the steepest roller coaster drop in the Netherlands, giving the park an outsized reputation for a single-day thrill despite its roots as a quiet countryside retreat.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Wassenaar, South Holland, Netherlands
- Operator: Van Zuylen van Nijevelt family (privately owned)
- Opened: 1935
- Size: About 110 hectares (270 acres), including the holiday park and campsite
- Annual Visitors: Over 1 million
- Signature Attraction: Falcon — steepest roller coaster drop (97°) in the Netherlands
The Ride Experience
Duinrell’s amusement park section packs over 40 attractions into its dune-side grounds, including three roller coasters. The headline ride is the Falcon, a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter that opened in 2009, reaching about 22 meters tall, hitting roughly 70 km/h (43 mph), and featuring three inversions along its 361-meter track — its 97-degree first drop is the steepest of any coaster in the country. A gentler family coaster, Dragonfly, opened in 2012 and gives younger riders their own introduction to looping track.
Beyond the coasters, the park’s Tikibad water park adds 21 slides plus a dedicated children’s water play area, making Duinrell as much a water park destination as a ride park. The combination of dry rides and indoor water attractions means the park draws visitors year-round rather than only in peak summer season.
A Family Estate Since 1935
The land Duinrell sits on has a history stretching back to 1646, when a farm called Boerderij Duinrell anchored a larger country estate in the dunes near Wassenaar. The estate opened to the public in 1935 with a restaurant and orangery, and the Van Zuylen van Nijevelt family gradually expanded it with campgrounds, a swimming pool, and eventually the full amusement park visitors know today.
That family ownership has continued for nearly a century, giving Duinrell a distinct identity among European theme parks: it remains a single-family, single-site operation rather than part of a larger park chain, tightly integrating its rides, campsite, and holiday lodges into one estate.
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Duinrell FAQs
Where is Duinrell located?
Duinrell is in Wassenaar, South Holland, in the Netherlands, close to The Hague and the North Sea coast.
What is Duinrell’s most thrilling ride?
The Falcon, a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter coaster that opened in 2009, holds the record for the steepest roller coaster drop in the Netherlands at 97 degrees.
Is Duinrell only a theme park?
No — Duinrell combines an amusement park with a large campsite, holiday lodges, and the Tikibad indoor water park, functioning as a full holiday resort as well as a day-trip destination.
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