I recently visited the Legoland Windsor Resort and it really was a great day out. Here is my guide for making the most of your day, including all of the essential information to ease your planning.
What is it?
Legoland is, of course, home to all things Lego!
Legoland Windsor Resort is the second park to open in 1996 after the original opened in Billund Denmark in 1968. Other worldwide locations include China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, UAE and the USA.
Where is it and how do we get there?
Legoland is located in the town of Windsor in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire (roughly 26 miles from Central London).
If you’re driving. depending on your direction of travel, you will be using the M3, M25 or M4. The postcode to use is SL4 4AY but the official website recommends following the brown tourist information signs, just in case that postcode takes you elsewhere. If you are using What3Words they have a really helpful guide for their various car parks.
Parking is £12 or £18 for priority parking. There are charging points for electric vehicles in the priority parking. If you have a Gold and Platinum Merlin Annual Pass or Gold Legoland Annual Pass then parking is free of charge. If you have a Legoland Adult & Toddler, Legoland Silver, Merlin Discovery or Merlin Silver Annual Pass then you can purchase a parking ticket for £6.
If you are travelling by train, the closest station is Windsor and Eton Central which is roughly three miles from Legoland.
If you are travelling a distance and flying is more suitable for you, London Heathrow is just 12 miles away. The Greenline 703 bus travels between Heathrow and Legoland.
What are the prices?
There are several options for buying tickets. It’s much better to book a ticket online in advance with prices starting at £34, rather than a walk up price of £68. Children under 90cm are free of charge. Annual passes start at £59.
Those who have a Blue Light Card can get discounted tickets all year round and Kelloggs still partner with Merlin Entertainment to offer 25% off tickets.
When buying tickets online there are some additions offered. These include unlimited digital photos for £26 and Reserve & Ride from £24pp.
There are four different tiers of Reserve & Ride:
| The One Shot Bundle | This offers near instant access for five rides of your choice for £34. |
| Reserve & Ride Regular | This includes 24 rides and is pretty much the same waiting time as a physical queue but this allows you to queue virtually so you can do something else while still not losing your place in the line. This costs £24. |
| Reserve & Ride Express | This also includes 24 rides but allows you to reduce the virtual waiting times by up to 50% for £39. |
| Reserve & Ride Ultimate | For £59 this includes faster access to 27 rides with the very minimum waiting times. |
What accommodation is available?
If you’re looking for a fun Lego themed sleepover, there are three options for on-site accommodation. The Legoland Resort Hotel, Legoland Castle Hotel and the Legoland Woodland Village.
Legoland Resort Hotel has several themed rooms including pirates, Ninjago and Lego Friends. A stay here includes park tickets for one day, early park access, breakfast, free parking, a free gift and access to the pirate themed pool.
Legoland Castle Hotel is the perfect spot for budding wizards and knights. This includes the same as the Legoland Resort Hotel plus an in room treasure hunt, PS4 and coffee machine, a premium gift and free WiFi.
Legoland Woodland Village is a great option for those who would love a cosy stay in a lodge. Packages include the same benefits as the Legoland Resort Hotel.
There are also options to stay at partner hotels off-site if you would prefer something a little easier on the budget.
What can we do there?
So much!
Legoland has 11 themed areas to appeal to everyone. These are Lego Mythica, Duplo Valley, Knight’s Kingdom, Lego City, Miniland, Lego Ninjago World, Pirate Shores, Heartlake City, Bricktopia, The Beginning and Kingdom of Pharaohs.
Included in these lands are 4D shows, rollercoasters, a flying theatre ride, an underwater ride, a driving school, hot air balloons, a fire academy, famous landmarks in miniature, a haunted house party, creation labs and splash parks during the summer.
Miniland is my personal favourite and the Lego City Deep Sea Adventure.
There are also special events run throughout the year. I was there for the first day of Brick or Treat for Halloween which was so much fun. They also have Legoland at Christmas, Brick Days during half term and the Lego Festival.
Where can we eat and drink?
There are plenty of places to stop for a re-fuel from City Walk Pizza and Pasta and Pirates Burger Kitchen to Farmer Joe’s Chicken Company and The Hungry Troll. There are also some quick service stops like Ben and Jerry’s, City BBQ and Heartlake Desserts.
One thing I wanted to mention is about the Legoland Coffee Co. I went in to see what food was available and it seemed to be a self service situation. I scanned my card to get in and was charged £1, didn’t want anything there and scanned my card to leave again. But I was still charged just to enter? I’m not sure if I did something wrong but this was weird and annoying.
I ended up grabbing some food from Farmer Joe’s Chicken Company and while it was nice, it was expensive for what it was.
Where can we shop?
Pretty much everywhere. The main shop, The Lego Store, is located at The Beginning. This is one of the biggest Lego stores in the UK and I would recommend visiting on your way out so you don’t have to carry all your goodies with you. It’s worth noting that although the park closes at 5pm, the shop stays open until 6pm. If you’re choosing this time to shop on your way out, it’s highly likely that you will have to queue to get in due to the number of shoppers.
The other stores around the park are more themed to the land that they’re in. For example the Lego Ninjago Store is best for Ninjago merchandise, International School Campus Shop in Heartlake City is best for Lego Friends and King’s Market in Knight’s Kingdom is best for Knights and Princesses.
Is it worth it?
In my opinion, yes. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t built their own Lego masterpiece at some point in their lives and it’s so fun to be able to relive that.
It’s a great way to be a big kid for a day. Afterall if given the choice between using the steps or the slides at Legoland, why would you choose the steps?
Have you ever visited any of the Legoland resorts? Or would you be interested in going?
This looks like a wonderful place to visit with kids. Thank you for sharing!
It really is! Thanks for reading :)
My kids would love it here!! It sounds like it’s worth the trip to Legoland. The crocodile has to be my favourite – it’s cute!
Definitely worth the trip!
Looks like an awesome place to visit with my family. Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences.
Thank you for reading :)
Although in a different country this would have been great info in my first trip.
Thanks for reading :).
Such helpful information here! Especially the part about booking tickets online which saves HALF the price! Thank you so much!
Glad you found it helpful! Thanks for reading :)
Wow- so I’ve never been to Legoland and I’ve always wondered what it was like. This blog gives me a great glimpse.
It’s a really good day out!
This is such a helpful breakdown! I love how you included details on parking, transportation, and the different Reserve & Ride options — that’s exactly what I always want to know before planning a trip. The themed hotels sound so fun too, especially the Castle Hotel. Definitely saving this for my next visit!
So glad you found it helpful!
Can’t believe how long it’s been since I went to LEGOLAND. Time for a return trip!
I think so!
This place looks so fun and colorful! It would be a lovely trip for people of all ages! Especially as LEGO sets can even be fun for adults to build, just as much as they are for kids.
A place like this would make a wonderful trip for families, or for an adult who wants to get in touch with their inner child!
Absolutely! I’m 36 and still enjoy Lego :)