Legoland Windsor is a theme park based on Lego. The brick is king here. There are a mixture of rides (for toddlers and preschoolers, as well as for primary school kids), amazing Lego creations to gawp at, shows and play areas. Best for 5-9 year olds, good for 3-4 year olds (except there may be some rides they can't go on) and 10-11 year olds who don't yearn for the older delights of Chessington, Thorpe Park and Alton Towers. OK for 2 year olds but most 12 year olds will probably find it too young. £££ Legoland is pricey. Online prices: Adult £37.85, child £36.00, family of 4 £128.52. Gate prices: Adult £48.00, child £43.80, family of 4 £183.60. Under 3s go free Don't pay full price on the day! Book in advance via the Legoland website as prices are cheaper - the further in advance you book the more you save. There are also seasonal discounts and monthly offers with savings of up to 30% as well as the option of annual passes, which are really cost effective if you know you'll be going 3 or more times in a year.
Tip: Keep your eye out for promotions in the summer on food and drinks packs. These discounts are available only on gate prices, but you can still save money. 1 At peak times, the queues can be very, very long - well over an hour during weekends and school holidays. That's a big ask for a young child, and even more so for a toddler. To get the most out of your visit, you need to make a game plan - before you go. 2 If you're going in peak times you should aim for a mix of popular and less-popular or no-queue rides. Otherwise you could spend more time queuing than riding. 3 Watch out for getting wet! There are loads of wet rides - some obvious, some less so. You may be at risk of being unexpectedly squirted or sprayed on the Heartlake City Express train and at the live harbour shows - depending where you sit. Definitely bring spare changes of clothes and waterproofs to avoid walking around soggy all day. If visiting in the summer months, don't forget to bring your children's swimwear (and even yours if you're feeling brave) plus towels so everyone can cool off at Splash Safari (pictured above) and Drench Towers in Duplo Valley.
4 Don't lose your child in Castaway Camp! Castaway Camp is a large climbing/play centre in Pirate Shores that can get extremely busy and is best for 6yrs+. It is very easy to lose sight of your children (especially the younger ones) on the equipment and height may be an issue at times for some. Try to give your child a rough idea of how long they should disappear for!Many of the toilets around the park have sinks and hand dryers positioned lower down, perfect for smaller children. The toilets are quite well maintained, but towards the end of the day there can be a distinct lack of toilet roll (a nightmare when you have a little one mid number 2 and you realise too late!). We recommend coming prepared with tissues. 6 The park is very pushchair and wheelchair friendly. You can also hire a single/double buggy for the day on site (£9-£14) as well as wheelchairs if needed. Disabled visitors are also entitled to a Ride Access Pass enabling fast, hassle-free access to 10 chosen rides throughout your visit.
7 Measure your child before you go, as many rides do have minimum height requirements (rather than age) - and the ride helpers will be strict. The majority of rides are suitable for children above 0.9m, some stipulate 1.0m and a few are 1.2m. Don't let your child's disappointment spoil the day - warn them in advance. Mia's Riding Adventure (pictured above) was the highlight of Heartlake City (for me), but even my eldest, Lola, wasn't the required 1.2m and was upset she couldn't have a go. 8 There are several baby changing stations. The Mothercare sponsored Baby Care Centre situated in Heartlake City is a great place to change and feed your baby. The changing stations are cleaned regularly, there are private feeding cubicles (the seats can get a bit uncomfortable after a while but better than a busy bench) and there's a comfortable seated area with magazines for those waiting to use the facilities. You will also find a lost children services desk here (as well as at the guest services/ info desk at the beginning of the park) and you can pick up a wrist band for your child to wear on which they will write your contact number.
The staff their were very friendly and helpful. They explained to my daughters who to look for if they get lost (staff dressed like them with Lego badges). 9 Think about food before you go. There are plenty of restaurants, cafes, snack bars/kiosks and 'hydration stations' throughout the park. There are some healthy-ish options, along with the chips, burgers, pizzas, fried chicken and more chips. At the Heartlake Pizza & Pasta joint, it's an 'eat as much as you can' for a fixed fee. Baby food can be requested from a member of staff at the Hill Top Cafe, Knights Table Rotisserie & Heartlake City Cafe. By far the cheapest way is to bring your own food. If it's dry, there are plenty of green spaces throughout Legoland to have a family picnic. Come armed with snacks and water, especially on warm days. 10 For once, you don't have to exit through the gift shop, but we still couldn't resist a visit at the end of our day to the Big Shop to buy a Lego treat. I have never seen my husband so excited than when spotting the Ghostbuster Lego he... ahem... we have have wanted for ages.
It is a veritable Aladdin's Cave for Lego lovers, with the option to custom build and buy your own Lego figures. It's near impossible to come out empty handed - you have been warned! The Q-Bot enables you to jump the queues of the busiest rides. It a device that lets you reserve your place in a queue without physically having to do it - like having someone queue for you, while you do something else. You just rock up at your allocated time slot and you join the fast Q-Bot queue. That will cost you £15 extra per person. However, for £35 extra per person, you can reduce the virtual queue time by half with Q-Bot Express and for a breathtaking £75 extra per person you can get the Q-Bot Ultimate which gives you instant access to 21 rides and attractions.You'll need to have very deep pockets and it makes an expensive family day out, incredibly expensive. But you will get on lots more rides. Our opinion - try to go on a quieter day and do your planning. Nestled in the Berkshire countryside, 2 miles from Windsor city centre, you can travel by train to Windsor & Eton Central/Riverside Train Stations and there's then a regular shuttle bus to the park.