Plan the perfect family day out at Legoland Windsor Resort with our expert tips on tickets, travel, day-planning and what to pack.
We know the majority of first-time visitors to Windsor will have plans to explore either Windsor Castle or Legoland Windsor Resort. We love them both for different reasons, but needless to say, they’re both amazing attractions and offer such unique and exciting days out.
Today we’re shining a light on Legoland, ready to impart all our wisdom from our visits! This is one of the UK’s top theme parks, so if you want to make the most of your day out, you really do need to have a plan before you go. The majority of visitors are families with young children, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned as a parent, is it’s vital to think about things like queues, snacks and energy levels. After all, no one wants to be handling a child’s meltdown on a special day out!
In this guide I’ll share some of the most useful and practical tips for visiting Legoland. These hacks will help you experience the park like a pro, saving time, money and stress!
Looking for other great places to take your kids? Check out our guide to the best family activities in Windsor.
16 Practical tips for visiting Legoland Windsor Resort
Book tickets in advance
Let’s start at the beginning. If you’ve just started planning your trip to Legoland, definitely book tickets in advance. These are available via the Legoland website, where you’ll find lots of options including standard tickets, adult and toddler bundles, annual passes and VIP tickets. There are sales across the year, so if you’re flexible with dates, it’s worth keeping an eye on prices.
The prices on the day are a lot more… yes, A LOT. Almost double. You don’t ever want to do that, so definitely book in advance. We love booking tours and tickets through GetYourGuide. They have options to change dates up until the last minute too, which can be handy!
However, you don’t HAVE to book via the Legoland site. There are lots of deals throughout the year run by supermarkets (e.g. Tesco Clubcard) and on products (e.g. cereal boxes or crisp packets). I’d recommend searching on Money Saving Expert to see if there’s anything that could work for your trip. It can be a great way to save money.
If you think you’ll visit Legoland more than once in a year, take a look at the annual pass options. They’re really good value and include discounts within the park too. Just make sure you look at date restrictions, as some passes can’t be used during busy periods such as the summer holidays.
Check when your child’s inset days are
This doesn’t apply to everyone, but if you have school aged kids, I’d recommend planning your visit for their school inset day. We did this and wow did it make a difference! Obviously, the park is extremely busy during school holidays, so finding quiet days means you’ll get to enjoy more rides and experiences in a day.
Plan your journey (including parking)
If you’re planning to drive to Legoland, look at route options ahead of your trip and allow plenty of time on the day. There can be a lot of traffic around Windsor in the mornings, especially during school holidays, so you’ll want to factor that in. After all, you don’t want to eat into your day in the park by being stuck by the entrance!
If you’re parking at Legoland (which I’d recommend), then you should be aware this comes at an additional cost to your entrance ticket. Currently, there are options of general or priority parking, which cost £12 and £18 during peak season, or £6 and £9 in winter. It’s also good to book this in advance. You’ll receive a barcode on a confirmation email, which you can scan to exit the park.
There are several ways to reach Legoland by public transport, too. There’s the Route 702 and Route 703 bus service from London, also known as ‘The Green Line’. Plus, National Express runs a coach service from London Victoria. Or, you can catch a train from London to one of Windsor’s two stations, then hop on the bus or catch a taxi.
We’ve got lots of tips for getting to the park in our comprehensive guide to how to get to Legoland Windsor.
Arrive early (+ a top tip!)
Ok, sounds obvious, but seriously, this is your big family day out, so arrive early. It’s better to be standing by the entrance gates when the barriers open, than arriving with hundreds of people later in the day! You want to maximise your time inside the park
While opening hours usually state that the park opens at 10am, our big tip here is that the gates usually open closer to 9.30am. The rides won’t start running until 10am, but that first 30 minutes is brilliant for familiarising yourself with the park’s layout and walking to the furthest point, or getting to the start of the queues for the biggest rides.
Download the Legoland App
The Legoland Mobile App is brilliant for helping to plan your day in the park. We downloaded it the day before our visit, and it was great to take a look at the park’s layout on the interactive map and get ideas of what was open, and the queue times to expect. There’s something so satisfying about turning up with a bit of extra knowledge!
On the day, we used it to plan routes to various rides, look at live queue times, see what time shows were happening and which dining options were open. As we had our toddler with us (who is under 90cm) we found the height filter particularly useful, as it showed us what he was able to do within the park.
I think the live queue times is the most helpful feature. You can look at what you want to do and make sure you’re using your time wisely.
Check the height of your kids
There are some rides that require children to be over 90cm or 1m to ride, or have restrictions on needing someone over 16 to ride with them if they’re under 1.3m. You can see all of these outlined here. It’s worth taking a good look at this before visiting… and potentially measuring your child too! You don’t want them to be excited about all the rides they’ll go on, only to be disappointed at the front of the queue when they discover they’re not tall enough.
If you’re a solo parent visiting with kids of different ages or heights, you’ll have to bear this in mind too, as you can’t be in two places at once. But, there’s a ‘parent swap’ option, where you can go on twice with different children, without having to queue twice. Just ask the staff running the ride and they’ll help arrange this.
I’ve mentioned that we took our two-year-old toddler with us. He’s under 90cm, so there were nine rides suitable for him. However, he could still enjoy Miniland, the park’s playgrounds, shows and experiences in addition to those rides.
Plot out your day in advance
If you know you’re visiting on a busy day, then start your day at the most popular rides, such as Flight of the Sky Lion or Ninjago. The queues tend to build up during the day, so you’ll get on quicker at the beginning.
If you want to fill time during the day, without facing queues, you can always visit the playgrounds or see if there’s a show or 4D cinema experience.
Bring lots of food and refillable bottle
If you’re spending an entire day at Legoland, my biggest tip is to pack your own food and drink. Lots of people take packed lunches, sandwiches, snacks and drinks into the park. This is permitted and a great money saving tip for Legoland.
There are water refill stations all over the park (something I thought was brilliant), so definitely bring a refillable bottle.
You’ll see a number of food and drink options in the park, including pizza, pasta, burgers, fried chicken, hot dogs and ice cream. One thing I’d say is that food and drink costs can add up fast at Legoland. On our last visit, a standard adult meal was around £15 (chicken, chips and a drink) and a child’s meal was around £11. An ice cream with a flake was over £5. If you multiply this by several adults and children, plus extra snacks and drinks throughout the day, it’s getting pricey!
To save some money at Legoland, you can pre-book some food and drink, which leads to savings. It’s definitely worth looking into.
Consider buying a refillable drink vessel
If sipping water all day feels a little dull, there’s a fun alternative at Legoland. You can buy a Coca-Cola Freestyle vessel, which gives you unlimited refills from the park’s Freestyle Soda Fountain Machines. With over 100 flavour combinations to choose from, it’s a playful way to mix and match your own drinks throughout the day.
It’s usually cheaper if you pre-book this online before your visit, and if you’d normally buy three or four drinks, the vessel quickly pays for itself. Families often share one between them, taking turns to experiment with new flavours.
Top tip: decide early on (or even before you go) if you’re going to get one, so you can make the most of those unlimited refills!
Bring activities
We visited on a quieter weekday when most kids were at school, and the longest we queued was about 20 minutes. During the summer holidays though, wait times for the most popular rides can stretch to 50 minutes or more. That can feel like forever for little ones with short attention spans, so it’s worth planning a few distractions.
Sticker books, mini travel games, or compact activity packs are great to keep in your bag. When all else fails, there’s always a classic game of I Spy!
Birthday treats at Legoland
Did you know you get special treatment if you’re celebrating your birthday at Legoland? Head to Guest Services as soon as you arrive (located to the right, just inside the entrance gates), tell them whose birthday it is, and they’ll give you a birthday badge and add your name to the birthday board in Heartlake City. You might also find staff on the rides give little treats throughout the day too!
Dress for the weather
Check the forecast in the days running up to your trip to Legoland and make sure you and your family are dressed suitably.
Visiting Legoland on a warm, sunny day? Think about lightweight clothes made of breathable materials. Pack a hat, sunglasses and SPF (30+ for adults and 50+ for little ones). I think it’s brilliant that Legoland has placed sunscreen dispensers around the park. However, it’s better to apply some before you arrive and have it with you so you can apply layers throughout the day.
Visiting Legoland in the rain? All-in-one waterproof wetsuits are great for smaller kids. Bigger kids can wear anoraks and wellies, while adults might just want a coat and umbrella. There aren’t many indoor areas, so be prepared. We have a detailed guide to visiting Legoland in the rain, full of tips and recommendations.
If your kids are keen to visit Drench Towers, Legoland’s water play area, then pack swimwear and a towel too. Plus, be aware that you will wet on some rides, particularly on Pirate Falls: Treasure Quest. So, whatever the weather, you might want to wear items that dry quickly and easily, or pack a change of clothes.
Bring a buggy or wagon
A day out at Legoland involves a lot of walking, and some areas are hilly. Even if your child is a great independent walker, they might get tired by the afternoon. I’d recommend bringing your buggy if you’re in any doubt they’ll manage for a whole day. We were really glad to have ours with us, even just to carry our bags, coats and snacks around!
If you arrive at Legoland and think ‘why didn’t we bring a buggy?’ there are some ‘Scooterbugs’ available to rent for the day (single and double buggy models).
I also saw a lot of families with wagons / trolleys, essentially to carry all their things around for the day. When you factor in the clothes, bags, snacks, drinks and activities, it can feel like a lot to lug around in a backpack.
There are buggy parks by all the rides. You leave your belongings at your own risk, but this felt fine to us as there was nothing of value in ours.
What if I lose my child at Legoland?
There’s no scarier feeling as a parent, than the realisation that your child has raced out of your sight. Legoland are experienced with dealing with these situations. They suggest alerting any member of staff, who will then take you to Guest Services or the first aid room to make a plan.
They also suggest giving your child one of their emergency contact wristbands at the start of the day. You can put your mobile phone number on the wristband, so if your child does get separated from you, it’s easier for staff to reunite you.
Book accommodation nearby
A day at Legoland is really good fun for all the family, but it’s a long and tiring day too. If you live more than an hour’s drive from the park, you might want to consider staying nearby.
Legoland has its own hotels on site. There’s the Legoland Resort Hotel, Woodland Village and Castle Hotel. Usually you book stays at these hotels as a package, which include your tickets to the park. You also get benefits such as free parking, early park access and some really fun themed rooms.
Alternatively, there are lots of hotels in Windsor town centre, which offer great rates for families visiting for an overnight break.
Pace yourselves
When the park first opens it’s tempting to dash straight in and try to do everything at once. But my biggest piece of advice? Slow down and pace yourself! There’s so much to see and do, and if you burn all your energy in the morning, you’ll likely hit a wall by mid-afternoon (we certainly did!).
We found that taking a break in Miniland was the perfect way to recharge. Wandering through the incredible Lego models of landmarks from around the world felt calmer and gave us a nice balance against the high energy rides.
And if you don’t manage to tick everything off in one day? No problem… it’s the perfect excuse to plan another trip soon!
I hope these Legoland tips help you make the most of your visit. Legoland Windsor Resort is such a brilliant family day out. If you follow our recommendations, you’re guaranteed to make amazing memories!
Looking for other great places to take your kids? Check out our guide to the best family activities in Windsor.
