Tips For Visiting LEGOLAND - What To Do Before You Go

Food

Like all theme parks the food and drink at LEGOLAND isn’t cheap so you might want to bring some. Even if a full picnic is too much to carry it is worth bringing plenty of snacks to munch in the queues as this will help pass time and keep children happy. We tend to then buy some chips and an ice cream rather than a full meal. While there are a few different venues you can eat in (the pizza and pasta place is a particular favourite) if visiting for just one day you might not want to lose a big chunk of time to sitting down and eating a meal in one of the restaurants.

Eating chips at LEGOLAND

Drinks

If you like fizzy drinks and drink a lot the easiest option is to buy one of their refillable cups. There are machines around the park where you can refill your Coca-cola Freestyle bottle with a choice of fizzy drink as many times as you want. This makes it easy to drink as much as you want, but it isn't cheap as on the first day you have to buy the bottle and any subsequent days you need to buy a refill pass to activate the machines with a QR code. If you don't drink much then it will work out expensive. 

The refill machines also have free cold drinking water so if you bring your own bottles you can easily get water refills. Some people like to bring a small bottle of concentrated undiluted squash they can put in the water to make it more interesting.

Waterproofs 

With prebooking the weather forecast may change from what you expected and it's possible you might go on a rainy day (it can still be fun though). If you are caught short in a shower you can buy bright yellow single use LEGOLAND ponchos but if you want to save money and be more sustainable it is worth taking waterproof jackets if there is any chance of rain. If it is a wet day you will get wet as most rides are outside.

Another way you might get wet is the water rides, but the only ride where you are likely to get properly wet is the log flume (Pirate Falls Treasure Chest) and maybe Hydra’s Challenge if spectators target you. The rapids (Viking River Splash) no longer seem to have the water cannons so people stay mostly dry, apart from maybe a wet bum from the seats. 

I took the waterproof Alice Jacket I was gifted from Lighthouse which was light to carry when it got hot, but kept me dry when needed. I love that this design has a deep enough hood to accommodate my mum bun and the 3/4 length coat covers me when sitting down on a wet seat so my trousers didn't get wet.  You can also fold the sleeves up slightly and secure them with a button for warmer days.

Most rides and queues are outside so a light waterproof coat is a good idea

Suncream

A lot of the queues are outside without cover so if it's a sunny day then suncream is advised as you will spend a lot of the day outside. If you have young children or particularly sensitive skin you might benefit from an umbrella or parasol to provide a bit more protection. A sun hat is useful for queues and walking around too, but they may not stay on during rides.

Money

You've paid for your tickets, brought snacks and got your water bottle, but yes you are probably going to spend some money at the park too. From treats, to the amazingly wide selection of LEGO in the shops and a few paid for activities like Pirate Goldwash there is plenty to tempt you to spend more money. The park is cashless (other than the main shop at the entrance) so you don’t need to worry about bringing cash other than your card or contactless payment via your phone.

A Pushchair or Baby Carrier

There is a lot of walking so little feet will get tired. You can hire a single or double “ScooterBug” pushchair (subject to availability) or bring your own. Pushchairs won’t be able to go ride queues so make sure you are happy to leave whatever you bring at the ride entrances. A baby carrier is a great option to bring if you have one. If you are going with younger children then check which rides they might enjoy.

Swimming Kit?

There are two splash park areas next to each other: Splash Safari for children under 6 and Drench Towers for older children. They aren’t always open but if going on a sunny day it is worth taking swimwear and a towel so you can cool down and have some fun in these areas. 

Phone Charger?

If you are relying on your phone for Ride Access Passes, checking queues times on the app, the map and for taking photos it can drain your battery quickly. There are locations around the park you can charge your phone but you may find it easier if you have a small portable power bank (affiliate link) to ensure your phone doesn't run out of battery.

COVID Precautions

While there are notices encouraging masks to be worn by over 11s in some areas (eg indoor queuing areas) pretty much no one was wearing masks on our visit. With the likelihood of regular snacking I would encourage you to bring hand gel (there wasn't much around the park) and wipes etc to clean up sticky hands.

Friends and/ or Family

While not an option for everyone going with a group (or with a good adult to child ratio) can be really helpful. While a larger group can mean more discussion about what to go on it tends to give you more flexibility to split up and go on different rides to interest all ages and interests. With younger children in particular they need accompanying on most rides and some rides only allow two people onto a car so you may struggle if you are one adult visiting with two or more young children. 

You can take your bag on most rides or their are lockers available

What To Do With Your Bags At LEGOLAND

It is useful to take a small backpack with your essentials in, but leave valuables at home where possible. They will check your bags as you go in for items you can't take in like glass, alcohol, bottle openers and "sharp objects".

Backpacks and small bags can go on most rides with you, but there are a few rides you will need to leave them in a small storage area next to the ride so it is worth having a zipped pockets or a personal bag you can wear on your body for your phone.

Lockers At LEGOLAND

There are lockers you can use in three locations around the park which are especially useful if you plan to go in the splash parks and have towels etc with you. Unfortunately the lockers are small, limited in numbers and they require a non-returnable £1, that means you lose your money every time you need to go in the locker to get something. It is also worth noting that as the park is cashless you will not be able to get change for the lockers.

The most usefully located lockers to the rides are in DUPLO Valley near Splash Safari, but there are also some at the park entrance and at The Imagination Station. It is quite a walk from the entrance to the rides so even if parked in one of the closer car parks it might take an adult half an hour to go to the car and back if you don't want to use the lockers (make sure you have your ticket or whatever you need to get back in again).

What Else To Do Before You Head To LEGOLAND

Measure Your Children

It is helpful to know the height of your children before you go. If they are under 90cm you don’t pay for entry, but even if taller than 90cm different rides have different height requirements. There is often a minimum height for riding unaccompanied, a minimum height before they can go on the the ride at all and a middle area where children can go on accompanied by an adult. Some rides may also have a maximum height. 

Apparently children can shrink slightly during the day (due to their spine curving) so if they are only just tall enough for a ride they really want to go on I recommend heading to those rides first. At Alton Towers they can give you a wristband to confirm the height so you don’t get measured each time, but they don’t have the equivalent at LEGOLAND so they will measure them on every ride if they look under the requirements.

Make A Plan Of What You Want To Do Most

If you are just visiting for one day then you won’t get to go on everything, even if the queues are short, so decide what your priorities are.

If you download the LEGOLAND app it will give you information about the rides so you can pick the ones you are interested in or check out this post for the best LEGOLAND rides for young children. The app also has the current queue times.  If you look during opening hours on days before your visit it will give you an idea about which rides have the longest queues. Rides that always seem to have longer waits include: Hydra’s Challenge, Viking River Splash, Flight of the Sky Lion and Coastguard HQ. Other rides can vary a lot during the day. The queue times are pretty accurate, but if a queue is shorter than normal there will be lots of people heading there so it can suddenly get a lot longer.

Mix up long waits for rides with other activities as there are plenty of things to do that don’t have queues these include the shows in both Heartlake City and DUPLO Valley, the playgrounds, various places you can build with LEGO and The Magical Forest walkthrough. Miniland is also fun to explore but you can wander around this miniature world of LEGO on your way out after the rides have closed.

When Is The Best Time To Visit LEGOLAND?

A visit on a weekday out of school holidays is nearly always going to be quieter than the weekend, but there are no guarantees. Sometimes a week day can be unexpectedly busy, and some weekends can be quiet, there is a large amount of luck, but if you are looking for a quiet day there are a few things to check before you book tickets: 

• go midweek as people often take a long weekend taking an extra day off on Monday or Friday.
• check for inset days especially for local schools.
• check for private school holidays. Private schools often have longer holidays than state schools so while it might still be considered off peak it could be busier than expected.
• near the end of term there will often be schools visiting, but unless you get in a queue right behind a few groups of them it shouldn't be a big issue.