Tips for visiting Legoland Windsor for the first time

The O'Hallorans

We’re made up of Lyndsey, John and Erin, who all love a new adventure. We try to get away as much as possible, especially during school holidays and variety is a must for us. That means staying anywhere from a luxury hotel to a hostel and it’s not often we go to the same place twice.

Planning your first visit to Legoland Windsor can be stressful. There’s a lot to consider and once you get there, it can be overwhelming. From our first visit in summer 2024 we learned a lot and would probably do some things differently when we go again. Read on for our tips for visiting Legoland Windsor for the first time.

Planning your trip

When to visit

This is a tricky one because a lot depends on various things. If you have young children who aren’t restricted by school, going out of the week of school holidays will be much quieter. However, we are bound by school holidays so we chose to go during the summer holidays. Some might say other school holidays are better for lower queue times.
Over the course of the year different events are going on, such as Brick or Treat during the October half term. If your kids love Halloween, then this could be a better time to visit compared to summer. Check online in advance to see what events are happening.

How long to visit for

1 day is great if you live close by and don’t have much travelling to do.
You probably won’t be able to do everything you want to do in just 1 day. A 2 day trip is idea for a first time visit so you can take your time.

Buying tickets in advance

One of the best things we did was to keep an eye on the online offers. By booking in advance we were able to get our 2nd day at Legoland Windsor for free and we got a free game of mini golf by staying at the Legoland Woodland Village.
You can save money by booking Legoland tickets online and in advance, compared to trying to get entry tickets on the day.

Accommodation

If you need to travel quite far to visit Legoland Windsor, like we did, booking accommodation might be worthwhile.
Legoland Windsor has some fantastic on-site hotels and accommodation such as the Legoland hotel, Castle hotel and Woodland Village.
By staying on-site you usually get some perks such as early park access (hotels only) or free parking. Offers change throughout the year.
Off-site hotels can be much cheaper, making your break at Legoland a bit more budget friendly. The Legoland hotel will give you options for off-site properties to stay at.
There are lots of hotels near Legoland Windsor which are only a short drive away.

Before you visit

Study the map

Something I wish I had done more of was look at the Legoland Windsor map ahead of visiting. I had no idea where anything was, where we could get food, or which rides we might want to go on. This made our first day really confusing and a bit overwhelming.
Each ride has a height requirement and the map really helps you to figure out what your children will be able to ride. This will help with minimising any disappointment on the day.

Purchase Ride and Reserve

Reserve & Ride is a system that queues for you, leaving you more time to explore the park!
If you are planning to visit during busier periods, these packages can allow you to make the most of your time at Legoland Windsor.
There are various options available for Reserve & Ride including One Shot Bundle, Reserve & Ride Regular, Reserve & Ride Express and Reserve & Ride Ultimate.
What I will say is that this isn’t absolutely necessary. Visiting in August, I thought we would struggle without it. While it would have helped, we didn’t wait for more than 40 minutes for anything thanks to clever use of the app.

Download the app

The Legoland app is going to be your best friend during your visit.
The app will give you access to your tickets as well as extras such as Reserve & Ride and show you ride times.
Spend some time figuring out how the app works, where to find queue times, and where to access your tickets.

Erin, an 8 year old girl in a bright green floral dress and navy leggings, stood with a car at Lego City Driving School

When you arrive

Opening time

Be sure to check the opening times ahead of when you’re visiting Legoland. Although the rides start at a certain time, Legoland Windsor actually opens 30 minutes prior to this.
Get there early! Before you even enter the park you’ll need to go through security and have your tickets checked.
Before the rides start, you can wait at a ’gate’ in different areas of the park. Decide in advance which rides you want to do first and plan the route on the map. It’s a good idea to start with some that might have longer waits during the day.

Facilities at ’The Beginning’

There are toilets before heading down into the park; an essential thing to know if you’re visiting with young children.
There are shops in this area, including the Lego shop, coffee shops and a couple of places selling snacks
Don’t miss some great photo opportunities

How to make the most of your day at Legoland Windsor

Let’s talk about the rides!

Legoland is split up into different themed areas such as Miniland, Adventure Land, Kingdom of the Pharaohs and Lego Ninjago World. Rides in each area will be themed and some areas are better suited for certain heights over others.
One of the great things about visiting Legoland with kids is that there is something for most ages. If you’re looking for something child-friendly there’s the likes of Duplo Valley and Fairy Tale Brook while thrill-seekeers will love rides such as The Dragon and Flight of the Sky Lion.
Be sure to download the free Legoland app. The app gives good descriptions of each ride and what to expect from them.

8 year old girl in a bright green floral dress and sunglasses, riding Merlin’s Apprentice at Legoland Windsor

How to manage the queues

One of the biggest complaints people make about Legoland is that the queues in school holidays are crazy. They are right in someways but there are some simple tips to follow to help you make the most of the queues:

Before you visit plan your day and make a list of the rides you definitely want to do. Try to start your day with one of the most popular rides such as LEGO City Driving School, Coastguard HQ or Fire Academy. These are the rides you want to be aiming for immediately after opening.
Keep and eye on the app. It’s great for giving realistic wait times and they do change throughout the day.
Lunchtime is a great time for busy rides. When everyone else is taking a break and eating, you could get on a popular ride in a shorter amount of time.
Be realistic – if a ride says 60 minutes, that will most likely be the case. Bring things to keep the kids busy or let them eat snacks in the queue.

8 year old girl in a bright green floral dress and sunglasses, standing outside Flight of the Sky Lion at Legoland Windsor

Special shows and events

Depending on the time of year there will be seasonal events and parades to watch. If you download the Legoland app you’ll be able to see the location and times of these.
Meet and greet events happen throughout the day. If your child has a favourite character or kind of Lego, add these to your must to things for the day. You’ll get great photos and it’s something your child will remember for a long time!
If you get chance, the pirate water show is spectactular. We grabbed a seat outside around 30 minutes before the show started, got a good view and ate our picnic lunch at the same time. It’s a good way to save on some time AND have some fun!
During special times of the year there will be the opportunity to collect special Pop Badges. Don’t be shy and ask staff who have them on a lanyard to swap with you.
You’ll find shows throughout the day at the Duplo Valley Theatre. Check the app for show times.

Don’t forget to take a break

Any theme park can be exhausting, no matter what time of year you visit. Be sure to take a break every now and again and rest.

Take a stroll around Miniland, taking in the amazing models of buildings and areas from around the world.
During the summer months Drench Towers is so much fun. Swimwear is needed as you will get wet but it’s great for a refresher on a hot day.
Don’t miss going to The Brick. You’ll be let loose with a room full of Lego to create whatever you want. It’s free and there’s no time limit. Ask staff for an easy design to make and get a Pop Badge when you’re done.

Duplo Play Town is a fantastic interactive play area for younger children. There’s a fire station, police station and even a castle!
Castaway Camp is another play area in Pirate Town!
Want a break and see some lovely views? Jump on The Hill Train which will take you to the top of the hill!
Got console mad kids? Head to Kingdom of the Pharaohs and play some great Lego games on a PS4.
Fairy Tale Brook is a slow boat ride taking you around Lego creations of Fairy Tales. It’s a lovely way to relax for 5 minutes or so.

A mother, daughter and father riding the Fairy Take Brook at Legoland

Dining options and food tips

It’s no secret that theme park food is expensive and costs more than we’d like to pay. However, that’s just how it is if you want to eat in the park without taking a picnic.

You can take your own food into Legoland, which is what we did. If you are worried about carrying things around all day, we saw plenty of people with pushchairs stacked with food, as well as festival trolleys.
There are plenty of places for you to sit and have a picnic, although we only saw places outside and not covered. If it rains, this might be an issue.
The Legoland app and Legoland website isn’t very forthcoming when it comes to seeing the prices of food. Join a Facebook group ahead of your trip to Legoland and ask for any tips and prices.
Although we didn’t eat theme park food, I did see Rollover hotdogs for around £8 and meals from Farmer Joe’s Chicken for around £14 or kids meals for £7.50.
There are themed restaurants around the park such as City Walk Pizza & Pasta, The Hungry Troll and Pirate’s Burger Kitchen.
Soft serve ice creams are expensive at around £5 each but they are huge and well-worth the money. It was a nice treat to have in the middle of the day.
There are places to buy smaller food items and snacks around Legoland. Although on the pricey side, they’re not as expensive as eating in a restaurant.

Erin, an 8 year old girl in a bright green floral dress and sunglasses on her head with a tub of ice cream with sprinkles from the Ice Cream Parlour at Legoland Windsor

Other tips and tricks

Don’t forget about Pop Badges! They’re great fun to collect and you can swap with staff. If you’re staying in Legoland accommodation you might get some in your room but ask at reception and they might give you some to start with.
For those visiting with pushchairs, many of the attractions for younger children had buggy storage right outside.
We never had to go far to find a toilet! They’re well-signposted, which made finding them so easy.
You’ll walk A LOT over the course of a day. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and stay hydrated, especially in the summer.
Refillable drinks ’vessels’ can be purchased from £10 each. The more you buy the cheaper they are. You can refill them at various points around Legoland for free. If you want to bring it back on another visit, you’ll pay a discounted price to reactivate the vessel.
There’s more to Legoland than the rides. We had so much fun walking around and taking pictures of the cool Lego builds. This is great for anyone who isn’t really into rides but loves Lego.
Want to miss the rush to leave when the park closes? Book a round of Lego adventure golf and hang back a little bit. There are 4 great courses to enjoy and it’s close to the entrance to the park.

I’m sure you’ll have the most fun day and our Legoland Windsor tips have helped you with planning a visit. One of our top tips for the best day? Have fun and enjoy the time with your family!