Unofficial Guide to Legoland Windsor

UGLW Home > UGLW Top Tips

UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO LEGOLAND WINDSOR

UGLW Top Tips

Here we present the UGLW Top Tips for a great day out at Legoland. 17 tips to make your day out even more enjoyable.

1. If appropriate, approach Legoland from the south (not through Windsor)

See our Getting There page for details of this route. You will avoid a lot of traffic this way.

2. Get there early

If you only remember one top tip from this section, remember this one.

Although the park opens at 10 am, you can actually enter through the turnstiles from 9.30 am. You are allowed in to The Beginning which has toilets, cafes, shops and a great view of the theme park - and Windsor and beyond if the visibility is good enough. From 10 am you are allowed to make your way down the hill in to the rest of the park and go on the rides.

Getting there before 10 am means you miss a lot of the traffic and queues of people entering the park.

See our opening hours page for full details of Legoland opening hours.

3. Remember the target age group 3 to 12

Children between the age of 3 and 12 will get the most out of Legoland. Beyond about 11, some kids will start to think some of the park is below them, and not cool enough. Younger than 3 and there's not a huge amount for them to do in any theme park - but hey, it's free for them anyway.

Don't take a 16 year old along and expect them to be blissfully happy all day - other theme parks have more to interest them. If you do have to take along a teenager along with other smaller kids, we suggest you give them some responsibility and let them take off a smaller child to some of the larger rides which need often require a larger person to be with a small child.

4. When you arrive, go straight to the back of the park and work forwards

Most people will meander through the park from The Beginning, trying out attractions as they come to them. If you do the opposite, you'll find the queues are less. e.g. The Dragon Roller Coaster is a very popular ride towards the back of the park. Soon after the park opens you should be able to get on it quite quickly. By lunchtime you might not be able to because the queues could be long.

5. Visit the park on an off-peak day

Obvious perhaps, but try to visit the park when others won't. Early in the season is a great time (March-June), or in the summer when the weather is not looking so good perhaps. Weekends in late July and throughout August are the busiest days at Legoland. During special events the park can get very busy, once or twice a season during an event they have to close the park during the day because they have reached maximum capacity.

6. Food is expensive - take a picnic

As you can probably guess the food tends to be pricey at Legoland, although it is generally of good quality. There are plenty of areas where you can flop on the grass and have a picnic, particularly around Miniland and there is a designated picnic area at the far end of the park near Hydra's Challenge in Adventure Land. So, if the weather is good enough, we recommend this.

Some theme parks do not allow picnics (incredibly cheeky in our opinion!) - Legoland Windsor does allow picnics.

7. If you sometimes use a buggy for your offspring, bring it

The spread out nature of the Legoland site means there is lots of walking and one big hill. If you are in two minds, bring your buggy. If nothing else it's handy to dump all the bits and bobs in and use it for carting stuff around. There are plenty of places to put buggies when you go on rides and they are generally quite safe, since most park visitors are families with children too. There are very few steps to negotiate in the park - and there is always a ramp alternative.

You can hire buggies from The Beginning if you forget yours - and plenty of people do, oddly.

Note that scooters are not allowed on site, presumably for health and safety reasons.

8. Grab a Park Guide leaflet

Perhaps obvious but not everyone does. The leaflet has a detailed map, timings of all the shows, details of ride height restrictions etc. They are available from the ticket booths or Guest Services just as you enter the park on the right. They are free of charge.

9. Consider a "Lost Parents" wristband

If your child is of an age to not know what to do if they get separated, consider getting one of these lost parents wristbands - fill in your mobile phone number and fit it to your child. If they should get separated from you a Legoland attendant (or more likely another considerate parent) can call the number and reunite you, perhaps within seconds - turning a potential disaster in to a temporary inconvenience.

A great idea, Lost Parents wristbands are available free at Guest Services, in The Beginning or Heartlake City.

10. See the Harbour show if you can

The harbour show, Pirates of Skeleton Bay is well worth seeing if you can fit it in. Grab an ice cream and take the weight off your feet for 20 minutes.

11. Enjoy what makes Legoland special - Miniland

Some people bypass Miniland because it's "just models" and not an exciting ride. Don't make that mistake.

Make time to have a look around and enjoy the attention to detail that goes in to making this significant part of Legoland look so good.

12. Visit the hotel for a quieter area to eat/drink

The Legoland Hotels are tucked away in a corner of the Legoland site which often means they are a bit quieter. Even if you're not a hotel guest you can still enter the hotel grounds from the park. Make sure you get your hand stamped so you can re-enter the park. You then have access to the bar and restaurant where you can find food and drink which is brought to your table. And some tables are available outside near a big play area - this makes it a pleasant place to stop for a drink or something to eat.

13. Consider getting an Merlin Annual Pass

Merlin Annual Passes are valid for one year and cover Legoland Windsor and a number of other attractions throughout the country. See the prices page for details. If you live within reasonable striking distance of Windsor, it's well worth considering especially when you think how much you might use it over a year. You can upgrade at the Annual Pass room near the entrance at any time during your visit. You will need your whole party there as they take photos of you for your entry cards.

14. You won't be able to "do" all of the attractions in one day

There are over 50 rides and attractions in the park - in an 8 hour day, to do them all would mean spending less than 10 minutes at each. This is not going to happen.

Plan your day with this website and decide what you and your family want to see and do.

15. The lockers do not refund coins

Just a little thing, but unlike most lockers at swimming pools etc. the lockers in Legoland do not refund your coins as you might expect, so beware. There are notices which state this but not everyone reads notices. Leave stuff you don't want to carry round in your car. You can leave the park and re-enter if you get your hand stamped (the stamper Legoland-person is normally located on the left near Guest Services as you leave).

16. Remember the kids' swimming costumes and a towel

Not normally something you'll think about when packing a bag for a theme park, but you won't regret it when you see Splash Safari and Drench Towers on a hot sunny day. Most kids cannot get enough of it and quite a few parents appreciate a splash too.

17. Stay late - hang around

Don't rush off unless you have to. Stay at Legoland and enjoy it for as long as you can. There are 2 good reasons for this - first, most people don't and so as the afternoon/evening goes on the park empties and so the ride queues get shorter - and you get to go on more rides!

Secondly if you leave later than most you will find it is much quicker to exit the site as there will be less cars leaving at the same time as you.

Enjoy your day at Legoland Windsor!