We first visited Legoland Windsor with my son when he was just over a year old, and I remember being concerned as to whether there was actually enough there to really make it good value. Most age suggestions seem to indicate between 4-10 as being the optimum ages to get the most out of the day. Under 3’s go free at Legoland, but obviously there is a big cost as a family as you’re still paying the entry fee for the adults, so you want there to be enough there for it to be worthwhile.

Even on our first visit, I was so impressed with the amount of things for under 2’s to enjoy, so I wanted to put together a little guide to Legoland Windsor for Under 2’s.

 

Rides and Attractions

There are lots of rides suitable for under two’s - the main requirement is that they can sit up unassisted, not on your lap.

 

Miniland

 

The best bit about Legoland for toddlers is without a doubt Miniland - a tour around all of the tourist spots of the world, in Lego. It’s looking a little tired now in places, but I love all the little details you can spot. A mini Glastonbury with it’s own pyramid stage? Of course! As well as the expected Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and London buses. There are lots of moving boats, trains, and cars, and I think Max could happily watch the trains go round for hours. But once you’ve managed to drag your toddler away from Miniland, there are plenty of rides you can take little ones on.

 

 

DuploValley

Duplo Valley is the area most aimed at toddlers - most of the rides there are suitable for under twos.

Fairytale Brook is a leisurely boat ride through an enchanted forest. You’ll meet all of the familiar characters from the fairytales and it’s a charming little ride.

The Splash Safari is a little splash park - great on a hot summer’s day, but does get really busy! Be sure to take a swimming nappy and a towel (although the shop next door sells swim nappies if you find you forgot one and your toddler is demanding to go in).

The Duplo train is a cute little ride which does two circuits of a small track.

 

Kingdom of the Pharaohs

We love Laser Raiders - a laser shooting game, through the Egyptian tombs, shooting skeletons, snakes, and ancient pottery. I love the scoring aspect to it too - we get quite competitive as a family! And it must be rubbing off on Max, as on our last trip, even he managed to score 100 points! (No idea how!)

 

 

Aero Nomad is a traditional ferris wheel type ride, with Phileas Fogg style balloons. Your child will need to be able to sit on their own (not on your lap). We like to do this only if there is very little queue, as the Balloon School (just around the corner) is actually a similar ride, but much better as you can control the height of your balloon.

 

Heartlake City

 

 

Heartlake City is home to Skeleton Bay, where you can catch the Pirate Show. This is far and away both mine and Max’s favourite part of Legoland. It’s a slapstick filled, very silly, pirate show, which sees them trying to locate a golden key. Expect lots of somersaults, slaps around the face with fishes, squirting water, and falling from great heights. Max gets very into it - although his speech has been slow to develop, he’s always been keen to shout ‘key!’ at the pirates to help them find it! There is an explosion at the end of the show, which is quite loud, so worth knowing if your toddler is a bit wary of loud noises.

Heartlake City also houses the Heartlake Express, a train ride that takes you through various areas of the park. You can see lots of different lego animals, and also get a good view of lots of the other rides so you can decide what to go on next. There are numerous squirting creatures, so you are likely to get wet - if your child doesn’t like getting water in their face try to make sure they’re sat on the inside seat of the train!

 

Adventure Land

We love the Atlantis Submarine ride - an underwater adventure that lets you see sharks, stingrays, and lots of other fish up close. It’s really well designed so that little people can get a really good view of the fish, with glass panels nice and low down. Max has always loved pointing out the fish and shouting in amazement!

 

LegoCity

Just around the corner from Atlantis is LegoCity, home to Coastguard HQ - a cute boat ride. You can take a boat with your child and steer your way around the lazy river, spotting all of the different lego animals as you go.

 

 

Balloon School is another ferris wheel type tide, and far better than Aero Nomad! It fits more people in a pod, and you can pull a cord to send your balloon higher or lower (depending on how much your child is loving being up high!)

And for your final ride of the day, make it the Hill Train and avoid the steep walk with a pushchair back up to the Beginning! There is a separate train carriage for pushchairs, so you can either leave the pushchair there and sit somewhere else with your child, or one adult per pushchair can sit with them.

 

Tips to get the most out of your day

• There’s no denying that Legoland Windsor can get busy, especially at the weekend and in school holidays. If you’re only there for a one-off visit, you might want to shell out for the Q-Bot - a device that allows you to book your place on a ride, then you simply turn up at your allotted time without having to go through the long queue. It’s not a cheap option though- there are different levels, but start at £20 per person, so will add up for a family. I should say that we’ve never gone for this, as we have an annual pass so we’re fine with not getting in many rides (and also don’t want to set a precedent for our toddler!)
• To beat the queues, get there for opening (although the rides don’t open until 10, the park opens at 9.30, so you can get a headstart) and head to what’s likely to be your busiest ride furthest into the park. For this age group, it’s likely to be CoastGuard HQ and perhaps Atlantis. Then you can work your way back through. Don’t be tempted to get the Hill Train down - you’ll wait longer in the queue and to get down there than it would have taken to walk. Save it for the way back at the end of the day - your legs will thank you for it!
• If you take a picnic, Miniland is a lovely spot to eat it - it has a green bank at the side where you can sit. Miniland is also a good activity for around midday, when the park tends to be at it’s busiest, as it has no queues!
• Legoland do a great app - download it before you go and plan out your visit. It lists all the rides with the height restrictions, and will give you a few tailored offers (Kids Eat Free etc.). When you’re at the park, you can use it to look up the queue times for all of the rides before heading to your next one, as well as giving you all of the showtimes.
• There is an ice-cream shop right by Skeleton Bay, so arrive early for the Pirate Show to bag a good spot (the middle section is best to see everything) and then enjoy an ice-cream while you wait.
• Annual pass holders get 20% off in most food outlets and in the shop

 

I have to admit that I was dubious about buying an annual pass for us when we only had an under two year old, but we got so much use out of it last year, and this year we’ve ‘upgraded’ to a Merlin Pass. If you know you’ll really be going during term time weekdays, you might want to consider the pre-school pass which is great value. We didn’t go for this as I knew we would want to go lots at weekends with my husband.

Have you been to Legoland Windsor? Did you love it as much as we do?