Legoland for 2, 3 and 4 year olds – best rides
Where to go first, what not to miss and insider tips on how to beat the queues at Legoland Windsor - for toddlers and preschoolers
Yes, under 5s can have a lot of fun at Legoland, even if they can’t go on all of the rides. But the key is to plan ahead, so you can get the most out of your day.
We’ve picked our favourite 10 tried and tested Legoland highlights for toddlers and preschoolers. We’ve purposely chosen a mix of traditional rides and other attractions that you don’t have to queue for, because there are some great ways for little ones to enjoy themselves without having to strap them into a seat.
At peak times, some of the most popular rides can have very long queues, and we know preschoolers and long waits are not a happy mix, so we’ve included an insider guide to where the biggest queues are and how to beat them…
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1 DUPLO Dino Coaster
Where is it: Duplo Valley
What is it: The world’s first DUPLO brick rollercoaster for the younger riders
Why it’s great: It’s gentle enough with a tiny bit of a thrill as the ride speeds up very slightly. Great for a first roller coaster experience!
Peak queues: Very long. This is a fairly new ride which launched last year and is set within the newly refurbished Duplo Valley so it gets very busy
Suitable for: This gentle rollercoaster is designed for toddlers, pre-schoolers and early schooler’s. With a minimum height of 0.9m, most 3 year olds and some taller 2 year olds will be able to ride. Children under 1.3m (around 8-9 years) must be accompanied by an adult, and as there are only two seats per row you’ll need an adult for each child
MFM tip: The queues for Dino Coaster can be very long, but don’t be tempted to make it your first ride. It’s one of the rides that’s nearer to the entrance/exit and so queues are particularly long in the morning and also towards the end of the day, when families with pre-schoolers give it one last go before leaving. We found queues are slightly shorter at lunchtime, early afternoon or during the last hour (when lots of pre-schoolers have headed home)
2 Lego City Deep Sea Adventure
Where is it: Lego City
What is it: A ride that takes you under water to see real fish and stingrays swimming alongside the yellow submarine you’re sitting in
Why it’s great: You can see fish close-up and it’s fun spotting the Lego figures among the sea-life. Plus there’s a bit in the ride where the children are asked to urgently press the buttons – a nice little interactive touch
Peak queues: Very long. If you really want to go on this ride, go at the beginning of the day and make it your first ride, when the queues are shortest
Suitable for: All ages – there are no height restrictions. However, it can be a bit scary if your baby, toddler or child doesn’t like enclosed spaces. You step down into the submarine and the door closes, which may worry some little ones
MFM tip: After the ride there’s an aquarium area – don’t be in a rush to leave. At peak times there may be marine keepers on hand to show you some of the sea-life close up
3 Coastguard HQ
Where is it: Lego City
What is it: A fun boat ride around a small boating lake where you can spot Lego animals
Why it’s great: The boat has a power pedal and steering – your child will love taking control, and it’s quite fun to put your foot down!
Peak queues: Huge! This ride gets one of the longest queues in Legoland, even in non-peak times. So if you want to go on it, make it your first ride – otherwise you could easily be queuing for 1.5-2 hours in peak season
Suitable for: All ages
MFM tip: You can take 2 children on this ride, so it’s a good one if you have more little ones than adults
4 Legoland Express
Where is it: Heartlake City
What is it: A train ride around the park
Why it’s great: Not only does it give you a great view of Lego animals around the park, but at the beginning of the journey you’re at risk of hilarious water squirting. If you sit near the back of the train you can get a brief warning of when the water’s coming, and you can also duck
Peak queues: Pretty big and surprisingly long if only one train is running
Suitable for: All ages – your baby just needs to be able to sit up unaided
MFM tip: After the ride, you can go and find one of the water squirter pumps and give some of the next train travellers a soaking!
5 Magical Forest Enchanted Walkthrough Experience
Where is it: Lego Mythica
What is it: An amazing walkthrough experience where parts of the forest and mythical creatures come to life using the Legoland app. Little ones will enjoy wondering through and gawping at the weird and wonderful Lego creations
Why it’s great: It’s great fun for all the family and has opened specifically to make this area of the park more appealing to preschoolers
Peak queues: There are no queues just walk through at your leisure
Suitable for: All ages
MFM tip: Make sure you have downloaded the Legoland Windsor app to use the Enchanted Forest AR option. Also make sure your phone is charged!
6 Fairy Tale Brook
Where is it: DuploValley
What is it: Gentle water ride around giant Lego fairy tale scenes including Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Snow White and Goldilocks
Why it’s great: The boats take 4 people, so more of you can travel together. There’s lots of fun and creativity in the Lego scenes and it’s a lovely way to calm down over-excited children. Plus it’s perfect for all ages
Peak queues: Generally not too bad. Although it’s a popular ride, with 4 in each boat the queue moves really quickly
Suitable for: All ages – the only requirement is that your baby can sit up without help
MFM tip: The queuing area is quite wide without steps, so you can keep your buggy in the queue until near the start of the ride, where there’s a buggy park
7 Lava Dragon Play
Where is it: Lego Mythica
What is it: This is a play area within the new Lego Mythica area of the park. It’s a huge dragon climbing frame with a tall cylinder slide
Why it’s great: It’s an area of free play with a few benches scattered around for tired parents to perch while the kids run up and down. The slide is cylinder but has see through panels making it more enjoyable and less scary for the little ones
Peak queues: No queues at all!
Suitable for: All ages
MFM tip: A good place to take the tots if you have older children too who want to go on the bigger rides in Lego Mythica
8 Splash Safari and Drench Towers
Where is it: Duplo Valley
What is it: Two water-play areas with Duplo animals, towers, tipping bucket and water slides
Why it’s great: It’s instant fun and on hot days, it’s a brilliant way for preschoolers to cool off
Peak queues: Generally none but on busy hot days, entry to Drench Towers can be limited (called ‘timed play’) to avoid overcrowding. Timed play sessions last for 20 minutes and 300 visitors are allowed in at a time. Queues can form from around lunchtime
Suitable for: Splash Safari is perfect for under 5s, whereas Drench Towers is also for older children. Small green and red slides are for children over 0.9m, and the taller green and yellow slides are for older children who are over 1.1m. You need to supervise children under 6, but 1 adult can be responsible for 4 children
MFM tip: Don’t forget to bring swimwear and a towel. Your little one will get very wet. Toddlers are not permitted to be in normal nappies – they’ll need swim nappies. There are heating areas to warm up cold little ones afterwards, but you’ll need to pay extra for these. Be aware, if the temperature drops below 50 degrees Splash Safari and Drench Towers will probably be closed
9 L-Drivers
Where is it: LEGO City
What is it: A junior version of the immensely popular Driving School so under 6s can enjoy a driving experience
Why it’s great: Little ones driving little electric cars around a small track and at the end they earn their first Legoland driving licence
Peak queues: Fairly long, but nothing like the Driving School queues
Suitable for: 3-5 year olds only
MFM tip: Warning – it’s good but it’s not Driving School, and you may find your preschooler gets very upset if he or she spies Driving School first. Try to prepare your child in advance and big up the fun of L-Drivers
10 Miniland
Where is it: Miniland
What is it: Amazing Lego models of scenes from all around the world, including Paris scenes with a 4m tall Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, plus brilliant London landmarks, a NASA rocket and a number of trains rushing around all of the sets
Why it’s great: Made from 40 million bricks, it’s just full of incredible detail with loads of trains to follow, boats, cars and vans to watch and even a funfair with a ferris wheel
Peak queues: None at all! Just walk around at your leisure – with plenty of room for buggies
Suitable for: All ages
MFM tip: Lego builders clearly have a great sense of humour – see if you can spot Marge Simpson waiting for the tube, the streaker at Wembley Stadium and a Scottish bagpiper whose kilt blown up in the wind
11 LEGO Studio’s 4D
Where is it: Imagination
What is it: A ‘4D’ cinema, which offers 3D films with added water, wind and snow effects
Why it’s great: A chance to see some great short movies, and take time out from some of the more frenetic rides and long queues.
Peak queues: There are lots of performances throughout the day. At peak times, just make sure you’re there 15 minutes before the film starts
Suitable for: Even young ones, once they can sit comfortably through a 20 minute fun film
MFM tip: You’ll be warned at the beginning which seats are likely to get you wet – if you want to enjoy some sprinkling, sit in the middle
Why no Dragon’s Apprentice in the Top 11?
There’s no doubt that this is a great first introduction to the world of rollercoasters. It has a couple of surprisingly fast moments (take off any hats before you ride). But, and this is a big but, the queue is incredibly slow. What may look like a 40 minute queue is more likely to be double that. Although there are bricks to play with while you wait, it can be a long wait for little legs.
Why is the queue so slow?
There are 6 carriages that hold 1 adult and 1 child each, which means up to 12 passengers at a time. But it takes quite a while for riders to get on and off. Plus each rider under 1.3 metres has to travel with an adult, which can be a problem if you have more children than adults (like us with 3 children and 2 parents). In these cases, you can ask the ride operators to let one of your children wait while you take the other 2 round. Then one of you stays on and takes the other child on afterwards. Although it means all your children get a ride, it can make the queue slower. Finally, this is a Q-Bot ride, and in peak times, there could be a lot of riders getting on each time from the Q-Bot fast-track queue.
Best times to ride the Dragon’s Apprentice
If you really want to ride this, make it the first ride of your day, or visit at the end of the day, when a lot of the younger visitors may have headed home.
Other attractions and rides that are good for toddlers and preschoolers
- Spinning Spider – spin round and round in half barrel seats, below a giant spider. The speed of spin can be speeded up by you for more adventurous children
- Aero Nomad – A slow and steady Ferris Wheel ride with private gondolas to get a bird’s eye view of the Kingdom of the Pharaohs
- DUPLO ValleyTheatre Puppet Show – two different shows, several times a day (the show times are printed on the Legoland map you get on entry)
- DUPLO Valley Airport – gentle up-and-down ride for those who want a gentle thrill
- DUPLO Express – the blue train that tootles round a very small track, but very little ones seem entranced
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