People love Lego. Since the little bricks were first sold in 1949, it’s become the best-selling toy of all time. Last year, Formula One drivers raced Lego cars in Miami and Tom Holland starred in an ad for the brand – proof of its impressive clout. And though Lego no longer actually owns its scattering of parks worldwide, the toy’s popularity has undoubtedly contributed to Legoland’s ongoing success.
The Danish toymaker opened its first resort in its hometown Billund in 1968 to satisfy the curiosity of fans who kept turning up to the factory. Lego welcomed more than 600,000 people in its first year but took until 1996 to open a UK park in Windsor.
This year, the British attraction celebrates the big 3-0. But I’d read reports that it may have lost some of its sheen. So in 2026, how does our outpost stack up to Billund’s original? I set off for both sites to find out.
The site
Legoland Billund: 8/10
As flat as the rest of Denmark, this one is great for parents with pushchairs, and it’s wheelchair accessible too. For true Lego fans, there’s something exciting about being where it all began. As well as Legoland, Billund is home to the incredible Lego House. It’s a 10-minute walk away and packed with pioneering interactive exhibits to please fans – whatever their age. Even Billund Airport is gently Lego-branded, with outsized builds in arrivals. The site (only around a quarter the size of its Windsor counterpart) felt a little small to my 11-year-old and me, but that’s bound to be a bonus with smaller kids.
Legoland Windsor: 8/10
A knock-out view towards Windsor Castle and a rambling placement on a hill gives this site considerably more charm – but that doesn’t make things easy for pushchairs. There are, however, step-free access paths for wheelchairs and free Rapid Access Passes for disabled riders (these must be booked in advance). Elsewhere, kids can whizz down playground slides adjacent to steps for adults. The hills give each section of the park a wow-factor – especially Legoland’s own castle and the colourful Duplo Valley.
The rides
Legoland Billund: 7/10
There are fewer rides compared to Windsor, but a couple of them are excellent. Emmet’s Flying Adventure is a soaring foray into The Lego Movie, and Polar X-plorer is as thrilling as Lego coasters get. The former, however, is quite reliant on virtual reality – not ideal for motion sickness sufferers. Coupled with some rickety old rides, it made for a slightly nauseous day.
There’s a fun Haunted House, with Lego ghosts and vampires. For little ones, gentle rides like Dragon Express are a brilliant introduction to coasters. Fire Brigade (during which you race a Lego engine towards a blaze) and Lego City Driving School are better here than at Windsor too.
Legoland Windsor: 9/10
With 55 attractions, there’s more to do here than at the Danish counterpart. My son found the British version of Minifigure Speedway more exciting. And The Magical Forest – a walk-through storybook about the little Lego pony from the Mythica universe – was unexpectedly enchanting. Possibly due to Billund’s language barrier, we enjoyed the story-telling more here too. And, though England’s not known for its balmy weather, it does have a slight advantage over Denmark, so can open its huge water play-area (the largest in the UK) when summer rolls around.
The food
Legoland Billund: 5/10
Legoland Billund has a great choice of outlets, from taco vendors to a Wild West-themed saloon. Unfortunately, many were closed on our visit, meaning that – unless we wanted to traipse back to the options at the entrance – we had to eat hot dogs while sheltering from the rain on a closed restaurant terrace. However, my son was thrilled to find Lego block chocolate in the café.
Legoland Windsor: 7/10
Theme park food is rarely exciting (unless it’s Europa Park’s), but Legoland Windsor does junk food quite well. There were no queues in its Pirate’s Burger outlet, where a decent kids meal was £8.95. City Walk Pizza & Pasta is OK too. Elsewhere, there’s fish and chips, some basic Costa coffee vending machines (my London teen was disappointed by the lack of matcha) and an ice cream shop.
The entertainment
Legoland Billund: 6/10
Blame it on the weather, but the site seemed to lack a bit of life – especially when contrasted with the high-energy Lego House down the road. That’s not to say it was devoid of exciting moments. We loved the Journey to Mythica 4D movie, complete with water from thrashing waves and thrilling flying scenes. There were minimal queues for the Ninjago character meet-and-greet too.
Legoland Windsor: 8/10
Though Legoland has cut back on live entertainment lately, there was lots on the day we visited, including a Ninjago show in the Lego Friends Arena and a very cute dance class near the entrance. Staff were friendly, and the attraction got bonus points for a Cadbury’s Creme Egg giveaway at the exit – the perfect way to end a day as far as my kids were concerned. One disappointment: the 4D cinema has been demolished (but a bigger and better one is reportedly coming soon).
The queues
Legoland Billund: 10/10
What queues? Legoland Billund is a study in Danish efficiency. We didn’t see any queues longer than 10 minutes and, in most cases, just walked straight on to the rides. It freed up time to explore Billund itself and meant we weren’t exhausted at the end of the day. As Billund is a teeny village, you can also walk straight out of the park and into town, without the need to navigate any car park hold-ups.
Legoland Windsor: 1/10
This is where Legoland Windsor really lets itself down. Without a fast pass, queues can last an hour or more – hard with kids aged two to 12 (Legoland’s target market). Invest in a pass (£75 for unlimited access) and you could still wait 30 minutes or so because many visitors think they’re worth the money. Then there’s the car park, which took us almost two hours to exit.
The hotels
Legoland Billund: 8/10
Our room at the Castle Hotel was great fun. There was a glowing Lego potion motif above the bed and a Lego set hidden in a safe with a code to crack on a treasure hunt. The only let down was the lack of choice at dinner. There’s only an (admittedly fun) pricey, themed buffet). Legoland Hotel is a more grown-up affair, with the excellent Restaurant Panorama. Unlike in Windsor, you can even bring your own tent and pitch it at Legoland Holiday Village, an attraction in itself with mini-golf and a petting zoo.
Legoland Windsor: 8/10
The Castle Hotel rooms are almost exactly the same as the ones in Billund, but they have a prettier location overlooking a lake and are just a quick stroll from the park’s rides. Meanwhile, there’s a swimming pool at Legoland Resort Windsor too. There’s more choice on the restaurant menus here and lodges at Legoland Woodland Village make a fun alternative.
The surroundings
Legoland Billund: 9/10
For Lego lovers, Billund has an obvious advantage. The slick Lego House is worth devoting at least a day to. If you plan to stay a few days, the town and its environs have plenty more for kids too, including treetop WOW Park, huge water park Lalandia and safari-like Zootopia.
Legoland Windsor: 7/10
There’s plenty to do in Windsor, such as the historic castle and Great Park, a huge swathe of parkland with a rather exciting adventure playground. And if you’re keen to avoid car park queues, Windsor is well-connected by rail from London Waterloo and regular buses.
The price
Legoland Billund: 7/10
It’s to be expected in pricey Denmark, but Billund is the more expensive of the two resorts, with tickets purchased on the day for around £75 (688 Danish krone). Or they can be bought in advance for significantly less (roughly £40pp).
Yet accommodation can be significantly cheaper in Denmark. A two-night hotel stay for a family of four on a June weekend was £709 via Booking.com, while a Wild West cabin was £458.
Legoland Windsor: 6/10
Tickets bought on the day cost £68pp – though that still makes it one of the UK’s most expensive attractions. Online and cereal packet offers give significant savings: the latter currently gets you 25 per cent off ticket prices (though check website prices first).
But stay overnight and you’ll probably find yourself spending more. On the same June weekend, two nights at the Legoland Resort Hotel start at £986.
The final scores
Conclusion
Die-hard Lego fans should head to Billund and embrace both Legoland and Lego House. But, for smiles in the sunshine (and especially for slightly older kids), Windsor is the winner – as long as you can stomach the queues and don’t get stuck in the car park.
Amanda Hyde was a guest of Visit Denmark, Legoland Billund Resort and Legoland Windsor Resort.