Billund, Denmark

Although I’ve never been a massive Lego fan myself, I’ve spent many hours building coloured masterpieces with my son. Craig, on the other hand, has always been a Lego fan and was keen to spend the long UK Jubilee weekend in Billund, the town where Lego was invented.

1 – Raison d’être

Its reason of being! Billund earned its place on the global map in the 1930s when it became the home of Lego. Ole Kirk Christiansen, the founder of Lego, established the business when he started making toys from scraps of plastic there at the start of the last century.

Today, around 2 million people visit the small town each year. You could therefore conclude that being the birthplace of Lego has defined Billund’s existence, certainly in the eyes of the rest of the world.

Lego features everywhere in Billund. Sometimes the brand’s presence is subtle and other times it’s absolutely in-your-face. From full scale hotels made from Lego bricks to hanging chandeliers or tiny pieces of chocolate. I’m certain that the famous bricks will leave their imprint on Billund for an eternity (like it does on your feet when standing on them!)

2 – Flat and green landscape

Although Lego is bright and colourful, its birthplace and the homeland it’s nestled within is surprisingly flat and green. The wider area has more of a farming feel than theme park. My reckoning is that this modest, nay discreet landscape, was planned this way. Billund doesn’t need to flash itself to the world, as one of Denmark’s biggest exports, it’s the world that shines a torch on Billund.

The Lodge Hotel 

Arrival: The Lodge Hotel is perfectly situated for anyone wanting a short stay in a location between the airport and Legoland – both are within equal walking distance. Although with suitcases in tow and a late evening arrival, we decided to taxi there instead. We descended on the hotel about 11pm and it was straight to bed!

Room: We stayed in a small, cosy room which was minimalistic yet modern and quirky in design. Would visit here again.

(Overall rating 80/100)

Legoland

The entrance to the park was grand. As with any theme park, we sensed lots of excitement in the ticket queues, especially among the younger visitors (and the older ones who are just young at heart!)

Exquisite gardens: The entire park is built amid the most stunning, well-tended greenery. From miniature trees to colourful bushes, the backdrop to the park is beautiful. I spent much of the visit admiring the gardens as much as, if not more than, the Lego displays.

Intricate displays: Famous places, faces and landmarks are showcased throughout the park. But it’s the attention to detail in every model that catches the eye and adds to the amazement. A few examples below.

Places of the park

Faces of the park

Landmarks of the park

(Overall rating 87/100)

Lalandia cafe

In addition to the Legoland theme park, Billund also has an indoor water park called Lalandia. Although we didn’t visit the pool area itself, we popped in for a coffee and were pretty taken aback by the internal decor in the entrance hall. It looked like a historic Italian city, we could have been in Rome, Pisa, Florence or even Palermo with the staggering interior surroundings. The area boasted staged ruins, piazzas, a mini lake and even deep blue skyline. Nicely executed.

(Overall rating 89/100)

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Date of visit: 3 June 2022 to 6 June 2022