LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Birmingham review for families

What age is LEGOLAND Discovery Centre best for:

Best for: 3-10 years old

Avoid if: Your child needs a lot of space to run around. There is a soft play area but it’s medium sized and not vast. There are no outdoor areas within the centre.

How much does it cost in 2022?

Tickets are £22.95 per person on the day, or £18.30 online – so booked via the website, a family ticket would cost £72. Under 3 year olds are free.

Are there any discounts or cheap tickets available for LEGOLAND Discovery Centre?

There are several promotions that I’ve seen for discounted tickets within the Merlin Group (LEGOLAND, Sea Life etc). I had a check in our kitchen drawer before our visit and had saved a ½ price entry voucher from a past Happy Meal that was still valid. Confectionary and crisp companies tend to have promotions too.

Look out for special offers on websites like Picniq.

You could also save money by purchasing the Merlin Annual Pass which allows entry into many attractions including LEGOLAND Discovery Centre and Windsor Resort, Alton Towers, Warwick Castle, and many more.

Take a look at our Tesco Clubcard family days out article to see if you can use your Clubcard points to pay for your visit.

Are there any extra charges once I'm there?

We purchased an activity pack for the kids which cost £5 each. It featured a range of different activities, could be worn around the neck and encouraged collecting stamps at posts throughout the centre. Once all stamps are collected you get a gift. Using the activity pack encouraged us to explore the entire centre and the activities were fun and age appropriate.

To be honest, the kids didn’t do much of the activities and just collected the stamps and gift ***SPOILER ALERT*** of small LEGO character which they still cherish to this day. However, the pieces are small and we spent a “fun” 10 minutes searching for a tiny police hat in our hotel room so our youngest wouldn’t cry!

You do exit through the (extremely well stocked) gift shop. I was tempted to buy something but we already have a huge amount of Duplo at home. The kids were happy enough with their little gift from collecting stamps and we just walked through the giftshop very very fast! I waited outside while their dad collected their gifts.

How long will we spend at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre?

You could enjoy the whole centre in under 4 hours. However, after half a day our children didn’t want to leave (and neither did we). We got a hand stamp, found a local restaurant to have lunch, got a quick bit of fresh air and then returned back to building and playing as if we’d never left. For us it was a full day that flew by with no tears or tantrums (a summer holiday miracle!).

What is LEGOLAND Discovery Centre like for families?

The first thing is to not expect a theme park attraction like LEGOLAND Windsor. LEGOLAND Discovery centre is entirely indoors – making it ideal for rainy days. There are 2 rides which are enjoyable, particularly for an indoor venue.

There is also a café selling Costa coffee which my husband sprinted towards as soon as he saw it.

Our family were all entertained extremely well and although busy, it never felt crowded or overwhelming.

What shouldn't be missed?

Highlights for us were:

• For the whole family the standout was the 4D cinema
• There are different “zones” which are set up with tonnes for LEGO ready to be played with an enjoyed. There is also an office for a “master builder”; a friendly lady who you could watch through her large glass office window creating masterpieces. We spent a good few hours building our LEGO creations and testing them on the tracks.
• The Kingdom Quest ride, which we really enjoyed. The Kingdom Quest ride accommodates 4 people in an individual carriage which moves along a track. You are guided through different scenes and must shoot at the enemies with infrared guns. At the end of the ride each player has a score (I won!!!)
• MINILAND, the softplay area, and the Duplo area are also fun for kids. MINILAND is really impressive – the room changes from day to night and there are so many little details to discover. I seemed to enjoy this area more than my kids.

Are there any seasonal or special events?

LEGOLAND Discover Centre hosts birthday parties. On regular days adults can not enter without being accompanied by a child aged 17 years old or under so there are adult nights.

Can you visit the LEGO 4D cinema more than once per visit?

We visited 3 times! We first went close to when we arrived and loved it. The short films are taken to the next level with special effects that stimulate all the senses. Later in the day the queue was non-existent and we watched 2 more screenings back to back.

Each screening was different – with 3 to watch in total. A staff member advised that LEGO City 4D was the best and he was right! A LEGO cop is chasing a baddie and it was fun and entertaining – the 4D scene of getting licked by a slobbering dog was almost convincing and made us all squeal! You get wet but will dry off in a few minutes.

Are there any scary/boring elements that young or sensitive children might not enjoy?

My 4 year old is scared of everything at the moment. She enjoyed the Kingdom Quest ride but was slightly spooked and didn’t want to go on it again. My 6 year old couldn’t wait to go back with her Dad – this was no problem we played with Duplo while waiting for her.

Does Legoland Discover Centre cater well to children of all ages?

From 3 – 10 years old the centre is ideal. But really, is there an age limit on enjoying LEGO? I think this centre is ideal if there’s a larger age gap between children. Duplo is suitable from 2years + and even my husband’s work colleague was excited to hear about our visit – so older “kids” will certainly find something to keep them busy.

What are the queues like?

The queues were totally bearable and as you’re indoors there are no elements to contend with. The longest wait was for Kingdom Quest – 30 minutes that went very fast. I kept my 6 year old busy reading the signs about the ride as we waited.

The queue for the Merlin’s Apprentice Ride – a “pedal powered” fairground style ride – was just 10 minutes.

What to bring

• The small size of the venue means that a pushchair is not essential – especially if they’re old enough to walk short distances
• You can bring your own snacks or a “picnic” however the provided tables are for café customers – I saw a few parents enjoying sandwiches at the LEGO tables
• Some wipes or hand sanitiser might be useful if you already regularly use them. Otherwise just come as you are in some comfy clothes.

What to watch out for

There is a timer indicating the time before the next 4D movie. Around 5-10 minutes before the next screening people start to queue. This is only necessary in busier times and at the end of the day there is no queue.

Also about an hour before the centre closed I heard an announcement that there was no queue at all for Kingdom Quest so worth hanging around if you want a ride without queueing.

What are the food and drink facilities like at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre?

The café is small but decent. It was good to see vegan options for ice cream. The kids meal was £3.95 for a small meal or £5.95 for a small one. We chose to eat outside mainly to break up the day a little and we got a good deal with our Tastecard which was accepted at a good number of local restaurants.

Can you take a picnic?

The venue advises: "For those who have any sensitive allergies or intolerances, you are more than welcome to bring in your own food", but seating is limited. We left our table as soon as we’d finished our snacks because we could see people hovering needing a table.

What are the toilets like?

I loved the toilets! They had large LEGO characters on the door and my little ones enjoyed choosing which character they would “visit”.

How well does it cater for disabled visitors?

• The venue is wheelchair accessible, and the entire play zone is located on the lower level of the building which is accessed via the lift. However, the rides can’t be used with a wheelchair
• Wheelchair users can be accompanied by a free carer who does not need to purchase a ticket in advance.
• For children needing a quieter experience, there was a side room for creative workshops – slightly away from the busier areas
• More info here.

What to do before you go to LEGOLAND Discovery Centre?

The website has a fair amount of information but I didn’t feel a lot of advance planning is required. It’s not a huge venue and if you miss something it’s easy to head back to it.

Opening dates and times

The centre is open year round except Christmas day. Hours are seasonal so check in advance on the website.

Is it worth a long car journey?

As much as I enjoyed the day at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Birmingham, I wouldn’t drive a very long way for the attraction alone. We stayed locally in the centre of Birmingham and drove back to London the next morning. The previous day we spent at Drayton Manor which is about a 25 minute drive away. If you’re in Birmingham with kids LEGOLAND Discovery Centre is a must!

There is also a LEGOLAND Discovery Centre in Manchester.

How to get to LEGOLAND Discovery Centre:

Being in the centre of a major city – the venue is easily accessible by a range of transport:

• If driving, you should enter the postcode B1 2AA into your satnav and follow signs for the NIA and SEA LIFE Centre. There is a Clean Air Zone operating in Birmingham that may affect your car, find more details here.
• Both Birmingham New Street and Birmingham Moor Street train stations are a 15 minute walk away, you can find train tickets on trainline.com.
• There are a number of bus routes that serve LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, more information can be found on their website.

Is there free parking at Legoland Discovery Centre Birmingham?

I think that free parking would be really hard to find – maybe on Sunday’s or bank holidays – due to where the centre is located. The best option is a car park and they are not cheap. The venue recommends parking at Arena Birmingham South – expect to pay around £2.50 an hour.

Which hotels or holiday accommodations are near LEGOLAND Discovery Centre?

• You can find many family-friendly hotel deals close to LEGOLAND Discovery Centre on Booking.com.
• For self-catering accommodation ideas, look on Vrbo or Airbnb.

Nearby attractions

You can visit the National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham and the Bear Grylls Adventure, both a short journey away and included in the Merlin Annual Pass.

There are also a number of family-friendly attractions in Birmingham including Treetop Adventure Golf, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the Treasure Trail.

MFM verdict:

My absolute favourite thing about LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Birmingham was how calm it kept my kids. For my 4 year old we already know that Duplo is her “happy place” but the kids did not fight or bicker THE WHOLE DAY!!! Me and hubby enjoyed trying to build our own cars and everyone was happy!

I also liked that there wasn’t loads of extra costs involved. The activity pack I was curious about but wasn’t essential – although my kids may have become envious of other kids with them.

Visit the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre website.

See more reviews of LEGOLAND Discovery Centre on TripAdvisor.