Take the kids on a weekend away to the Danish town and theme park that Lego built… and it’s easier now there’s a direct British Airways flight from Heathrow
Billund is not actually made from plastic bricks - but it might as well be - and is fun for all the family
“HOW do you call a giraffe?” I waited for a punchline that didn’t arrive.
It turns out the Mrs actually wanted to call a giraffe over for a selfie. And because we were in Denmark, not Africa, it was no big deal.
The Danes are so chilled out, a girelfie is easy. At Givskud Zoo it’s even easier, as there are no crowds, no hurry and no end of things to see.
It is characteristic of a weekend in Billund — the town Lego built. It’s not actually made from plastic bricks but it may as well be.
Home to Lego HQ and the original Legoland, it now has a direct British Airways flight from Heathrow — which makes it an easy option for a civilised family weekend away.
Of course, there is a perfectly good Legoland much nearer Heathrow, but this one is less crowded, less frantic, less stressful, and more, well, Danish than its cousin in Windsor.
It’s smaller — there’s no Duplo Splash Zone or Star Wars Miniland mega display. But the food is better, the queues are shorter and the two bigger coasters — Polar Explorers and X-Treme Racers — are faster and scarier than any back home.
New for this year is Ninjago World, which adds a terrific 3D shoot-em-up based on the plastic Ninjas and their scaly nemesis, the Great Devourer. I’m not exaggerating — you fire lasers out of your bare hands. It’s brilliant.
You might think Lego itself would be cheaper at the source. Alas, no. There is an outlet store in the park, but don’t think you are going to pick up a cut-price Death Star.
There is a flagship Lego store too but it’s as expensive, or a little more, than at home.
The same can be said for Danish prices generally — not as terrifying as their Nordic neighbours but steeper than London.
The good news is that while nothing is cheap, everything is really good quality.
The buffet dinner at the Legoland Hotel, for example, is £29 for adults and £14.50 for kids, but is better than anything I have seen at any other theme park, including king of them all, Disney.
And unlike Windsor, Legoland Billund provides lots of well-sited, undercover picnic spots so you can save the price of lunch in the park.
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Put the money you save towards a Q-bot pass. These queue jumper widgets cost from £17 per day for a family of four but there is something inherently un-Danish in such impatience, so hardly anyone buys them.
This means you can cover the entire park in a day and take back-to-back rides on the awesome Polar Explorer while Harald and Bjarne can only look on, enviously.
There is a reason for such haste — there is a lot to squeeze in to a short break in Billund, not least Lalandia, which is right next door.
Once we had made it past the field of tame goats outside, the kids thought they’d died and gone to heaven. Who knew so much fun could be stored inside an unassuming grey warehouse? It is a leisure centre on steroids, where a Las Vegas-style food court opens out on to a bundle of activities.
Biggest and best is the Aquadome, which mixes giant flumes and multiple pools with a spa and sauna set-up, plus there’s ice skating, bowling, trampolining, soft play, a climbing wall, even a dry ski slope.
You could use the Legoland Hotel as a base for Lalandia as it is only five minutes away. Or there are self-catering holiday cottages on site.
And guess what? They’re really Danish too — solid, spacious, smartly fitted out, with wifi and a sun deck.
A 30-minute drive away, in Jelling, is one of Denmark’s most important heritage sites — the historic seat of Viking kings. From this unassuming town, Harold Bluetooth and his father, Gorm the Old, established the dynasty that made Denmark a world power. And yes, that’s the Bluetooth who lent his name to the wireless technology. Apparently he was a great communicator. Peace-loving farmers or homicidal maniacs with a love of travel? Kongernes Jelling will help you decide.
The brilliant free museum there has impressive digital effects and views of the town’s mysterious burial mounds.
Givskud Zoo, a 15-minute drive from Jelling, features a lion drive-thru. They are remarkably calm, noble-looking creatures — they look like they wouldn’t hurt a fly. A bit like the Vikings, perhaps.
We drove back to the airport on a high, the kids picking animal shapes out of the clouds: “It’s a dragon! It’s a capybara! It’s a pig in a blindfold!”
I was looking for a silver lining but I couldn’t find one this time — it felt all too soon to be coming home.
GO: Billund, Denmark
All the info you need for your trip.
GETTING THERE: British Airways flies from Heathrow to Billund from £73 return including taxes and charges. See .
STAYING THERE: A themed family room at Legoland is from £200 including breakfast and park entry. See
Lalandia has self-catering homes from £520 for a four-day break for four including Aquadome and Monky Tonky Land entrance. See
MORE INFO: See