At Easter, I ventured to Denmark with my husband for a five-day break, travelling from Malta to Aarhus via Luton.

Although I had previously visited Aarhus, Denmark’s second-largest city, in winter, Legoland was closed as it is only open from April 1 to the end of October.

I had always wanted to visit Legoland, since I had been assured it would be a ‘great colourful and visual treat’ and, for the true Lego enthusiast, this was by far the best park to visit.

Before arriving, I had made arrangements for a private tour around the Lego museum – which is not open to the public – and a guided tour around the park. It’s amazing what close family connections can do!

Impressive statutes greet visitors all over the seven areas of Legoland, so there is always something new to see – such as this replica Star Wars X-wing fighter, made from more than five million bricks.Impressive statutes greet visitors all over the seven areas of Legoland, so there is always something new to see – such as this replica Star Wars X-wing fighter, made from more than five million bricks.

Although staying in Arhus, I managed to select a day in between the rain, wind, dark clouds and snow and our guide drove us to the small, sleepy town of Billund, where Legoland is located some half-hour away from Aarhus, one of seven worldwide theme parks.

However, on the day, we managed to experience all of elements.

Our first port of call was the Lego museum, which is highly restricted, unmanned and not open to the public but full of cameras to ensure toys are not touched or disappear. The whole Lego toy history was there, with early models made from wood and plastic but even in those days, the level of detail was obvious.

From 1955 Lego opened a factory in Billund to manufacture and produce its bricks, which took many years to perfect.

Today, a state-of-the-art museum in Legoland is being built for the public to view, designed by the famous architect Bjarke Ingels, to highlight the Lego values. It will open in 2016.

Our guide explained that Lego is short for ‘LEj GOdt’ which in Danish means ‘play well’ and that’s what the Lego universe is all about.

It is the oldest Legoland park in the world and was here in Billund that it all began in 1968.

It is a theme park of Lego mainly for families with young children and Lego enthusiasts of all ages.

“Children learn best when they are actively engaged in constructing personally meaningful artefacts which they can share with others,” said Seymour Papert, Lego professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the late 1990s.

Today, Papert is considered the world’s foremost expert on how technology can provide new ways to learn and the Lego Mindstorms product line is named after him.

Legoland Billund consists of seven totally different-themed activity areas across 35 acres: Miniland, Pirate Land, Adventure Land, Knights’ Kingdom, Polar Land, Duplo Land and Legoredo Land, which included miniature cities to movie scenes, all recreated in Lego and animatronics.

All the Lego buildings are stunning whether you are an adult or a child – marvel at bridges that open, cars travelling around ports, ships docking and trains travelling from one village to another

We were also the first to see Lego Star Wars, newly opened that week, which was quite impressive.

Taking into consideration that I didn’t own Lego bricks when I was a child, for me this place is amazing and exciting. A lot of places to see and try all in one day!

The Lego mini-villages in Mini land were my favourite part, built according to their real-life equivalents and the detail is mind-blowing – recreations of cities such as mini-Bergen and Copenhagen harbour, buildings (Amalienborg Palace, Grauman/Mann/TCL Chinese Theatre) and more general scenes such as a Hollywood film set and offshore oil platform and an airport.

Many are animated and I was surprised to see an aquarium, which was small but adequate, and had large Lego models strewn about: sunken treasure, scuba divers and the like.

The gardens around the figures were beautiful and well kept. We felt like children in Wonderland.

All of the buildings are stunning and whether you are child or adult, you cannot fail to be impressed.

Marvel at the bridges that open, ships that pass by lorries, vans and cars that travel around ports, ships docking and trains travelling from one village to another – a spectacular feast of figures, buildings, animals and many other things.

The models that really caught my eye were Lilleby, an imaginary Danish village, the first to be built with 433,000 bricks; Ribe, the oldest city in Denmark with its distinct green and cream church; and, in real life, houses made from yellow bricks and red roofs.

The detail of Amalienborg Palace, the royal family residence in Copenhagen, and its gardens is a sight to savour.

Billund airport really was so real with planes landing, berthing and taking off with real-life aeroplane noises. The detail was amazing.

An Indian camp led by the popular Chief Long Ears, the Rocky Mountains and town with its saloon, hotel and stores brought the Wild West to life.

More than 60 million of Lego bricks were used to build all these amazing models. It is a fantastic place for children, who quickly become immersed in the theme and the place, love the rides and just being there.

Designed by adults for children, Legoland really caters to those aged three to seven and there are many things to do if you are visiting with a child that age.

However, it may just bring out the children in the adults too. There was a fairly large, impressive indoor Star Wars exhibit recreating scenes from the films.

Luke Skywalker’s Lego X-wing Star fighter is a 1: 1 replica model of the one used in the film, which took more than five million bricks and 17,336 hours to construct.

It is the world’s largest Lego model, at three metres tall, with a 13-metre wingspan and weighing more than 20 tons.

It was built in sections in the Czech Republic over a four-month period. An accompanying lightshow and music bring all the Star Wars characters to life.

But Legoland also offers some fun to people who are not necessary fans of the bricks.

Rides vary from the ultra-sage monorail to roller coasters, as well as the ‘cup and saucers’ type.

The top rides for us were Ice Pilots (on which we were thrown around on a giant mechanical arm) and two coasters: Extreme Racers and Polar Explorers. Both of these were well done and designed, but not particularly extreme.

There are also water rides, particularly the Vikings River splash and Haunted House with a mirror maze.

It’s a great experience for the children, but also a trip down memory lane for their parents as well.

Viorica’s top tips to have a fantastic stay

• There is a relatively high entrance fee, but keep in mind that most of attractions are free once you are inside and you can visit them as many times as you want.

• Book in advance as there are big discounts for pre-booking and you can avoid a queue at the entrance.

• Buy a two-day ticket. Although you could potentially cover the entire park in one day, it would be rushed.

• Check the times if you want to see the penguin show (which is farthest from the entrance) and a 4D film in a specific language (not all are in English).

• During school holiday times you can expect queues for the biggest attractions. Some are not available for small children, so take this into account while planning.

• If you live in Malta and want to go to Billund, the end of August is great time to visit because Danish children are back at school and you do not have to queue.

­• Food at Legoland is expensive so being able to carry a backpack filled with sandwiches, drinks and snacks will make you a substantial saving.

• There is ample parking nearby, plenty of toilets with amenities for babies, lots of space for strollers and prams, as well as high chairs/baby chairs at every restaurant.

• Staff members were genuinely friendly and helpful and seemed to enjoy being part of our experience.

The four-star Lego Hotel (www.legoland.dk/en) is located conveniently near to the theme park’s entrance. It has good food, friendly staff and a general atmosphere of fun and adventure.

• For those flying directly to Billund, Legoland is five minutes by taxi. There are lockers to store luggage at the entrance and buses stopping across the street will take you to Vejle railway station, from where you can easily get to Arhus, Copenhagen or anywhere else in Denmark.

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