Lalandia Billund review: an ideal alternative to Center Parcs, with a Scandi twist

Our verdict

Newsflash: self-catering forest holidays don’t begin and end with Center Parcs! If you’re willing to swap a hot tub for a sauna and go a little further afield, I highly recommend this Scandinavian alternative.

Lalandia holiday park in Billund, Denmark, matches Center Parcs punch for punch with its amazing indoor tropical pool complex and huge range of kid-friendly activities that don't require you to take out a second mortgage to afford. We found the accommodation struck the perfect balance of being light and airy but also warm and cosy, as you’d expect from the nation that gave us hygge.

And Billund is the home of LEGO. With the original LEGOLAND just over the road and LEGO House within a 10-minute drive of the holiday park, Lalandia is a bucket list break for any families who are fans of the brick. 

How we tested

I spent seven nights at Lalandia Billund, Denmark, in the middle of August with my husband and our two kids, aged six and eight. We flew from London Stansted to Copenhagen, where we stayed for a couple of days before renting a car from the airport and making the three-hour journey to Billund.

What’s the accommodation like?

Our Classic 4 holiday cottage

We booked a Classic 4 holiday cottage, which, as the name suggests, sleeps four people, and comes with a cot and highchair as standard.

The cottage was spacious, airy and spotlessly clean. The neutral colour palette and unfussy furniture gave the whole place a streamlined feel, without feeling too stark or bare. The beds and sofa were very comfortable, and the back door opened out onto a small terrace with outdoor furniture and a lovely, large grassy area, which gave the kids plenty of space to play. It was also a magnet for hares and red squirrels, which made it ideal for nature spotting.

A view of the dining area and part of the kitchen

We stayed in the last cottage on the road, so we had one immediate neighbour, but there were occupied cottages opposite us. However, due to the way the buildings are laid out, and with the help of a bit of staggering and strategically placed foliage, we were hardly aware of our neighbours, and we did not feel overlooked, even when eating dinner outside on the terrace.

Inside the living room, and tables and chairs for dining outside on the terrace

I really like that each cottage comes with its own washing machine, which meant we could take fewer clothes away with us. It also saves guests from traipsing to a laundrette in the event of any baby- or toddler-related disasters. Just be warned that you do get billed for your utilities after checkout. I also really appreciated the presence of a dishwasher, because who wants to faff around with washing up while on holiday?

Each cottage comes with its own electric vehicle (EV) charger, but unfortunately we weren’t able to try ours out as our rental car was petrol and our EV was waiting for us in the long-stay car park at Stansted.

Although duvets and pillows come as standard with the holiday cottages, guests need to hire bed linen and towels from the on-site service centre or bring their own from home. A linen package costs 119DKK (around £14 at the time of writing) per person and 55DKK (just over £6) for children under three. These must be ordered at least three days in advance of arriving at Lalandia Billund.

There was plenty of space for cartwheels at the back of the lodge

We only booked a small, budget cottage, which was more than enough for the four of us. But if you’re travelling as a larger group of family or friends, you may want to check out the gorgeous red wood-panelled Nordic Plus 8 holiday home. The accommodation is spread over two floors and includes a spa pool and sauna - perfect for a spot of Danish hygge!

The distinctive Nordic Plus 8 holiday home, which comes complete with its own sauna

What’s the Aquadome like and is it free for guests?

A birdseye view of the Aquadome

Visiting the Aquadome was easily one of the highlights of our stay at Lalandia. This tropical water paradise features a huge range of pools, slides and other splashy fun activities for all members of the family. 

All guests staying at Lalandia get free entry to the Aquadome, which includes access to nine slides, ranging from the tame to the utterly terrifying free-fall Turbo Drop.

My kids loved the activity pool, which featured a game where they attempted to climb across a series of giant lily pads without slipping off and landing in the water. They also loved racing their dad on the Power Racers slide, travelling at speed side-by-side through four parallel winding tubes. The indoor jacuzzi was amazing (and probably the hottest in existence) and, on a personal note, I found the infrared sauna great for soothing away aches and pains, and it didn’t feel as claustrophobic as sitting in a traditional sauna. 

Children will love the new kids’ area, which features several baby pools, along with bubbling light-up fountains. And don’t forget your goggles as the secret cove pool gives youngsters the chance to dive down and swim alongside tropical fish in a nearby underwater tank.

One of the epic slides at the Aquadome

There are also pools outside, including the heated outdoor spa pool, which feels amazing even in chilly weather. The kids also loved the bouncy pillow within the outdoor pool complex, slipping, sliding and falling all over the place, and finding the whole thing absolutely hilarious. 

The Aquadome opens at 9.30am, but the flumes don’t open until 10am. This half hour was the quietest time of the day, and allowed us to enjoy the lazy river, jacuzzis, wave pool, Aquasplash Playground and kiddie pools in relative peace. After 10am, the pools get considerably busier, but they never felt uncomfortably busy.

There were several cots available for babies who needed a poolside nap, plus baby baths were available in the women's showers for infants to have a quick wash before heading into the pool.

It’s worth noting here that Lalandia is very strict about showering before using the pool, and staff check every single person at the door and will send you back to the changing room for a hose down if you approach with dry hair.

Lalandia Wellness, situated above the pool, offers spa treatments with prices starting from 250DKK (around £29) for a basic face and head massage.

What other facilities are available?

Bungee trampolining, ice skating and the climbing wall are all included with a gold wristband

The beauty of Lalandia is that most of the activities are indoors, meaning even the temperamental Danish weather won’t spoil the fun (the weather flip-flopped from Mediterranean heatwave to biblical storms to drizzly UK Bank Holiday conditions during our stay). 

As well as housing the enormous Aquadome, the main centre includes loads of activities for kids and families, including bungee trampolining, ice skating, a climbing wall, tobogganing, adventure golf, bowling, football pool (yes, it's a thing), and padel. The kids’ personal favourite was the exhilarating Sky Rider - part slide, part zip line, which involved strapping them into a harness before they whizzed along a track suspended from the ceiling. 

There is an individual charge for activities, unless you have a gold wristband, which can be purchased up to five days before arriving at the site. At the time of writing, a gold wristband costs 249DKK (around £28) per person for a stay of four nights or more. The wristbands allowed our kids to do so many activities, and we really got our money’s worth on the Sky Rider alone. However, there are only a limited number of gold wristbands available, so early booking is highly recommended. Alternatively, you could opt for an Activity Card, which costs 400 DKK (around £46) but has a value of 500 DKK (£58) to spend on activities.

Our gold wristband also gave us access to Monky Tonky Land, an enormous soft play, which was great for wearing the kids out. However, we didn’t actually use this facility much, as we could never tear the kids away from the Sky Rider long enough. 

There are plenty of things to do in Lalandia Billund in the great outdoors too, including a forest obstacle course, a basketball court, a skate park, numerous playgrounds and more bouncy pillows than you can shake a stick at. There’s also a field of adorable, friendly, dwarf goats who love attention from visitors.

For young daredevils, the 16-metre Adventure Tower is filled with challenges, including free falls and a 13-metre high bike ride. Access to the tower is included in the price of the gold wristband.

Some activities, such as the Adventure Tower and bowling, must be booked in advance. Others, like the Sky Rider, ice skating and trampolining, allow kids to just turn up and play.

The kids loved the forest obstacle course and trying out the numerous bouncy pillows

What are the food options like? 

There are a number of food options at the Lalandia Billund holiday park, with the choice to eat-in or take away at Plaza Takeaway, Bone’s and Burger House. Pepe’s Cantina is perfect for fans of Mexican cuisine, while Ristorante il Bambino serves much-loved classics and new favourites from the Italian market kitchen. Espresso House is great for food on the go, while Lalandia’s own ice cream and waffle shop will keep the sweet-toothed members of the family happy. 

In the Aquadome, the Beach Club provides pool snacks, such as paninis, ice creams, crisps and drinks, while the Food Court is on hand for those who are after something a little more substantial like American, Italian and Asian cuisine (think burgers, pizzas and poke bowls). 

We stuck to self-catering during our stay at Lalandia, making good use of the very well-stocked on-site supermarket. However, it was a little on the pricey side and after a couple of days we ventured into Billund and started shopping at Netto, which was much better value for money. Other local supermarkets are also available.

I do have one slight gripe about the bars and food establishments in Lalandia. A couple of times, we asked if we could fill up a water bottle, and were flatly told no and to either buy an expensive bottle of water or fill up in the toilets. I suspect this may be a cultural thing, as we were told the same at LEGO House, but we’ve never encountered this at any theme park or attraction in the UK. A water bottle filling station would be a much-welcome addition.

What’s the entertainment like?

The enormous soft play centre that is Monky Tonky Land

As well as a list of attractions as long as your arm, Lalandia Billund holiday park also offers daily activities, including creative activities and sweet making at Monky Tonky’s Workshop, mermaid swimming in the Aquadome and a children’s disco. An ever changing daily programme of activities can be found on the Lalandia website. Some require an extra fee and may need to be booked in advance. 

Older kids may prefer to stick with the climbing wall, Sky Rider, Adventure Tower and other attractions mentioned above. There’s also a large arcade if your kids have some loose Danish Krone burning a hole in their pockets.

It’s worth noting that the entertainment complex closes at 10pm, and some of the activities start winding down from 9pm. The sports bar and restaurants also close at this time, and there’s nowhere else on site for a late-night drink.

What is there to do nearby? 

LEGO House in Billund

If you’re travelling all the way to Billund, there are two places you must visit - LEGO House (aka the LEGO mothership) and LEGOLAND Billund, the very first of the brick-based theme park to open in 1968.

LEGOLAND Billund is quite literally over the road from Lalandia, and it takes less than 10 minutes to walk door to door. The Billund park is smaller, but flatter and easier to navigate than its Windsor counterpart. Some of the attractions look very similar, but there are several rides and experiences that are unique to Billund, plus there are more opportunities to build. The LEGO shop at the park is huge, boasting exclusive sets, a chance to design your own Minifigure and watch your creation come to life in the special machine, and there’s also an engraving service so you can personalise your favourite LEGO keepsakes. In short, there are plenty of opportunities to pick up a unique gift for the LEGO lover in your life.

Fun at LEGOLAND Billund

One thing you should be aware of before heading to LEGOLAND Billund is that you will need to buy separate tickets for the driving school. It’s a much better driving school experience than at LEGOLAND Windsor, where it’s free but kids only get five minutes to buzz around the course. In Billund, children aged six to 13 are given a 30-minute driving experience, with the driving license included in the price. However, you will need to book tickets ahead of your visit. We tried to get tickets on the day and were left disappointed.

Somewhere sure to never disappoint is the amazing LEGO House, which is just a six-minute drive or 25(ish)-minute walk from Lalandia. We spent hours raking through tonnes of bricks, building all sorts of weird and wonderful masterpieces. Many of these could be turned into digital creations - a rainbow fish swimming in the ocean, a dancing loaf of bread, and a banana-powered car were brought to life before our very eyes. Just like LEGOLAND Billund, there are plenty of exclusive and limited-edition sets available in the gift shop.

Build to your heart’s content at LEGO House

One of the highlights of our trip to the LEGO House was a visit to the excellent Mini Chef restaurant, where we ordered our food via the medium of LEGO bricks. Dinner then arrived in individual LEGO brick-shaped boxes, winding their way down a helter-skelter before being ‘delivered’ by dancing LEGO robots. Yes, really! The food was delicious, and the kids were thrilled with their exclusive Minifigure that came with the children’s menu. It’s a very popular attraction at the LEGO House, so you will need to book a table in advance of your visit.

Collecting dinner from the robots at the Mini Chef restaurant

A shuttle bus runs between Lalandia, LEGOLAND, LEGO House and Billund Airport, just to make life easier if you are laden down with bags of brick-based goodies.

Other local attractions include Wow Park, around a mile away from Lalandia, which promises ‘sky-high fun in the great outdoors’, including treehouses, giant slides, hanging cargo nets in the trees, wild ziplines, and Scandinavia’s highest free-fall slide towers. Billund is also home to the Teddy Bear Art Museum, if you fancy something a little less high-octane.

About the author

Laura Cooke is a freelance journalist and writer, based in East Sussex. She has travelled extensively around Europe with her husband and later with her two children, now aged six and eight. 

She has written travel content for Mumsnet, including reviews of her stays at Hotel Cheyenne in Disneyland Paris and on the Disney Dream cruise ship, and a guide to the best alternatives to Center Parcs. Laura has also written travel articles for the Daily Telegraph and the Sun.