Everything You Need to Know about LEGOLAND Günzburg

From Leipheim to Günzburg, we are finally getting closer to our final leg of our Bavarian summer trip: LEGOLAND. Although for going there we used the fast trains of the ICE, but at a good price thanks to the BahnCard 25, offering 25% discount to the otherwise expensive train tickets, for regional trips, we used the advantage of the Deutschland Ticket, a Germany-wide monthly plan - 50 Euro per month - covering regional trains and local transportation. I am very much in awe of this system, because it allows me to freely make the best of my time outside Berlin, without additional costs.

We took the bus from the Günzburg train station and we can feel the excitement in the air from the first sight. Children and their parents, waiting for the long planned dream trip to happen. As we approached the adventure park, gigantesque Lego-made open air sculptures were letting us know that we are approaching our final destination. 

And just like this, we are finally there, hurrying out of the bus through the gates of the park. Although we hurried up figuratively, because from the moment you arrived, the clock is ticking. Like in the case of other adventure parks, like Disneyland, you should plan a lot in advance, in order to be sure that you get the best of your adventure. 

If you are planning to stay only one day, be sure you start it very early in the morning, to have enough time to stroll through the mini-thematic parks. Try to be smarter than us and buy an Express pass, that will save you important time from queing in line, an activity I personally abhor. 

We arrived with a travel package, purchased via Limango travel, but there are many offers - for types of tickets and accommodation - available on the park´s website. As usual in Germany, if you are planning enough months in advance you can get a good price plan that will not make you feel guilty for indulging in so many adventures, or must save some money to purchase some latest bricks-game.

The predominant feature of the park is that everything is made out of Lego pieces. If you want to really enjoy a long time here, you can book a longer stay in the lodge situated within the park and there the rooms and furniture and everything looks like a Lego construction. The various accommodations are following different themes, from Pirates to Ninjago. 

Even the restrooms on the premises are decorated accordingly. 

There is so much creativity in the ways in which the small Lego pieces are used, that there is no wonder that there are so many recent trends trying to integrate the bricks into a larger learning system, aimed at better introducing various concepts and skills to children and teenagers.

With over 57 million Lego bricks used for various settings, you may imagine how much work was invested into creating this place.

There are attractions tailored for every age category and tastes, including adults. After walking a bit around to get used with the ambiance, we headed to a mini-train that took us around different locations. For a first, it was very useful, as gave us an idea about what we can and want to do next.

Miniland, the mini-village reproducing various sightseeings in Berlin and the world, was our next destination. 

As someone guessed that we may miss Berlin, this reproduction of the Bundestag building helped us to better survive the few days far away from the busy capital.

All those constructions, looking so real, gives a funny feeling of Gulliver in the Lilliput land. 

There is even more Berlin, although without necessarily respecting the geography of the place, which does not matter too much anyway. 

Talking about geography, we are just walking the world, one step at a time. With everything within reach.

Age and size are very important when it comes to enjoying various attractions. The higher in the sky is the adventure, the stricter the security requirements. If you are trying to plan in advance your adventure, you may get to know what works and what not for your child and use the best of your time.

The food courts display the same motives, offering fast-food menu to hungry visitors. Everything should be fast, because there is still so much to experience. If you are really out of time, you can try to get some take away from the kiosks around the park, such as the Oriental menu at Fata Morgana. 

Maybe this kind of adventures are preferable to try without a full stomach.

But nevertheless is worth checking the world from the top of this needle. 

Lego Extreme and Adventure Land are two thematic parks that may not be for everyone, but maybe one can give it a try. The Fire Dragon is an adrenaline-rush roller coaster on the back of a hungry dragon, but those who just like moderate things can just try the Dragon Hunt, which is a roller coaster for beginners. Count me in for this!

Pharaohs´ Land is a creative journey through the old world of Egypt, in a bricked-version. It may open the appetite for learning some history as well. 

One of our highlights was the ride with the old air baloons. Very safe and offering the kind of adventure small children will keep talking about with their new colleagues in their first day of school.

Add to this some Pirates Water Fun, which is perfect to experience during a hot summer day.

The 5,000 square meters park will encourage you to play a game of seafarers and pirates, a remnance of old times of stories and mystery rides. 

It may look scary but actually, like everything in Legoland, it encourages you to dream and free your imagination. The Pirates, the Ninjago interactive movie experiences, the creative spaces where children can build with bricks whatever they want. There is always something new and exciting going on here. 

As we had to leave the place, shortly before closing, we knew that although we couldn´t see everything, maybe only around 40% of it, maybe less, at least we had the good feeling that we had a great time in a dream place. Where we will definitely return to check other adventures, hopefully soon. I am sure we will not be disappointed.

For more travel stories, follow my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ilanatravels

My Ingredients for an Almost Perfect Trip with Your Toddler

Exploring nature in Zehdenick, Brandenburg

Even if once in a while I keep posting tips and inspiration about how to enjoy your time with your little baby in Berlin, from the moment my son was born I knew I will not switch to a mom travel blogger writer. Although me and my little baby we are often on the road, and even since he was as young as 4 months old, I keep being interested mostly in grown up schedule and travel itineraries and topics. 

However, as my blog reflects my travels, diary-style, I want to share my inspiration and ideas for helping mothers like me, to dare take their little ones on a trip out of the comfort zone, at least once the month. I've often heard moms that keep telling that being out with a baby, especially a toddler who is becoming to be very active, is very hard, but staying in the house all day is also a challenge and it may get the kid even more unhappy. Breathing fresh air, interacting with other people, including children his age, discovering the world, are so many interesting activities that will only benefit your child, and bring you, the poor mother mostly juggling with hundreds of challenges, a ray of light and some diversity. Of course, when it comes to children, things shall be a little bit more organised and therefore, here are my tips about preparing to spend one day out of town with your toddler.

Snow in Ilsenburg, Harz Mountains

Check the Weather Conditions

Even if there are no chances of encountering a different season three or four hours away from home, sometimes the temperature differences can be challenging. The last weekend, we spent some lovely time in the mountain area of Harz where snow-capped mountains requested a completely different dress code than the usual light outfits from Berlin. 

Take some Extra Clothes

I always love to travel light, even when I have to be away for a week or more. When you are out with the baby, things might change but if you are still using a buggy, you can just pack everything in the big luggage space of the mobile car. Regardless if you travel the summer or the winter, children do spontanous things therefore, an extra t-shirt, clean socks and a warm pullover will help him to feel better and you to avoid the usual screams associated with baby-unhappiness. 

Enough Food and Water Supplies

Especially if you are a weekend traveller, as we often do, the risk in many small village places is to have everything closed down, especially in Germany. People here use to spend those two days for bonding with family and planning activities together - as we do, too - therefore, many restaurants or food courts are closed because maintaining a business open those days is just non-profitable. When we travel, we often prefer to take our own food supplies, just in case that the train is too late, or we prefer to spend more time outdoors or we just want to save more money for the next trip. 

Therefore, I either prepare everything the evening before - snacks, sandwiches, some cold meals, fresh fruits and vegetables - or I wake up early in the morning to have everything fresh. 

The water supplies are very important, and we always have a full bottle of water with us. You can also buy different sugar-based juices from big drugstore chains, but following the advice of my pediatrician, I rather keep it on the healthy side of the baby world. 

Be Ready for Emergencies

When you have small children, be always ready for different kinds of emergencies. You don't have to feel guilty for them, as it can happen at home as well - sometimes the incidence might be even higher, with the baby roaming around the hot pot or climbing on chairs and tables when the poor mom is having her once second of privacy...

When you travel, don't forget to have with you the insurance card, as well as a small bag with first help items, like sanitizer, pflasters and if your kid suffers from allergies, specific pills. If your baby has a special medical condition, be sure that you get the advice of the pediatrician about what you should avoid when on the road.

Toys and some Colourful Books too

Until 6-7 years or so, the little ones will prefer to take with them outside a toy from home, as a way to keep a certain connection with their stable life when on the road. My baby is always having with him a little piece of LEGO or a bigger stuffed animal, to keep him company, but I always take at least one small book to look at when the train trip is becoming too boring, or even one additional small toy - for example, a car - to fill the time with some more entertainment. In some cases, you can also buy on the road, but I usually prefer to avoid buying for the sake of buying things that may necessarily be useful, but just a compulsive way to spend money and unwise way to show affection.

Talk about What You See

Especially when little children are starting to develop their language skills, it is important that the parents are engaging with the environment. It doesn't mean to utter non-sense such as mentioning words without any connection with each other, but telling, in a pleasant and slow paced voice, stories about what you see, explaining the environment and showing the colours and other details. It is a great way to learn about world, and an encouragement to explore later by himself.

Avoid Electronic Devices

Interacting with animals is so nice!

I am usually that kind of human that avoid being critical against other human beings, but life is also made out of choices and it is important to set limites and write the story of your life too. For instance, I am not so in favor of keeping your kids busy checking Apps and Tablets for the sake of keeping them quiet. Why not trying to engage with them instead and make them part of the family meal or of the conversation or of the trip? After all, they are here with you not as pets, but for enjoying the activities and the landscape as well.

When we are in the train or in the car, we spend an impressive amount of time observing the landscape and giving short descriptions of what we see. After all, that YouTube video and short movie will be always there, the view is unique and inspiring on the spot. 

Check for Special Children Activities

Before you plan a trip, be sure that you are going in a place where you can have, at least one activity of interest for children. Having children means giving up a bit from your personal freedom - I avoid to utter the word 'sacrifice' because it is a little bit too pathetic for my style - and therefore, you need to keep in mind the interests of your baby too. Mine - and many many others too - love to see animals and therefore we are always having in mind some farms or zoos when on the road. Otherwise, we also love to check the local offer of parks or even family friendly coffees where we can meet other moms and their babies too, as we did in Bamberg two years ago. The older the baby gets the better as you can include in your schedule more complex destinations, such as children/toys museums, or technical/science museums too, like the amazing one from Wolfsburg, designed by the late world famous architect Zaha Hadid. 

Travels with your baby is not an easy piece of cake, but at least you can try and at the end of the day, it will help both of you to create beautiful memories. Don't forget to take some pictures too to look at later when at home, planning the next adventure together!

What about you? What are your tips for a journey with your toddler?