LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre

The LEGOLAND Discovery Centre in Scheveningen is an indoor play attraction for families, built around LEGO bricks and aimed mainly at children between about three and twelve. LEGO is a Danish invention, and the brightly coloured plastic bricks have become one of the best-known toys in the world, loved by generations of children and many adults. A discovery centre of this kind is a smaller cousin of the big outdoor LEGOLAND parks, designed to be visited in a couple of hours and to work whatever the weather.

The centre's design follows a common pattern. Visitors move through a series of themed zones, each with its own mix of models, building tables and activities, so that children can create their own towers, vehicles and creatures. Models of famous places built from huge numbers of bricks give a sense of what the bricks can do, and a 4D cinema, play areas and a ride add variety. Model builders on the staff run workshops, show building techniques and answer questions, which gives children ideas to take home.

The highlight for many visitors is the miniature city display, which recreates familiar landmarks of The Hague and Scheveningen in bricks, such as the pier, the Peace Palace and other well-known sights. Seeing the places that you can walk to afterwards reduced to the scale of a toy adds a local flavour that sets the centre apart from similar attractions elsewhere. The Hague also has Madurodam, the famous miniature town of the Netherlands, so a family can compare two very different takes on the same idea.

The setting is helpful. Scheveningen has a wide beach, a boulevard and a pier, and the Kurhaus and the harbour are close, so a day can be divided between indoor and outdoor activity depending on the weather. A cafe and shop serve snacks and souvenirs. On rainy days the centre can be crowded, and booking tickets online in advance is wise, often for a specific time slot, and may also be cheaper.

The centre suits families with young children, especially those who enjoy building. Adults are generally admitted only when accompanying children, so check the rules for adult visitors. A visit takes two to three hours. Check opening times, ticket prices and age guidelines on the official website before going.