LEGOLAND Dubai or Motiongate? How to choose your Dubai Parks day (2026–27)

Quick answer: if your children are between about 2 and 10, pick LEGOLAND Dubai: almost everything there is built for them. With older children, teenagers or a group of adults, pick Motiongate, the film-themed park with the bigger rides. Each costs AED 249 on Bloomtopia, and our AED 339 +1 park ticket covers both on the same day.

LEGOLAND Dubai and Motiongate stand side by side at Dubai Parks and Resorts, off Sheikh Zayed Road across from Palm Jebel Ali, and both reopened for the season on 7 October 2026. Here’s who each park suits, what the tickets cost, whether you can do both in one day and how to get there by bus, checked on 9 November 2026.

What’s new at Dubai Parks and Resorts in 2026–27

• Open for the season. LEGOLAND Dubai, LEGOLAND Water Park, Motiongate and Real Madrid World reopened on 7 October 2026 after the summer break.
• A new show in Miniland. LEGOLAND has added a sound-and-light show in Miniland, with performances every day. It also says a reimagined Factory Experience, a Master Model Builder Academy and The Wave, a splash pad for younger children at LEGOLAND Water Park, are on the way, with dates still to come.
• Eid Al Etihad and the festive season. LEGOLAND’s calendar has UAE National Day events from 27 November to 6 December and its festive season from 9 December to 10 January. For Motiongate, Dubai Parks and Resorts promises festive shows, parades and character meet-and-greets this winter, but it hadn’t published dates when we checked.
• Water Park closed on Wednesdays. LEGOLAND Water Park is closed every Wednesday until 25 November 2026.
• Our ticket dates. Our LEGOLAND and Motiongate tickets work on any day until 29 January 2027, and the +1 park tickets until 25 January 2027.

LEGOLAND or Motiongate at a glance

Prices per person aged 3 and over, VAT included. Under-3s go free at both parks. Hours change by day and season, so check each park’s calendar before you go.

LEGOLAND Dubai: built for younger children

LEGOLAND Dubai is aimed at families with children aged 2 to 12. Its 40-plus rides, shows and attractions are spread over six themed areas, and most rides are gentle enough for children and parents to do together.

• Miniland recreates Dubai and other cities in 20 million LEGO bricks. Its 17-metre LEGO Burj Khalifa is, LEGOLAND says, the tallest Miniland model in the world, and the new sound-and-light show plays here daily.
• Kingdoms has The Dragon, a family roller coaster that sets off from inside the park’s LEGO castle.
• LEGO City has the Driving School, where children take the wheel of their own small car and earn a LEGOLAND driving licence.
• Adventure has Submarine Adventure, which takes you past sharks and fish, and Lost Kingdom Adventure.
• Imagination and Factory are for builders: race the LEGO cars you make, then see how the bricks are produced.

Most of the minimum heights on LEGOLAND’s ride list are between 80 and 105 cm: Submarine Adventure and DUPLO Express from 80 cm, Lost Kingdom Adventure from 90 cm, City Airport from 95 cm, and Merlin’s Flying Machine and LEGO Technic Twister from 105 cm. Children under 13 must be with an adult aged 18 or over.

Motiongate Dubai: film rides for older children

Motiongate is the park for bigger thrills. Its 29 rides and attractions are themed on films from DreamWorks Animation, Columbia Pictures and Lionsgate, and you’ll want 6 to 7 hours there.

• DreamWorks has four indoor lands, for Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, Madagascar and Shrek, with rides such as Dragon Gliders, Madagascar Mad Pursuit and Kung Fu Panda: Unstoppable Awesomeness. As it’s all indoors, it’s the best place to spend the hottest hours.
• Columbia Pictures has seven rides and attractions, including Zombieland Blast Off, Hotel Transylvania and The Green Hornet: High-Speed Chase.
• Lionsgate has The Hunger Games’ Capitol Bullet Train, a John Wick-themed 4D flying coaster and Now You See Me: High Roller, which the park calls the world’s fastest spinning roller coaster.
• Smurfs Village has five gentler attractions for younger children.

Some of the biggest rides need riders to be at least 130 cm tall, so measure younger children before you go.

Ticket prices for 2026–27: one park or two

Prices per person aged 3 and over, checked on 9 November 2026, VAT included. LEGOLAND’s lower prices are for tickets booked online at least a day ahead. Our booking card always shows our live price.

Our tickets are open-dated: one price for everyone aged 3 and over, for any day the park is open until 29 January 2027 (25 January 2027 for the +1 park tickets). The e-ticket arrives by email straight after payment. For one park, ours costs AED 46 less than LEGOLAND’s online price: a family of four, all aged 3 or over, pays AED 996 with us against AED 1,180.

The +1 park ticket adds a second park on the same day, for AED 339 in all:

• LEGOLAND + 1 park adds Motiongate or LEGOLAND Water Park. It’s sold for two or more people.
• Motiongate + 1 park adds LEGOLAND Dubai, LEGOLAND Water Park or Real Madrid World, the football theme park next door. There’s no minimum, and each park can be entered once.

Two separate one-park tickets would cost AED 498, so if you want both parks and can fit them into one day, the +1 park ticket saves AED 159 a person.

Can you do both parks in one day?

Yes, with a +1 park ticket, but it’s a full day. Both parks open at 11am and sit next to each other, so you walk from one to the other through Riverland, the resort’s dining and shopping area. Motiongate alone can fill 6 to 7 hours, so pick your must-dos in each.

• With younger children: start at LEGOLAND when it opens, then spend the late afternoon at Motiongate’s Smurfs Village and indoor DreamWorks rides.
• With older children: do LEGOLAND’s highlights first and finish at Motiongate, which usually stays open later.
• LEGOLAND and its Water Park: the Water Park opens at 10am, an hour before the theme park, and closes at 5:30pm, so swim first and move to LEGOLAND after lunch. Avoid Wednesdays until 25 November, when the Water Park is closed.

How to get to Dubai Parks and Resorts by bus, Metro or taxi

Dubai Parks and Resorts is off Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) near Jebel Ali, between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. However you arrive, you go in through Riverland and follow the signs to each park.

By bus. Take the Metro Red Line to Ibn Battuta, then RTA bus DPR1 from Ibn Battuta bus station, next to the Metro station, to Dubai Parks and Resorts. The resort’s timetable has a bus about every 75 minutes, every day: the first leaves Ibn Battuta at 7:30am and the last at 10:50pm, and the last bus back leaves the resort at 11:30pm. The ride takes about 20 to 30 minutes, and the fare is AED 3 to 7.50 on a Nol Silver card, depending on how many zones you cross. Check RTA’s S’hail app for today’s times.

By Metro and taxi. If the bus times don’t suit you, ride the Red Line to Ibn Battuta and take a taxi from there.

By taxi. Ask for Dubai Parks and Resorts. Taxis drop you at the main gate, which has its own taxi rank. LEGOLAND puts the drive at about 20 minutes from Dubai Marina, 35 minutes from Downtown Dubai, 45 minutes from Dubai International Airport and an hour from Abu Dhabi.

By car. Follow the signs for Dubai Parks and Resorts from Sheikh Zayed Road (E11). Parking is free.

Tips for your visit

• Get there for 11am, when both parks open, and head for the most popular rides first.
• Pick a weekday if you can. Weekends and school holidays are busier.
• Food and drink: you can’t bring food into either park. LEGOLAND allows up to half a litre of water each, and Motiongate doesn’t allow outside drinks, glass or alcohol.
• Bring ID. Motiongate asks for photo ID, and LEGOLAND asks for ID for children under 3, who go in free.
• Shorter queues: LEGOLAND sells Q-Fast passes at its ticket office.
• Check for closures. LEGOLAND says some rides are closed for maintenance at the moment, so look at its operational updates the day before.

More theme parks and things to do in Dubai with kids

LEGOLAND and Motiongate aren’t the only theme parks in Dubai. IMG Worlds of Adventure is fully indoors, which helps on a hot day, and its rides go by height rather than age; our IMG Worlds guide lists the limits. For more things to do in Dubai with kids, Ski Dubai has real snow at Mall of the Emirates (see Is Ski Dubai worth it with kids?), and Aquaventure World is the big waterpark on Palm Jumeirah. If you’re planning an Abu Dhabi day trip from Dubai, Warner Bros. World and Ferrari World on Yas Island are both indoors; our Yas Island guide compares the four parks there.

The verdict: which one is worth it?

Both, for the right family. With children under about 10, LEGOLAND Dubai is the better day out: almost everything is made for them, and nobody spends the afternoon watching rides they’re too small for. With teenagers, or adults who like a roller coaster, Motiongate is the one. If you have both ages, or want to see both parks, the +1 park ticket at AED 339 covers two parks on the same day: start at 11am and finish at Motiongate.

Questions people ask

Which is better for young children, LEGOLAND Dubai or Motiongate?

LEGOLAND Dubai. It's aimed at families with children aged 2 to 12, and most of the minimum heights on its ride list are between 80 and 105 cm. Motiongate has gentler rides in Smurfs Village and the indoor DreamWorks lands, but its biggest rides suit older children, teenagers and adults, and some need riders to be 130 cm or taller.

How much are LEGOLAND Dubai and Motiongate tickets in 2026?

On Bloomtopia, each park costs AED 249 for everyone aged 3 and over, VAT included, on any day until 29 January 2027. The +1 park ticket, for two parks on the same day, costs AED 339 and works until 25 January 2027. When we checked on 9 November 2026, LEGOLAND's own day ticket cost AED 295 booked online at least a day ahead (AED 330 otherwise), and Motiongate's started from AED 295. Children under 3 go free.

Can you do LEGOLAND and Motiongate in one day?

Yes, with a +1 park ticket. The two parks are next to each other at Dubai Parks and Resorts and both open at 11am, so you can walk from one to the other. It makes for a long day, so pick your must-do rides in each park and finish at Motiongate, which usually closes later.

What is the +1 park ticket?

It adds a second park at Dubai Parks and Resorts on the same day, for AED 339 per person in total. LEGOLAND + 1 park adds Motiongate or LEGOLAND Water Park and is sold for two or more people. Motiongate + 1 park adds LEGOLAND Dubai, LEGOLAND Water Park or Real Madrid World, with no minimum, and each park can be entered once.

What are the opening hours of LEGOLAND Dubai and Motiongate?

In November 2026, LEGOLAND Dubai is open from 11am to 7pm on weekdays and to 8pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Motiongate is open from 11am to 8pm, Sunday to Thursday, and to 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. LEGOLAND Water Park is open from 10am to 5:30pm and is closed on Wednesdays until 25 November. Check each park's calendar the day before you go.

How do I get to LEGOLAND and Motiongate by bus?

Take the Metro Red Line to Ibn Battuta, then RTA bus DPR1 from the bus station next to the Metro to Dubai Parks and Resorts. The resort's timetable has a bus about every 75 minutes, every day, from 7:30am to 10:50pm, and the last bus back leaves the resort at 11:30pm. The fare is AED 3 to 7.50 on a Nol Silver card, depending on zones. Check RTA's S'hail app for today's times.

Do children pay less at LEGOLAND Dubai or Motiongate?

Not with us: on Bloomtopia everyone aged 3 and over pays the same price, and LEGOLAND's own day tickets are also one price per person. Children under 3 go free at both parks.

Bloomtopia is an independent ticket seller and isn't affiliated with the attractions we write about. Opening hours, rides and prices can change, so check the attraction's own website before you go. Our prices include VAT and were correct on the date shown at the top of this guide.