As you can tell by the existence of this website, we love traveling with our kids. I think it’s safe to say that our kids love travel too, but what they really love is Lego. In fact, our kids have so many Lego sets that their playroom is bursting at the seams. You can imagine our excitement when we discovered that there are travel themed Lego sets – the perfect union of the things our family loves.
Funny enough, our kids love of Lego started, in part, because of our family travels. Every trip we went on with the kids, we’d buy them a small Lego set which they could bring on the trip. At first, they were simple Duplo sets, but as our kids got older, we’d buy smaller traditional Lego sets – usually a Lego Friends for our daughter, and a super-hero set for our son.
Then, last year as we were researching some Lego gift ideas for Christmas, I did something I never do. I bought myself a Lego set – the Taj Mahal. I love building Lego sets with the kids, and the Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen in my life, so I simply couldn’t resist buying myself my very first travel inspired Lego set.
As you’ll see, I loved building the Taj Mahal set so much, that it set off a bit of a chain reaction. Now, I’m a little addicted to buying travel themed Lego sets. In this post, I share my thoughts on the best Lego travel kits I’ve purchased to date, but keep coming back as I’m sure to add more!
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My 6 Favorite Travel Inspired Lego Sets
1. Taj Mahal – Lego Set #21056 (Architecture Series)
One early morning in 2008, I walked through an archway and involuntarily uttered the word “Wow”. Seeing the Taj Mahal at sunrise is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life. Fast-forward a few years, and I was able to relive that moment with the Lego Taj Mahal set – my favorite travel inspired Lego set.
Part of the iconic Lego Architecture series, the Taj Mahal set features over 2,000 pieces and has an age rating of 18+. Sure, the subject may appeal more to adults and there are an abundance of small pieces, but my 7-year old son thoroughly enjoyed building the Taj Mahal set with me. I recall he needed a little help with some of the more intricate interiors of the building, but he was perfectly capable of building it himself.
Today, the Taj Mahal lego set is the only Lego set my wife lets us display in the house. It’s truly a work of art and I am proud to have it on display along with my other travel souvenirs.
2. New York Postcard – Lego Set #40519 (Creator Series)
New York City is one of my favorite cities in the world; it’s so dynamic, busy and exciting. I’ve been to NYC several times, including taking my daughter there on a family trip when she was less than a year old (See: New York City with a baby).
My daughter is too young to remember that trip, but she’s seen the pictures a million times. The New York Postcard Lego set is a fun way for her to relive one of her very first trips.
The Lego Postcard sets are simple, travel themed Lego sets with between 200-300 pieces aimed at children ages 7-9+. The New York Postcard set is for ages 9+ and has 253 pieces.
I love how many iconic NYC landmarks this simple travel inspired Lego set fits in. The Statue of Liberty takes center stage of course, but it also features the Brooklyn Bridge, the One World Trade Center and the iconic Empire State Building.
The New York Postcard Lego set is perfect for anyone who dreams of visiting the Big Apple, or for someone who wishes to relive memories of a great trip to NYC.
If you’d prefer something a little bigger and more challenging, check out the 598 piece Lego NYC set for ages 12+. Or, why not take on the challenge of the 1,685 piece Statue of Liberty set?
3. Paris Postcard – Lego Set #40568 (Creator Series)
Paris holds a special spot in our family’s heart. Paris was also the destination for one of our very first trips with our daughter, but we made a return trip to Paris with kids when they were older. The highlight of our family trip to France was a birthday lunch for our daughter at the Eiffel Tower.
I’m certain her real-life memories of her birthday at the Eiffel Tower will be lasting, but now she can relive that special day with the Paris Postcard Lego set.
As you’d expect, the Eiffel Tower is a prominent feature of the Paris Postcard travel set, but it is joined by other iconic landmarks such as the Arc de Triomphe and the Pont Neuf bridge (I love the barge they have floating under the bridge!).
Perhaps one day I’ll splurge for the huge Eiffel Tower Lego set, but in the meantime, we thoroughly enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane with the Paris Postcard set.
This amazing travel inspired Lego set makes a perfect travel themed gift for anyone who has been, or dreams of going to the City of Light.
As with the other iconic travel destinations featured here, there is also a larger Paris Lego set with 649 pieces.
4. London Postcard – Lego Set #40569 (Creator Series)
I mentioned the size of my kids’ Lego collection above. What I didn’t mention was that approximately half of their bricks belong to Harry Potter Lego sets. As with most kids, my children obsessed with Harry Potter for many years, so on a recent trip to Tenerife with kids, we made a special side trip to see the best Harry Potter attractions in London. Although that family trip to London focused on Harry Potter, we did sneak in the major sites too.
So, if we’re being honest, if my kids want a Lego set to remind them of their visit to London, they’ll ask for another Harry Potter set. But I’ve been to London many times, and I loved building this 3D Lego postcard of this historic city.
With 277 pieces, and a target age of 9+, the Lego 3D Postcard of London features many of my favorite sights. My kids loved building the iconic double-decker bus, while I thought the miniature Big Ben was awfully well done. Rounding out the London landmarks in this travel themed Lego set are the colorful Piccadilly Circus and the London Eye.
If this 3D postcard set is too simple, check out the 468 piece Lego London set for ages 12+.
5. Beijing Postcard – Lego Set #40654 (Creator Series)
This Creator Series Lego set confirmed my suspicion – even though my kids have never been to China, they still really enjoyed building this interesting travel themed Lego set. It was a fun opportunity to share with our kids some stories about our visit to Beijing before they were born.
Every kid has heard of the Great Wall of China; I really liked how the Lego designers managed to make it feel elevated, even on such a small Lego set. The Great Wall towers over the Summer Palace, Beijing’s other iconic landmark.
With 276 pieces an a recommended age of 9+, the Beijing Postcard Lego set is the most exotic looking of the Lego Postcard series. If you have an aspiring world-traveler in your family, the Lego Beijing Postcard set would make a perfect gift.
6. Australia Postcard – Lego Set #40651 (Creator Series)
To be honest, I didn’t love the Lego Australia Postcard set – an extremely rare miss for the Lego brand. The Lego Postcard set supposedly features a scene from the Australian Outback, but to be honest, I’d have no idea that was the Outback unless it told me (and I’ve been there too!). The features in this Lego Australia 3D Postcard include a windmill, a shed, flowers, a cockatoo and a eucalyptus tree.
I’m left wondering, where is the kangaroo? Or the koala bear? Heck, I’d even take the Sydney Opera House.
While I may be a little disappointed with this travel themed Lego set, overall I’m a huge fan of the Lego Postcard series.
Travel Themed Lego Sets on my Wishlist
As mentioned, the Lego travel sets listed above are part of my family’s personal Lego collection. If you are also a fan of travel Lego sets, visit this page frequently as I hope to add some of these other travel inspired Lego sets to my (I mean our) collection. As soon as I do, I’ll share my thoughts with you.
- The Eiffel Tower: This is at the very top of my travel inspired Lego set wishlist. One of the biggest Lego sets ever made, I dream of making this set with my kids.
- Himeji Castle: We didn’t make it to see this stunning Japanese castle on our family trip to Japan, but this Architecture Set would bring back amazing memories of the castles we did see.
- Singapore: This colorful Lego set features one of my favorite cities in Asia. We can’t wait to take our kids to Singapore.
- The Globe: A fun way to teach kids about geography. If I had this Lego set, I’d use yellow dots to highlight the locations we have traveled as a family.
- The Concorde: I’m not sure if my kids know what the Concorde is, but I can still recall the thrill of seeing the Concorde fly over my hometown when I was a kid.
- Passenger Airplane: This Lego travel set would make a great gift for a kid who is about to go on their first airplane trip.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this round-up of my favorite travel themed Lego sets. Lego is always adding to their line-up of travel sets, so swing by their Travel Inspired Lego sets page to see if they have released anything new!
Dan Brewer is an intrepid family travel blogger with a passion for exploring the world's most captivating destinations. With 58 countries under his belt and a sense of wanderlust that knows no bounds, he has made it his life's mission to share his travel experiences and insights with fellow families who love to travel.
When Dan isn't traveling with his wife and kids, he's either out enjoying the Canadian Rockies he calls home or working on one of his three travel sites (Family Can Travel, Travel Banff Canada and Ultimate Sports Road Trip).