LEGO Friends has more than eighty active sets in 2026. That’s a problem when you don’t know what you already own or what fits logically alongside it. Two houses next to each other is redundant. A café next to a hotel works well. A farm next to a theme park only makes sense if the play space is large enough.
See live prices on the LEGO Friends theme page.
With Friends, what you already own matters most
Friends is an expandable play world, not a collector or display line: most sets are houses, shops and attractions you place next to each other. The biggest waste is therefore thematic overlap; a second house or a second café adds little to what’s already there. So with every set, look at the existing collection first: a starter set lays a foundation, the big city sets only fill it out meaningfully once that foundation exists.
Start here: which type of Friends buyer are you
Friends buyers fall into three types:
Expanders: you already own one or two sets and want to continue logically. Choose sets that complement thematically, not duplicate. A Family House alongside a Club House works; two houses is wasteful.
First-time buyers: no Friends sets at home, you’re looking for a starting point. 42687 Liann’s Family House (946 pieces) is the most complete entry: three characters, two storeys, a garden.
Gift-givers: you don’t know exactly what the child already owns. Pick a thematically standalone set: 42688 Horse Stable and Riding Academy overlaps minimally with city sets. 42703 Mermaid Roller Coaster always works as an addition because theme-park sets stand apart.
The Grand Hotel: great, but not as a first set
42704 Heartlake City Grand Hotel (1,406 pieces, € 149.99) is the biggest Friends set of 2026. A multi-storey hotel with lobby, rooms and a working lift. In photos, the sheer size is what stands out.
But the Grand Hotel has a drawback as a starting set: it assumes a city already exists around it. A child playing with Friends for the first time has nothing to populate the hotel with. Hold this gift until there is already a Family House or Club House in place.
For expanders the Grand Hotel is the right call. It fills the urban side of Heartlake and sits next to 42689 Friends Club House and 42687 Liann’s Family House without thematic overlap.
Living and city: the building blocks of Heartlake
| Set | Pieces | RRP | Best next step if you already own… |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42687Liann’s Family House | 946 | € 69.99 | Nothing: this is the starting set |
| 42689Heartlake City Friends Club House | 794 | € 89.99 | A house |
| 42704Heartlake City Grand Hotel | 1,406 | € 149.99 | Club House + Family House |
| 42705Cozy Fall Forest Cabin | 1,229 | € 99.99 | City sets, for an outdoor contrast |
| 42684Unicorn Dream Café | 475 | € 39.99 | First city set, affordable entry |
42705 Cozy Fall Forest Cabin is a smart pick for anyone who already has the city covered: the Friends universe in an outdoor setting, autumn palette, no overlap with existing city sets. As a gift for a child who knows the Friends look but already owns a lot of city sets, the Cabin offers a genuine addition.
Theme park and fair
- 42703 Mermaid Roller Coaster Ride (864 pieces): working car, mermaid theme. The most visually striking set of the year and the best repeat play value. This is my favourite Friends set of 2026, because the working mechanism keeps children engaged longer than a static building.
- 42700 Candy & Cupcake Ferris Wheel (602 pieces): Ferris wheel in sweet colours. Pairs well with existing theme-park sets from earlier years but stands less strongly on its own.
- 42686 Fun Indoor Playground (668 pieces): indoor playground with climbing frame, slide and ball pit. Strong play value per euro, works as a standalone or next to a house.
One thing worth flagging: the Mermaid Coaster rails do not connect to LEGO City train tracks. If there are City trains already in play, don’t buy a Friends train or fairground set expecting the rails to link up.
Animals and care
- 42688 Horse Stable and Riding Academy (735 pieces, € 79.99): two horses, stalls, competition ring. Best choice for horse fans, works independently from city sets.
- 42701 Koala Habitat & Care Center (521 pieces): vet theme, Australian. Better as a supplement to existing animal-care sets.
- 42699 Beach House with Seals (400 pieces): beach and seal theme, entry price, small set.
Gifts per age
| Age | Suggestion | Pieces |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 42684 Unicorn Dream Café | 475 |
| 7 | 42686 Fun Indoor Playground | 668 |
| 8 | 42688 Horse Stable | 735 |
| 9 | 42703 Mermaid Roller Coaster | 864 |
| 10+ | 42704 Grand Hotel | 1,406 |
Broader gift lists across themes are on the gift page by age.
When to buy
Friends sets typically drop below RRP only in Q3 or Q4. Black Friday brings the sharpest moments for the large sets (Grand Hotel, Cozy Cabin). Small sets under 50 euros usually see less price drop because they’re already low-priced.
Set a price alert on 42704 Grand Hotel if that’s your target. For 42703 Mermaid Roller Coaster, watch retailer-specific drops: Wehkamp and Bol.com tend to move first.
TL;DR for gift-givers
- First Friends set ever: 42687 Liann’s Family House or 42684 Unicorn Dream Café.
- Birthday age 8, you don’t know what she already owns: 42688 Horse Stable, which overlaps least with typical city sets.
- Expansion for someone who already has a city: 42704 Grand Hotel.
- Outside the city: 42705 Cozy Fall Forest Cabin.
Price data refreshes multiple times daily via Bol.com, Amazon.nl, Intertoys, Wehkamp and LEGO.com. Piece counts and RRP from the 2026 LEGO catalogue.
Friends sets to watch
Grand Hotel, horses, theme park and cafés. An overview for expanding Heartlake City.
Best for each buyer type
Friends has more than eighty active sets. These four are the picks that depend most on what is already at home.
Three characters, two storeys and a garden. This is the right foundation for Heartlake City, not the Grand Hotel, which assumes a city already exists around it.
Two horses, stalls and a competition ring overlap minimally with typical city sets. The safest gift choice when you don't know what the child already owns.
Working car and mermaid theme. The most visually striking set of 2026 with the strongest repeat play value, and it stands well on a play table on its own.
The Grand Hotel is the largest Friends set of 2026 and drops sharpest at Black Friday. Set an alert and buy it as an expansion, not as a first set.
