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.
Buying filter: avoid the impressive wrong set
Do not read this guide as a ranking you follow from top to bottom. Start with the builder: will they act out scenes, collect minifigures, or put the finished model on a shelf? That answer decides whether price per piece, character appeal or display value should carry the most weight.
| Buying goal | Check first | BricksDeal approach |
|---|---|---|
| Gift this week | Recognisable subject, clear age range, stock at reliable retailers | Sort by current lowest price and delivery time |
| Collecting | Unique minifigures, limited availability, retirement risk | Set a price alert well below RRP |
| Display | Build experience, footprint, how well the model stands alone | Wait for 15-20% under RRP instead of chasing a tiny daily price move |
From the sets in this guide, I would track 42704 Heartlake City Grand Hotel, 42705 Cozy Fall Forest Cabin and 42687 Liann’s Family House first. Not because those are automatically the best deals, but because a price move on a larger or more giftable set changes the buying decision fastest.
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. Not the Grand Hotel — that’s an expansion, not a foundation.
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. It looks impressive in photos.
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… |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42687 Liann’s Family House | 946 | € 69.99 | Nothing — this is the starting set |
| 42689 Heartlake City Friends Club House | 794 | € 89.99 | A house |
| 42704 Heartlake City Grand Hotel | 1,406 | € 149.99 | Club House + Family House |
| 42705 Cozy Fall Forest Cabin | 1,229 | € 99.99 | City sets, for an outdoor contrast |
| 42684 Unicorn 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 — 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 — 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 — 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.
Liann's Family House
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.
Horse Stable and Riding Academy
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.
Mermaid Roller Coaster Ride
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.
Heartlake City Grand Hotel
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.
What are you adding to?
Friends buying is more logical than other themes — the question is not just when to buy but whether the set adds to or doubles what is already there.
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Inventory
What is already at home
Two houses side by side is wasteful; a Cabin next to a Club House works — start with a clear picture of the existing sets.
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Timing
Large sets only in Q3 or Q4
Grand Hotel and Cozy Cabin don't drop meaningfully until Black Friday; small sets under 50 euros are less worth waiting on because the absolute saving stays low.
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Buy
Decide on overlap and age
Act once the set adds thematically, fits the age and sits at least 10 percent below RRP.
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Pitfall
Grand Hotel is not a starter set
The Grand Hotel assumes a city already exists — buy it as a third or fourth set, not as a first gift for a child new to Friends.