The best Lego Architecture sets

Lego Architecture sets - man building pyramid set
(Image credit: Lego)

The best Lego Architecture sets showcase iconic buildings and landmarks, and the awesome build quality of Lego. The range has been expanding since its launch, and there are now block versions of a vast spectrum of destinations. You're bound to find your favourite here.

As with the best Lego sets for adults, these Lego Architecture sets make awesome presents, especially to commemorate special occasions, like that once-in-a-lifetime trip to New York City. Plus, you could collect the sets to inspire you for future adventures, such as a trip to the Pyramids.

Here, we round up a carefully curated selection of the best Lego Architecture sets available now. They all celebrate the real-life structures and promise a super-fun build experience.

Want more Lego? Check out our pick of the best Lego City sets. And for some real world inspiration, here are the world's best famous buildings. Or why not travel out of this world with the best Lego space sets? For more hours of fun at home see our guide to the best jigsaw puzzles.

The best Lego Architecture sets of 2022

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Pyramid of Giza product shot

(Image credit: Lego)

01. Lego Architecture Great Pyramid of Giza

A historical build with two display options

Specifications

Set no: 21058
Pieces: 1,476
Age: 17+

Reasons to buy

+
Multi-layered model
+
Shows realistic cross-section
+
Can buy lights as an add-on

Reasons to avoid

-
Need a second model to complete pyramid

From the Landmarks collection, the Lego Architecture Landmarks Collection Pyramid of Giza consists of a large outer shell, which sits atop a cross section of the inner pyramid (giving you two ways of displaying the model). This cross section shows, in wonderful detail, how the original pyramid could have been built, with construction elements woven into the pyramid's structure. Having the shell and the inner structure is true to how the pyramid would have looked originally, though you might not recognise it as real life as most of the outer white shell has now worn away. 

Because of the level of detail involved, this model is only half of the whole pyramid. It works as a standalone piece, but if you feel you can't have just the half pyramid on display, you can always buy another kit and attach a second structure (Lego has helpfully included holes to fix the two together). It's a neat build and stunning design. 

Statue of Liberty Lego product shotCB

(Image credit: LEGO Group)

02. Lego Architecture Statue of Liberty

A detailed set that shows off genius Lego design

Specifications

Set no.: 21024
Pieces: 1685
Age: 16+

Reasons to buy

+
Remarkable detail overall
+
Excellent showpiece
+
Nice involved build

Reasons to avoid

-
Facial features not defined

The

is a double design masterpiece, not only giving an astoundingly faithful recreation of the architecture at the base but also somehow mimicking the flowing shape of her copper cloak in smooth plastic. Standing 44cm/17in tall when complete, it looks eye-grabbing in the best possible way on the shelf. The colours have been carefully matched to the real thing. Plus, if you're going to have an impressive Lego showpiece, it's nice to have one with Lady Liberty's welcoming principles.

San Francisco Lego product shotCB endorsed

(Image credit: LEGO Group)

03. Lego Architecture San Francisco

Adding a bit of perspective and whimsy to skyline Lego

Specifications

Set no.: 21043
Pieces: 565
Age: 12+

Reasons to buy

+
Very clever perspective design
+
Lots of clever little touches

Reasons to avoid

-
Assembly guide hard to read

The

is our favourite of all the Skyline sets because it does the most with the medium. On the left, you have a series of San Fran's iconic buildings, including the Coit Tower's Art Deco style, the modern Transamerica Pyramid, and the mid-century 555 California Street. Adorably, though, you've also got the steep hill of San Francisco's famous streets, complete with a little red brick evoking the trams.

But the really clever part is the Golden Gate Bridge, which has its two towers at different heights, to give it the look of stretching off into the distance — even going as far as to put the second bridge tower behind the little Alcatraz Island in the middle. It looks absolutely brilliant and brings a smile every time we see it.

Trafalgar Square Lego product shotCB endorsed

(Image credit: LEGO Group)

04. Lego Architecture Trafalgar Square

Impressive architectural detail in London's square

Specifications

Set no.: 21045
Pieces: 1197
Age: 12+

Reasons to buy

+
So many recognisable mini builds
+
Great National Gallery facade
+
…which has art inside!

Reasons to avoid

-
Assembly may be tedious at times

How much more loving architectural detail could you cram into the

? None. It features the National Gallery — which has a hidden interior with art inside! — plus Nelson's Column flanked by four lions. That's in addition to the trees, lampposts, and double-decker buses, all to scale. It looks so busy but in the best way. Like the real deal, this set is full and bustling, even with no figures. As mini dioramas go, it's one of our favourite Lego Architecture sets.

New York Lego product shot

(Image credit: LEGO Group)

05. Lego Architecture New York

If you came for iconic building, you're in the right place

Specifications

Set no.: 21028
Pieces: 598
Age: 12+

Reasons to buy

+
Truly iconic buildings
+
Fantastic look

Reasons to avoid

-
We wish the Statue had a torch

You want great buildings? Here's the

. We've got the second appearance of the Statue of Liberty, this time in clever micro-figure form (without a torch, alas, the only failing of this set). The other buildings look excellent. There's the instantly recognisable texture of the Empire Statue, the Chrysler's iconic peak, and we love the scale you get of One World Trade Center's size. The Flatiron Building is maybe the cleverest design here, using round single-stud pieces at the front to create its wedge shape. This is maybe the Lego Architecture skyline set that best captures the looks of the buildings with little compromise, though there's some hot competition.

Tokyo Lego product shot

(Image credit: LEGO Group)

06. Lego Architecture Tokyo

The most inventive of all the Architecture sets, and a lot of fun

Specifications

Set no.: 21051
Pieces: 547
Age: 16+

Reasons to buy

+
Cherry blossoms!
+
Mount Fuji!
+
Very cool-looking buildings!

Reasons to avoid

-
Tokyo Tower design is a bit off

Much like the San Francisco set above, the

really has fun with its concept, mixing buildings and locales in a way that's deeply satisfying. Again, it's also a lovely mix of the new (the Tokyo Skytree, Cocoon Tower, and Tokyo Big Sight) and the traditional (cherry trees and a pagoda). Mount Fuji looking over it all is the kind of thoughtful touch that really elevates the best of these sets. The final flourish is the collection of vibrant, translucent Lego for Shibuya Crossing, bringing the jungle of neon to your desk in spirit.

Shanghai Lego product shot

(Image credit: LEGO Group)

07. Lego Architecture Shanghai

Deep aesthetic satisfaction, and some very cool buildings

Specifications

Set no.: 21039
Pieces: 597
Age: 12+

Reasons to buy

+
Satisfying design
+
Great mix of buildings

Reasons to avoid

-
Looks less impressive up-close

With its orderly and pleasing increase in the size of the building, a rich mix of architectural styles, and a nice set of colours, the

has a good claim to be the most aesthetically pleasing of the skyline sets. It certainly comes across that way in photos and from a distance. The only reason it's not higher on the list is that it doesn't look quite as good in person. The joins are just a little too prominent compared to the fidelity of the New York set.

But it's still an excellent set, for all the reasons given above, and then more if you love Shanghai. We appreciate the combination of traditional buildings (Longhua Pagoda, Chenghuang Miao Temple), the modern (World Financial Center, Shanghai Tower), and the unique (Oriental Pearl Tower). It's a bit of a shame that Jin Mao Tower didn't make it, but you can't have it all.

Empire State Building Lego product shot

(Image credit: LEGO Group)

08. Lego Architecture Empire State Building

A beautiful giant of a Lego set

Specifications

Set no.: 21046
Pieces: 1767
Age: 16+

Reasons to buy

+
The biggest set here
+
Fabulous recreation of the building
+
Has a little 5th Avenue with taxis

Reasons to avoid

-
Over 600 grille pieces!

The

is monolithic. It's imposing at 55cm/21in tall, making it the tallest Lego Architecture set so far. And it's a beautiful, faultless recreation of the building. So why isn’t it higher on this list? As stunning as it is, the clever part of using Lego to mirror the look of the real thing is the ‘grille’ pieces. This is the same trick used in the New York skyline set further up this list, just on a much larger scale.

Now, obviously, we're not saying you shouldn't get it. If you look at it and desire it, you will not be disappointed one iota. But when the deals are right, you can get two of the skyline sets for the same price (including New York), and we'd be tempted to do that — although we would still desperately covet it.

Paris Lego product shot

(Image credit: LEGO Group)

09. Lego Architecture Paris

C'est magnifique! Mostly…

Specifications

Set no.: 21044
Pieces: 649
Age: 12+

Reasons to buy

+
Some extremely impressive recreations
+
Lovely cross section of the sights

Reasons to avoid

-
Not sure about all the building choices

The

absolutely nails its smaller buildings, and we really love it for that. The Grand Palais' clear roof and intricate front are ingeniously made, the Louvre's pyramid is perfect, the little Parisien houses are adorable, the Arc is a triumph, and there's even a hint of Champs Elysees.

The Eiffel Tower is a little divisive. We think it's actually a really impressive bit of Lego engineering to make it look good at this scale, but in real life, it does look bitty, which honestly pains us to say. As with all the sets here, though, not bad by any means – just not quite the verisimilitude of others. We're not convinced by the inclusion of Tour Montparnasse, though – Tour First and Tour Majunga are both much more interesting designs.

Dubai Lego product shot

(Image credit: LEGO Group)

10. Lego Architecture Dubai

Bringing the desert to your desk

Specifications

Set no.: 21052
Pieces: 740
Age: 16+

Reasons to buy

+
Some seriously impressive buildings
+
Great showcase of modern architecture

Reasons to avoid

-
Burj Khalifa not as good in person

The only reason the

isn’t higher is that, again, it’s one that looks better in pictures than in real life. The Burj Al Arab is fantastic, as are the Jumeirah Emirates Towers. The Frame feels like a bit of a cheat given that it's simply a Lego door frame finished in fold, but you can hardly fault the result.

But while the Burj Khalifa is a show-stopper in pictures or from across the room, it looks a little bitty as you get close. The construction of it quite ingenious, and we hold our hands up (as ever) to the skill of Lego’s designers, but we just find other sets here more pleasing in practice.

London Lego product shot

(Image credit: LEGO Group)

11. Lego Architecture London

The Big Smoke goes plastic

Specifications

Set no.: 21034
Pieces: 468
Age: 12+

Reasons to buy

+
Great Elizabeth Tower and Tower Bridge
+
Nice background design for the Eye

Reasons to avoid

-
We wish more buildings had made it

While the miniature versions of all the buildings in the

are excellent, we can’t help feeling that we’ve only got some (admitted) classics with just the London Eye representing the new. You might say that the Paris set does this as well, but that has more buildings in it, whereas this is limited to only four (we're counting Nelson's Column and the National Gallery as one). A Lego Gherkin or Shard feels like a slam dunk.

However, Lego Architecture's London set actually looks better in person than it does in pictures. So if you like what's visible here, definitely don't hesitate to buy. It also tends to be one of the cheapest here. 

Fun note: if you were lucky enough to grab the Creator Expert Big Ben and Creator Expert Tower Bridge when they were available, and the Trafalgar Square from further up this list, you could recreate most of this little setup in giant scale. You would need to devote half a room to that, though.

Las Vegas Lego product shot

(Image credit: LEGO Group)

12. Lego Architecture Las Vegas

What happens on your desk, stays on your desk

Specifications

Set no.: 21047
Pieces: 501
Age: 12+

Reasons to buy

+
Evocative Bellagio and fountain design
+
Luxor and Las Vegas sign look great

Reasons to avoid

-
Other building choices questionable

We love 50 per cent of the

, but the other half leaves us relatively cold compared to the other skylines in this list. Bellagio and its fountains? Check. Luxor's ridiculous, opulent monuments? Check. Las Vegas sign? Big check there.

Wynn Encore? Hmmm. Stratosphere Tower? Like, okay, but in a city of bonkers buildings, it's not the most interesting design. And isn’t the Freemont Street Experience really more of an indoors thing? 

We know recreating Frank Gehry's Lou Ruvo Centre this scale would be… challenging, to say the least, but we just feel that there are more inspiring buildings in Las Vegas, even if the brown look of the Wynn is certainly recognisable. It’s still more than worth it for that lovely Bellagio front, and its little fountains.

Bonus! More beautiful Lego Architecture buildings

These may not technically be Lego Architecture sets, but if you have an interest in Lego making beautiful versions of real buildings, these can't be ignored:

Taj Mahal Lego product shot

(Image credit: LEGO Group)

Lego Creator Expert Taj Mahal

One of the biggest and most famous Lego sets of all time

Specifications

Set no.: 10256
Pieces: 5923
Age: 16+

Reasons to buy

+
Absolutely stunning design
+
Meticulous detail and scale

Reasons to avoid

-
Pretty expensive

The

is of the most famous Lego sets among collectors because it was the largest ever made in terms of the number of pieces until the beat it a couple of years ago.

It's a huge set that goes to great lengths to recreate the curved windows and domes, and transparent elements give light the right 'glow' through it. If you've got the space (and the time – it's a real monster of a build), this is a great exploration of how bitty pieces come together to form a beautiful final result.

Best Lego Architecture: Old trafford

(Image credit: LEGO Group)

Lego Creator Expert Old Trafford

It may be divisive, but it's an unparalleled architecture set

Specifications

Set no.: 10272
Pieces: 3898
Age: 16+

Reasons to buy

+
Astoundingly detailed
+
Comes apart gracefully to see inside

Reasons to avoid

-
Well, it IS Man Utd…

Stadiums have always been places that include incredible structural engineering, and often wear it on their metaphorical sleeves. That's the case here with the

. Not only does this 1:600 scale set pack in details that are important to fans of Manchester United, but it includes all the visible architecture that makes this 110-year-old marvel hold together.

We admit, it may not carry quite as much majesty for non-United fans, but the care that's gone into its details is still a marvel, from the players' tunnel to the statues to the careful placement of every beam, to the mini team coach that sits outside.

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Matt Bolton

Matt is Managing Editor at TechRadar.com, and previously worked on T3, MacLife and MacFormat. He's been testing technology for over a decade, working in specialist Apple publications as well general technology and creative journalism, and has charted Apple’s ups and downs since his student days (but still hopes to hear “one more thing”). By day, you can find him covering TV, audio, smart home gear and more at T3.com, as Home Tech Editor. By night, he's probably updating or pairing or installing some new piece of technology in the quest for the perfect setup.