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<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI just returned home from a super fun two days in the park, and of course now have all the Universal Studios tips to share! To be honest, I kinda forgot how much fun theme parks are (yes, even as an adult), and wanna start incorporating them more into my California adventures. I mean, SoCal <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> only a drive away from us <\/span>anyways\u2026<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
We totally felt like kids again \u2013 wandering Hogsmeade while sipping on frozen butterbeers (my new favorite), screaming on thrill rides in the Lower Lot (don\u2019t miss The Mummy ride!), seeing the backlot of The Good Place on the iconic Studio Tour, and of course taking photos with all our favorite characters (hi Shrek!). Oh \u2013 and collecting coins, eating themed foods at Toadstool Cafe, and riding Mario Kart at Super Mario World! Such a fun weekend down in Hollywood!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s everything you need to know to have the best possible weekend at Universal Studios Hollywood!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Important Info and Universal Studio Tips <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Where is Universal Studios Hollywood and How to Get There <\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Hollywood, baby! Yes, for real! Universal Studios Hollywood is located in Universal City in Southern California. It’s situated in the San Fernando Valley, just north of the city of Los Angeles (so thankfully you\u2019ll miss most of that horrid LA traffic if you\u2019re coming from up north, haha). <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe park is nestled in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, meaning tons of scenic views! You\u2019ll see the surrounding mountains from plenty of places within the park, but we loved the views on the escalators between the Upper and Lower Lots the most (and of course took some cute pics). <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Flying<\/b>: Since the park is oh so close to downtown Los Angeles, there\u2019s plenty of nearby airports (LA <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> one of the most populous cities in the US after all!).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX):<\/b> Since LAX is a major international airport, you shouldn\u2019t have a hard time finding non-stop flights from other large airports. It\u2019s about 25 miles southeast of the park, so not terribly far (although LAX is definitely not my preferred airport of choice in SoCal \u2013 it\u2019s HUGE and the traffic nearby is just awful!). But it has the most nonstop flights by far\u2026 so sometimes the most convenient depending where you\u2019re coming from. <\/span><\/li>
- Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR)<\/b>: The closest airport to the park, at only 6 miles away! BUR is a smaller airport primarily only serving domestic flights, so if you\u2019re coming from further away, you\u2019ll most likely need to connect.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Long Beach Airport (LGB)<\/b>: Another of the smaller airports in SoCal, and about 35 miles south of Universal Studios Hollywood. <\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- John Wayne Airport (SNA)<\/b>: Yes, another option, although a bit further south around 45 miles away (but perfect if you wanna visit Disneyland and <\/span>Orange County<\/b><\/a> as well).<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nDriving to Universal:<\/b> If you\u2019re coming from elsewhere in California (like us!), you can totally drive! <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coming from the San Francisco Bay Area, we tend to prefer driving to SoCal instead of flying. Although flights are relatively cheap (usually under $200 roundtrip), we find total travel time is roughly the same driving vs. flying (considering the time getting to the airport, waiting at the gate, actual flying time, getting out of LAX, etc).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Local Tip<\/b>: If you\u2019re driving from <\/span>Northern California<\/b><\/a> and aren\u2019t planning on making any stops, take the I-5; it\u2019s way faster than the 101! Unless you\u2019re doing a <\/span>PCH road trip<\/b><\/a> \u2013 that\u2019s a different story!<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s some example driving distances from the other popular spots in California (and nearby) to give you a sense of the time required:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- From <\/span>Los Angeles<\/span><\/a>: 20 minutes, 10 miles<\/span><\/li>
- From <\/span>Orange County<\/span><\/a>: 1 hour, 50 miles<\/span><\/li>
- From Santa Barbara<\/a>: 1 \u00bd hours, 90 miles<\/span><\/li>
- From <\/span>Palm Springs<\/span><\/a>: 2 hours, 120 miles<\/span><\/li>
- From <\/span>San Diego<\/span><\/a>: 2 hours, 130 miles<\/span><\/li>
- From <\/span>Las Vegas<\/span><\/a> (Nevada): 4 \u00bd hours, 275 miles<\/span><\/li>
- From <\/span>Yosemite National Park<\/span><\/a>: 4 \u00bd hours, 270 miles<\/span><\/li>
- From <\/span>Big Sur<\/span><\/a>: 5 \u00bd hours, 340 miles<\/span><\/li>
- From <\/span>San Francisco<\/span><\/a>: 6 hours, 375 miles<\/span><\/li>
- From Sacramento: 6 hours, 375 miles<\/span><\/li>
- From <\/span>Phoenix<\/span><\/a> (Arizona): 6 hours, 385 miles<\/span><\/li>
- From <\/span>Lake Tahoe<\/span><\/a>: 7 \u00bd hours, 435 miles<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re not from around here, I HIGHLY recommend combining a visit to Universal Studios Hollywood with other spots in SoCal. My favorites are <\/span>Palm Springs<\/b><\/a> (perfect for a winter visit), <\/span>San Clemente<\/b><\/a>, and Santa Barbara \u2013 plus <\/span>a weekend in San Diego<\/b><\/a> never hurt anyone, haha. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2192 Visiting Universal Studios Hollywood on a much longer Pacific Coast Highway road trip?! <\/span>Check out all my favorite PCH stops right here!<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nParking at Universal Studios Hollywood:<\/b> Just remember if you\u2019re driving you\u2019ll need to deal with (and pay for overpriced) parking. General parking is over $30 per day, and front gate parking is upwards of $70 \u2013 kinda wild (and that\u2019s on top of ticket prices). Because of that, we left the car at our hotel (<\/span>The Garland<\/b><\/a>), and took the free hotel shuttle to the park. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
BUT there\u2019s lots of parking at Universal if that works out better for you (maybe you\u2019ve got lots of stuff and some wiggly kids). Note that there\u2019s no free parking at Universal Studios Hollywood with a standard ticket. Only annual Gold pass ticket holders get free parking. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you wanna park for $3 (yes, THREE DOLLARS for all day parking), you can park at Universal City\u2019s Park and Ride Lot and simply take the shuttle over.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Public Transportation to Universal<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Metro<\/b>: The Metro Red Line has a stop right at Universal City Station, which is within walking distance to Universal Studios Hollywood. You\u2019ll find the Red Line from a bunch of spots throughout LA, including downtown LA and Hollywood. An easy and cost effective option if you\u2019re staying near a metro stop!<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Bus<\/b>: There\u2019s also a few bus routes operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) that service Universal City. <\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nShuttle Services:<\/b> Before booking any transportation, always check to see if your hotel offers shuttle services to Universal Studios (one of the best Universal Studios tips). Sometimes they\u2019re even free\u2026 yes, all the way from downtown LA. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
And if not, if you aren\u2019t interested in relying on public transit (I get it, especially after a long, tiring day in the park), there\u2019s plenty of tourist shuttles (i.e. tour companies) that offer shuttle transportation to Universal Studios Hollywood. Some of these are part of package tours, but there\u2019s also standalone transport services. We saw tons of these huge coach buses in the lot!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rideshares<\/b>: Of course there\u2019s always Uber\/Lyft to get you to\/from the park! Universal has a dedicated rideshare pick up\/drop off, inside the Frankenstein parking area, just FYI, which is a 2 minute walk to the park, so super, super easy and convenient! Don\u2019t Uber from downtown LA though \u2013 it\u2019s gonna be hella expensive! <\/span>Our hotel<\/a><\/b> was less than a 10 minute drive and only an $8 Uber in the early AM.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
And if you\u2019re staying at the <\/span>Sheraton Universal<\/b><\/a> or <\/span>Hilton Universal City<\/b><\/a>, you can easily walk to the park in less than 10 minutes!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhen to Visit Universal Studios Hollywood <\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In terms of weather, there isn\u2019t a horrible time to visit Universal. Winters are mild (and sometimes a bit wet), while summers are typically hot and dry. It\u2019s the crowds you gotta worry about. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the least crowds, you\u2019ll wanna avoid the weeks around Spring Break (typically mid-April), all of summer vacation, and Christmas holiday season at all costs. Of course the park will be way busier on weekends vs. weekdays, but I get weekends work best for most people (including us). <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
For reference, we visited the first weekend of May and didn\u2019t find the crowds to be horrible, although we don\u2019t have much to compare it to, haha. I will say we had Early Access one morning and were able to ride every single ride in the park with wait times less than 30 minutes. We did spend 2 days at Universal Studios Hollywood so that definitely made a difference as well (since we didn\u2019t feel stressed to pack everything in and could wait out long lines by getting a snack or taking pics with characters).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Where to Stay Near Universal Studios Hollywood <\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThere\u2019s TONS of hotels in Los Angeles \u2013 honestly so, so, so many. If you wanna get to the park for rope drop or have Early Access to Super Nintendo World, I recommend staying nearby in Universal City. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
My top pick? <\/b>The Garland<\/b><\/a>:<\/b>
- Bus<\/b>: There\u2019s also a few bus routes operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) that service Universal City. <\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- From <\/span>Orange County<\/span><\/a>: 1 hour, 50 miles<\/span><\/li>
- From <\/span>Los Angeles<\/span><\/a>: 20 minutes, 10 miles<\/span><\/li>
- John Wayne Airport (SNA)<\/b>: Yes, another option, although a bit further south around 45 miles away (but perfect if you wanna visit Disneyland and <\/span>Orange County<\/b><\/a> as well).<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR)<\/b>: The closest airport to the park, at only 6 miles away! BUR is a smaller airport primarily only serving domestic flights, so if you\u2019re coming from further away, you\u2019ll most likely need to connect.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n