Most Orlando trips are built around Walt Disney World's four theme parks and Universal's, Epic Universe included since 2025, and no other destination rewards planning so much: ride passes open days ahead, tickets differ in what they let you do, and the most popular rides sell their skip-the-line slots first. This page takes the parks one by one, with what to book and when.
It also covers the other Orlando, the one most visitors drive past: spring runs cold enough to swim in all year, manatees crowding into one of them in winter, airboats on the lakes where the Everglades begin, the alligators of Gatorland and the lakes and Tiffany glass of Winter Park. Kennedy Space Center, an hour east on the coast, is on the USA page.
Plan a full day at Magic Kingdom, from Early Entry to the fireworks
Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World
A full dayBook ahead
Magic Kingdom rewards planning most, and ends with 18 minutes of fireworks and projections on Cinderella Castle.
What it is
Magic Kingdom is where planning pays off most. The day ends with Happily Ever After, 18 minutes of fireworks with projections on Cinderella Castle and the facades of Main Street, U.S.A., the best place to watch it.
How to do it
Drivers park at the Transportation and Ticket Center, $35 a day in 2026, then take the monorail or ferry to the gate. Guests of Disney's own hotels get Early Theme Park Entry, the half hour before opening: use it for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or TRON Lightcycle / Run. Those two are sold only as Lightning Lane Single Passes; the Multi Pass books three other rides, just one from the top tier, such as Space Mountain or Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Both are bought in the My Disney Experience app.
Good to know
On Christmas party nights, 8 November to 22 December 2026, the park closes early to day guests.
Time needed
A full day
Best time
From Early Entry to the fireworks, on a non-party night
Ride Cosmic Rewind, then eat your way round World Showcase at EPCOT
EPCOT, Walt Disney World
A full dayBook ahead
Two parks in one: rides around the sphere of Spaceship Earth, and pavilions of 11 countries around a lagoon.
What it is
EPCOT works as two parks. The front half, around the sphere of Spaceship Earth, has the rides; the back half is World Showcase, pavilions of 11 countries around a lagoon, best in the afternoon and evening. From 27 August to 21 November 2026 the Food & Wine Festival lines the loop with tasting booths, and from 27 November the Festival of the Holidays takes over.
How to do it
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, a reverse-launch coaster with a 42-inch (107 cm) minimum, is sold only as a Lightning Lane Single Pass, and Test Track, Frozen Ever After and Remy's Ratatouille Adventure share the top Multi Pass tier, so you can book just one of them ahead.
Good to know
Its second gate, the International Gateway between France and the United Kingdom, has a Skyliner stop.
Time needed
A full day
Best time
Rides in the morning, World Showcase from mid-afternoon
Go on the morning safari at Disney's Animal Kingdom
Disney's Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World
A day, ending mid-afternoonBook ahead
An 18-minute drive in an open-air truck across savanna and forest with more than 30 species, best at opening.
What it is
Disney's Animal Kingdom is part zoo. Kilimanjaro Safaris is an 18-minute guided drive in an open-air truck across 110 acres of savanna and forest with more than 30 species, from lions, hippos and white rhinos to giraffes, elephants and painted dogs. The animals keep their own hours, so every trip differs. Avatar Flight of Passage, a 3D banshee flight over Pandora, is the park's only Lightning Lane Single Pass ride, with a 44-inch (112 cm) minimum.
How to do it
It pays to arrive at opening and start with the safari; Disney hotel guests get Early Theme Park Entry half an hour before. Between rides, walk the Gorilla Falls and Maharajah Jungle Trek trails.
Good to know
Building work is under way for Tropical Americas, a new land with Encanto and Indiana Jones rides due by 2027.
Spend a day in the five worlds of Universal's Epic Universe
Universal Epic Universe, 1001 Epic Boulevard
A full dayBook ahead
Four worlds through portals, from Super Nintendo World to a wizarding Paris, around a hub with a dueling coaster.
What it is
Universal's newest park opened on 22 May 2025, about 3 miles southeast of the original two, with its own car park at 1001 Epic Boulevard. You enter under the Chronos tower into Celestial Park, the hub, where the dueling coaster Stardust Racers deserves a ride on both tracks, then step through portals into four worlds: Super Nintendo World with Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge, the classic monsters of Dark Universe, the Viking village of How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk, and a wizarding Paris leading to Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry.
How to do it
Since January 2026, the 3-, 4- and 5-day Park-to-Park tickets cover all four parks, Epic included. Universal Express works here once per ride; the Express Unlimited that comes with some Universal hotels does not.
Good to know
Helios Grand Hotel guests walk in through their own gate, with Early Park Admission.
Time needed
A full day
Best time
Opening time, and Stardust Racers again after dark
Ride the Hogwarts Express between Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade
Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure
A day across both parksBook ahead
A Harry Potter land in each original Universal park, linked by a train with a different show each way.
What it is
Harry Potter fills a land in each of Universal's two original parks, and a train links them. Hogsmeade, at Islands of Adventure, has the queue through Hogwarts castle for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, the family coaster Flight of the Hippogriff and Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Diagon Alley, behind a London street front at Universal Studios Florida, hides Gringotts bank and Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.
How to do it
The Hogwarts Express runs between King's Cross and Hogsmeade Station, with a different show each way, but you need a Park-to-Park ticket to board in either direction; with a one-park-per-day ticket the story splits in two. Universal Express covers the train and the castle ride, not Hagrid's.
Good to know
Butterbeer is sold in both lands, and in Diagon Alley the Gringotts goblins swap dollars for wizarding notes.
Drop 120 feet down Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach
Disney's Blizzard Beach, Walt Disney World
Half a day to a dayNo booking needed
A melted ski resort around Mount Gushmore, with a near-vertical free-fall slide and a chairlift to the top.
What it is
Blizzard Beach is themed as a melted ski resort around Mount Gushmore. Summit Plummet drops 120 feet (37 m) down a near-vertical free-fall slide, for riders of at least 48 inches (122 cm). Teamboat Springs is a family raft ride of about 1,400 feet (427 m), and a chairlift climbs the mountain.
How to do it
In 2026 a 1-day water park ticket cost $74 for adults and $68 for children before tax, about $5 less with blockout dates. Parking is free, life jackets and towels are complimentary, and coolers are allowed without glass or alcohol.
Good to know
Disney's two water parks close in turn for long refurbishments and in cold weather: from 9 September 2026 Typhoon Lagoon was shut and Blizzard Beach open, so check the calendar.
Watch wintering manatees from the boardwalk at Blue Spring
Blue Spring State Park, Orange City
Half a day from OrlandoNo booking needed
In cold weather manatees move into the largest spring on the St. Johns River, which stays at 73°F (23°C).
What it is
Manatees move into warm springs in cold weather, and the classic place to see them near Orlando is Blue Spring State Park, just west of Orange City, north of the city. The spring, the largest on the St. Johns River, stays at 73°F (23°C). Researchers have followed individual manatees here since 1978, telling them apart by their scars.
How to do it
A boardwalk of about a third of a mile (550 m) follows the run from the river to the headspring, with observation decks over the water. In manatee season, mid-November to March, swimming and paddling in the run are banned: you come to watch.
Good to know
Come on a cold morning, after checking the live video from the spring to see whether the animals are in.
Two spring-fed swimming holes north of Orlando, one a clear pool at 72°F (22°C) all year.
What it is
Two spring-fed swimming holes lie about 8 miles (13 km) apart in Apopka, north of Orlando. At Wekiwa Springs State Park you swim in a clear spring pool up to five feet (1.5 m) deep, at 72°F (22°C) all year, or rent a canoe for Wekiwa Run. Nearby, Orange County's Kelly Park is where people tube down Rock Springs, which stays at 68 to 72°F (20 to 22°C).
How to do it
Wekiwa Springs is 20 minutes from the city off I-4 exit 94. Buy Kelly Park entry on ocportal.net, up to 30 days ahead, which also shows whether it is full; entry has cost $5 per vehicle since 11 August 2026. Rent a tube outside before driving in, as there is no re-entry.
Good to know
Alcohol and pets are banned, and the water closes an hour before the park, or sooner with lightning.
Ride an airboat on the lakes at the head of the Everglades
Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures, Southport, Kissimmee
2 to 3 hours with the driveBook ahead
The Everglades begin in the Kissimmee lakes south of Orlando, the easiest wild outing from the parks by airboat.
What it is
The Everglades begin far north of Miami, in the Kissimmee chain of lakes south of Orlando, and an airboat over their marshes is the easiest wild outing from the parks. Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures started on Lake Tohopekaliga in 1994 and now leaves from Southport, about 35 minutes south of the Disney area.
How to do it
Half-hour rides run from 9 am, first come, first served, the last at about 5:30 pm: buy online and arrive 30 minutes early. The one-hour tour goes deeper into the marsh, and sunset and night tours need a booking and check-in an hour ahead. Boats take about 15, with ear protection and life jackets provided. In 2026 rides started at $34 for 30 minutes and $54 for an hour.
Good to know
Give drivers the address, 2001 East Southport Road, because the name gets confused with another site. Watch the banks for alligators.
See the gators jump and zip-line over the marsh at Gatorland
Gatorland, 14501 South Orange Blossom Trail
Half a dayNo booking needed
About 130 big alligators, some up to 14 feet long, and the largest collection of rare white leucistic alligators.
What it is
Gatorland has shown Florida's alligators since 1949 at 14501 South Orange Blossom Trail, 20 to 30 minutes from the airport or the Disney area, with free parking. Its breeding marsh holds about 130 big alligators, some up to 14 feet long, and it has the largest collection of rare white leucistic alligators. The Screamin' Gator Zip Line runs five lines from towers up to 65 feet high over the crocodiles and the marsh.
How to do it
Plan around the shows, repeated several times a day: in Gator Jumparoo big gators leap four feet or more out of the water, and in Alligators: Legends of the Swamp a handler enters an arena of live 6 to 8-foot gators. It opens daily, 10 am to 5 pm, in any weather; adults paid $34.99 in 2026.
Good to know
Book the zip line ahead, wear closed-toe shoes and be at least 37 inches tall.
Cruise Winter Park's lakes and see Tiffany's chapel at the Morse
Winter Park, north of downtown Orlando
Half a dayNo booking needed
An hour on pontoon boats through lakes and narrow canals, then the largest collection of Tiffany's work.
What it is
Winter Park, a leafy college town just north of downtown Orlando, makes the best half day away from the rides. Since 1938 the Scenic Boat Tour has run hour-long guided loops on pontoon boats through the chain of lakes and its narrow canals, past lakeside mansions, Rollins College and the Kraft Azalea Gardens. On Park Avenue, the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum, at number 445, has the largest collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany's work, including the chapel he designed for Chicago's 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, reassembled here in 1999.
How to do it
Start at the dock at the east end of Morse Boulevard, on Lake Osceola. Boats leave on the hour from 10 am to 4 pm daily except Christmas, first come, first served; in 2026 it cost $20 for adults and $10 for ages 2 to 11. Then walk to Park Avenue for lunch and the museum.
Orlando International Airport (MCO) is about 24 miles (38 km) from Magic Kingdom and 15 miles (24 km) from Universal. Mears Destination Services is the airport's concessionaire for shuttles to the resorts, and the airport's approximate taxi fares in 2026 ran from $52 to $68 to the Disney resorts and from $38 to $45 to International Drive. Brightline trains leave the airport's Intermodal Terminal for Miami, a journey of about 3.5 hours; check the timetable when you book. Amtrak trains from the north stop at Winter Park, Orlando and Kissimmee.
Getting around
Inside Walt Disney World, Disney's hotel guests ride free buses, the monorail, the Skyliner gondolas and boats, and get standard theme park parking included; everyone else pays $35 a day in 2026. Universal hotels run free shuttles, and some add water taxis or walking paths; the main Universal garage is at 6000 Universal Boulevard and Epic Universe has its own car park. Beyond the parks you need a car: Interstate 4 links Disney, Universal, International Drive and downtown, and its traffic is the main time thief. Gatorland, the airboats, the springs and Winter Park are 20 minutes to an hour away.
How many days
In must30's view, a week is the right first visit: four Disney days for Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom and a second Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios day, two Universal days for Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios on a Park-to-Park ticket and then Epic Universe, and one day away from the rides for the springs, an airboat or Winter Park. Kennedy Space Center is about 45 miles (72 km) east of the airport, an hour by road, and needs a full day of its own. Put a rest day between park days in summer.
When to go
The parks open every day of the year, so choose by crowds and weather. Summer is hot and humid, with afternoon thunderstorms that stop outdoor rides and close swimming areas when there is lightning, and the Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November. School holidays, Christmas and New Year, and spring break bring the biggest crowds and the highest prices. Winter is cooler and is manatee season at Blue Spring, from mid-November to March, but Disney closes its water parks in turn, and on Christmas party nights in November and December Magic Kingdom shuts early to day guests.
Where to base yourself
If Disney is most of your trip, stay at a Disney Resort hotel: you get Early Theme Park Entry, free transport, included parking and the chance to buy Lightning Lane passes 7 days ahead instead of 3. Every Universal hotel gives Early Park Admission, and Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific and Loews Portofino Bay include Universal Express Unlimited at the two original parks. International Drive, between Universal and Disney, has the widest choice of mid-priced hotels and restaurants. Kissimmee, east of Disney, has holiday homes for families, but you will drive everywhere.
Questions travellers ask
How many days do you need in Orlando?
A week covers four Disney parks, two days at Universal including Epic Universe, and one day for the springs, an airboat or Winter Park. With four or five days, choose Disney or Universal rather than rushing both. Add a day for Kennedy Space Center, an hour east.
Is Epic Universe included in Universal Orlando tickets?
Yes, on multi-day tickets: since 1 January 2026, Universal's 3-, 4- and 5-day Park-to-Park tickets cover all four of its parks, Epic Universe included. Universal Express can be bought for Epic Universe, but the Express Unlimited included with some Universal hotels is valid only at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.
Do you need a car in Orlando?
Not if you stay at a Disney or Universal hotel and only visit their parks, since both run free transport for hotel guests. For the springs, the airboats, Gatorland, Winter Park or Kennedy Space Center, a car is far easier, and Disney charges day visitors $35 a day to park in 2026.
Where can you see manatees near Orlando?
At Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, about 35 miles (56 km) north of downtown, from mid-November to March, when manatees gather in the warm spring run. You watch them from a boardwalk; swimming and paddling in the run are banned in the season. Cold mornings bring the most animals.
How far is Kennedy Space Center from Orlando?
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is about 45 miles (72 km) east of Orlando International Airport, roughly an hour by car. It fills a full day, so plan it as a separate day trip rather than an afternoon add-on.
.jpg){kind=link}
_Hogwarts_Express_-_Sept2018.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
