How Long Is The Walk From Universal Studios Florida To Islands Of Adventure?
One of the great things about Universal Orlando is that everything is close together.
Visitors can easily access theme parks, hotels and resorts, and CityWalk without a vehicle.
That said, guests visiting multiple parks in one day often wonder how long it takes to walk from Universal Studios Florida to Islands of Adventure.
It takes approximately ten minutes to walk from Universal Studios Florida to Islands of Adventure. This path takes you through City Walk, Universal’s entertainment district. Alternatively, guests with Park-to-Park tickets can take the Hogwarts Express between the sections of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in each park.
The following will highlight how to travel between Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, the differences between the two parks, and the benefits of staying at a Universal Orlando hotel or resort.
How Do You Get Between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure?
The Universal Orlando property is incredibly convenient. Once onsite, visitors can access all the hotels, the three theme parks, and all the other amenities Universal has to offer.
To access more than one park on the same day, guests must purchase a Park-to-Park ticket.
One of the easiest ways to travel between the theme parks is to go by foot using the walkways running between all major areas.
According to the Universal Orlando website (and Google Maps), it takes around ten minutes to walk between Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.
The path between the two parks goes directly through CityWalk, Universal’s entertainment district featuring many shopping and dining options.
Sometimes CityWalk also hosts live music or events and can be a great place to stop and eat if you want to switch parks in the middle of the day.
Finding other transportation to travel between Universal Orlando parks isn’t necessary – something quite different from other properties like Disney World, where visitors must take a train, shuttle, or boat to get between the spread-out parks.
For those who don’t want to or can’t walk between Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, there is another way to travel between the parks.
Guests can use the Hogwarts Express, the train located in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter that connects both areas of the attraction.
Both sides of the Wizarding World contain unique attractions that let Harry Potter fans experience some of their favorite places from the franchise.
To access the Hogwarts Express at Universal Studios, visit King’s Cross Station. At Islands of Adventure, you can catch the train in Hogsmeade.
Guests can still ride the Hogwarts Express without a Park-to-Park ticket, but they won’t be able to leave the Hogsmeade or King’s Cross Station areas.
Even if you aren’t a super fan of Harry Potter, the train is still the easiest way to travel between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.
What’s the Difference Between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure?
The rides and attractions at both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure center around much-loved blockbuster movies and popular television shows.
The differences between them are based on how they focus on these themes.
Universal Studios offers more live shows and entertainment, and the park experience is heavily focused on TV shows, movies, and characters.
Islands of Adventure is more like a typical theme park. While the rides are still named and connected to movies, the park features many more thrill rides and fast-paced coasters than Universal Studios.
Islands of Adventure also has more rides than Universal Studios, but Universal Studios has more shows to watch.
The rides at Universal Studios are generally slower than at Islands of Adventure, making it a more family-friendly park, especially for young children.
Both parks are very close in size, though Islands of Adventure is slightly larger.
Both parks also have sections that make up The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Both offer different attractions, with King’s Cross Station and Diagon Alley located in Universal Studios and Hogsmeade found at Islands of Adventure.
Ticket prices are the same at each park, and both parks offer add-ons such as Express Passes and Vacation Packages.
The following is a list of rides and attractions found at each park:
Universal Studios
- Despicable Me Minion Mayhem
- E.T. Adventure Ride
- Fast & Furious – Supercharged
- Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
- Hogwarts Express: King’s Cross Station
- Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
- Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl
- MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack
- Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon
- Revenge of the Mummy
- The Simpsons Ride
- TRANSFORMERS: The Ride-3D
- Woody Woodpecker Nuthouse Coaster
Islands Of Adventure
- Caro-Seuss-el
- Doctor Doom’s Fearfall
- Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls
- Flight of the Hippogriff
- Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
- Hogwarts Express
- Jurassic World VelociCoaster
- Jurassic Park River Adventure
- One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
- Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges
- Pteranodon Flyers
- Skull Island: Reign of Kong
- Storm Force Accelatron
- The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
- The Cat in the Hat
- The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!
- The Incredible Hulk Coaster
- Poseidon’s Fury
Is Staying at a Universal Orlando Resort Hotel a Good Idea?
One of the great things about Universal Orlando is that the property is easily managed on foot.
Another great perk is that guests staying at an onsite resort or hotel never have to leave the grounds (if they don’t want to).
Universal Orlando offers several hotels or resorts to choose from, with a price point for almost every budget.
It’s also possible to save money by selecting a vacation package that bundles accommodations and park passes.
Each hotel and park has walkways between them to help guests get around, with other transportation options offered, like hotel shuttles and boat rides.
Basically, once you’re settled on the property, you won’t need your car.
Other benefits to staying onsite include early entry into the parks, free transportation, free merchandise delivery to your room, and discounted rates.
Generally, staying at one of Universal’s hotels is a good idea, but this isn’t always the best option.
If you’re only staying for a couple of days or want to do more than visit Universal while in the Orlando area, choosing an onsite hotel may not make sense.
Conclusion
It takes around ten minutes to walk from the entrance gate at Universal Studios to the gate at Islands of Adventure.
Public walkways are available between the entrances, and the path takes guests right through the CityWalk entertainment district.
