Universal City travel guide

Universal City, United States

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Universal City

Introduction

Universal City is an unincorporated area in the San Fernando Valley, within Los Angeles County, set just north of Hollywood and northwest of downtown Los Angeles. It is nearly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, with its northeastern corner touching Burbank.

The area is built around three connected draws: the Universal Studios Lot film studio complex, the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park, and the Universal CityWalk shopping and entertainment center. Its boundaries were adjusted in January 2015 to follow historic and planned on-site land use patterns, which placed the entire theme park within the unincorporated part of Universal City.

Before you go

Plan your visit around the calendar, not just your flights. Universal Studios Hollywood packs a lot into a compact park, so the busiest stretches — Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving and above all summer — bring waits of more than an hour on most rides. Coming outside those periods usually means lighter crowds, but expect shorter park hours and the chance that some rides are closed for refurbishment. Weather follows the pattern of central Los Angeles: dry and hot from May through September, pleasant the rest of the year, with January and February occasionally chilly or rainy.

Think about what you want from the wider area before you arrive. Beyond the theme park itself, Universal CityWalk is an entertainment district next door with restaurants, bars, shops and live entertainment, from street performers and concerts to gourmet or character dining. A working movie studio sits on the property; the Studio Tram Tour and some special events give you a look at parts of it, but most areas are off-limits to the public. Ticket prices vary through the year and climb during Halloween, summer, Christmas and other busy periods, so when you go shapes what you pay. An Express Pass, a paid skip-the-line add-on usable once per ride, is available, though outside very busy days it isn't necessary to experience the park.

Getting there

Universal City sits just south of Burbank's Bob Hope Airport, a short drive away, while Los Angeles International Airport is roughly a 45-minute drive. Both airports have rental car centers and public transit connections; check the individual airport guides for the details.

By car, Universal City has its own exit from the 101 Freeway when traveling northbound from Downtown Los Angeles or Hollywood. The 134 Freeway also brings you into the area via the Cahuenga or Lankershim Blvd exits, turning southbound. General theme park parking gets progressively more expensive the closer you park to the park entrance.

Metro bus and rail service reaches Universal City. The Metro Rail Red Line subway stops at Universal City/Studio City Station on Lankershim Blvd, between Downtown L.A./Hollywood and North Hollywood. Universal Studios Hollywood runs a free shuttle between the station and the theme park, with the stop at the bottom of the hill reachable by pedestrian overpass; alternatively, you can walk up the hill in 10–15 minutes. Across the street from the station is a bus hub serving Metro routes #150/240, #155, #224, and the weekday-only Metro Rapid #750, connecting Universal City directly to communities throughout the San Fernando Valley.

Getting around

Universal City is small and compact, so getting around on foot is the simplest approach. You can walk between the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park, the adjacent CityWalk with its shops, restaurants and entertainment venues, and the two nearby hotels, Hilton Universal City and Sheraton Universal. If you arrive by subway, you can skip the shuttle and walk up the hill to Universal in about 10–15 minutes.

Metro bus and rail service reaches Universal City. The Metro Rail Red Line stops at the Universal City/Studio City Station on Lankershim Blvd, between Downtown L.A./Hollywood and North Hollywood, and Universal Studios Hollywood runs a free shuttle between the station and the theme park; the shuttle stop at the bottom of the hill is reached by a pedestrian overpass. Across the street from the station, a bus hub serves Metro routes #150/240, #155, #224 and the weekday-only Metro Rapid #750, connecting the area to communities across the San Fernando Valley. By car, Universal City has its own exit from the 101 Freeway when travelling northbound from Downtown Los Angeles or Hollywood, and the 134 Freeway brings you to the area via exits at Cahuenga or Lankershim Blvd, turning southbound. Arriving by plane, Burbank's Bob Hope Airport is about 4 miles south, while Los Angeles International Airport is roughly a 45-minute drive; both have rental car centres and public transit connections.

Where to stay

Sleeping options near the park are limited to two hotels, the Hilton Los Angeles / Universal City and the Sheraton Universal Hotel, both sitting close to the property. Staying at either puts you within easy reach of the attractions rather than commuting in from elsewhere in the city.

Food & drink

Inside the theme park, most eateries serve typical theme park fast food, but the range widens considerably at CityWalk, where you'll find more than twenty restaurants running from quick counter service to casual sit-down dining. Among them are national chains such as Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Buca di Beppo, Hard Rock Cafe, Johnny Rockets, Tony Roma's and Wolfgang Puck Cafe, and most of the fast food outlets sit in a food court on the second level across from the movie theater.

Within the park, the Wizarding World's Three Broomsticks is the only restaurant in that area, serving an English breakfast early in the day and a British pub menu of fish and chips and bangers and mash later, plus a family-sized Great Feast and an exclusive Butterbeer Potted Cream; Honeydukes next door sells Pumpkin Pasties and Butterbeer fudge. The Simpsons' Springfield area has its own cluster: giant donuts at Lard Lad, burgers and the Ribwich at Krustyburger, chicken and waffles at Cletus' Chicken Shack, tacos and nachos at Bumblebee Man's Taco Truck, hot dogs and churros at Suds McDuff's, pizza at Luigi's and ice cream at Phineas Q. Butterfat's. Elsewhere in the park you'll find Mel's Diner for burgers and milkshakes, French Street Bistro for French-themed sandwiches and pastries, Hollywood and Dine for the park's only funnel cakes, and the Toadstool Cafe. For drinks, Hog's Head Pub and Three Broomsticks pour beers brewed exclusively for the Wizarding World along with Butterbeer and Fire Whisky, while Moe's Tavern serves non-alcoholic Flaming Moe's and Duff beer, and Mulligan's Pub near Despicable Me is a tiny Irish-themed spot with a few barstools and more seating outdoors. Nightlife concentrates on the second level of CityWalk around the fountain court.

Three days in Universal City

Day one: Start with the reason most people come — Universal Studios Hollywood. Arrive early, because the park rewards those who get ahead of the crowds, and consider an Express Pass if you want to move faster through the rides. The Studio Tram Tour is the centrepiece for many visitors, taking you through the working backlot and past sets you may recognise from film and television. When the park closes, walk over to Universal CityWalk for dinner and a wander among the shops and entertainment venues.

Day two: Give the Studios a second day if you want to see everything at a relaxed pace, or use the morning to explore the surrounding area. Universal City sits in the San Fernando Valley within Los Angeles County, and the Metro Rail Red Line connects the area to Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles, making it easy to spend an afternoon in the city before returning for the evening. If you are driving, the freeway network and the Cahuenga and Lankershim Blvd corridors are the main routes in and out.

Day three: Use your last day to revisit favourite parts of the park or CityWalk at a slower pace, picking up anything you missed. Weather shapes the experience here — summers are warm and dry, while winter can be cool and wet — so plan accordingly. If you are flying out, both Bob Hope Airport in Burbank and Los Angeles International Airport serve the area, and the Metro, with the Studio City Station nearby, offers a car-free option for getting around.

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