13 best things to do in Orlando

There are thousands of activities to enjoy the land of Mickey, but here we’ve selected the 13 best (and unmissable) things to do in Orlando. Check them out:

1. Visit the beloved Disney theme parks in Orlando

Magic Kingdom Park: This is Orlando’s main and most famous park, where you’ll find all the Disney characters – like Mickey, Goofy, Pluto and all the princesses and characters from the cartoons and movies.

And it’s where you’ll find the famous Cinderella Castle, known the world over and home to the spectacular fireworks display and musical shows. The park also has rides such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Toy Story and several cool rollercoasters.

Epcot Park: This is considered the park of the future. With rides and attractions featuring state-of-the-art technology, Epcot Park is a dream location for those who like technology, space and curiosities about the future. It also has a themed area that is a replica of the countries, making you feel like you’re going around the world.

There are 11 countries in total, including Mexico, China, Germany, the United States, France, Italy, Morocco and others. They are small “cities” within the park. Each one has a themed pavilion with restaurants, stores and attractions. At Epcot, it’s also worth going to the Mission Space rocket simulator, the Frozen toy and the Nemo toy.

Hollywood Studios Park: The focus here is on Disney’s Star Wars rides and attractions – it’s the park that deals most with the movie and has shows all day long, as well as an incredible fireworks display at the end of the day.

It’s more movie-related, with several attractions from the main Disney films, and some extreme options, such as the Tower of Terror and the Aerosmith rollercoaster. There’s also a Frozen musical show there, which is worth checking out.

Animal Kingdom Park: This is the largest of all the Disney and Orlando theme parks – five times bigger than the Magic Kingdom. The concept is totally different and it’s a park that explores animal life. All the attractions are related to animals and wildlife.

You can take photos with animals, go on a safari with various animals and have fun on some rides. There’s the Everest rollercoaster, the incredible Lion King musical show and the new Avatar area, Pandora, which reproduces the sets from the movie and has some really cool attractions. Mickey and his gang are also there, as are Pooh Bear, Tigger and Tico and Teco.

IMPORTANT: The city of Orlando has many theme parks and attractions spread across various regions of the city. To get to visit everything, the ideal is to use a rental car. If you want, see our article here with all the tips on how to rent a good car at the lowest price.

2. Visit the Universal and Seaworld parks in Orlando

Universal Studios: The second largest theme park in Orlando, the Universal complex, only loses to the gigantic Walt Disney World. Universal Studios is undoubtedly one of the best and most fun parks in Orlando, especially for young people and adults.

It has extreme rides and state-of-the-art simulators, all based on major Hollywood films. Universal Studios is where you’ll find the Simpsons, Men in Black, Shrek, the Mummy and many other characters. And now there’s the new Harry Potter-themed area, Diagon Alley. Without a doubt, it’s one of the best parks in Orlando.

Islands of Adventure: The second park in Universal’s complex has very different attractions full of special effects, right out of Steven Spielberg’s imagination. Islands of Adventure is a totally themed park with very extreme rides and attractions.

For those who like superheroes, the park is full of attractions, such as the famous Hulk rollercoaster and Marvel superheroes, and it’s there that you’ll find Orlando’s most popular attraction of recent times, the famous World of Harry Potter. There’s also the Hogwarts Express, which connects the two Harry Potter-themed areas of the two Universal parks.

SeaWorld Park: This is one of the best parks in the city and well worth a visit. This is where you’ll find the famous Manta roller coaster, which imitates the movement of a stingray, and Mako, a radical new roller coaster.

There’s also Kraken, the city’s biggest rollercoaster, dolphin and whale shows, an attraction where you can see penguins up close, and various rides for children. The park is worth a visit and is really cool, with attractions for children, young people and adults.

Busch Gardens Park: This park has the biggest rollercoasters in the world! It is located in Tampa, about 90 kilometers from Orlando, approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes by car.

This park used to be just a zoo, with the intention of teaching its visitors about wildlife protection. However, other attractions were later added to the park, such as the world-famous Kumba, Montu and Sheikra rollercoasters, and new attractions, shows, restaurants and stores were built. It is Orlando’s most radical and exciting theme park.

3. Enjoy the Disney Springs center in Orlando

Disney Springs is also one of the 13 best things to do in Orlando. It’s a Disney entertainment complex full of wonderful stores, restaurants and attractions for you to enjoy. Not to mention the local entertainment shows.

It’s a great place to visit and people usually go there in the evening, after visiting the amusement parks. Disney Springs has some great bars for a beer and several stores, including World Of Disney, which is the largest Disney store in Orlando.

4. Enjoy Universal CityWalk in Orlando

If you think that Orlando is all about amusement parks, you’re wrong, because the city has some of the best nightclubs and bars in the world.

The main tip is the Universal CityWalk Orlando, which is right at the entrance to the two Universal parks and is a huge, beautiful area with a lake in the middle. There are lots of bars, restaurants and stores that are great to visit.

For those who want to have dinner or just a beer, there are good options such as the Hard Rock Café, the NBA Restaurant and Bumba Gump, the movie-themed restaurant.

For those without children or with older children, it’s the best place to go out at night in Orlando. There’s always a show or DJ playing and it’s very lively. The city of Orlando has all kinds of nightclubs to suit all tastes, and there’s plenty to do at night in Orlando.

Where can I buy the tickets for the lowest price?

We always use this website that sells all the tickets and tours. There is everything there and the price is always the cheapest. The only ticket that isn’t sold there is the Disney ticket, which for the time being is the cheapest place to buy it. But for all the other parks like Legoland, Busch Gardens, Sea World and Universal Orlando, this is the best site.

They also have a really cool free tour of all the cities. And it’s where we book the transfer to take us from the airport to the hotel. It’s cheaper and safer than taxis and Uber.

5. Making the most of Orlando’s prices

Following this article on 13 best things to do in Orlando, the city is one of the best places to shop in the world. There, the prices are very cheap and the city has great shopping malls and outlets with the best stores selling everything, quality products and lots of variety.

There are also Orlando’s electronics stores, which are some of the most popular with tourists. This is because smartphones, Apple products, notebooks, tablets, video games and accessories for all of these are much cheaper in the USA than in other countries.

For those who want to do a lot of shopping, the Orlando Premium Outlets are the best option. It’s the largest chain of outlets in the city. But of course there are also malls, such as the Florida Mall Orlando, which is the largest mall in Florida.

If you plan on shopping, set aside at least two full days for this activity, as you’ll spend at least a day getting to know these outlets, which are huge and have more than 300 stores, and going into the ones you like calmly and buying without rushing.

6. Exploring Orlando’s museums

The museums in Orlando are a good choice for those who want to get away from the conventional theme parks and shopping in the city. The city has cultural centers for families, groups of friends and even couples, with an extensive cultural section that is well worth visiting.

There are attractions for all tastes, from the craziest to the most serious. Apart from Madame Tussauds, which we’ll talk about later, here are the main museums in Orlando:

Orlando Museum of Art: this is one of Orlando’s best-known museums and one of the best in the southern region of the United States. It has a huge collection of African and American pieces, with works from ancient and contemporary times. It’s well worth a visit for art admirers.

Take advantage of the fact that it is close to other attractions and visit Loch Haven Park itself, where the museum is located, which has three lakes and makes for beautiful photos.

Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Orlando Museum: this museum seeks to surprise all its visitors with its unusual attractions. It is divided into 16 galleries and features the most surprising things, such as a piece of the Berlin Wall and a replica of the Monalisa made entirely of toast.

There’s also a painting of Beyoncé made out of gummy candies and a statue of the tallest man in the world, as well as interactive areas. It is similar to Wonderworks in some respects, such as construction, since the museum itself is sloped.

Wonderworks Museum: this museum offers tourists more than 100 attractions that mix education with creativity, entertainment and imagination. Visitors can feel as if they were in the middle of an earthquake or hurricane, and even feel the temperature of the sea on the night the Titanic sank.

They can also use a simulator where you build your own roller coaster and then ride it. There are lots of fun and impressive experiences, divided into categories such as natural disasters, space, psychological experiences and imagination laboratory. It’s the ideal ride to entertain children, teenagers and adults, recommended for all age groups.

7. Have fun at the Icon Park complex in Orlando

Our seventh tip out of the 13 best things to do in Orlando is Icon Park, a complex of attractions with various rides, museums, an aquarium, restaurants and famous stores, located on International Drive. Because it is on Orlando’s main avenue and has incredible attractions, it is very popular with tourists in Orlando. Check out its main attractions:

Orlando Eye Ferris Wheel: Anyone driving along International Drive can easily see the huge Orlando Eye Ferris Wheel, which is the complex’s main attraction. It is one of the largest Ferris wheels in the world and has large cabins where several people get on together and can see an incredible view of the entire city of Orlando.

The project was inspired by the London Eye Ferris Wheel, which is in London and is considered to be the largest in the world, which is why it is called the Orlando Eye Ferris Wheel. The ride lasts between 10 and 20 minutes and from the top you can see some amusement parks and the whole city.

The Ferris wheel is 120 meters high and there are a total of 30 capsules, each of which fits 15 people. Before riding it, you can watch a 10-minute 4D movie showing the construction and history of this attraction.

Madame Tussauds Orlando Wax Museum: This is a very cool place to visit. For those who don’t know, Madame Tussauds is a world-famous wax museum chain that reproduces celebrities and famous people in wax figures that look like the real thing.

Madame Tussauds in Orlando features characters who have made history and success in the United States and in movies known all over the world.

The place covers more than 2,000 square meters and has more than 40 wax celebrities. It is divided into themes, starting with dolls of world leaders who have been part of history, such as some US presidents.

Then there are sports idols and singers who have conquered the world. The most popular dolls are Barack Obama, Tom Hanks, Madonna, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Kate Perry, Vin Diesel and Brad Pitt.

Sea Life Orlando Aquarium: This is one of the city’s major attractions. It is also located within the Icon Orlando complex and has more than five thousand marine animals, including fish, sharks, rays and turtles.

What is most striking about the aquarium are the huge underwater tunnels, which pass through themed areas that simulate the habitats of marine animals. Their construction was designed to impress visitors and create maximum proximity between people and the marine animals.

8. Visit some water parks in Orlando

Another item that can’t be left off this list of the 13 best things to do in Orlando, especially if you’re going in the summer, are the water parks. There are two Disney water parks, Blizzard Beach and Thypoon Lagoon, and one from Universal, Volcano Bay.

They’re all smaller than the “normal” parks, so they’re cheaper, but just as much fun, with different types of pools, slides, streams etc.

There’s also Legoland Water Park, which is the Lego children’s water park, and Discovery Cove, which is a more exclusive park and one of the most beautiful in the world, with diving and interaction with marine life – it’s there that you can swim with the dolphins.

9. Get to know downtown Orlando

Downtown Orlando is the financial and commercial center of Disney Town. In the morning, its large green areas allow people to stroll through pleasant, natural surroundings, while in the evening, the area has one of the city’s busiest nightlife scenes.

This is where you’ll find Lake Eola Park, which has a 1.4 km trail around a lake and swan pedal boats for rent. There’s also Church Street Station, a street in Downtown with lots of entertainment options, restaurants, interesting stores and concert halls.

Finally, Downton is home to the Harry P. Leu Gardens. This is a pleasant 20-hectare park with beautiful gardens, herb beds that perfume the place and lots of flowers. If you’re in Orlando in spring, you’ll probably see lots of rose bushes. The park is open daily from 9am to 5pm.

10. Take a day trip to the beaches near Orlando

There are several beaches in the state of Florida, such as Daytona Beach, Clearwater and Cocoa Beach, for example. And they are all within a 1-2 hour radius of Orlando, making them perfect for a day trip.

Daytona is usually the most popular because, in addition to the beautiful beaches and the fact that it’s only 1 hour from Orlando, it’s the home of NASCAR, the venue for the main Stock Car races and championships.

11. Watch an NBA or NFL game in Orlando

Watching a sports game in Orlando is a UNIQUE experience. Even for those who don’t like sport, it’s a spectacle in itself and a way of seeing American culture up close.

The stadiums are beautiful, the matches are organized and everything is always very lively. What’s more, it’s a different kind of outing that you can do with your friends, as a couple or even with children. Many people don’t even think about including this tour in their program, but it’s worth it.

12. Take an educational trip to the Kennedy Space Center near Orlando

The Kennedy Space Center, near Orlando, is NASA’s official space center and is open to tourists as an amusement park. It is located on an island called Cape Canaveral, an hour’s drive from Orlando. The area where the center is located is completely isolated because of the tests.

The NASA Space Center is known worldwide as “NASA Park” and is the place from which NASA space shuttles, rockets and satellites are launched. In addition, the Kennedy Space Center also receives millions of visitors a year because of the museums, exhibitions and cool activities to do there.

13. Expand your trip to a themed cruise in Orlando

A tour that has grown a lot in recent times are the famous Disney theme cruises – with Mickey, Goofy, the princesses and the whole Disney gang on board. These are huge, luxurious transatlantic ships, all themed with enchanting Disney decor, attractions for all tastes and ages (such as shows and games), as well as the presence of the characters.

Save money on your trip to Orlando:

Saving money: do you want to plan your trip while making the most of your budget? Be sure to read our article on how to travel to Orlando cheap, with all the tips to save the most, while still enjoying it!

Tickets: find out where to buy your Orlando tickets in the cheapest and safest way – for theme parks, museums and ticket combos. You can save up to 40%!

Car: if you are thinking about renting one this is the best website. He compares the price at all rental companies and finds unbeatable prices. You can save up to 30%!

Mobile chip: We always use this chip. It’s electronic (eSIM), you install it instantly and you can use your cell phone’s internet anywhere in the world.

Hotels: our article on where to stay in Orlando. You will find out the best area, the hotels that we have stayed there and how to save a lot on the hotel.

Travel insurance: medical care in another country is very expensive and it is extremely important to take out travel insurance for any trip abroad. This is the website we always take out our insurance on. Reliable and at a good price.

Transfer: do you need one, from the airport to the hotel? Find out here how to book and for the lowest price!