Located in the middle of the sunny state of Florida, Orlando has become one of the most popular tourist destinations due to its variety of theme parks and central location to other popular attractions in Florida.
It is the perfect whole-family vacation spot and for those who are a kid at heart!
The main attractions in Orlando are the two theme parks: Disney World and Universal Studios. But there are plenty of other fun things to do in Orlando to beat the theme park crowds!
Whatever your reason for wanting to travel to this sunny part of central Florida, this 3 day Orlando itinerary will get you started on a magical stay!
This perfect Orlando itinerary will give you lots of ideas for how you can experience most of what the city has to offer and leave you ready to come back to experience more!
HOW TO GET TO ORLANDO
Choose to fly to Orlando from Amsterdam in 10 hours with, for example, KLM or American Airlines. Compare all flight tickets on the Kiwi or CheapOAir. At Skyscanner you can easily see on the calendar which day is the cheapest to fly. Once you’ve found a date, you can also compare prices on Tix’s website. The prices and conditions can sometimes differ, so you can always compare. The conditions at Tix are often more flexible, so paying a little more also has its advantages.
However, you can also choose to divert to Dusseldorf or Brussels. For us (living in the middle of The Netherlands) it is only a 2 hour drive. And often saves a lot of money!
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It is best to rent a car from the airport. We have good experiences with renting a car at SunnyCars. You are always insured with them all-in and that is so nice when you are on holiday! Prefer a cheaper rental car? Then take a look at the RentalCars and Easy Terra websites.
✈ Tip: Best time to travel to Orlando. To beat the family crowds, plan on traveling to Orlando when schools are not on break, usually in the middle of November, beginning of December and most of January and February. Summer and Fall can be very hot, humid, and expect thunderstorms in the afternoons.
If you can only visit in the Summertime, plan on hitting the outdoor theme parks in the morning when it’s still cool out and then spend the afternoons somewhere indoors in A/C and when it’s raining outside.
June through the beginning of November is hurricane season and is a very unpredictable time of year weather-wise. So be prepared to cancel plans or any outdoor excursions you have booked.
DAY 1 THEME PARK OF YOUR CHOICE
OK, so theme parks are likely the reason why you planned to visit Orlando in the first place.
We will share a few of our favorite things about each of the Disney parks to give you a better idea of how to spend your time on the first of your 3 days in Orlando.
You never know, maybe you’ll end up with an extra day to visit another theme park!
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
My favorite theme park in Orlando is Universal Studios Florida, also known as Universal Orlando Resort.
It’s a great spot for a family vacation. Since the recent additions of the Harry Potter rides, and Universal’s Islands of Adventure have become increasingly more popular!
Exploring Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure and Diagon Alley in Universal Studios Resort is a fun experience not to be skipped! You truly feel like you’ve entered a different world. The butterbeer is delicious and plentiful and the thrilling rides are incredible. Universal’s Islands of Adventure really does a great job of incorporating different themes and worlds. Imagination comes to life, movie and storybook characters become real, and the scenery is incredible. The different themes on the Islands of Adventure are so much fun no matter how old you are.
My favorite ride is the Hogwarts Express which transports you in between the parks. But don’t just go for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter alone! The other areas of the parks and rides are great as well.
Though most of my favorite rides have since closed down (goodbye Back 2 the Future!), the new rides have fantastic modern technology.
The newly remodeled Incredible Hulk Coaster is a must, Revenge of the Mummy, Spiderman and Transformer rides are a blast.
And kids will love Dr. Seuss Landing and Despicable Me Minion Mayhem.
DISNEY WORLD
But of course, there is also the whole Disney experience as well.
The Magic Kingdom is my favorite park in Walt Disney World. Magic Kingdom is home to Cinderella’s Castle and is the epitome of classic Disney! And my favorite ride at Magic Kingdom will always be the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is another Disney theme park full of rides and characters. Most people visit Hollywood Studios for the Star Wars themed rides and attractions.
But the most fun of all at Walt Disney World is meeting and interacting with your favorite Disney Characters.
✈ Tip: Definitely a must-do in the Magic Kingdom is having a character meal. It is the best way to skip the long lines at the character meet and greets and you get to spend more time with your favorite Disney World characters!
You’ve probably had a fun-filled day at either Universal Studios Florida or the Magic Kingdom.
At the end of the day, regardless of which theme parks you chose, you’re going to want to relax and enjoy yourself at the public boardwalk of either theme park.
You don’t have to have tickets to enjoy either place. But since you’ve spent the day in one of the parks you might as well round out the day at either Universal City Walk or Disney Springs.
EVENINGS AT DISNEY SPRINGS
Plan on going to Disney Springs hungry as it’s a huge dining mecca and is also a great place to purchase your souvenirs.
It’s free to enter and if you’re staying at a Disney resort there will be transportation to and from Disney Springs.
T-Rex, a dinosaur-themed restaurant, offers a fun atmosphere that the kids will thoroughly enjoy.
While walking around and enjoying the sights you may come across your favorite Disney Character too!
Be sure to check the calendar for special events taking place at Disney Springs.
EVENING AT UNIVERSAL CITY WALK
If you spent the day at the Universal Orlando Resort then plan on having dinner and buying your souvenirs at Universal City Walk.
It’s located right outside the gates of both parks. In fact, you have to walk through City Walk to get to the entrances of the theme park! You could plan on taking a break at your hotel after spending the day at Universal and then come back after 6 pm, parking is free then! Universal City Walk offers great nightlife, live music and entertainment, fantastic restaurants, and shopping.
I recommend eating at Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar or Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville.
But save room for a decadent dessert at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium!
You may be able to catch an awesome rock concert at the Hardrock Cafe and don’t forget about the unforgettable Blue Man Group performance that shouldn’t be missed!
Be sure to check the calendar for special events at Universal’s City Walk.
✈ Tip: When it comes to theme parks, I highly highly recommend purchasing the Orlando CityPASS beforehand
DAY 2 EXPLORING ORLANDO’S INTERNATIONAL DRIVE
You can walk, or trolley, through today’s activities. They’re going to be numerous, and you’re going to spend a lot of energy enjoying yourself.
If you prefer the trolley to save some calories for all the fun you’ll have, pick up your unlimited ride pass here.
If your hotel doesn’t offer a complimentary breakfast, head to Denny’s at the north end of I-Drive and grab a quick and filling meal to start your day.
The first option for day 2 of your Orlando vacation is to start heading down I-Drive and check out the following places:
– Visit Orlando Ripley’s Believe It or Not is an auditorium with bizarre events, oddities, and unusual artifacts collected from all over the world.
– Titanic takes you on a journey back in time to experience what it was like to be on the enormous ship with authentic artifacts and full-scale rooms.
– Or you can choose to do Wonderworks. It is the crazy looking upside down building that looks like it was picked up by a tornado and dropped from the sky. This is a fantastic place for families as it is an interactive science and learning museum with tonnes of hands-on exhibits created to make learning fun.
OR EXPLORE DOWNTOWN ORLANDO
Alternatively, if you’d rather enjoy more culture and the outdoors you could skip the touristy areas of I-Drive and visit a few of Orlando’s several beautiful parks, gardens and museums.
Have breakfast near your hotel and then call a taxi or Uber to take you to downtown Orlando.
– First, check out the Orlando Science Center. For families and those interested in natural science, interactive exhibits, and more, the Orlando Science Center is a fun place to go.
– The Orlando Museum of Art is just next door so you can head thereafter.
– If you’re into shopping, check out the Florida Mall or the Orlando Premium Outlets.
– The Wheel is a massive state of the art climate controlled Ferris wheel. It is the best place to observe the city skyline when visiting Orlando!
DAY 3 KENNEDY SPACE CENTER
On the last of your 3 days in Orlando itinerary, you have the option to take a day trip to one of the most historic parts of nearby Florida or head back to your favorite (or the other) theme park.
The Kennedy Space Center is NASA’s primary launch center. You can hire a private tour of the entire center’s grounds and see the Launch Control Center, see where the rockets are prepared for launching, the astronaut dormitories, and the space station processing facility.
But the main area where all visitors are welcome is the museum. There you can see important rocket artifacts and memorabilia and get up close to the Space Shuttle Atlantis.
Tour the grounds in the morning and then enjoy the afternoon going through the interactive exhibits in the museum while learning what it would be like to be an astronaut.
You may also have the chance to see a rocket launch, as they are still actively using the grounds to launch SpaceX rockets!
