Universal Studios Hollywood Touring Plan

Touring plans make it easy for you to get the most out of your trip by outlining the order you should visit rides and attractions, allowing you to enjoy the top experiences in the park.

This touring plan was created for those visiting only the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park for a single day; however, those visiting the park for a longer period may still take advantage of this plan. This touring plan assumes that you are entering the park at the opening time and staying until the closing time. Although this plan is specifically designed for those without a Universal Express pass, which allows you to skip the regular lines at participating attractions, it may still be used by such visitors.

Prior to visiting Universal Studios Hollywood, we recommend that you download the official Universal Studios Hollywood app on the App Store or the Google Play Store. The app provides wait times, showtimes, a destination map, and more.

To ensure the attractions you’re most interested in are prioritized, we suggest fully reviewing the information in this touring plan prior to using it so that you can make alterations if needed.

Entering the Park

We recommend getting to the park turnstiles at least 35 minutes prior to park opening, especially on projected busy days. You can view the predicted crowd level for the day of your visit by using our FREE Universal Studios Hollywood crowd calendar. Keep in mind that it may take up to 40 minutes to arrive at the front gates from the parking booth. You should download the official Universal Studios Hollywood app beforehand to help locate the park’s rides and attractions, view showtimes, and more.

Guests onboard Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge ready to race off
Image: Universal Studios Hollywood

Experience by 2 PM

The following attractions typically experience the longest wait times, so we suggest visiting them as soon as possible. You should visit the attractions in this exact order to quickly access them. Please note the crowd levels throughout the day may impact when you are able to complete this section of the touring plan.

NOTE: You may need a reservation to enter Super Nintendo World. Reservations can be made using the Universal Studios Hollywood app. This may require you to slightly alter this touring plan so that you can ride Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge.

The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash

This attraction may utilize a Virtual Line during your visit, requiring you to reserve a time slot via the Universal Studios Hollywood app or an in-park kiosk to ride. Plan accordingly.

Attraction type: Kid-friendly dark ride

Thrill level: 1/5

Recommended ages: Preschoolers, Kids, Tweens, Teens, Adults

Height requirement: At least 34 inches (86 cm); children between 34 inches (86 cm) and 48 inches (122 cm) must have a supervising companion.

Revenge of the Mummy – The Ride

Attraction type: High-speed roller coaster

Thrill level: 4/5

Recommended ages: Kids, Tweens, Teens, Adults

Height requirement: At least 48 inches (122 cm)

Jurassic World – The Ride

Attraction type: Water raft ride

Thrill level: 3/5

Recommended ages: Tweens, Teens, Adults

Height requirement: At least 42 inches (107 cm); children between 42 inches (107 cm) and 48 inches (122 cm) must have a supervising companion

Transformers: The Ride-3D

Attraction type: 3D motion-base dark ride

Thrill level: 3/5

Recommended ages: Kids, Tweens, Teens, Adults

Height requirement: At least 40 inches (102 cm); children between 40 inches (102 cm) and 48 inches (122 cm) must have a supervising companion

Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge

Attraction type: AR interactive dark ride

Thrill level: 2/5

Recommended ages: Kids, Tweens, Teens, Adults

Height requirement: At least 40 inches (102 cm); children between 40 inches (102 cm) and 48 inches (122 cm) must have a supervising companion

Studio Tour

Attraction type: Behind-the-scenes tour and motion-base ride

Thrill level: 2/5

Recommended ages: Preschoolers, Kids, Tweens, Teens, Adults

Height requirement: Any height

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Krusty Burger restaurant at Universal Studios Hollywood
Image: Universal Studios Hollywood

Eat Lunch

If you completed the attractions listed above and it’s around 2 PM or shortly after, you should fuel up before continuing this touring plan. If it’s not quite that time, continue forward, and take a meal break when it does reach that time. Then, continue where you left off. We’ve highlighted some noteworthy dining locations located in the nearby area, but if you don’t want to take too much time out of the day, you can always pack snacks with you or purchase some at the many concession stands in the park.

Springfield Restaurants

The Springfield area is home to numerous quick service dining locations offering everything from chicken, burgers, pizza, and tacos. Eateries in this region include Cletus’ Chicken Shack, Krusty Burger, Luigi’s Pizza, Bumblebee Man’s Taco Truck, and tons more. There are a lot of different quick options for you to enjoy in this area, and they’re all situated within close proximity of each other.

Three Broomsticks

Three Broomsticks is located in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The level of detail in this restaurant is amazing, which makes it a top spot. Meals sold here include fish and chips, beef pasties, spare ribs, turkey legs, shepherd’s pie, rotisserie chicken, and chicken and ribs.

Vegetarians and Vegans

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you can find quite a few meals in the park. Click here to view our Universal Studios Hollywood vegetarian and vegan guide. In this guide, we highlighted the different dining locations offering meals available to you as well as which options will satisfy your diet.

Hogwarts Castle glows from the sunset

Experience by 5 PM

The attractions listed in this section are other popular experiences. We placed the attractions in this specific order for easy navigation; however, you may be required to adjust the order due to scheduled showtimes and openings. As previously noted, crowd levels may impact when you are able to complete this section.

WaterWorld

This attraction has scheduled showtimes. Plan accordingly and arrive early.

Attraction type: Live-action stunt show

Recommended ages: Preschoolers, Kids, Tweens, Teens, Adults

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Attraction type: Motion-base dark ride

Thrill level: 4/5

Recommended ages: Kids, Tweens, Teens, Adults

Height requirement: At least 48 inches (122 cm)

Flight of the Hippogriff

Attraction type: Kid-friendly roller coaster

Thrill level: 3/5

Recommended ages: Kids, Tweens

Height requirement: At least 39 inches (99 cm); children between 39 inches (99 cm) and 48 inches (122 cm) must have a supervising companion

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Minion-themed restaurant at Universal Studios Hollywood
Image: Universal Studios Hollywood

Eat Dinner

After experiencing the attractions listed above, you should unwind and enjoy a meal. We’ve listed a few dining locations that are within close proximity to you.

Cocina Mexicana

Cocina Mexicana is your stop for a Mexican quisine. This location serves taco platters, sopes, margaritas, and more.

Mel’s Diner

Mel’s Diner places you into a ’50s themed diner inspired by the American Graffiti film. At this quick service eatery, you can enjoy ramen, a variety of grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken tenders, cupcakes, and more.

Minion Cafe

This is a quick service dining location located next door to the Despicable Me attraction. The menu features rotisserie chicken, chicken fingers, sandwiches, nachos, salads, and desserts.

Vegetarians and Vegans

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, there’s no need to worry. We’ve highlighted the dining locations and meals that will satisfy your diet in our vegetarian and vegan guide, which can be viewed by clicking here.

Gru's house, serving as the entrance to the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem ride

Experience by Last Few Hours

The attractions in this section don’t necessarily need to be followed in this order due to their close proximity.

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem

Attraction type: Motion simulator ride

Thrill level: 2/5

Recommended ages: Kids, Tweens

Height requirement: At least 40 inches (102 cm); children between 40 inches (102 cm) and 48 inches (122 cm) must have a supervising companion. Stationary seating available with no height requirement.

Kung Fu Panda Adventure

Attraction type: Multi-sensory show

Recommended ages: Preschoolers, Kids, Tweens, Teens, Adults

Archway entrance to Super Silly Fun Land

Experience at Any Time

The attractions in this section are not top-priority experiences. You can experience them at any time of the day.

Super Silly Fun Land

Attraction type: Kids' play area

Recommended ages: Preschoolers, Kids, Tweens

Silly Swirly Fun Ride

Attraction type: Aerial carousel-style ride

Thrill level: 1/5

Recommended ages: Preschoolers, Kids

Height requirement: Children under 48 inches (122 cm) must have a supervising companion

For full information about Universal Studios Hollywood’s rides and attractions, click here.

TIPS: (1) If you’re only visiting the park for a single day, we recommend eating breakfast prior to arriving at the park in order to experience more attractions. (2) It’s important to remember that you shouldn’t rush your way to every attraction. Take time to enjoy the different areas of the park, especially The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Super Nintendo World. (3) Cherish your memories by taking photographs with characters and at the various themed areas.

NOTE: It is not guaranteed that you’ll experience all of the park’s rides and attractions by following this touring plan. We recommend skipping any ride or attraction you may not be interested in.

UNIVERSAL EXPRESS VISITORS:  Although you can skip the regular lines at select attractions, greatly reducing your wait times, following this touring plan will still allow you to visit the top attractions in an efficient way and will prevent you from making unnecessary detours.

GUESTS VISITING MULTIPLE DAYS: If you’re visiting this park for more than one (1) day, we recommend sticking to this touring plan for the first day to ensure that you visit the top attractions. The next time you visit the park, you can choose to revisit the attractions you enjoyed most or experience the attractions that you previously skipped.

MOBILE ORDERING: If you’re dining at a quick service restaurant, you have the option to use Universal’s mobile ordering service at select locations via the Universal Studios Hollywood app. This will allow you to easily choose your meal and quickly pick up your food.