How Many Days Do You Need for Universal Hollywood? We Have the Answer!

If you’re in the throngs of planning a California vacation and thinking about visiting a few of the Southern California theme parks, you MUST read this!

Universal Hollywood

Vacation time is precious, and so is vacation money. Today, we’re going to get into the weeds to see how much of each of these valuable currencies you’ll need to earmark for your Universal Hollywood experience.

You may’ve heard about the Universal expansion on the East Coast. Universal Orlando is comprised of Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and soon, Epic Universe. But over on the West Coast, Universal Hollywood is one park with two distinct levels, the Upper Level and the Lower Level.

Universal entrance

The Lower Level is where you’ll find the Transformers Metrobase, Jurassic World, and the newest addition that opened in 2023, Super Nintendo World.

So detailed!

The Upper Level is where you’ll find the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Springfield, U.S.A., the World Famous Studio Tour, Minion Land, and Production Plaza, where you’ll find the DreamWorks attractions.

Studio Tour

There are 15 total attractions, one massive show, and 32 (!) dining options, ranging from quick kiosks to casual table service dining. And even though Universal Hollywood has a lot to offer and plenty of details and nuances to explore, you can easily enjoy all of the major headlines of this theme park in a day (maybe even less if you opt into Universal Express™ Pass Access take advantage of Single Rider lines, and get an early start on your park day.

Pets off the Leash

How should you prioritize your day? We’ve got you covered there, too!

Super Nintendo World
Transformers: The Ride 3D
Jurassic World – The Ride
Revenge of the Mummy – The Ride
WaterWorld Show
Studio Tour
The Simpsons Ride
Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem
Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Of course, your mileage may vary. If you’re visiting with little ones, you might want to make time for the DinoPlay play area and Flight of the Hippogriff. But if everyone in your party is over the age of 5, you’ll likely skip these attractions and maybe take a second run on Despicable Me Minion Mayhem or Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem

If you’re going to spend your day (or maybe two) at Universal Hollywood, prices per ticket start at $109. And if you want to try to make sure you experience it all in one day, the Universal Express ticket (which includes express access to rides, attractions, and shows) starts at $209.

Universal Studios Hollywood

Needless to say, we think you can do it all (or at least those headliner attractions) in just a day. But if you have little kiddos who might need a nap or are visiting the parks with mobility considerations, then you could easily stretch it out to two days. And if you are park commandos with Express Pass, you might be able to get through it all and then still have time to hit the beach later.