How To Get To Islands of Adventure From Universal Studios

There are three parks at Universal Studios Orlando Resort; Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Universal’s waterpark Volcano Bay.

The two main theme parks; Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure are located side by side and are connected by the shopping and entertainment plaza, CityWalk.

You can get to Islands of Adventure from Universal Studios by exiting the park and walking across CityWalk – this takes around 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can choose to take the Hogwarts Express from Kings Cross inside Universal Studios to Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure.

To visit both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure in one day you’ll need to ensure you have a park-to-park ticket.

With a park-to-park ticket, you can then choose to either walk or take the Hogwarts Express between parks depending on your preference.

Walking

Walking from Universal Studios Florida to Universal’s Islands of Adventure is often the quickest and easiest way to get between the two parks.

To leave Universal Studios Florida you’ll want to head back to the entrance since there’s only one entrance and exit at the park.

Depending on where you are located within Universal Studios getting back to the entrance could take up to ten minutes.

There are signposts located across the park to help direct you to the park exit should you require them.

Once you’ve got to the exit at Universal Studios you’ll want to take a right out of the park across the front of the globe and down towards Hard Rock Café.

As you walk across CityWalk towards Islands of Adventure the Hard Rock Café will remain on your right and the lagoon on your left.

Once you’ve passed the Hard Rock Café you’ll see the Toothsome Emporium and after that, you’ll be able to turn right into the ticket area and entrance to Islands of Adventure.

Walking from the entrance to Universal Studios Florida to the entrance of Islands of Adventure will ten around ten minutes.

However, depending on when you arrive at Universal’s Islands of Adventure you may also have to wait an additional ten minutes to scan your ticket and move through the barrier into the park.

The busiest time to enter Universal's Islands of Adventure is within the first three hours of the park opening. 

Hogwarts Express

My personal favourite way to travel between Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure is on the Hogwarts Express.

The Hogwarts Express is located inside Kings Cross Station just outside of Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida.

You will need proof of your park-to-park ticket in order to enter Kings Cross and board the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade in Universal's Islands of Adventure.

While trains run every ten minutes between the two parks, wait times can still regularly exceed one hour.

As such while this is a fun experience (especially for Harry Potter fans) it’s not always the quickest way to get between the two parks.

Luckily, Express Passes are permitted on the Hogwarts Express which allows pass holders to move to the front of the line.

In our case this meant waiting 15 minutes rather than the standby wait time of 75 minutes at that time.

Wait times for the Hogwarts Express are often the longest between 11am and 4pm. As such consider riding before 11am or after 4pm to minimise how long you need to wait in line.

The journey on the Hogwarts Express takes roughly eight minutes and sees you arrive at Hogsmeade Station at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

Hogsmeade Station is located just outside of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and just a five-minute walk from Jurassic Park and Dr Seuss’s Landing.

While centrally located within the park, taking the Hogwarts Express between Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure is often the slowest way to move between the two.

Instead, I only recommend using this mode of transport if you’re looking to experience the Hogwarts Express ride or if the wait times are particularly short.