Walking path from the intersection of Kirkman Rd and Major Blvd to Universal CityWalk.
There are two groups of hotels within walking distance of both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. One group is located on Major Blvd, across Kirkman Rd from the resort area. The second group is located along International Drive, across Interstate 4 from the resort. In this guide, we will take a closer look at exactly what it looks like to walk from the first group of hotels, the ones on Major Blvd, to Universal.
To start, take a look at my custom-made Google map below. Remember, you can click any marker to display the attraction or venue name.
View Universal Orlando Partner Hotels within walking distance.
Holiday Inn and DoubleTree at the Entrance to Universal — the red and aqua placeholders with pinholes — are absolutely the closest off-site hotels to Universal Orlando. While they both provide “scheduled” shuttle service to Universal CityWalk, as you can see by the map, it really isn’t that far to walk. In fact, it only takes about 15 minutes to get from the intersection of Kirkman Rd and Major Blvd to the Universal CityWalk entrance (it’s about three-quarters of a mile). So when you consider that you’ll be walking for six to eight hours through the theme parks anyway, what’s another few minutes?
Best of all, if you walk you can do so on your schedule. No waiting or rushing or getting reservations for seats.
Luckily, a pedestrian bridge makes it easy to avoid crossing the busy intersection at Kirkman Rd. Once you’re across, the rest of the walk is a breeze. Simply follow Major Blvd to Universal Blvd, cross that intersection, take a left (you’ll see a sign like the one at the top of this post), and continue along the path to the valet area. From there, head up the stairs and you’ll be right in CityWalk.
IMPORTANT: If you’re coming from Holiday Inn or Hyatt House (right next door), make sure you use the Major Blvd crosswalk to the DoubleTree side in order to access the pedestrian bridge over Kirkman Rd. There is no crosswalk on the Holiday Inn side, and—believe it or not—some guests still attempt to cross Kirkman from there. This is both unnecessary and dangerous. Doing so forces you to walk in the street against oncoming traffic that is exiting the Universal parking garage, just to reach Universal Blvd. Instead, save yourself the risk (and stress) by following the traffic signs and using the pedestrian bridge—it’s only a few steps away.