VISIT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS DE LOS ANGELES: TIPS AND EVERYTHING YOU HAVE TO KNOW

We knew we would have a good time Universal Studios Los Angeles... but we didn't think so much! The truth is that until not long ago we didn't even know what it was and now, pouf, now we are looking forward to returning. If you are going to travel to Los Angeles and you are not sure whether to visit this incredible park we will try to get you out of doubt, but we already anticipate that for us it is a great YES.

In this post we will tell you what it is and how to visit Universal Studios (Los Angeles), what can you do and we will give you all the useful information what do you need. Ready? Here we go!

They are one of the film studios most famous in the world where there is also a real theme park. There are several scattered around the world, although the best is possibly just east of Los Angeles. We were (and are) lucky.

This was where it was they shot movies Legendary as Shark or Jurassic Park, come on, it's a little bit of movie history, and if you're lucky you might run into some filming.

Summarizing the visit to Universal Studios It is divided into 3 parts: tour of studies, attractions Y shows. Let's talk about each one of her.

1. TOUR OF THE STUDIES

It is the best of the day: it is a tour aboard a little train which will take you to explore the history of the studios and the scenes of famous films and series. In addition you can also experience the occasional adventure (earthquake included). Our guide, a Japanese woman who spoke Spanish so salty that it could have been Malaga, was great and told us a thousand and one curiosities about the park ... although we are not going to gut the surprise 😉

There is possibility to do the tour in English or in Spanish (Well, also in Mandarin Chinese but we doubt you are interested).

advice: When you arrive at Universal Studios, check the tour schedules in Spanish and organize your visit according to the one you choose. Ah, if you can sit on the left side in the little train (thanks for the tip Chir!). The tours have a duration Approximate from 1.30h-1.45h.

Universal Studios Tour

2. ATTRACTIONS

It is time to take the child inside and enjoy the attractions of the park, but study the map well. We had no idea and we discovered there is two plants!

- LOW LEVEL -

Here “alone” there are 3 attractions but they are the ones that have chicha of good 😉

JURASSIK PARK. Sitting on a boat you will travel a prehistoric world full of dinosaurs and water. Much water. We sat in front of everything and ended up wetter than a sweaty sardine. It's not too shocking, but it's fine if you're getting hot!

TRANSFORMERS It is a simulator, but it simulates very, very well, apparently of the best in the world. Mola, not in vain is one of the most visited and beloved attractions. Super recommended!

THE MUMMY. As you can imagine there are mummies. And creepy things. Personally I did something short but it was still one of the attractions that we liked the most. I want more. More more.

advice: to get to the ground floor there are some very long and very slow escalators ... you better get on the elevator!

- MAIN FLOOR -

This is where most of the attractions (and shows!) Are located and where you will spend most of the day. You can also walk through different thematic areas (New York, Paris ...) very, very, very well done!

We skipped the area for children (although we admit that we could not resist visiting Shrek and we have to say that it was the weakest of the day). These are the attractions that we recommend:

SPRINGFIELD. Ohhh, if you're a Simpsons fan, you're going to freak out with this area, super well done. There is no lack of Moe's Bar (or Duff beer), the nuclear power plant or the Kwik-e-Markt of Apu XD. You can also eat a hamburger (or a super hot dog) at the Krasty Burguer ... here we wanted to make the smart food: we caught a drink for both of us with the idea of ​​filling (ups) and NO, we couldn't do it since each glass has a chip that allows only one XD refill.

Of course, before eating get on "The Ride", a virtual roller coaster where you will live good times, although quite lazy.

THE WALKING DEAD. It is not suitable for children (or for me) but still we went and ... not so bad! The worst was when a scared girl came out, she grabbed my back and I almost screwed up when she thought I was one of the zombies! But well, I resisted. The attraction is in the style of the House of Terror, and it must be said that it is super well set.

THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER. Ta-chán! The jewel in the crown of the park ... a true wonder. Walking through the halls of the castle is amazing (except queuing) and the scenery is so beautiful and real that it seems that Harry Potter will come out to greet you at one time. The adventure that follows (in 4D) is a pa-sa-da. We didn't have time but we wouldn't mind repeating. If for Rober the best attraction was that of Transformers for me it was this one.

3. SHOWS

The first thing that we advise you is: it happens totally of the spectacle of the animal actors. We don't need to explain why, right? With so many things (and so cool) to do, do not waste a second of time feeding the animal business ... That said two shows that you can't miss:

WATERWORLD Water, fire and stunts will accompany you for 20 minutes full of adrenaline.

SHOW OF SPECIAL EFFECTS. Although it is not as impressive as the previous one, we advise it. You will discover a few tricks and special effects used in the seventh art. We loved it, it was fun and time flew. If you don't speak English bad news: there is no Spanish version.

The best is buy the ticket online, in one of the agencies that have it, it will be cheaper than buying it directly there and you will save the queues. You can buy it here or here.

- Think well when to go. If it is low season, much better ... but the important thing is to try to avoid weekends so as not to waste too much time queuing.

- Study the map and plan the visit. Depending on the time of your arrival you can couple the attractions with the shows and the tour of the studios. Many people recommend starting with the attractions on the ground floor, continuing with the tour and doing the rest in the afternoon, we think it's a good idea, although we first saw the Waterworld show (it's near the entrance and when we passed by I was about to start).

→ Here we leave you the map of the Studies

- Bring water. Drinks are expensive and although there is a few hidden sources out there (there are, there are) it is best to bring a bottle of water.

- But don't bring food. We understand that you can not bring food from outside (although the truth, no one looked at our backpack ...). To eat there are many options within the park. We did not resist and we were seduced by the Krastyburguer where we ate both for about $ 25 (a hamburger, a super hot dog - better than the hamburger -, potatoes and a drink).

- Eat at rare times. In Universal Studios there are many people and the vast majority will eat at peak times. Don't you, be smart! Have a strong breakfast at the hotel and hold on until 4pm (or you must, once again, stand in line).

- Long live the Single Rider! The single rider It is the fastest (and free) way to climb the attractions. If you put yourself in this queue you will save a lot of time, although there is a but: you will have to separate from your companion since the park staff will "use" you to fill in the empty seats of the attraction. Basically there are two lines, the normal one where couples and families will be placed, and those of single riders, which will be for single people. To fill the posts first pull the normal tail and when there are free places go to the singles. For example, if the cars are in rows of 4 and a group of 3 goes, the fourth in question will be the singles queue.

Why is it faster? Because in general people want to live the attractions with their acquaintances and the normal lines are longer, but honestly it is not worth waiting for, if in the end everyone enjoys only the attraction and you have no interaction with the rest of the participants. We always did it and we did not regret it, when the normal lines were more than 50 minutes, in the one of singles they were 5 minutes.

This "trick" is available in:

• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
• Jurassic Park - The Ride
• Revenge of the Mummy - The Ride
• Transformers: The Ride 3D

- Buy your tickets online. You will avoid queues, which is not small 😉 and you can get the tickets somewhat cheaper than at the ticket office. You can buy it here (it's the cheapest we saw!).

There are two ways: in your own car or by public transport.

- If you decide to go in car you will have to pay (at least) some between $ 20 and $ 25 parking, it is expensive ... but there is not much choice. Important: keep in mind that Los Angeles roads usually have traffic jams, so get ahead, it is better to get up early than getting stuck on one of its huge highways 😉 Here you can see how to get from different parts of the city.

- We went in public transport. We leave from Santa Monica by subway (“Downtown Santa Monica” stop, Expo Line line) and we had to change to the Red Line (we did it at 7th street Metro Centro) until we reached the park stop: “Universal City, Studio City” . From there we take a free shuttle to the same entrance to Universal Studios. Eye: do not be confused with the stop of the shuttle of workers, to reach that of the tourists you will have to cross the elevated walkway until you reach the other side of the street. When in doubt, ask… there are always Universal Studios members out there 😉