I set aside two days to visit Universal Studios Hollywood. It may seem like a lot, especially given my short time in Los Angeles. As a lover of North American cinema and a fan of amusement parks, I couldn’t help but enjoy every inch of one of the oldest film studios (from 1915) and theme parks (from 1964) in the world.
Currently, there are versions of Universal Studios in Hollywood, Orlando, Japan and Singapore. We visited the last of these during our trip around the world, in 2012. The parks are very similar in concept and in some toys, but they have different dimensions and attractions.
I don’t know the Orlando park, but I heard it’s even grander. However, Universal Studios Hollywood has an attraction that no other has: a tour of the studios where famous films were recorded. Studios that are still used today.
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During the Studio Tour, you get into a cart with a guide who is a bit of a comedian. Seriously, even some celebrities have been guides on this tour. The tour in English leaves every 10 minutes and there are also two tours in Spanish.
During the visit, we passed by the houses from the series Desperate Housewives, and also by locations that became very famous because of some classic, were kept there and even reused in other films. I saw the Bates Motel from Psycho, I passed through the sea from Jaws and I was at the end of the world from War of the Worlds.
As I went to the park in two days, in addition to having time to go to the rides more calmly and see all the shows, I also repeated the studio tour. The experience was different from the second time, when we had the chance to experience a collapsing subway and an earthquake, scenes that were closed on the first day. Not to mention that the guides made jokes and gave different information on each tour.
The toys and shows part is divided into two, the Upper and the Lower decks. And there are also two 3D roller coasters: the Simpsons one, the coolest one I’ve ever been on, and the Transformers one. This didn’t exist yet in 2009, when I was there, but I visited the Singapore version and also found it amazing.
Those who like the traditional roller coaster, with the cart running on the track, will enjoy the Mummy ride, which is closed and has some dark and scary sections, but nothing that turns upside down. Finally, there is the roller coaster in the water, which is from Jurassic Park.
And we haven’t talked about the shows yet. A 4D Shrek movie; a house of horrors with people in costumes that scare you; the Water World show; another of animals; and one more about special effects, for which I was a guinea pig on stage. To top it off, a small museum with the history of the studios.
The streets are decorated as if you were in different cities around the world, and there are several souvenir and snack shops. Different characters walk around and are photographed with visitors.
In addition to the amusement park and the tour, Universal Studios also houses CityWalk, a huge separate area for shopping and eating that has a modern and cool look. There are famous stores inside, as well as a Hard Rock Café with this giant guitar on the door.
How to Visit Universal Studios Hollywood
If you don’t go to Universal Studios by car or taxi, you can go by public transport. The subway gets there and there is a shuttle free to climb the huge hill that leads to the park. The only problem is that the shuttle It stops running early, around 5pm, which makes it difficult for those who stay late at City Walk to return later.
Park opening times vary depending on the day of the week. But as the place is not very big, you can take advantage of the early morning to get to know Los Angeles and get there around 10 am.
Buying online, a one-day ticket costs 95 dollars. There are also skip-the-line tickets, which cost a little more. I went in low season and didn’t face any queues, but if you have money and little time, it might be worth it. Another option is to take a VIP tour of the studios, which costs 329 dollars (remember that these prices can change at any time).
Those who are not willing to spend so much money for the complete Universal Studios package can go to the Warner Bros Studio Tour, which costs 62 dollars. This tour lasts two hours and also passes by locations from famous films and series, recent or old.
You can see the Friends locations and take photos at Central Perk, for example. Unfortunately, I didn’t go, but the people at Viajão went and told me what the experience was like. The deluxe tour at the Warner Bros. studio costs $250 and lasts 5 hours.
