How long in LA to do Disney & Universal?

[DJBenz]

I'm putting together a West Coast tour which will include staying in Anaheim to do Disney and Universal (I know Universal is the other side of LA from Anaheim, so maybe not the best location).

Currently I've got six nights planned for LA, but reading on here I'm thinking maybe that might be too long. Plus I'm missing San Diego.

Itinerary is like this so far:

Fly LHR-SFO
Pick up car, drive to Tiburon for 2 nights.
2 Nights Fairfield/Napa Valley
2 Nights Yosemite
1 Night Sequoia National Park
4 Nights Vegas
6 Nights Anaheim
1 Night Santa Maria
1 Night Monterey
Drive to San Francisco, drop hire car
2 Nights San Francisco
Fly SFO-LHR

Thoughts?

[jdouds]

Hi for most 3/4 days most, LA is a sprawling mass 100 miles across, not for everyone but some will say 7 days not enough. We would suggest add a night to Yosemite and Monterey. Reason being if you arrive at Yosemite lunchtime or slightly after you the will only have 1 full day which we think is not enough,and also with Monterey there is so much to do ,whale watching,aquarium,17 mile dr,pebble beach, Carmel. If you can please go whale watching as this is one of the best things we have ever done.

[DJBenz]

Thanks!

We did whale watching last year in Cape Cod (East Coast road trip) so not too bothered about doing it again.

Will look at the timings in Yosemite. We’ve got a great AirBNB booked that’s in 40 acres of private woodland so hoping for some great nature experience.

Currently looking at splitting the LA stay between Anaheim and Pasadena as getting to the west side might be a bit of a nightmare from Anaheim.

[400ixl]

Universal is a 1 day park if you book direct and make use of the early access to Harry Potter World.

Disney is for most 2-4 days depending how slow and thoroughly you want to do it.

Loads of other things to do in LA outside of theme parks though. Just doing that is missing out on so much.

[DJBenz]

Originally Posted by 400ixl

Universal is a 1 day park if you book direct and make use of the early access to Harry Potter World.

Disney is for most 2-4 days depending how slow and thoroughly you want to do it.

Loads of other things to do in LA outside of theme parks though. Just doing that is missing out on so much.

See more...

Thanks. Yes, I'm planning on doing some other stuff in LA, not just the parks. Hoping to maybe have a day off as well, as the rest of the trip is quite full on!

What would you suggest in LA part from the parks? We'll do the obvious stuff like the Walk of Fame and the Hollywood sign, Rodeo Drive etc.

[red cuillen]

We liked Griffiths Park, not just the Observatory but the trails as well. Also the coast, either the pathway/cycleways from Santa Monica and Venice Beach but also further south at Point Vicente Lighthouse, depends how far you want to drive/crawl through the LA traffic!

[400ixl]

What else would really depend on the group.

Griffith Park, Brea Tar Pits, Hollywood Bowl, Venice Beach, Science Museum, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Queen Mary etc etc.

[DJBenz]

Originally Posted by red cuillen

We liked Griffiths Park, not just the Observatory but the trails as well. Also the coast, either the pathway/cycleways from Santa Monica and Venice Beach but also further south at Point Vicente Lighthouse, depends how far you want to drive/crawl through the LA traffic!

See more...

Noted, thanks. We'll be seeing a fair bit of the coast as we drive the PCH from LA to SF but I'm sure we can fit in a stroll/cycle at the beach.

Originally Posted by 400ixl

What else would really depend on the group.

Griffith Park, Brea Tar Pits, Hollywood Bowl, Venice Beach, Science Museum, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Queen Mary etc etc.

See more...

Me & DW, and kids 18,14 and 12. I'm sure they would enjoy Six Flags, but if we're doing Disney & Universal then it might be a bit of theme park overload.

I'm thinking maybe to cut down the days in LA and take a couple in San Diego instead.