Insight Guides: Explore Orlando

How To Use This E-Book

This Explore Guide has been produced by the editors of Insight Guides, whose books have set the standard for visual travel guides since 1970. With top-quality photography and authoritative recommendations, these guidebooks bring you the very best routes and itineraries in the worlds most exciting destinations.

Best Routes

The routes in this book provide something to suit all budgets, tastes and trip lengths. As well as covering the destinations many classic attractions, the itineraries track lesser-known sights, and there are also excursions for those who want to extend their visit outside the city. The routes embrace a range of interests, so whether you are an art fan, a gourmet, a history buff or have kids to entertain, you will find an option to suit.

We recommend reading the whole of a route before setting out. This should help you to familiarise yourself with it and enable you to plan where to stop for refreshments options are shown in the Food and Drink box at the end of each tour.

Introduction

The routes are set in context by this introductory section, giving an overview of the destination to set the scene, plus background information on food and drink, shopping and more, while a succinct history timeline highlights the key events over the centuries.

Directory

Also supporting the routes is a Directory chapter, with a clearly organised AZ of practical information, our pick of where to stay while you are there and select restaurant listings; these eateries complement the more low-key cafs and restaurants that feature within the routes and are intended to offer a wider choice for evening dining. Also included here are some nightlife listings, and our recommendations for books and films about the destination.

Getting around the e-book

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights mentioned in the text are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

Youll find hundreds of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of the destination. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.

2017 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Table of Contents

Recommended Routes For...

Animal lovers

Swim with the dolphins at Discovery Cove ().

Walt Disney World Resort

Art buffs

Browse the art galleries in Downtown Orlando ().

Julie Fletcher/Visit Florida

Children

Step into storybook worlds at the Magic Kingdoms Fantasyland ().

Chip Litherland/LEGOLAND Florida Resort

Escaping the crowds

Go beachcombing on the sandy stretches of Cocoa Beach ().

Nowitz Photography/Apa Publications

Foodies

Munch your way around the world at Epcots World Showcase ().

Walt Disney World Resort

Movie lovers

Put yourself in the middle of Harry Potters Wizarding World at Universal Orlando ().

Universal Orlando Resort

Nature lovers

Take an airboat ride on Lake Toho ().

iStock

Shoppers

International Drive ().

Walt Disney World Resort

Explore Orlando

With eight major theme parks, several water parks, a myriad cultural and other attractions, and the second-largest convention center in the country, Orlando is a huge tourist destination, attracting 68 million visitors a year.

The city of Orlando lies at the heart of Central Floridas largest metropolitan region. Although it measures only 65 sq miles (168 sq km) in Orange County, Greater Orlando covers 2.6 million acres (1.04 million hectares) in adjoining Osceola, Seminole and Lake counties. It encompasses the cities of Kissimmee to the south, Winter Park and Maitland to the north and, to the southwest, Walt Disney World Resort, which in fact has its own government body. However, theres much more to Orlando than the theme parks that made it famous, from art and cultural offerings to its wildlife and lush environment.

Downtown Orlando at sunset

Shutterstock

Lakes and rivers

Orlandos landscape is largely flat, and as the city expanded much of the terrain was drained from the natural swamps and wetlands. There are more than 2000 lakes, rivers, and springs in Greater Orlando. Shingle Creek, Boggy Creek and other channels form part of a vast watershed that runs all the way to the Everglades.

Dozens of lakes are dotted throughout the urban areas, from Lake Eola in downtown Orlando, to big Lake Toho in Kissimmee, to tiny Lake Lily in Maitland (site of a local Sunday farmers market) to Winter Parks chain of lakes connected by scenic canals. Wildlife is perfectly at home in this urban environment, and youll regularly see heron, egrets, storks, wildfowl, turtles, and even alligators.

City layout

Downtown Orlando, the citys commercial center, lies several miles north of the theme parks and Convention Center. Interstate 4 (I-4) is the main thoroughfare that links the various parts. It stretches from Tampa Bay on the Gulf Coast northeast through Orlando to Daytona Beach. I-4 runs north and south in Orlando, but runs east to west from end to end, so use this guide while in town: east means north; west means south. This major artery will be undergoing construction work until at least 2021, so check for traffic reports. Beyond I-4, Orlandos major thoroughfares are either busy roads with traffic lights or well-maintained, practically traffic-free toll roads. Highway 528, a toll road also known as the Beachline Expressway, runs from I-4 east to Cocoa Beach. The Central Florida Greenway, 417, runs along the east end of town and reaches down to near Celebration. The 429 travels from Apopka south to Kissimmee, passing the western edge of Disney World. In the tourist corridors, International Drive serves the Convention Center as well as many attractions. Highway 192 in Kissimmee, with its proximity to Disney World, is another major tourist thoroughfare. In Lake Buena Vista, Apopka-Vineland Road/535 is the main road.