Information if you want to rent a car in Orlando
|
Distance from Orlando city centre |
||
| 5 km | ||
| 14 km | ||
| 28 km | ||
| 30 km | ||
Car rental in Orlando
Where to rent a car in Orlando
Who’s up for a trip to Disney World? But there’s plenty more to Orlando than Mickey Mouse and his friends. A rental car is essential when visiting Orlando, since many of the attractions are spread out and connections by public transportation aren’t that great.
The easiest place to get a rental is at the airport, as soon as you touch down from your flight. There are dozens of car rentals at both Orlando Sanford International Airport and at Orlando International Airport. If you don’t pick up your car rental from the airport, you’ll find car hire companies downtown. Rent A Wreck is located off 408 and S Orange Blossom Trail and National Car Rental is on E South Street. Enterprise is on E Colonial Drive and Hertz is located at the Orlando train station.
Driving in Orlando: what you need to know
The theme parks are some of the city’s biggest attractions but parking is far from free. At Universal Studios, it costs $15/day per vehicle. There is $3 parking in the evenings, between 6pm and 10pm. At Walt Disney World, it costs $12/day per vehicle.
In Orlando, there is plenty of parking lots and on street parking, especially near the Amway Center. Budget at least $15/day to park using a municipal parking lot and $1/hour for street parking. There’s usually a maximum to how many hours you can park on the street however, so it’s ideal if your hotel also has a place where you can park during the day and at night when you’re not using your rental car.
Road trips from Orlando: what to see and do
Nearby beaches
Florida is remarkably small, making it an easy state to get around. From Orlando you have the coast on both sides of you, so beaches along the coast are only a stone’s throw away. St. Petersburg Beach and Clearwater Beach are some of the most popular beaches near Tampa. Clearwater is one of the best beaches in Florida, with amazing swimming. It’s a 2-hour drive from Orlando via the I-4. St. Petersburg is just south of Tampa with beautiful beaches on Tampa Bay.
Tampa
Tampa is 80 miles away from Orlando and makes a great side-trip while you’re on vacation in Orlando. Busch Gardens is one of the city’s most popular attractions, featuring a zoo as well as roller coasters, thrill rides and more. There are more than 2,700 animals here, making Busch Gardens one of the world’s biggest zoological institutions in the country and the world. Lowry Park Zoo and the Florida Aquarium are also top attractions here.
Kennedy Space Center
Whether your kids want to be astronauts when they grow up or you wanted to be one when you were little, the Kennedy Space Center is a must-visit attraction while you’re in Orlando. It’s only an hour away by car and makes the perfect day trip. Try the weightlessness simulator or see a real rocket ship take off! There’s plenty of hands-on fun here, so arrive early and stay late.
