Anaheim & Buena Park Travelers Recommend

Los Angeles, a glamorous world of activities and attractions, lies just outside the front gates of Disneyland. Using Anaheim as a base, you can check out Universal Studios, explore Hollywood, or discover Beverly Hills. Here are some half- and full-day tour options for visiting LA from Anaheim.

Half-Day Tours

If you’re short on time, consider a half-day excursion to Los Angeles, offering the perfect blend of convenience and fun. Among your options are a fun-filled self-guided bike tour of Beverly Hills highlights like Rodeo Drive and local movie stars’ homes, or a horseback riding adventure that travels up to the iconic Hollywood Sign.

Full-Day Tours

Myriad full-day tours can whisk you from Anaheim to Los Angeles, packing in the sights and sea along the way. One popular choice is an LA city tour, which includes stops in hotspots like Venice Beach, Santa Monica, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Another great full-day excursion is a visit to Universal Studios, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how movies are made plus access to a variety of world-class theme park rides.

Things to Know

• Anaheim is located approximately 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Los Angeles

• Transportation typically takes about an hour each way, though timing depends on traffic

• If you’re going to be outside, make sure to bring sun protection like a hat, sunscreen, and water

• Southern California is known for cool, sometimes foggy mornings, hot afternoons, and chilly temperatures after the sun goes down, so dress in layers

Fasten your seatbelt and keep your hands inside the carriage as we take a three-day whirl around some of the world’s greatest theme parks.

Day 1: Knott’s Berry Farm

Kick start your heart at Knott’s Berry Farm, with adrenaline-pumping rides like Silver Bullet and Supreme Scream. And get a mini-tour of Southern California thrown in, with themed areas like Ghost Towns and Indian Trails. Cool off across the road at Knott’s Soak City, inspired by 1950’s surfing culture, then in the evening go much further back in history at the Medieval Times Dinner, where jousting, sorcery, and swordplay are all on the menu.

Day 2: Further Afield

Daytime comes down to an either/or decision. If you’re entertaining younger kids, head south to seaside Carlsbad and Legoland California, where the fun builds up brick-by-brick. Even toddlers will feel like giants walking through the amazingly detailed city scenes, and with over 40 twisting, turning rides this is pint-sized paradise. On the other hand, for more grown-up thrills there’s Six Flags Magic Mountain, north of Los Angeles, home of Riddler's Revenge, the world’s tallest and fastest stand-up roller coaster. At night, all ages can enjoy the interactive Pirate’s Dinner Adventure with its amazing indoor lagoon and a show where no buckle goes unswashed.

Day 3: Disneyland® Resort

Oh, and you may perhaps be interested in something called Disneyland® Resort? Today is all about the world’s most visited theme park, which has been delighting the young and the young at heart since 1955. Who could fail to get excited walking up Main Street, U.S.A. with the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walk-Through up ahead, as instantly recognizable as the White House. From there the hardest decision will be which “land” to visit first: go back to the future in Tomorrowland®, tour the world of the imagination at Fantasyland® or see our very own world as never before in Adventureland®.

Orange County is the stuff California dreams are made of, with idyllic coastal towns, beaches, surf breaks, and expansive Pacific views stretching from Huntington Beach to Dana Point. A day trip from Anaheim provides a break from the inland heat and theme-park crowds. Here are your options for touring Orange County from Anaheim.

Highlights

• The Orange County towns of Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, and Laguna Beach are typically less crowded than Los Angeles beach towns such as Santa Monica and Venice.

• Both half-day and full-day tours are available to suit your schedule.

• Book a private tour tailored to your interests, such as shopping at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, admiring art in Laguna Beach, or visiting Mission San Juan Capistrano.

• Get out on the water with a whale-watching cruise or ferry ride to Balboa Island.

One of the biggest concentrations of theme parks in the United States is found in and around Anaheim. To help you decide which parks are the best for you and your family, we’ve rounded up the top destinations.

Disneyland® Park

The queen bee of Southern California’s theme parks, Walt Disney’s original attraction in Anaheim is known for its themed lands, including Fantasyland, Tomorrowland® Area, and Main Street, U.S.A., where you’ll find legendary rides like Space Mountain and Dumbo the Flying Elephant®.

Disney California Adventure® Park

Disneyland® Park's modern sister theme park is located right next door. It features thrill rides and attractions based on Disney and Pixar characters from the Little Mermaid to Toy Story to Guardians of the Galaxy.

Universal Studios Hollywood

Movie magic awaits at this combo studio, theme park, and entertainment complex where you can get an insider look at how movies and TV shows are made, plus enjoy rides themed around the Harry Potter films, Jurassic Park, and other blockbusters.

Knott’s Berry Farm

Don’t let the name fool you—what was once a berry farm is now a major amusement park with roller coasters, family rides, Wild West shows, and entertainment featuring Snoopy and other Peanuts characters.

Knott’s Soak City

The Knott’s Berry Farm water park, located adjacent to the amusement park, provides plenty of ways to cool off, with twisting waterslides, drop slides, a wave pool, and a lazy river.

SeaWorld San Diego

Part amusement park and part aquarium, SeaWorld features roller coasters and family rides but is better known for its animal shows, where you can learn about dolphins and sea lions while watching them perform tricks.

Six Flags Magic Mountain

This classic amusement park north of LA boasts more than a dozen roller coasters and other thrill rides, including some of the world’s tallest and fastest, with nods to Batman, Superman, and Justice League characters.

Legoland California

North of San Diego, kid-focused Legoland is home to family rides and activities themed around everyone’s favorite building blocks. It also features a water park.

Adventure City

Located in Anaheim, this amusement park is one of the smallest in the area, with rides and attractions that come with much shorter lines than the bigger parks.