A full day at Universal Studios Hollywood in July 2025, the first stop on a long weekend in Southern California. We stayed at the Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City, right next to the park, and kicked things off the night before with the king crab and lobster buffet at Café Sierra (now called MERiNE).
The Studio Tour
The Studio Tour is still the heart of the park: a tram ride through the working backlot, past the famous view over the San Fernando Valley, classic town-square and seaside village sets, a line-up of picture cars from the Fast & Furious and Transformers films, and the huge plane-crash set from War of the Worlds.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Up on the hill, Hogwarts castle towers over Hogsmeade. The walk through the castle – past the moving portraits and into the headmaster’s office – is half the fun of the Forbidden Journey ride.
Springfield
Springfield brings The Simpsons to life, from Moe’s Tavern and the nuclear plant’s cooling towers to Dr. Nick’s.
Super Nintendo World
Super Nintendo World was the highlight: you step through a green warp pipe into a bright, noisy Mushroom Kingdom, with Bowser’s Castle looming over it all and detail packed into every corner.
That evening we headed out for tiki drinks at Kahuna Tiki in LA. The next day was all Disney – see a day at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.
Tips if you go: staying at the Hilton or another Universal City hotel means you can walk or take a short shuttle to the gates. Super Nintendo World can need a timed entry pass on busy days, so check the app when you arrive, and do the Studio Tour early before the line builds.