Where to stay near Universal Studios Hollywood: the 4 areas to know in 2026
Universal Studios Hollywood is not a resort dropped into the countryside: it is a park clinging to a hillside in the middle of Los Angeles, with working film studios below it, an open-air shopping street in front of the gate and two chain hotels at its feet. All around lies the San Fernando Valley, then Hollywood on the far side of the hills.
And there is one thing to know before picking a room: sleeping next to the park buys you no head start here. The nearby hotels give neither early entry nor skip-the-line access, unlike what is done in Florida; their only perk is the free shuttle. What proximity buys is the morning journey, and in Los Angeles that journey is paid for twice, in traffic and in parking. Hence the real question on this page: how do you intend to reach the gate? This guide sorts the places to stay into 4 areas, from the foot of the park to the metro station that reaches it in four minutes.
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The two ways to stay near Universal Studios Hollywood
The choice comes down to how you will reach the gate, and to what you will do with the evening. Here is what each option brings.
| What changes | At the foot of the park | In the valley, in Burbank or in Hollywood |
|---|---|---|
| The morning | On foot or by shuttle, without a car | Hotel shuttle, metro, or car and parking |
| Advantages inside the park | None: neither early entry nor skip-the-line | None either: nothing hangs on the hotel |
| Parking | Pointless if you are not renting a car | $40* a day before 5 p.m., unless shuttle or metro |
| The evening | The shopping street in front of the gate | Ventura Boulevard, central Burbank or Hollywood |
| The price of the room | The highest in the area, pegged to the park's season | From the plain valley hotel to the address with character |
| Without a car | Workable from end to end | Workable on the B Line, difficult elsewhere |
| The rest of the stay | The studios and the hill | The valley, the other studios, or all of Los Angeles |
| Who it suits | One or two days at the park, and nothing else | A stay in Los Angeles of which the park is one day |
How long to the entrance, area by area?
The distances are road distances, and in Los Angeles they say little: what decides is how you travel, not the mileage.
| From | Time | How |
|---|---|---|
| At the foot of the park, in Universal City | on site | on foot or by shuttle A 5-minute walk from the Hilton, a shuttle every 5 to 10 minutes from the Sheraton. |
| Studio City and the valley, along Ventura Boulevard | 3.5 km | hotel shuttle or car Two of the three addresses listed run their own free shuttle. |
| Burbank, on the studio and airport side | 6.4 km | car About 12 minutes outside rush hour; no hotel shuttle on this side. |
| Hollywood, four minutes away by metro | 4 min by metro | B Line, then shuttle A train every 15 minutes, then the park's free shuttle every 10 to 15 minutes. |
At a glance: our picks by traveller type
Pick the profile that fits you and go straight to the recommended area.
Map of the areas near Universal Studios Hollywood
See how the areas sit relative to one another before choosing your base. Click a name to jump to its description.
At the foot of the park, in Universal City Two chain hotels, the gate within walking or shuttle distance
Those who want to be there at opening without driving or paying for parking
The park occupies the top of a hill, and two large hotels stand at the bottom, between the shopping street and the studios. One is reached on foot in 5 minutes, the other sends a shuttle every 5 to 10 minutes. That is all they give, and it needs saying plainly: no early entry, no reserved line, no advantage inside the park. What they do remove is the morning car, the $40* of parking and the quarter of an hour of traffic that decides whether you walk through the gate at opening, which is the only thing that really changes a day here.
The lines are long, but if you arrive at opening time, it is possible to do almost everything.
Where to stay in this area
Hilton Los Angeles-Universal City Luxury
A tower facing the gate, the entrance reached after a 5-minute walk: it is the position that dominates its reviews, rated well above everything else. The rooms and the food divide opinion more, but nobody argues with the location.
Sheraton Universal Mid-range
The other address on the hill, beside the studios, with a shuttle running every 5 to 10 minutes. Same logic as its neighbour, comparable score, and a pool that families mention a great deal in their reviews.
Pros
- The gate on foot or by shuttle, with no car and no parking
- The shopping street and its restaurants in front of the door
- The metro station at the bottom of the hill
Cons
- No early entry, no skip-the-line: proximity and nothing else
- High-season rates that follow the park's own
Studio City and the valley, along Ventura Boulevard 3.5 kilometres away, with hotel shuttles and the valley's restaurants
Those who want dinner somewhere other than the shopping street, and a lower bill
Past the motorway the San Fernando Valley opens up, crossed for kilometres by Ventura Boulevard with its restaurants, its cafés and its shops, used by the people who work in the nearby studios. Rates here drop below those of the hill, for addresses that are often more pleasant, and several run their own free shuttle to the gate. For several nights it is the best-balanced compromise on this page: you keep the ease of the morning and you get a real neighbourhood in the evening, which the park, being closed, cannot offer.
Where to stay in this area
The Garland Luxury
An old studio motel turned garden address, and nobody is rated better in this area, with its free shuttle to the park. The reviews talk about the quiet, the bungalows and the pool as much as about the position.
Sportsmen's Lodge Hotel Mid-range
The institution of Ventura Boulevard, with a large pool, private patios and its own free shuttle to the gate. The score is the lowest in our selection, and the reviews take aim at upkeep rather than location.
Nox Hotel - Studio City Budget
The entry-level address in the valley, for anyone who would rather put the budget into tickets than into the room. Count on a car or the bus: there is no shuttle here.
Pros
- Rates clearly below those at the foot of the park
- The restaurants and cafés of Ventura Boulevard in the evening
- Several hotels with their own shuttle to the gate
Cons
- A hotel shuttle to check before booking, not all of them have one
- Beyond the boulevard, nothing within walking distance
Burbank, on the studio and airport side 6.4 kilometres by road, and the closest airport to the park
Those whose flight lands here, or who follow on with the other studios
Burbank is the studio town: Warner Bros, Disney and a few others have their stages here, and its airport, far smaller than the one in Los Angeles, is about 16 minutes by car from the park. It is a real suburban town, with a walkable centre, its hotel chains and calmer rates. The park is 6.4 kilometres away, a dozen minutes by car outside rush hour. The catch is simple: no hotel here runs a shuttle, so you need a car and the park's parking, or a ride down to the metro station.
Where to stay in this area
Hotel Amarano Burbank-Hollywood Luxury
The best score in Burbank in our survey, a step away from the studios, with a location the reviews judge close to perfect. No shuttle to the park: this is a town address, not an annexe of the park.
Hilton Garden Inn Burbank Los Angeles Mid-range
The no-surprise choice in central Burbank, well rated for its position and its comfort, minutes from the pedestrian restaurants. Handy for a short stay tied to the airport.
Pros
- The closest airport, about 16 minutes from the park
- The other film studios and a town centre to walk around
- The price of the room, well below that of the hill
Cons
- No hotel shuttle to the gate
- A car and parking, or a detour via the metro station
Hollywood, four minutes away by metro Past the hills, but served by the same metro line
Those drawn by Los Angeles first, for whom the park will be one day
Between the park and Hollywood there are hills, a pass and, at rush hour, memorable traffic. There is above all the metro's B Line, which links Hollywood/Highland to the park's station in 4 minutes, with a train every 15 minutes, and a free shuttle that then climbs to the gate. Nowhere else on this page can you sleep in Los Angeles, go out in the evening and reach the park without a car. The city itself is told somewhere other than on a page about hotels: its own guide says more than five lines ever could.
Stay in the city
Where to stay in Los Angeles
Los Angeles has its own guide: neighbourhoods, prices, our recommended hotels.
Pros
- Four minutes of metro, then the park's free shuttle
- A whole city in the evening, instead of a shopping street
- All the rest of Los Angeles within reach of the same line
Cons
- The hills and their traffic as soon as you take the car
- Rates that rise with the neighbourhood's reputation
Our tips for booking the right place
- Parking costs more than you would think: Parking at the park comes to $40* before 5 p.m., and only $10* after, which says plainly what you are paying for: the day, not the space. Preferred parking starts at $60* and the one that touches the gate rises to $80*. For a family coming two days, the sum changes the choice of hotel: a free shuttle or a metro station is worth a night's difference. The workaround regulars know is the park-and-ride at North Hollywood, at $3* a day, followed by one metro stop.
- Arriving at opening beats any skip-the-line ticket: The park is small compared with its Florida cousins, which makes the hour of arrival decisive: one of our members describes waits of 5 to 20 minutes everywhere, on a Monday in October, except in the Mario area; another watched some lines climb to 2 hours. Between those two days nothing changes but the day chosen, the season, and the moment you pass the gate. Sleeping on site or on the B Line puts that first hour within reach without getting up in the middle of the night.
- The studio tour is not an attraction like the others: The guided tram tour, about an hour long, crosses working sound stages and is the only part of the park genuinely devoted to cinema; all three of our members mention it, and two of them say not to miss it on any account. It cannot be booked: it is taken early, while the line is short, which is one more reason to aim for the first hour, and therefore for a room you leave without taking the wheel.
- A distant room chosen for its price, without a look at the B Line or at the shuttles: in Los Angeles, what you save on the night goes back out in parking and traffic.
- Turning up at the gate mid-morning on a holiday weekend: the lines are then at their longest.
- Counting on a hotel perk to get in earlier: there is none here, unlike at Universal Orlando.
FAQ: where to stay near Universal Studios Hollywood
Do the nearby hotels give early entry?
Can you come without a car?
How much does parking cost?
Is one day enough?
Universal City or the valley?
Better to sleep here or in Los Angeles?
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