Cheap Flights To Orlando

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Cheap Flights To Orlando

Overview
When to Go
Airport Information
Weather
Things to Do
Local Attractions
Must See Sights
Insider Tips
Getting Around

Overview

To people from Nairobi to Nagoya, "Orlando" means just one thing - the greatest collection of attractions on Earth.

Fifty million people a year visit here. You'll hear them, speaking French, Norwegian, Japanese, Spanish, Russian, and a hundred other languages in the parks; at the 4,500 restaurants in the area; and in the hundreds of hotels (most of them surprisingly reasonable).

Disney World, Universal Studios, and Sea World are what draw them here, of course. But there are also hundreds of delightful surprises they find once they get here, ranging from jousting at medieval-themed restaurants to water parks to ghost tours.

Florida's one of America's great natural playgrounds and Orlando is convenient to everything. The Everglades, America's only tropical jungle, is to the south. The hilly horse country of Ocala is to the north, along with the Ocala National Forest, with its natural springs and secluded coves. The ocean's to the east, and the Gulf of Mexico to the west. And the Orlando region has hundreds of lakes. As a result, visitors have an incredible variety of recreational options, including golf, tennis, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, surfing, wind-surfing, rowing, sailing, biking, hiking, airboat rides, para-sailing, wind-sailing, dune-buggying, horseback-riding among others.

In addition to the world-class attractions that everyone talks about, there's a real city here, with a historic district, major universities, great restaurants and shopping, museums, and unusual attractions.

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When to Go

High Season
High Season in Orlando is during the summer, the week before Easter, and the week between Christmas and New Year's. This is when the demand is highest for airline seats; and, as a result, the prices are, too.

Best Time to Go
Fall is probably the best time to go. The crowds are lighter. The weather's cooler. And the airlines offer the best prices, including a number of cheap deals.

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Airport Information

Orlando International Airport (MCO)
Distance: 9 miles SE of downtown Orlando
Driving Time: 20 minutes

Distance to Sea World: 15 miles
Distance to Disney World and Universal Studios: 20 miles

Average airfare into Orlando International Airport (MCO) is about $200 from Chicago or New York City, and around $325 from San Francisco. Of course, travelers who shop carefully for cheap flights to Orlando can expect to find much cheaper rates.

Alternative Airports
Tampa (TPL) : 90 miles from downtown Orlando
Daytona Beach (DAB): 70 miles from downtown Orlando

The airport web site, www.orlandoairports.net, provides comprehensive information on getting from the airport to downtown or to the parks. In addition, there's information on trains, buses, taxis, cars for hire, or rental cars, along with road-construction, accidents, etc.

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Weather

Summers are hot here; and it can rain in the afternoon. However, the rain doesn't often last long. From October to May, on the other hand, this area has some of the best weather in the country - sunny days with blue skies; and cool, clear nights.

If you're heading for the attractions in summer, it's recommended that you bring along a small umbrella and some sunscreen. In the fall and winter, it's a good idea to carry a light jacket, especially in the evenings.

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Things to Do

Visitors are often surprised to find the diversity of attractions in addition to the famous parks.

Wallaby Ranch, open since 1991, calls itself the first hang-gliding flight park in the world; they're happy to provide instruction for beginners.

WonderWorks, an upside-down house on International Drive, the family can enjoy a truly interactive experience, in which you can experience hurricane-force winds or lay on a bed of nails.

Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, in Winter Park, has the world's largest collection of Tiffany Glass.

There are eight full-service spa resorts in the area, in addition to 176 golf courses, designed by people like Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.

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Local Attractions

Orange County Regional History Center - Long before there was a Disney World (1972), there was an Orlando. This region's history comes alive at the Orange County Regional History Center, a downtown museum that documents the area's roots, and subsequent growth into an international destination.

Fantasy of Flight boasts one of the world's greatest collections of vintage airplanes - many of which have been restored to their original condition. Visitors can experience flight simulators, and even a wind-tunnel. And children will love the Green Meadows Petting Farm, where they can wander amongst all sorts of animals.

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Must See Sights

No visit to Florida is complete without seeing some alligators, and the best place to see them in Central Florida is at Gatorland.

At the opposite end of the entertainment spectrum is the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil, with its incredible "La Nouba" show at Downtown Disney. About an hour south of Orlando is the northern fringe of the Everglades, with species of birds and animals found nowhere else in the country.

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Insider Tips

The Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau has a very useful website: www.visitorlando.com. It has everything you need to know about where to stay, where to eat, what to see, where to shop, etc., along with coupons and discounts.

About thirty miles north of Orlando is the quaint town of Mount Dora, filled with lovingly-restored Victorian buildings from the 1890's, along with interesting antiques- and crafts shops and bed-and-breakfasts.

Also north of town is beautiful Wekiwa Springs State Park, with springs that remain at 72-degrees all year long, even in the hottest weather. Here, you can canoe on the Wekiva River, past old Indian burial mounds and ceremonial sites. Or you can use the thirteen miles of forest trails for hiking, biking, or horseback riding.

There's a "Cultural Corridor" running from downtown Orlando to the town of Winter Park, eight miles away, with museums, galleries, and performing arts centers.

Orlando was recently named the fourth-most-popular shopping district in the country by shopamerica.org. The Millennium Mall is filled with beautiful shops and restaurants.

This region's also an emerging dining destination. There are many celebrity-chef restaurants, among them Cat Cora's "Kouzzina" (Mediterranean cuisine), and Norman Van Aken's "Norman's," at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando (New World Cuisine).

In the midst of the downtown bustle lies a spot for quiet contemplation, the Henry P. Leu Gardens, with the largest collection of camellias in the Southeast.

Getting Around

Because most people who visit this area head for the parks rather than downtown - and because the area's so spread-out - many visitors prefer to rent a car. Many hotels, however, do offer shuttle service to the various parks; it's best to check with your hotel first. All of the hotels in the Disney parks offer shuttle service, or monorail service.

Traffic on major roads such as International Drive can be heavy at times, although it generally keeps moving. I-4, which runs from Orlando to Tampa, can be crowded at rush-hour, although it's rarely stop-and-go.

If you're heading to the parks, it's best to go early; most open at ten.

Orlando's downtown bus system, called LYMMO, is not only free, but also rated among the best in the U.S. For information on Orange County's LYNX mass-transit system, go to www.golynx.com. And the I-Ride trolley provides free transportation up and down International Drive, stopping at major hotels and shopping malls, as well as Sea World.

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