Getting In, Getting Around Orlando

Those traveling by air can enter via Orlando International Airport. Orlando-Sanford International Airport is located north of the city in Sanford, and mainly caters to charter flights from Europe as well as regional carriers. Other International air options are Daytona Beach International Airport to the northeast, Tampa International Airport to the southwest, and Melbourne International Airport to the southeast. Flights enter Orlando International Airport from all over the United States, but travelers coming from international destinations will likely have to fly into Miami or Atlanta before transferring onto a domestic airline.

Orlando is the largest rental car market in the world and is known as capital of car rental companies, with all major car rental companies easily accessible from the airport. All major car rental companies are located inside the Orlando airport or nearby.

Visitors arriving by Greyhound can go south on SR 423 to Interstate 4 to get to the major Attractions

Shuttle Services run from the airport to various points, including Kissimmee, theme parks, University of Central Florida, and the cruise port at Port Canaveral.

Orlando has an Amtrak station that provides service to Miami or points north up to New York via the Silver Star and Silver Meteor lines. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, Orlando served as the eastern terminus for the coast to coast Sunset Limited that provided service to Los Angeles via Jacksonville, New Orleans, and San Antonio. Due to extensive track & bridge damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, the Sunset Limited is not currently operating east of New Orleans and the timetable for repair is several years away. In nearby Sanford, the southern Terminus of the Amtrak Auto Train carries passengers and automobiles between Sanford and Lorton, Virginia, effectively serving as a car-rail link from Orlando to the Washington, DC Metro Area.


I-Ride Trolley primarily serves tourists in the attractions area along International and Universal Drive. While the service is advertised as a trolley, the trolleys are in fact modified buses and there is no dedicated traffic lane for the service; heavy traffic with many stops makes for a very slow ride. There are 85 stops along the main route on International Drive and 22 stops on the route that serves Universal Drive. The fare is $1 per ride. Per-day and multi-day bus passes are available from many locations.

Lymmo Bus free service operates frequently in a circuit in Downtown Orlando, from City Hall to the Centroplex and back. The Lymmo has a dedicated lane and stations with streetcar type control signals and modified buses that allow passengers to enter the bus without climbing.

The car is still king in Orlando, and it is a very easy and convenient (if not congested) way to get to your destination. The roads are all wide and easy to drive on with all the major areas signposted, but traffic jams around downtown are common in the afternoons, and around the tourists areas on Saturday nights.

Orlando's public transportation is the Lynx bus service. Approximately 60 routes serve the metro Orlando area and costs $1.50 per ride (transfers included) except for the Lymmo bus service as noted above.