Save Hollywood sightseeing for the day you at Universal, they are practically side by side. Hollywood takes no time at all to see, so it makes for a good combination day.

Can't tell you how long you'll spend at a theme park, for me, I'd run through there as fast as I could. For others, they go back a second day. Plan on a full day, but combining with Hollywood is easy, and recommended.

Beverly Hills day, also visit The Grove/Farmers Market. Try to visit the Getty and/or LACMA.

You could go to Citywalk next door which is not really of interest for us locals but tourists love it. Saddleranch is a fun restaurant where you can also do some bullriding, so that would be a fun place for dinner after an exhausting day at the park

If I take your posting literally, you say: "We want to take in the whole park". If that is the case, then count on it taking the whole day.

There are 15 rides, shows and attractions including the studio tour which takes about an hour. If it were me, I'd study this map thoroughly:

universalstudioshollywood.com/pdf/parkmap.pdf

decide, in advance, which attractions really interest you. Keep in mind that the shows only run at certain times of the day. Unless you are TOTALLY committed to seeing every attraction there, most people are pretty happy with 4-1/2 to 5 hours. Also keep in mind that Universal is in an area of L.A. that gets HOT in the afternoon. So, drink plenty of water, wear a light-colored hat and wear sunglasses and sunscreen lotion. If, at any time, the top of your head feels warm when you touch it, you need to find some shade ASAP. Our climate is NOT HUMID so it's hard to tell when it's really HOT.

Have fun!

When you say the whole park, do you mean every single nook and cranny, or just most of it? If just most of it, 6-7 hours will be adequate. No need to spend the entire day there.

You can swing by Citywalk afterwards, but it's not a destination for many locals (except maybe those teenager sorts). Like Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, however, tourists seem to love it.

A better alternative to Citywalk IMO is to visit Hollywood afterwards. Hollywood isn't huge, so you can do Universal Studios and Hollywood in one day (assuming only 6-7 hours at the park).

If you move your Hollywood visit by a day, then you'll have more time to enjoy Santa Monica, the beaches, Beverly Hills (if that's your sort of thing), and the Getty Center. Don't forget the Getty!

^ I would agree, you can do Universal and Hollywood at the same day. It will be a long day but you save yourself some time to maybe actually go to the beach and relax ;-)

Great, thanks for the advice! I think will do hollywood on the second day then.

Really helpful posts - Thanks again!

If you do Hollywood on a second day, make sure to also include Griffith Park and the Observatory in it. It is a great experience and especially after sunset, the views are nothing short of spectacular.

There are great restaurants in the area/ From fun and checp to upscale. I am sure we can recomend you some great places, just let us know what you fancy