Where to stay in Orlando? The best areas for families

Where to stay in Orlando? The answer depends above all on whether you have a rental car and which parks you want to visit. So here we compare the areas we looked at ourselves – with location, noise and prices.

First the car, then the area

Location is decided less by the miles to the parks than by whether you have a car. Orlando is a city without a real centre. Parks, supermarkets and restaurants are far apart, and without a car you depend on shuttles, taxis and ride-hailing.

In Florida we drove a big pick-up/SUV, booked through Discover Cars for about $70 a day with full cover (as of 2026). Forty minutes to the supermarket is normal in Florida. With a car you can therefore choose cheaper accommodation a bit further out. Without a car, you pay for being close to the parks.

If you use toll roads, have the rental company activate SunPass. Otherwise the penalties arrive by post later.

The areas compared

Times are rough driving times without traffic; prices are guide values per night for a family room or apartment (as of 2026). They vary a lot by season, day of the week and amenities. Always check the final price including fees.

Kissimmee: the best price-to-space ratio

South of the parks there are thousands of vacation homes and apartments, often with a pool, a full kitchen and several bedrooms. For a family with kids this is usually the best deal, especially from about four nights. The downside: nothing works here without a car, and the main roads are slow and featureless. Make sure the resort isn’t right on the big highway. Driving time to the parks depends heavily on morning traffic.

Lake Buena Vista: short distances, higher prices

Many hotels and apartment complexes are right next to the Disney parks here. You save time in the morning, and the first hour after opening is the most valuable. In return you pay a premium for the location. Check whether a resort or parking fee is added to the room rate.

International Drive: practical but loud

Ferris wheel, souvenir shops, fast food, constant traffic. International Drive is the most touristy area in the city. It is practical for a short stay, especially with Universal on the itinerary, because there is a wide range of hotels and plenty of restaurants within walking distance. It is less suited to relaxing with kids. When booking, ask for a room facing away from the road.

Disney and Universal resorts: convenient, not automatically better

Staying right at the resort saves you parking and driving and makes it easier to get back to your room for a midday break. That helps in summer, when you have to take the heat seriously. The perks for resort guests, such as early park entry or transport, change regularly according to the operators. Read the current conditions on the official website and work out whether they are worth the extra cost. The cheaper resort categories are usually perfectly fine for families.

Winter Park and Downtown: Orlando away from the parks

Winter Park has tree-lined avenues, lakes, cafés and small shops. It is much quieter and better suited to couples or families with teenagers. For a park day, though, expect a drive of about 25–40 minutes. As a base for a week of nothing but parks it is impractical, but as an addition for a few days it is lovely.

On hotel booking sites you can filter the areas directly by location, pool, breakfast and free cancellation:

Hotel or Airbnb? Our experience

On our Florida trip we stayed in Airbnb apartments with kitchens. For three weeks with the whole family we paid about $2,800 for all accommodation together – Miami, Orlando and the Gulf Coast. With your own kitchen you save about half on food. In the end our food costs came to about $1,200, and drinks in the parks cost $5 each. If you refill water bottles, which is free everywhere, and make breakfast and dinner yourself, you’ll notice it in your budget.

A hotel is the better choice if you only stay two to four nights, want a breakfast buffet or are travelling without a car. An apartment pays off as soon as there are three or four of you, the kids need to go to bed early or you stay longer.

What to look for in an Orlando Airbnb

• Pool: an afternoon pool is almost essential in summer. We arrived at the parks early and stayed until about 1 pm, then went to the pool. Without shade and a way to cool off, it doesn’t work. Ask whether the pool is heated or covered and whether it is private or shared.
• Air conditioning: search the reviews for it specifically. At 35 °C it matters more than any design.
• Final price: cleaning, service and resort fees can push the price up considerably. Always compare the total for all nights.
• Supermarket: check on the map how far it is to the nearest shop. A kitchen doesn’t help much if every shopping trip takes 40 minutes.
• House rules: quiet hours, maximum occupancy, parking and pet rules. Dogs are generally only allowed in the parks as service animals – check with the parks beforehand whether there are care options.
• Location within the resort: an apartment right next to the playground or pool is handy during the day but loud in the evening.

How much accommodation adds up to in the total budget

These were our costs for three weeks in Florida with the family (as of 2026, rounded):

So accommodation is the biggest single item, but not the only one where you can save. An apartment with a kitchen also brings down food costs. That often saves more than one night less in a hotel.

Typical mistakes when choosing accommodation

• Booking too close to International Drive without thinking about the noise. If you want to sleep well, check where your room is within the hotel.
• Comparing only the room rate. Resort, parking and cleaning fees decide in the end.
• Booking too far out. An hour’s drive to the park in the morning eats up the most valuable time. The first hour after opening is worth more than three hours in the afternoon.
• Planning without a pool. After mornings in the park, kids need a break in summer, and the room alone is rarely enough.
• Buying park tickets too late. Buy them online and in advance. A Park Hopper only pays off for long stays.
• Buying souvenirs in the park. Figures there cost from about $60. Look at the display cases and rather buy nothing, or buy elsewhere.

The one tip: skip the high season

We were there in June. It works with kids if you take the heat seriously: into the park early, pool at midday, out again in the evening. Still, we wouldn’t plan it that way again. June and July are hurricane season, with thunderstorms almost every afternoon and about 35 °C. In October or March you get the same parks at roughly half the price and with much less rain. The same applies to accommodation, which is often noticeably cheaper in the off-season. Before you book, check the current US school holidays and public holidays, because individual weeks can still be expensive.

The beach isn’t part of Orlando

Orlando is inland. For the beach you need a one- to two-hour drive or a second base. Before Orlando we were in Miami Beach and stayed in Bal Harbour/Surfside: quieter than South Beach, the same beach, almost empty in the morning. If you want to combine parks and sea, plan two places to stay rather than a day trip.

Keep insurance and hospitals in mind

Hardly anyone thinks about it when choosing accommodation, but it is worth it: note down where the nearest hospital is before you arrive. In the middle of our stay in Orlando, a family member travelling with us had problems with her leg. A hospital in the US can be extremely expensive without insurance – one night can run to five figures. We had HanseMerkur, a German travel insurer. We called the hotline, gave the name of the clinic, and the insurer settled the bill directly with the hospital. No upfront payment, no bill. After our €4,000 emergency in Thailand without insurance, this was the difference between a nightmare and a footnote. For current entry and safety advice for the USA, check your government’s travel advice and the official US websites, including the entry formalities before you fly.

Our recommendation by type of trip

• Family, 7+ nights, rental car: Kissimmee or Lake Buena Vista, an apartment or vacation home with a pool and kitchen.
• Short trip, 3–4 nights, Universal only: a hotel near Universal or on International Drive, with a room away from the road.
• Small children, no car: resorts right at the parks, even if they are more expensive.
• Peace and atmosphere: Winter Park, driving to the parks.

How we experienced Orlando, the parks, Miami Beach and the car as a living room is in our travel story: Florida with kids – Orlando, the parks, Miami Beach and life in the car.

Frequently asked questions

Last updated: 20 Oct 2026. Prices and rules change – please check with the official sources before you travel.

Combining Orlando with the West Coast? Our experience with a camper, rental car and the cost of a week is in our Los Angeles road trip.

Where to stay in Orlando: our verdict

Our verdict on where to stay in Orlando: with a rental car and a family, Kissimmee or Lake Buena Vista are usually the more relaxed choice; without a car, International Drive. It also pays to book early, because prices rise considerably during the holidays. How our whole Florida trip went is in our Florida story; background on the city is on Wikipedia.