Hard Rock Hotel Transportation Guide (4 Options w/ pics)

Staying at Hard Rock Hotel puts you right in the middle of the action at Universal Orlando. You are incredibly close to CityWalk and multiple parks!

One perk that Hard Rock Hotel provides is offering some of the most flexible transportation options of any Universal resort.

This guide breaks down how to get where you’re going, so you can spend less time traveling and more time enjoying your vacation.

Method	Where It Goes	Approx. Time	Notes
Walking Path	CityWalk, Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure	5 minutes to the entrance of CityWalk	Scenic, clearly marked path. You’ll go through security at CityWalk before entering the parks.
Water Taxi	The boat drops you off in CityWalk, then a short walk to either park.	5-minute ride (plus wait time for water taxi)	Relaxing and avoids additional walking. Security is completed before boarding.
Shuttle Bus	Epic Universe, Volcano Bay	15 minutes to Epic and 5 minutes to Volcano Bay (plus wait times for the next bus)	Air-conditioned and complimentary.
Rideshare (Uber/Lyft)	Any where around Univeral or off-site	~15 minutes to Epic and ~5 minutes to Volcano Bay	Great if you miss a bus or need direct transport. Pick-up is at the hotel entrance.

Hard Rock Hotel to CityWalk, Islands of Adventure, and Universal Studios Florida (2 ways)

I’ve grouped these three places together because they all share the same main entrance complex. Whether you’re visiting Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, or CityWalk, the transportation options are exactly the same.

Also, one of the BEST advantages of staying at Hard Rock Hotel is its close proximity to the CityWalk area. It’s actually the closest resort! Many of our clients choose Hard Rock for the ability to go back and forth between their rooms and the park quickly and easily.

Option #1: Walk!

Yes, Hard Rock Hotel is so close that you can walk. This is my favorite way to get to the CityWalk area and theme park entrances from Hard Rock. It is only a 5-minute walk!

To start, you will need to walk out the back of the resort, through the pool area, and connect with the Garden Walkway.

You can also walk towards the water taxis and connect with the path there.

View the Garden Walkway route to CityWalk in the map below

The exact distance varies by where your room is located, but it’s normally under a quarter of a mile. You will enter CityWalk right next to the entrance of Universal Studios Florida. If you are going to Islands of Adventure, add another 5 minutes of walking, as it’s located at the other end of CityWalk.

Another amazing perk of walking is that there is a dedicated security line for hotel guests of Hard Rock (and Portofino Bay). There is rarely any line here, allowing you to skip the general security lines for everyone else who arrives through the general entrance.

Option #2: Take the water taxi!

Another fun way to get to CityWalk, Islands of Adventure, or Universal Studios is to take the complimentary water taxi. These are boats that run back and forth from the Hard Rock Hotel. You should see lots of signage around the resort pointing you in the correct direction to find them.

Below is a map of where to find the boat dock. Because the water taxis are dedicated to the guests of Hard Rock, there is rarely any sort of line.

Another perk of the water taxis is that you will go through security at the boat dock at Hard Rock (seen in the blue tents in the picture below). This means when you get dropped off at CityWalk, you can just get off and go!

Once the boat starts moving, the ride is super short and takes under 5 minutes. On average, you can expect a new water taxi to arrive approximately every 15 minutes.

You will get dropped off directly in the middle of CityWalk. You will be right next to the NBC Sports Grill restaurant. From here, it’s about a 1-minute walk to Universal Studios Florida and a 3-minute walk to Islands of Adventure.

Hard Rock Hotel to Epic Universe (2 ways)

Epic Universe is located approximately 4 miles away from the main CityWalk area that we just discussed. Because of this distance, you can’t walk or take a water taxi to Epic Universe.

Option #1: Take the complimentary shuttle bus!

The only way that Universal provides to get to Epic Universe is to take the shuttle buses. While at Hard Rock Hotel, you need to find the bus stop, which is easy to locate. Just follow the signs while in the lobby and around the resort.

Once you arrive at the bus stop, sit down on the covered benches and relax until the next shuttle gets there. Universal tries to have a bus get there every 15 minutes, although the schedule can change depending on the time of day and demand.

Once the bus leaves Hard Rock, it’s about a 15-minute drive to Epic Universe. You will get dropped off at a large drop-off area at Epic. From here, you will walk through security and enter the park!

The buses start running about an hour before park opening (including Early Park Admission) and continue until around an hour after Epic closes.

Option #2: Use a Rideshare/Taxi

A great place to have Uber or Lyft pick you up is outside the Hard Rock lobby.

I think using a rideshare service from Hard Rock to Epic, like Uber or Lyft, can save time, especially if you just missed a bus or there is a long line at the bus stop. The actual ride is usually shorter in a rideshare because they can go faster and maneuver better than a giant motorcoach bus.

There are always plenty of drivers in the area, and we typically only wait a few minutes to get picked up and be on our way.

The rides from Hard Rock Hotel around Universal Orlando are typically under $15 one-way (Pricing is subject to change based on dates and availability).

Sometimes it’s really nice not having to wait for a bus, or be crammed inside with lots of other people!

Hard Rock Hotel to Volcano Bay

The main way to get to Volcano Bay water park is to take the provided resort shuttles that Universal provides at Hard Rock.

As far as the frequency of buses, you should talk to the front desk at Hard Rock upon arrival. I have found it can change depending on the time of year and the current demand for the park.

Taking an Uber or Lyft is also a convenient option for getting to Volcano Bay. Just make sure you are completely dry before the return ride!

I sometimes get the question of whether you can walk from the Hard Rock Hotel to Volcano Bay. Technically, it is possible to do this, but I would not recommend it unless you are ready for a long walk.

The walking distance is about 1.5 miles and takes about 35 minutes. You would walk on the Garden Walkway to CityWalk, then go from CityWalk to Sapphire Falls Resort, then walk through this resort past Aventura Hotel to the walkway that leads to Volcano Bay.