Greater Orlando is a region of East Central Florida surrounding the city of Orlando. It's famous for Disney World and Universal Studios, though it's not far from Cape Canaveral in the Space Coast to the east, and therefore attracts tourists from within the U.S. but also internationally.
Cities
- 1 Apopka
- 2 Christmas
- 3 Lake Buena Vista — home to Walt Disney World
- 4 Maitland
- 5 Orlando — the largest and most important city in the region, and the location of the main airport
- 6 Winter Garden
- 7 Winter Park
- 8 Altamonte Springs
- 9 Casselberry
- 10 Lake Mary
- 11 Longwood
- 12 Oviedo
- 13 Sanford — the location of a second airport in the region
- 14 Celebration
- 15 Kissimmee
Other destinations
- 1 Walt Disney World — the location of EPCOT and other theme parks, which function like city districts of the broader Disney World
- 2 Universal Orlando — closer to central Orlando, Universal is the other major amusement park in the region
Understand
The region is the location of three counties: Orange County, the location of the city of Orlando itself; Osceola County, the suburbs to the south; and Seminole County, the suburbs in the north.
Seminole County is in the central part of Florida between Orlando to the south and Volusia County, and specifically the Sanford-Deltona-DeLand area, to the north. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the 2019 population was 472,000. Its county seat is Sanford.
Orange County is south of Seminole County; its county seat is Orlando. It is one of Florida's most populous counties with a population of approximately 1.4 million in 2019.
Osceola County is south of Orange County; its county seat is Kissimmee. Its population is the least of the three, but still substantial at 376,000 in 2019.
Get in
By car
I-4 connects West Central Florida and Daytona Beach with Orlando.
By air
1 Orlando International Airport (KMCO IATA) is the largest and most important local airport.
Get around
By train
- Sun Rail, ☏ 1-855-724-5411. M-F 5AM-11:30PM. Sun Rail is a north-south train on weekdays through Sanford, Orlando, and Kissimmee, from Poinciana at its southern end, and DeBary at its the northern end. Bus connection is provided from Orlando International Airport to the Sand Lake Road station by Links 11, 42 and 111; and from Orlando-Sanford International Airport to the Sanford station by Link 46E. $2-5 one way, with discounts for round-trip tickets, and 50% off for seniors 65 and over, and youth between the ages of 7-18.
By bus
LYNX - Public transportation by Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority. [1] With the main hub centered on Orlando, bus service provided in Osceola, Orange, and Seminole Counties. Some buses link to neighboring counties. Service to Disney World is available.
By car
I-4 goes through Orlando and is among the most important highways in the city itself. FL-44 connects New Smyrna Beach to DeLand, the latter being a city at the northern end of Greater Orlando.
State Road 60 runs east-west through the southern half of Osceola County. S.R. 60 leads from the Tampa and Brandon areas in the west through Mulberry, Bartow, and Lake Wales after which it runs for 80 mi through rural areas before reaching Vero Beach on the East coast, also intersecting with the Florida's Turnpike halfway. About 20 mi east of Lake Wales, it is reduced to two lanes with occasional passing lanes and can be a little hectic between tailgaters and slow drivers (speed limit is 60 mph, but the average is a bit higher). The 25 mi between Yeehaw Junction and Interstate 95 has little traffic and a 65 mph speed limit. This offers a lower cost alternative to travelling on the Florida Turnpike between Yeehaw Junction and South Florida.
See
The amusement parks, Universal Orlando and Disney World, are the main points of interest for travelers, though local parks and forests are also popular with some. Others use Orlando International Airport as a starting point for tourism in Central Florida.
Do
Along with the two amusement parks there is also the 1 Holy Land 
, a Christian-themed amusement park.
Eat
Sleep
Stay safe
Go next
- The Space Coast to the east is the location of the famous Cape Canaveral region.
- Lake County to the west connects Orlando to North Central Florida
- Polk County (Florida) to the southwest leads into West Central Florida
- Volusia County or the "Fun Coast" to the northeast includes some cities on the edge of Greater Orlando, including Deltona