Skip to content
Downtown Orlando towers behind Lake Eola, with a rainbow-coloured bandshell on the far shore, a swan on the water and a cloudy sky reflected in the lake

Where to stay in Orlando

Photo: Benoît Prieur, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Orlando

Add your dates above to compare prices for your stay.

About Orlando

Orlando's places to stay run from Winter Park and Downtown in the north to International Drive, the Disney area and Kissimmee in the south. Every area here is 19 to 29 km from the airport by road, and the county line changes the room tax.

United States. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Orlando International (MCO), about 19 km by road from International Drive and about 20 km from Downtown Orlando. Rental cars are collected in the terminal garages, on a level that depends on the company. Source
Sales tax on a room
Florida's 6% sales tax applies to rentals of six months or less and is added to the rent, plus a county surtax of 0.5% in Orange County and 1.5% in Osceola County in 2026. Source
Tourist development tax
6% in Orange County and 6% in Osceola County on stays of six months or less, so a room pays 12.5% in all in Orlando, International Drive, Lake Buena Vista and Winter Park, and 13.5% in Kissimmee. Source
Vacation rental licence
Florida licenses a home or condo rented more than three times a year for under 30 consecutive days as a vacation rental. The 2026 statutes require the licence; no rule putting its number on listings was found. Source
City of Orlando rentals
Short-term means under 30 days. A home share host lives on site and rents at most half the bedrooms, with proof of registration linked to the listing; a whole-home rental is a commercial dwelling unit, allowed in certain districts only. Source
Orange County rentals
Outside the cities, stays of 179 days or less are allowed only in commercial and industrial districts and some planned developments; single-family homes for under 30 days only in the R-3 district. Source
Parking downtown
City garages USD 2 an hour, USD 15 a day at most, with cars out by 5:29 a.m.; street parking USD 1 an hour from Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., cashless through ParkMobile. Source
Tolls with a rental car
The expressways take no cash. The rental company bills tolls through its own programme, or renters flying round trip through MCO can pick up the free Visitor Toll Pass in any terminal and pay tolls with no extra fees. Source
Entry
Citizens of the 42 Visa Waiver Program countries, among them the UK and 24 EU countries (not Bulgaria, Cyprus or Romania), can visit for up to 90 days with an ESTA. The stay cannot be extended. Source
ESTA
USD 40.27 per application (USD 10.27 if refused), valid for two years or until the passport expires. Source
Hurricane season
1 June to 30 November, with the peak around 10 September. Source
Emergency number
911 for ambulance, fire and police Source

Areas of Orlando

The large white observation wheel at ICON Park on International Drive behind palm trees, with people sitting on a lawn and restaurants around the plaza under a blue sky
Photo: Kiran891, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

International Drive

Orlando's main tourist strip, an 11.1-mile road at the southern edge of the city, with ICON Park and its observation wheel. It suits a first visit that mixes the theme parks, with Universal Orlando and Disney Springs both within about 12 km by road.

Orlando airport
about 19 km
Universal Orlando
about 9 km
Disney Springs
about 12 km

Car and parking

No official source lists hotel or street parking charges on International Drive, so ask the hotel. The expressways around Orlando take no cash: tolls go through the rental company's programme or the free Visitor Toll Pass from the airport.

A fountain in a paved plaza between cream Spanish-style shop buildings with tiled roofs at the Town Center of Disney Springs, with shoppers walking under a partly cloudy sky
Photographed in 2016. Photo: Theme Park Tourist, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Lake Buena Vista and Disney Springs

A small city in Orange County that serves as Walt Disney World's mailing address, with Disney Springs, a 120-acre shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and some of the hotels. The theme parks are in neighbouring Bay Lake. It suits a trip centred on Walt Disney World.

Orlando airport
about 29 km
Downtown Orlando
about 30 km
International Drive
about 12 km

Car and parking

Disney buses and water taxis link Disney Springs with the rest of Walt Disney World. Hotel and resort parking charges could not be verified from an official source as of September 2026, so ask the hotel.

Two-storey white brick commercial buildings with a florist, offices and a restaurant on Broadway in downtown Kissimmee, with cars parked along the street under a cloudy sky
Photo: Pokemonprime, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kissimmee

The largest city and county seat of Osceola County, south of Orlando and about 18 km by road from Disney Springs. It suits a base on the Disney side of the region, with a higher room tax than Orange County, 13.5% in all.

Orlando airport
about 29 km
Disney Springs
about 18 km
Downtown Orlando
about 36 km

Car and parking

Parking rules in Kissimmee and Osceola County could not be verified as of September 2026, so ask the host or hotel where the car goes. The toll roads around Orlando are cashless.

The downtown Orlando skyline seen from the air on a clear day, with an elevated highway on the right and low buildings, trees and open land in front
Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Orlando

The historic core and business district, taking in Lake Eola Park and neighbourhoods such as Thornton Park, South Eola and Lake Eola Heights. It suits a city stay and a trip without daily theme park visits, with Universal Orlando about 14 km away by road.

Orlando airport
about 20 km
Winter Park
about 10 km
Universal Orlando
about 14 km

Car and parking

City garages cost USD 2 an hour up to USD 15 a day, and cars must leave by 5:29 a.m. or pay the next day's rate; after 10 p.m. entry is USD 10. Street parking is USD 1 an hour from Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., paid through ParkMobile.

A cream Spanish-style building with red tile roofs under large oak trees hung with Spanish moss on the Rollins College campus in Winter Park
Photographed in 2018. Photo: Rizka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Winter Park

A city north of Downtown Orlando, founded as a resort community in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and home to Rollins College. It suits a quieter stay about 10 km from Downtown by road.

Orlando airport
about 24 km
Downtown Orlando
about 10 km

Car and parking

The city's 2026 parking guide for downtown Winter Park marks free public parking with 3-hour and 4-hour limits, and some paid parking.

Guides

Questions

Which area of Orlando is best for the theme parks?

International Drive for a mix of parks, with Universal Orlando about 9 km away and Disney Springs about 12 km. Lake Buena Vista, home of Disney Springs, suits a trip centred on Walt Disney World.

What taxes are added to a hotel room in Orlando?

In Orange County, which includes Orlando, International Drive, Lake Buena Vista and Winter Park, 12.5%: Florida's 6% sales tax, a 0.5% surtax and a 6% tourist development tax. In Osceola County, which includes Kissimmee, 13.5%. They apply to stays of six months or less.

Can a whole house be rented for a holiday in Orlando?

It depends on where it is. In the City of Orlando, a whole home rented for less than 30 days is a commercial dwelling unit, allowed only in certain zoning districts. In unincorporated Orange County, stays of 179 days or less are allowed only in commercial and industrial districts and some planned developments, and single-family homes for under 30 days only in the R-3 district.

How do tolls work with a rental car in Orlando?

The expressways take no cash. The rental company bills tolls through its own programme, or renters flying round trip through Orlando International can use the free Visitor Toll Pass and decline the company's programme.