How Big Are the World’s Best Theme Parks?

Ever wondered how many football pitches you can fit into Magic Kingdom Park? Maybe you’re curious about how long it takes to walk around Alton Towers. The best theme parks in the world are also some of the biggest, and it’s difficult to picture quite how big they are if you haven’t been before!

In this article, we’ll look at the colossal size of some of the best theme park resorts in the world, as well as the individual parks. We’ll discover which are the size of a big city and which are a little more bijou.

Comparison: size of the best theme parks in the world

Here, we look at the size of some of our favourite theme parks. From the smallest in Abu Dhabi to the biggest in the theme park capital of the world, Orlando.

How big is Walt Disney World Resort in Florida?

Size: 47 square miles or 27,520 acres

How long to spend there: We recommend spending two weeks at Walt Disney World Resort. This will give you enough time to explore all the theme parks and water parks and revisit anything you want to do again. 

Distance between each park: Around a 10-15 drive

Let’s kick this off with the biggie – Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. It’s a must-do on most people’s bucket list, whether you’re a theme park fan, a Disney fan, or you love travelling.

Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort is the most-visited theme park in the world, with almost 18 million people flocking there each year (source: Statista). And it’s not difficult to see why – it really is the Most Magical Place on Earth!

Walt Disney World Resort covers a whopping 47 square miles (76 square kilometres), or 27,520 acres (source: Nerd Wallet). That’s the size of a small city, and, in fact, it’s bigger than San Francisco (46 square miles), Paris (41 square miles), and Nottingham (29 square miles).

What is the biggest Walt Disney World Resort park?

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park is the largest of the Orlando Disney Parks – well, those animals need somewhere to roam, after all! In fact, the whole of Magic Kingdom Park could fit into Kilimanjaro Safaris alone! It is around 500 acres, which is about the size of 250 football pitches!

Source: Disney Day by Day

Is anything at Walt Disney World Resort within walking distance?

You can’t walk between much of Walt Disney World Resort. The theme parks are very spread out, and even if the distance isn’t too long, a lot of the routes are only connected by highways and swampland, which doesn’t make for pleasant walking.

This doesn’t really matter when you’re visiting though, as Walt Disney World Resort is very well connected by a complimentary transport system which includes buses, monorails, and water taxis, making it easy to get from one place to another. 

There are a number of Walt Disney World Resort hotels which are within walking distance of the theme parks:

Top tip: Don’t forget, you’ll be covering a lot of distance once you’re in the theme parks, so you might want to save your legs in the morning and jump on a shuttle service instead!

Which is bigger: Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland® Paris, or Disneyland California?

Walt Disney World Resort is the largest out of these three Disney resorts, and Disneyland® Paris is the smallest. Disneyland Resort in California could fit inside Walt Disney World Resort over 50 times!

Disney castles compared

The castles at the Disney resorts are some of their most recognisable features. Inspired by fairy tales, they are beautiful and intricate, making for a fantastic photo opportunity. But do you know which Disney castle is the tallest?

Cinderella Castle in Orlando is the tallest at 189 feet (58 metres). This is about as tall as a 20-storey building!

Did you know: Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida was kept under 200 feet, as every building taller than this requires a red aircraft warning light, according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. The Imagineers building the park didn’t want this, as they felt it wasn’t in keeping with the aesthetic of the castle (source: All Ears).

How big is Universal Orlando Resort?

Size: 541 acres

How long to spend there: We recommend spending 14 days at Universal Orlando Resort. You’ll have plenty of time to visit the theme parks and water parks and explore the entertainment complex. You’ll also be able to schedule in some relaxing days at your hotel.

Distance between each park: Universal Studios Florida, Universal Islands of Adventure, Universal CityWalk, and many of the Universal hotels are all within walking distance of each other. Universal Epic Universe is a 10-15 minute drive away.

How much walking will I do at Universal Orlando Resort?

The short answer is: a lot! You can reasonably expect to do around 20,000 steps each day that you spend in the parks. This is around 10 miles (16 kilometres), depending on your stride length. 

How big will Universal UK be?

In April 2025, Universal announced that it would be building Europe’s first Universal theme park in the UK. The resort is set to open in 2031 and will have a theme park, a 500-room hotel, plus a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex similar to Universal CityWalk in Orlando.

Although we don’t know yet what attractions will be at the UK park, if the Florida parks are anything to go by, then it’s going to be incredible!

Universal’s parent company, Comcast, acquired almost 500 acres of land in Bedfordshire in 2023, and this will be the site for the new resort.

How big are SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay?

The last USA theme parks we’ll be looking at are SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. SeaWorld Orlando is 200 acres, whereas Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is 335 acres – big enough to fit two Disneyland® Paris resorts inside!

Both of these parks have animals, so they need a little more space. SeaWorld Orlando is home to dolphins, orcas, penguins, and flamingos. Many of their animals need water habitats, and so there are numerous pools here. 

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is one of America’s most highly accredited zoos and is one of North America’s largest (source: Busch Gardens). Many animals live in outdoor habitats here, including rhinos, cheetahs, lions, elephants, and giraffes. You’d be forgiven for thinking you were in the plains of Africa rather than central Florida!

We recommend spending at least one day each at SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

The size of UK theme parks

Although our theme parks are smaller than those in the US, they are still well worth a visit – plus you don’t need to fly across the world to get there!

Here’s how big our home-grown theme parks are:

While we have a lot less space than they do across the pond, our theme park sizes are still not to be sniffed at. Even the smallest on this list, Chessington World of Adventures Resort, is large enough to fit 32 cricket pitches inside it.

Alton Towers Resort is the largest on our list. The attractions are spread out around beautiful grounds, so be prepared to do a lot of walking on a day at this picturesque Midlands theme park.

In addition to an incredible theme park, three hotels, and a glamping site, Alton Towers also has a fun-filled water park. There are both indoor and outdoor sections, since we can’t guarantee the weather in the UK, making it one of Europe’s biggest water parks. 

The size of Abu Dhabi theme parks

The smallest theme parks on our list are two of Abu Dhabi’s finest. Warner Bros. World™️ Abu Dhabi and Ferrari World Abu Dhabi are both petite compared to some of the other goliaths. 

However, good things come in small(er) packages. Both theme parks have some incredible thrill rides, including Formula Rossa at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, which is the world’s fastest rollercoaster. Reaching speeds of 149 miles (240 kilometres) per hour in just 4.9 seconds, this ride isn’t for the faint-hearted!

And there’s a reason why they might be a little smaller than their Floridian counterparts.  Warner Bros. World™️ Abu Dhabi is the largest indoor theme park in the region, and most of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is also inside, providing a welcome respite from the heat of the Middle East. 

Now that you know more about the size of the world’s best theme parks, it’s time to decide where you’re going next! We’ve got tonnes of information about all these theme parks and more on AttractionTickets.com.