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This Disney Park Is One of the Most Beautiful in the World — How to Visit

Here’s our magical guide to visiting Disneyland Paris.

Elizabeth Rhodes is a special projects editor at Travel + Leisure , covering everything from luxury hotels to theme parks to must-pack travel products. Originally from South Carolina, Elizabeth moved to New York City from London, where she started her career as a travel blogger and writer.

Best Time to Visit

• Disneyland Park
• Walt Disney Studios Park

Disney Village

Getting there, disneyland paris day trip itinerary.

Elizabeth Rhodes/Travel + Leisure

Since 1992, Disneyland Paris (then called Euro Disney) has welcomed more than 250 million guests to its magical theme parks and hotels. Made up of two parks (Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park), seven hotels, and a dining and shopping district called Disney Village, the theme park resort has grown into a full-blown vacation destination, and it’s only getting better. Fresh off its 30th-anniversary celebration, the opening of Avengers Campus, and the reimagining of Disneyland Hotel, Disneyland Paris recently announced big plans to completely transform Walt Disney Studios Park into Disney Adventure World.

I’ve visited 10 of the 12 Disney theme parks around the world, and Disneyland Park in Paris is the most beautiful iteration of the classic castle park I’ve visited, with gorgeously crafted immersive worlds surrounding a stunning pink castle inspired by French chateaux. I went back to Disneyland Paris last month to see everything new and exciting (and re-ride everything I loved the first time) to curate a new guide featuring the best of the resort. With unique interpretations of classic Disney attractions and a few memorable rides you can’t find anywhere else, the resort is a worthwhile day trip from Paris or a multi-day getaway. From can’t-miss rides to the best restaurants and places to stay, here’s everything you need to know about visiting Disneyland Paris. 

Elizabeth Rhodes/Travel + Leisure

When it comes to high and low seasons, Disneyland Paris is similar to its U.S. counterparts: Crowds are largest during school breaks and public holidays. The summer months, long weekends, and the winter holiday season are all among the busiest times to visit Disneyland Paris, and mid-January through mid-March and mid-April through mid-May are typically less busy times to visit. This summer will undoubtedly be extra busy for Disneyland Paris as tourists worldwide flock to the French capital for the Olympics. To avoid the heaviest crowds throughout the year, plan to visit Tuesday through Thursday (and avoid weekends). 

Thanks to the lineup of festive annual events, a fall trip to Disneyland Paris is always a good idea. Each year, Disneyland Paris hosts Halloween and Christmas events with seasonal decorations and eats; this year, Disney Halloween Festival will take place from Oct. 1 to Nov. 3, and Disney Enchanted Christmas will last from Nov. 9 to Jan. 6. 

It’s worth noting that American tourists are likely used to the warm weather found year-round at the domestic parks in California and Florida, but Paris experiences all four seasons. Be sure to check the forecast and pack appropriately — it was very chilly when I visited in February one year, and we had to buy Mickey beanies to stay warm. 

Disneyland Paris sells dated and undated tickets, with several variations depending on how many days you visit and which parks you want to visit. You can buy dated tickets for one to four days for both parks (or a single-day, single-park dated ticket). You can also purchase a single-day undated ticket to one or both parks, but these are typically more expensive. Disney uses dynamic ticket pricing, so you can check out the ticket calendar to see when you could visit to save a few bucks on admission. (Hint: cheaper days mean lower crowd levels.) For 2024, the cheapest one-park, one-day ticket currently ranges from $73 to $148. 

Annual Passes

Disneyland Paris also offers three tiers of annual passes: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Bronze is 289 euros and allows holders to visit 170 days a year. The Silver Pass is 499 euros and allows guests to access the parks 300 out of 365 days each year. Silver pass holders can also enjoy 10 percent discounts at shops and restaurants. The Gold Pass is 699 euros, allows entry every day of the year, offers a 15 percent discount at shops and restaurants, and includes Extra Magic Time and an annual PhotoPass.

Disney Premier Access

Want to skip the line for the most popular attractions? Disney Premier Access works similarly to the old FastPass or newer Genie+ at the U.S. parks in that it allows you to skip the main standby line, but there are some nuances you’ll want to know before you purchase. Yes, purchase — this is an additional cost, just like Genie+ Lightning Lanes in the U.S. You can buy Disney Premier Access One for individual attractions to gain a time slot for the Premier Access queue on the day you visit via the Disneyland Paris app. Or you can splurge on the Disney Premier Access Ultimate, an all-day pass that allows you to skip the line once for every participating attraction. You can buy the Ultimate pass the day of or in advance.

I tested Disney Premier Access Ultimate during my recent trip, and I could ride everything I wanted during my two-day trip, even while fighting jet lag. Of course, if you’re a single rider, you can also take advantage of the dedicated single-rider queues, but even those had long waits for some of the top rides, like Crush’s Coaster. 

Disneyland Park 

Is this the most beautiful Disney theme park in the world? It just might be, with its dazzling pink castle inspired by Mont St. Michel and intricately themed lands that feature fantastic versions of classic Disney rides . Disneyland Park is France’s “castle park,” a term used in the theme park community to describe the Disney parks centered around the main princess castle with a hub-and-spoke layout featuring lands like Adventureland and Fantasyland (think Disneyland Park in California and Magic Kingdom in Florida ). Disneyland Paris has five main lands — Discoveryland (similar to Tomorrowland), Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, and Main Street, U.S.A. Don’t miss the nightly Disney Electrical Sky Parade featuring drones, projections, and fountains for a fun new take on the beloved parade. 

You can find classic attractions like It’s a Small World, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Autopia at Disneyland Park. Still, I recommend prioritizing the one-of-a-kind rides you can’t find in the U.S. parks and the unique versions of attractions you’re already familiar with if you’re short on time. I loved Phantom Manor, a spookier version of the Haunted Mansions in Florida and California. I also enjoyed the European park’s take on Pirates of the Caribbean and Big Thunder Mountain. Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain is a thrilling, Star Wars -themed take on the classic indoor coaster. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril is an intense outdoor roller coaster unique to this park (though Tokyo DisneySea has a similar ride). 

Take the time to tour Sleeping Beauty Castle (the views from the terrace are beautiful, as is the stained-glass depiction of the fairy tale) and the Dragon’s Lair (home to an impressive audio-animatronic dragon). 

Best Restaurants

Many table and quick-service restaurants are located around the park, from French meals with princesses at Auberge de Cendrillon to Tex Mex at Casa de Coco. I enjoyed my meal at Walt’s, an American restaurant themed to Walt Disney’s life, with dishes inspired by his favorite foods, like his famous chili. Get a table by the window to enjoy great people-watching on Main Street, U.S.A. Find Mickey-shaped pizza at Pizzeria Bella Notte, or try the French version of a Dole Whip at Cafe de la Brousse. If you plan to eat at a table-service restaurant that accepts reservations, make reservations as soon as possible to ensure you can dine when you want. 

Walt Disney Studios Park 

Walt Disney Studios Park will be transformed entirely into Disney Adventure World — construction kicked off in April. This new version of the park will see significant changes, including the addition of World of Frozen, but Walt Disney Studios Park is still open amid the transformation. That said, because so much is changing at this park, we’re just going to hit the highlights for visitors who plan to visit soon before the park is complete. 

Walt Disney Studios Park is home to some of Disneyland Paris’s top attractions, including rides you won’t find anywhere else. At Avengers Campus, you can sling webs at Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure (which also exists at Disney California Adventure Park) or go on a high-speed mission on the unique Avengers Assemble: Flight Force featuring Iron Man and Captain Marvel. (Fun fact: this ride used to be Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, so expect a thrilling launch start and multiple inversions.) Finding Nemo -themed Crush’s Coaster is a super-popular spinning coaster mostly indoors; it’s worth purchasing Premier Access if you visit during a busy time. The original Ratatouille: The Adventure can be found in this park, along with Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and some smaller attractions perfect for kids in the Pixar area of the park. This park also features several shows, including The Disney Junior Dream Factory, Stitch Live!, Mickey and the Magician, and Frozen: A Musical Invitation. 

Bistrot Chez Rémy is hands-down the best restaurant in Walt Disney Studios Park. Shrink down to the size of a rat at this “Ratatouille”-themed restaurant serving up dishes like steak and roast cod with sides of ratatouille, of course. There are also several food trucks throughout the park and some superhero-themed eateries at Avengers Campus. 

Disney Village is Disneyland Paris’s version of Downtown Disney with several shopping and dining outlets, including American favorites like Five Guys and Earl of Sandwich and sit-down restaurants. Stop by the Disney Store to grab some souvenirs before heading out. 

Disneyland Paris has seven themed hotels (listed here from most luxurious to most affordable): Disneyland Hotel, Disney Hotel New York - The Art of Marvel, Disney Newport Bay Club, Disney Sequoia Lodge, Disney Hotel Cheyenne, Disney Hotel Santa Fe, Disney Davy Crockett Ranch. All except Disney Davy Crockett Ranch offer free shuttles or are within walking distance of the parks. Many hotels have U.S.-inspired themes, like nautical New England at Disney Newport Bay Club and Old West at Disney Hotel Cheyenne. I stayed at the recently reimagined Disneyland Hotel ; it’s one of the best Disney hotels in the world, located right at the entrance of Disneyland Park. 

Disneyland Hotel 

The pink Disneyland Hotel feels like a castle in its own right, with a lobby that looks like a royal library and a host of amenities that guarantee a magical vacation. Walking through the lobby, I’d spot Disney princesses waving to guests — and little princes and princesses who just had makeovers at the Royal Collection Boutique waving back.

The hotel also has a free Royal Kids Club, a pool, a fitness center, a spa by Clarins, a bar, and two character dining restaurants, Royal Banquet and La Table de Lumière. I had the chance to visit both restaurants during my stay and loved my experience at both; if I had to choose a favorite, I’d pick La Table de Lumiere for the adorable character interactions. I’m always blown away by how the characters can communicate in many languages at the international Disney parks, and these interactions with the princes and princesses were so fun and memorable.

Overall, I had a wonderful stay at Disneyland Hotel. The recently renovated rooms had upscale decor inspired by iconic Disney fairy tales (mine had a Snow White theme) and thoughtful details that provided a five-star experience. Plus, it took me just a few minutes to walk from my room to the park entrance — an incredible perk you won’t find at many Disney hotels. 

Getting to Disneyland Paris from the city is surprisingly easy. Take the RER A (an express train line) to the Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy/Parcs Disneyland stop just a few minutes from the park gates. You can also take the Disneyland Paris Express shuttle bus, but I highly recommend taking the RER. You can also take a TGV train to this stop from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport; I did this on my recent trip, and it took about 10 minutes to take the train from the airport stop to Disneyland Paris (though it was very crowded on the weekend).  

Although the resort has lovely hotels that are well worth a stay for travelers who want to explore the parks for more than a day, many visitors come to Disneyland Paris for a day trip from the capital. I recommend planning to arrive at the theme parks before opening so you can rope drop any of your top-priority attractions. Get a two-park pass, and consider paying for Premier Access (for one or all attractions) to make the most of one day. I’d recommend starting at Walt Disney Studios Park to ride Crush’s Coaster, Tower of Terror, the Avenger’s Campus attractions, and Ratatouille: The Adventure. Schedule a sit-down meal at Bistrot Chez Remy or Walt’s for lunch, then spend the rest of the day in Disneyland Park and watch the Disney Electrical Sky Parade before you leave.

Related Articles

2024 Disneyland Paris Planning Guide

Our Disneyland Paris vacation planning guide for 2024 covers info & tips for visiting the theme parks in France, plus hotel reviews, restaurant recommendations, ride ratings, and theme park itineraries. It’s current info and advice, with regular revisions based on what’s new & next at DLP and Walt Disney Studios Park. ( Updated December 27, 2023 .)

Disneyland Paris will enter a time of transition in 2024. The 30th Anniversary is over and planned expansion for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, World of Frozen: The Kingdom of Arendelle, has been delayed until 20225. In the meantime, Christmas is being celebrated until January 7, 2024.

The very next day, Disneyland Paris will gradually begin introducing a series of exciting experiences that will add color to cloudy winter days: Disney Symphony of Colours. This seasonal event includes a new nighttime drone sequence, a new daytime show, and brand-new decorations!

To be sure, Disney Symphony of Colours looks like a nice little off-season offering. In particular, the Disney Electrical Sky Parade–a nighttime drone parade in the sky–looks fantastic! This new nighttime show will combine synchronised drones, video projections, lights and fountains across Sleeping Beauty Castle.

However, this seasonal event won’t be nearly on par with the Disneyland Paris 30th Anniversary. Nor should it be–that was a milestone celebration, and this is a wintertime event. Beyond Disney Symphony of Colours, it’s unknown what Disneyland Paris will do in 2024. Halloween and Christmas celebrations are a given, but those won’t begin until September.

In between, there’s the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. That will be a  huge  deal for the city, and as the biggest tourist destination in Europe, the games are likely to draw huge crowds to Disneyland Paris. It’s our expectation that the parks will do something to celebrate–and help absorb the crowds–we just don’t know what.

As mentioned above, the new Frozen land in Walt Disney Studios Park (WDSP) was supposed to be done in time for the Olympics. Instead, it looks like WDSP will be a vertiable construction zone, with the front of the park torn up and construction ongoing on the lake, new areas and attractions.

The good news is that Disneyland Paris continues to make progress in expanding and adding new things. The park has brought back “Disney Stars on Parade” and “Disney Illuminations,” and has been rolling out more new entertainment, including “Together: A Pixar Musical Adventure” and more.

The only modification still in place (for now) is that an online reservation system is in use to manage attendance. Guests who purchase dated tickets to Disneyland Paris or Walt Disney Studios Park do not need to register and reserve a date. Likewise, guests with hotel + ticket packages that include park admittance will receive admission for the duration of their stay and do not need to use the new online reservation system.

There’s also been an overhaul of the Annual Pass program, which essentially amounts to a nearly 50% price increase coupled with a reduction of benefits. Suffice to say, diehard fans have been upset, with a petition gaining traction along with threats to protest. But that probably isn’t relevant to the overwhelming majority of people reading this Disneyland Paris planning guide.

Whether you are considering a day at Disneyland Paris–the most popular tourist destination in Europe–as part of a non-Disney trip to France, or are a huge Disney fan planning an international trip for Disneyland Paris, this guide has you covered. We will detail everything from hotels to dining, and answer the important question of when is a good time to visit Disneyland Paris?

First, a bit of a primer about Disneyland Paris. Located in Marne-la-Vallée, which is actually a suburb of Paris, Disneyland Paris is about 45 minutes from the city center by train–and significantly closer to Charles de Gaulle Airport. The entire resort consists of 7 official Disney-themed hotels, several partner hotels, the Disney Village entertainment and shopping district, and the two parks: Parc Disneyland and the Walt Disney Studios Park.

The resort as a whole of Disneyland Paris is larger than Disneyland Resort and smaller than Walt Disney World. While we’d never recommend visiting France and only seeing Disneyland Paris, it is a bona fide vacation destination in itself if you wanted to make it one. Moreover, Parc Disneyland is an absolutely amazing theme park, much like the original Disneyland, albeit with far fewer rides. It does have a treasure trove of beautiful details, seasonal entertainment, and much more.

In fact, in our Best & Worst Disney Theme Parks in the World post, Parc Disneyland ranks #4, ahead of popular parks like Disney California Adventure and Epcot. It mostly scores so high because of its beauty. Before I get ahead of myself gushing over Disneyland Paris’ beauty, let’s cover the question of when you should visit Disneyland Paris…

When to Visit Disneyland Paris?

If you have your choice of dates and seasons for visiting Disneyland Paris, our strong recommendation would be to visit Disneyland Paris during spring, fall, or winter, particularly during shoulder seasons outside of France’s peak tourist seasons. In particular, we love Christmas at Disneyland Paris (see this Info & Tips post) , which is a great time to visit so long as you avoid Christmas week through New Year’s Eve.

We typically recommend avoiding the months of June through August, both because of crowds and recent heat waves that have swept over Europe the last couple summers. The only downside to not visiting during the summer is missing the Lion King Jungle Festival, which draws rave reviews. However, nothing is worth the poor weather and crowds.

Speaking of which, we find the weather to be best in Paris in April and May, and late September through November. These are the most temperate times of the year, and even though it can snow in the winter, it’s usually not too cold in mid-November. (Mid-to late December might be pushing your luck, though.)

Christmas is an excellent time to visit Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios Park for a flurry of additional seasonal entertainment, and for the beautiful decorations all around the park. Plus, you cannot beat the feel of the City of Paris during the holiday months.

If you’re thinking more long-term, there’s also the question of whether to visit in 2024 or to wait. Disneyland Paris has huge long-term plans that as part of a $2.5 billion revitalization to the Walt Disney Studios Park (see concept art above) .

This redevelopment of Walt Disney Studios Park will roll out in phases leading up to the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics through 2025 or 2026. The first component was Avengers Campus, which is now open. The Kingdom of Arendelle is up next after that, and is likely to open in Summer 2025.

Another land should be coming after World of Frozen/Arendelle. It’s unclear whether that’s still the plan, though. Previously, a version of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was slated to be built as part of the Walt Disney Studios Park expansion, but it seems like that plan was abandoned after Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge underperformed in the United States.

For everything else on the horizon at Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios Park, consult our Guide to What’s New & Next in 2024 at Disneyland Paris . That covers all of the projects slated for the parks and hotels, when you can expect new attractions to debut, resort closures, and refurbishments.

Now that we know nothing is opening in time for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, we’d recommend visiting Disneyland Paris in the first half of 2024 in order to beat the Olympics crowds. Typically, the host cities of Olympics see bumps in tourism thanks to the marketing value of the games.

It’s not as if Paris needs Olympics coverage to put it on the map, but we’d still expect elevated visitor numbers to France in the second half of 2024 and 2025. Disneyland Paris will likely benefit from that, and see higher crowds as a result.

Of course, there’s a lot to France beyond Disneyland Paris and you should also plan your travel dates around when it’s best to visit other spots on your itinerary. The city of Paris is our second-favorite city in the world, and we highly recommend spending at least several days there.

As for traveling to the rest of France and within Europe, we highly recommend it! We offer extensive travel tips in our Ultimate Guide to Paris, France over on TravelCaffeine.com , our non-Disney travel blog. That’s a good place to start planning the other days of your vacation.

We’ve visited multiple locations in Europe, including Normandy, the Loire Valley, and Côte d’Azur regions of France. Outside of France, we’ve traveled to Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

While we love Disney–and Disneyland Paris–many of these other real-world locations have been the highlights of our trips. Europe is full of amazing places that leave an indelible mark on a person. There’s so much beyond the parks at Disneyland Paris, and truly something for everyone. From history to modern culture to shady red light districts (because we’re so sure Disney fans are into that sort of thing! 😉 ), there’s truly something for everyone.

If this has you tempted to travel to Europe to see Disneyland Paris and other lasting cultural experiences, or if you were already planning a visit and want more info and tips, let’s start planning! (All links open in new tabs, so feel free to click away and head down the rabbit hole!)

How Many Days?

Based upon the foregoing, when planning a trip to Disneyland Paris, you should not just plan a quick trip to see Disneyland Resort Paris, but should also plan on visiting at least Paris and another European city or two. On our first trip, we flew into Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris, then spent equal amounts of time in Disneyland Paris and Paris, before taking the Eurostar to London and then flying out of London’s Heathrow airport.

When it comes to Europe as a whole, you should visit for as many days as you can. The reality of things is that vacation time is finite, and travel is costly, so most people probably are looking at maybe a week or so on the vacation. My strong advice would be to try and stretch the trip to at least 10 days even if that requires saving money and vacation time a bit longer.

How much time you’ll want to spend on each leg of your trip is largely a personal question. If you aren’t a Disney fan and are just going for the sake of your kids or because it’s on your list of highlights near Paris, my recommendation would probably be to just go for 1 day, spending it entirely at Parc Disneyland, experiencing some of the best attractions, and enjoying the ambiance.

If you are a Disney fan, I’d recommend 3 days at Disneyland Paris. There’s a lot to explore in Parc Disneyland, and the park is incredibly detailed, so planning on allocating 2 or 2.5 days for that park is advisable. On our trips to France, we’ve done as few days as 2 and as many as 5. Two felt like too few, and 5 was too many.

Most people can accomplish the Walt Disney Studios park in half a day or a day. There is an assortment of enjoyable attractions there, but the park is mostly ugly. I wouldn’t downright encourage anyone to skip this park, but it’s not going to be the highlight of anyone’s trip. It’s getting better, and should be a park worthy of the “Disney” name by 2024.

The best part of Walt Disney Studios Park is the La Place de Rémy mini-land, which is like a “Streets of Paris” area based upon Ratatouille. If your interest is piqued in this area, check out my Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy Review and Bistrot Chez Rémy Review . Avengers Campus is also a nice addition, although the industrial style is more of the same at WDSP. Ultimately, if you only have one day to experience Disneyland Paris, skip the Studios and just do the Disneyland park.

In addition to time for exploring Parc Disneyland and the Walt Disney Studios Park, you will want to set aside a bit of time to explore the hotels and Disney Village, too. The hotels are pretty cool, whereas Disney Village is a mostly dated, sad take on Downtown Disney. The highlights of Disney Village are Earl of Sandwich and Five Guys, which are great late night meals after the parks close.

Depending upon your level of interest and stamina, seeing these areas can probably be accomplished after the parks close, depending upon what time the parks close. During my visits, even on busier days, the latest the parks closed was 10 pm; many nights the parks closed as early as 7 pm.

Most Parisians eat late dinners, so hotel restaurants are frequently open until 11 pm or 12 am (with the bars and lounges open even later), giving us ample time to enjoy the hotels after our days at the park were complete. During the summer months, the parks may be open until 11 pm or midnight, so you may have to find another time to visit the hotels and Disney Village.

Vacation Packages

Once you’ve determined how many days to visit Disneyland Paris, you need to decide whether a vacation package is for you. These work a lot like vacation packages at other Disney Parks in that they can contain a hotel, park tickets, and meal plan, or just a hotel stay.

Many of the best discounts for Disneyland Paris bundle these components together. In fact, to save money on a hotel, you almost always have to purchase park tickets from Disneyland Paris (unless you have an Annual Pass). Sometimes, the discount will be for a percentage off the room, sometimes it will include free a Half Board or Full Board Meal Package (more on this below), sometimes it’ll include free park tickets, and sometimes it will include free nights.

For example, Disneyland Paris promotions often include 30% off a room plus free Half Board dining and buy 2 nights get 2 nights free at a hotel. (Both promos include park tickets.) Alternatively, there are hotel discounts available for Annual Passholders of up to 40% off. All of these discounts are pretty representative of what’s generally offered.

What further complicates matters is that different versions of the Disneyland Paris website (e.g. the United Kingdom version, Belgium, Germany, etc.) offer different prices for the same promotion. I recently priced out a December trip, and it was ~$120 more expensive on the U.S. site than the U.K. site. Since you can book via any of these sites, regardless of where you live, it’s best to comparison shop among the different versions of the site, and book where it’s cheapest.

This can all be pretty challenging if you’re a newbie, particularly given the language barriers and default currencies on the various Disneyland Paris sites. However, it’s worth it because you’ll save the most money this way. Aside from the comparison shopping to get the best price, planning a Disneyland Paris vacation is easy as compared to a Walt Disney World vacation.

Getting There

I’m going to make the assumption that anyone reading this is flying to Europe from overseas, not a European driving to Disneyland Paris for a day trip (if you’re driving and looking for advice…try Google Maps, I guess?). From Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris there are three main options: TGV, RER, or VEA shuttle.

The TGV is the best of these options, and it drops you off right outside Disneyland Paris’ gates. The process is very simple; head to Terminal 2 and purchase a ticket for the TGV at a kiosk in the airport with a destination of “Marne La Vallee Ches.”

This train takes 10 minutes to get from CDG to Disneyland Paris (it’s literally the first stop). The caveats here are that this train is substantially more expensive (one-way ticket prices vary, but are typically $15-30) and there can be over an hour gap between trains. Moreover, we do not recommend buying a ticket for this in advance due to flight delays, customs, etc.

The Magical Shuttle is the second-best option, but it stops at a number of hotels (think Disney’s Magical Express). However, it’s convenient and pretty easy. Prices for this vary, but it’s generally the most expensive option. You can book tickets here .

The RER is the final option. This can be time consuming, as you have to go from CDG airport to central Paris and switch lines to head back to Marne-la-Vallee. Both CDG and MLV are outside Paris, so doing this essentially means you have to backtrack. It’d be like taking a flight from Chicago to Detroit with a layover in St. Louis. However, if you’re buying a RER pass or your hotel is on the RER line, this may be your best option. It’s relatively straightforward, it just takes about an hour to accomplish.

If you’re coming from somewhere other than CDG airport, consider the Eurostar train, which also drops you off right outside Disneyland Paris’ gates. We traveled the Eurostar (aka the “Chunnel”) and it was an excellent experience. This is a great way to get to Disneyland Paris if you’re primarily visiting another major city in Europe. What’s especially nice is that a Eurostar station is right in MLV. My assumption is that this was built as part of Disney’s agreement to bring a park to Paris…because there’s no other reason why little ‘ole Marne-la-Vallee would have a Eurostar station.

All of this seems complicated and intimidating at first (at least it did to us), but it’s really simple once you understand the basics.

Where to Stay

Disneyland Paris has seven official resorts, with a variety of nearby “off-site” hotels. We have a Disneyland Paris Hotel Comparison post that compares and contrasts the hotels, offering our recommendations on where to stay. We’ll cover some of the same ground below, but if you’re debating which hotel to book, that’s really the post to read.

We’ve stayed in the recently renovated Sequoia Lodge ( click here to read our Sequoia Lodge Review ) and Hotel New York ( click here to read our Hotel New York Review ). We’ve also stayed at Newport Bay Club ( click here to read our Newport Bay Club Review ) and several off-site hotels.

Other hotels include Disneyland Hotel (the flagship Victorian-themed hotel), Hotel Cheyenne (themed to be the ‘streets’ of a Western town), and Hotel Santa Fe (designed with a cold, Southwestern pueblo style). If you were schooled by Count von Count, you probably noticed that I only mention six of the seven resorts. The last, Davy Crockett Ranch, is a campground located a bit further away that I did not visit.

Assuming you don’t have a car for your visit to France, you’ll have a few ways to get to and from Disneyland Paris: your feet, taxi, RER train, or shuttle. The 6 on-site hotels can each by accessed by walking (or shuttle). Disneyland Hotel is about a one minute walk from the turnstiles, Hotel New York is ~10 minute walk, Sequoia Lodge is ~12 minute walk, Newport Bay Club is ~15 minute walk, with Hotels Cheyenne and Santa Fe a tad above the 15 minute mark.

In terms of pricing, Hotel Cheyenne and Santa Fe are on the low end of the scale, with ascending prices for Sequoia Lodge, Newport Bay Club, Hotel New York, and finally, Disneyland Hotel. Nightly rates range from ~$100/night for Hotel Santa Fe to over $1,000/night for Disneyland Hotel. Average rates for each hotels are all over the place depending upon what kind of discount you can score.

These price fluctuations can make booking a Disneyland Paris hotel a bit frustrating. Generally speaking, we far prefer staying on-site rather than off-site. However, we are not paying over $400/night for Newport Bay Club or Sequoia Lodge. Conversely, ~$150/night makes those resorts a no-brainer (we’d even be willing to pay around $200/night).

Hotel New York has reopened after a multi-year closure for a top to bottom redo during which time it was converted to “Disney’s Hotel New York — The Art of Marvel.”

This new-look resort celebrates 80 years of Marvel storytelling in a typical New York setting, with a contemporary Art Deco style. Disney’s Hotel New York — The Art of Marvel is inspired by a New York art gallery, paying tribute to the city that is home to many iconic Marvel characters and the artists who created them.

The next resort to receive a multi-year reimagining is the flagship Disneyland Hotel. This iconic property overlooking Parc Disneyland is currently closed for an ambitious transformation at Disneyland Paris, reopening in Winter 2024 with a royal theme inspired by Disney princesses.

In addition to the room reimagining, the layout of the hotel’s public spaces and equipment in the rooms will also be enhanced. Guests will benefit from a larger pool area, an expanded spa, and updated restaurants & lounges. The totality of which is aimed at earning Disneyland Hotel a five-star rating.

This complete refurbishment is the next step in an ambitious renovation plan for all Disneyland Paris hotels spanning years and more than 5,700 rooms. The ambitious transformation plan demonstrates Disneyland Paris’s ongoing commitment to continually invest in the guest experience and improving the resort. See Reimagined Disneyland Hotel in Paris Opening Date, Concept Art, Room & Restaurant Details  for more info!

Off-Site Lodging

We’ve stayed at several off-site hotels in Val d’Europe, which is the first stop from Disneyland Resort Paris on the RER A line. Combining the time it takes to walk from Disneyland Paris to the RER station (3 minutes), the time it took on the train (5-15 minutes, depending upon the train schedule), and the time it took to walk from the station in Val d’Europe to our hotel (3 minutes), you have about a 25 minute commute, at worst. Several of these hotels are also within walking distance of Disneyland Paris (25-35 minute walks, depending upon the hotel).

The whole town of Val d’Europe is relatively new, having been master-planned in conjunction with Disney. It has a Celebration/suburbia vibe to it, but with traditional French stylization. While it doesn’t have the same historical allure of the quaint villages in France, it has its own modern charm and is not too cookie cutter. All of this is to say that the hotels of Val d’Europe are probably solid options if you don’t want to pay the insane prices of Disneyland Paris hotels.

Generally, these hotels in Val d’Europe can be booked for $75-150/night, which makes them (typically) cheaper than Disneyland Paris on-site hotels. You can also walk from some of the hotels to Disneyland Paris (Hipark Serris is the hotel closest to the parks, for what it’s worth), which is much more convenient than taking the RER, we think.

Another option, particularly if you’re spending time elsewhere in France, is Airbnb…

We have a post that discusses our Tips for Using Airbnb in case you’re unfamiliar with the service. We’ve used it several times in Europe, including a couple of times in Paris. It’s an inexpensive alternative to a hotel, and nice because it also allows you to live like a local, whether that means doing some laundry halfway through your trip or just going to the market to get fresh produce (and cheese…AND WINE!) to prepare you own meals.

Other than that, the biggest upside is price. You can find sometimes find deals on hotels in Val d’Europe, but deals on nice accommodations are less common in Paris (proper) or other cities. The value proposition of renting your own apartment or flat is significantly greater than booking a hotel.

We’ve had some really great Airbnb experiences all around the world, and wouldn’t hesitate to use it again near Disneyland Paris, or anywhere in Europe, for that matter.

Off-Site v. On-Site?

For us, the Disney on-site hotel experience isn’t just about the room. All things considered, the Disney hotels we’ve stayed in at Disneyland Paris are nicer overall than the off-site hotels. Aside from price, the one upside to the Val d’Europe hotels is getting more spacious suites and multi-room villas.

Beyond being immersed in the Disney bubble, there are some perks to staying on-site at Disneyland Paris. The big ones are being within walking distance of the parks, Extra Magic Hours, taking advantage of the Full or Half Board Meal Plans, and exclusive character meets.

By far, the biggest of these is the Extra Magic Hour perk. Guests staying in the Disney-owned hotels are able to enter the parks 2 hours before the general public to experience select attractions every morning. The first hour of Extra Magic Hours is generally pretty dead–it’s easy to get totally empty photos of Main Street, and you can experience attractions like Peter Pan’s Flight with minimal waits.

If you do decide to stay on-site, my unscientific recommendations for hotels would be: Hotel Cheyenne (value), Sequoia Lodge (moderate), or Disneyland Hotel (deluxe). Hotel Cheyenne had a fun feel to it and no pretenses of being artfully designed, likely making it a hotel kids would enjoy. Sequoia Lodge has theming is reminiscent of a National Park lodge, except with Frank Lloyd Wright inspiration oddly found throughout the architecture.

If you’re thinking about booking a Disneyland Paris vacation package, you should know about the various Meal Plans the on-site hotels offer. These are sometimes bundled into packages for “free” or available as an add-on.

This is somewhat like the Disney Dining Plan at Walt Disney World, except it uses pre-paid physical vouchers. Disneyland Paris offers Full and Half Board Meal Plans: the Half Board plan includes 1 meal voucher for lunch or dinner, plus a breakfast voucher. The Full Board plan includes 2 meal vouches for lunch and dinner, plus a breakfast voucher.

There are four different tiers to each of these Meal Plans available, escalating in price and what’s included. At the lowest end of the spectrum is the Hotel plan, which includes breakfast and dinner at your hotel only. Standard gives you a choice of 5+ buffet restaurants. Plus provides access to 15+ buffet and table service restaurants. Premium is available at almost every table service restaurant in Disneyland Paris, including character meals.

The bottom line with these Meal Plans is that they can be a really good value if you do a little research and book expensive restaurants. For example, even though the Premium Plan is $100+ per person, per night, doing daily meals at places like California Grill and Auberge de Cendrillon could amount to a daily value of over $150. Same goes for the lower tiers.

On the other hand, if you choose an expensive plan and end up doing mostly counter service meals, there’s the potential for losing a lot of money each day on the Disneyland Paris Meal Plans.

Our ultimate take is that the Meal Plans are a good option if dining is an important part of your trip and you plan to do your research ahead of time to determine where to eat (and make reservations ~60 days in advance). If dining isn’t so important or you don’t intend upon doing the research, skip the Disneyland Paris Meals. There’s one big reason for this…

The reason is that a lot of the food at Disneyland Paris is not very good. Given that this is France , you’d expect Disneyland Paris to have some stellar dining options. Unfortunately, expectations here don’t comport with reality. Restaurants at Disneyland Paris are not that good and are not that “French.”

The good news is that dining has been improving in the last few years, and we’ve had some good meals at Walt’s – An American Restaurant and Captain Jack’s. Nevertheless, we are still cautious about Disneyland Paris dining, as we’ve had hit or miss success in the ast.

We’ve since tried out many other restaurants at Disneyland Paris, some good, some really bad. The general trend is towards improvement, which is definitely reassuring. For reviews of individual restaurants, read our Disneyland Paris Restaurant Reviews . We also have a Guide to Drinking at Disneyland Paris for those who want to go out after the parks close!

If you want to avoid disappointment, we’d recommend approaching dining at Disneyland Paris from the perspective of experiencing restaurants with cool themes. Our Top 10 Themed Restaurants at Disneyland Paris post should help with this.

This is how we have approached dining there, and it has worked pretty well. The two restaurants at which we ate the first time, Walt’s and Captain Jack’s, were beautiful, and worth the experience, even considering the food. Walt’s has a similar feel to Club 33 at Disneyland, and Captain Jack’s overlooks the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, much like Blue Bayou at Disneyland.

Counter Service meals are generally okay. It’s about what you’d expect from average counter service restaurants at Walt Disney World or Disneyland. In general, the options are not adventurous, but rather, are stereotypical theme park foods. Lots of pizza, burgers, salads, and fried foods.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as portion sizes are large and prices are not out of line (by normal Disney standards). In addition, the design of many of these restaurants is truly impressive. Toad Hall features more detail than all of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland, and serves some pretty good fish & chips, too.

In terms of portions, the only portion size that will be smaller in Disneyland Paris is soda. There are no free refills in any restaurant (this is typical of Europe) and soda sizes in general are much smaller. So, if you’re a Coke addict, a trip to Disneyland Paris might prove costly!

Although not as good as what you’ll find in the city of Paris, Disneyland Paris snacks are solid. We highly recommend the Cable Car Bake Shop on Main Street. Not just for its sweets, but also because it’s a beautifully designed, intimate location.

One thing to mention so that you don’t get too excited while planning specific places to eat is that Disneyland Paris often closes some of its restaurants depending upon crowds. This has been a huge issue in the last few years, and judging by the calendars published thus far, it will remain a huge problem throughout the rest of this year.

This can be very frustrating for planning purposes, and playing the “ what’s open today? ” game while in the park is equally frustrating, as the signs up indicating which restaurants are open differ from spot to spot. You often don’t know what is open until you walk up to a particular restaurant.

To make matters worse, even the limited slate of restaurants that is open often closes before 5 pm. This means that lines for dinner at the 2-3 restaurants that are open into the evening hours are ridiculously long. We’ve heard frequent reports of guests waiting 45 minutes for a (terrible) burger at Cafe Hyperion. Don’t make that mistake.

One of the easiest ways to avoid this issue is to pack snacks and eat dinner in Disney Village. There are several good options there that are all open late, including Earl of Sandwich, McDonald’s, and Five Guys. All of these restaurants are comparable to their U.S. counterparts.

Earl of Sandwich is our favorite pick; it serves most of the same sandwiches as the Earl of Sandwich locations in the United States and is reasonably priced. It’s definitely disappointing to be in one of the world’s greatest food cities and eat at U.S. chains after the park closes, but unfortunately, that’s the sad reality of dining at Disneyland Paris.

Our over-arching recommendation for those with finite travel budgets would be to save your money for dining in the city of Paris and eat on the cheap in Disneyland Paris. You may want to give at least one table service meal a try before adopting this strategy, though.

We’ve found that most people visit Disneyland Paris for 2 days, and if that’s your plan, our 1-Day Disneyland Paris Park Itinerary and 1-Day Walt Disney Studios Park Itinerary provide step-by-step touring plans for “perfect” days in each of the parks. If you have 3 days or more, simply explore at a leisurely pace in those additional days.

Additionally, we have tips for buying Disneyland Paris tickets in our Disneyland Paris Ticket Tips & Info post, which covers where to find discount park tickets, and the pros & cons of getting an Annual Pass versus buying single day tickets (it’s a closer call than you might think!). Remember that if you’re staying on-site at a Disneyland Paris hotel, there’s a good chance your package will include park tickets.

Then there’s the attractions. Chances are you’ve visited a Disney theme park some time in your life, and you have an idea of what attractions are worth experiencing. The biggest differences in Disneyland Paris are park design, layout, and level of detail. Many of the attractions are very similar in general nature to their US counterparts.

If you’re interested in developing a strategy for attractions or figuring out which to do and which to skip, check out our Disneyland Paris Attractions Guide and our Walt Disney Studios Park Attractions Guide . These guides have ratings for every attraction in Parc Disneyland and WDSP, and our recommendations for doing them.

In general, Disneyland Paris excels because it offers a lot to explore and excellent execution on theme. A die-hard Disney fan will notice differences in many attractions from the US versions, making every attraction a worthwhile experience. A casual guest will probably find that many attractions are “exactly the same” as their US counterparts.

Regardless of where you fall in that spectrum, you will enjoy the details and design if you slow down to enjoy them. That’s what we strongly recommend doing, and that’s how we believe Disneyland Paris is best enjoyed. Spend some time in the shops on Main Street, wander through the restaurants, and look for clues about the backstory.

What About Maintenance?

If you’ve done any research into Disneyland Paris, you might’ve already read horror stories about the park’s upkeep. Historically, it has been so bad that we’re dedicating an entire section in this guide to the topic. Thankfully, this is not nearly as big of a problem as it once was. By and large, maintenance at Disneyland Paris is now close to on par with the U.S. Disney Parks.

A dramatic refresh to the entire resort called “Project Sparkle” has revitalized several popular attractions and entire lands. This is finished in the parks and is now continuing with the hotels.

Thankfully, Disneyland Paris has already turned a corner in terms of maintenance and refreshing the park. Now, we are seeing all of the hard work and refurbishments pay off, and Disneyland Paris is sparkling as a result. Let’s just hope it stays that way!

What to Pack

The items on our Unique Disney Packing List will be helpful in any of the Disney theme parks. Specific to Paris, one thing you will need is a voltage converter. We highly recommend this BESTEK Portable Travel Converter with multiple outlets. You can find cheaper ones, but they will be larger, heavier, and take up valuable real estate in your suitcase.

Another thing we recommend, particularly if you plan on traveling internationally beyond France, is purchasing a pocket MiFi unit. For years, we rented these when traveling, until we did a bit of research and discovered they’re fairly cheap to purchase.

I bought this Huawei 4G LTE Mobile Wifi Hotspot and then purchased a cheap (~$40 Orange Holiday) 10 GB SIM card at a Relay store in Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport when we landed. If you have an unlocked phone, you can just put the SIM card directly into that, but we prefer the MiFi unit so that we can connect multiple devices. We find this to be a more efficient strategy when traveling internationally.

If you are going to be staying in multiple hotels during your European vacation, we highly recommend packing cubes or compression bags (I prefer the cubes) for organization. You can read more of our “carry-on philosophy” and which types of bags we use here . Seriously, this is really critical if you’re going to spend time on the rails or walking through Europe. So much easier than dragging around a ton of luggage!

When packing, also keep in mind that the climate of Paris is not the same as that of Orlando or Anaheim. Paris has legitimate winters, complete with snow and all. If you’re visiting any time from October through March, you should pack for cooler weather. Our Packing for Disney in Winter Guide is a start, but during the height of winter, you will want really warm clothes for many days.

Other Wisdom

It should come as no surprise that Europe does not use the US dollar as a currency. You can order euro from your bank prior to your trip, but withdrawing from an ATM is the better and easier route so long as your bank doesn’t charge exorbitant fees. It didn’t used to be the case, but now this is typically the better option.

Ideally, you’ll have a chipped credit card and will use that for the vast majority of your purchases. Chipped cards make international travel a breeze because they largely eliminate the need to deal in cash (besides from street vendors and other “older” retailers that don’t accept cash). We used chipped credit cards throughout our trip and just carried a bit of cash that we almost never used.

Moving on to another important “issue” for many people: smoking. While Disneyland Paris’ website will lead you to believe that smoking is only allowed in designated areas, the reality is that people smoke in every outdoor area. This is part and parcel of European culture, and something to keep in mind if smoke bothers you.

Free wireless internet is now available throughout Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios Park, the Disney Village, and all resort hotels. This is a relatively new development that roughly coincided with the rollout of the official Disneyland Paris app. There’s also free WiFi at the Disney Village McDonald’s and Earl of Sandwich, and most of the off-site hotels.

The toilets at Disneyland Paris are all highly advanced prototype “SMRT-1” devices that feature facial recognition, and will greet you by saying, “How do you do, sir/m’am?” It is customary and appropriate to respond to this by saying, “I’m well, how are you?” It is not considered rude to decline to respond to any of the toilet’s additional conversation.

Just kidding on that last tip…although it is a foreign country, it’s not a foreign universe! If you can navigate the US parks, you’ll be fine in Disneyland Paris!

For the most part, this should cover everything you need for planning for a trip to Disneyland Paris. I update this guide regularly based on changes in Disneyland Paris (and I have a Disneyland Paris Annual Pass burning a hole in my pocket, so I plan on making another return trip soon), so rest assured that the information here is current. With that said, if you have any unresolved questions, please feel free to ask in the comments.

If you need help planning your Disneyland Paris vacation beyond this, we recommend contacting an experienced (no fee), Authorized Disney Vacation Planner , which will also help you find the best deals. Want to see more photos or read about Disneyland Paris in agonizing detail? Check out our “Impressions de Bricker” Disneyland Paris Report , which covers our visit during the inaugural Disneyland Paris Half Marathon, or our Disneyland Paris 20th Anniversary Trip Report , which covers our first visit to Disneyland Paris!

Your Thoughts

Have you been to Disneyland Paris? What did you think? Planning and trip and have questions? Please leave them in the comments! If you’re a Disneyland Paris “regular” and you have tips of your own, please add them in the comments. I might just borrow them for the guide itself.

Written by Tom Bricker

We are planning on going to London, Normandy and Paris next May/June. We are Disney fans so I would love to give my kids a break from history and museums for a fun day at Disney. I don’t think I want to commit to more than 1 day since it’s not really why we are in Europe. Should we stay near Disneyland or is a straightforward commute from Paris? Is it doable to do just one day? Is a Park Hopper worth it to see both parks? Or should I just suck it up and try and see if we can afford 2 days?

Hello Brittany,

I live in Paris, and often visit Disneyland Paris. I also go to Normandy if that’s of any interest. If you have only 1 day, I would suggest staying in Paris, and use teh very efficient RER A. It is a 40 min commute from central Paris, and they are frequent and easy. For the same money you’ll be able to afford much better accomodation in a nice area in Paris. You can get them very early in the morning and late at night, and arrive before the crowds, which would be my advice. If you prepare well (checking maps for instance), you can do just fine in 1 day. I wouldn’t park hop and the studios are frankly a mess right now.

I hope you’ll have a fantastic trip !

What are your thoughts on traveling April of 2025? Our April break next year ends on Easter Sunday. Thank you!

THANK YOU for all of this insight. We went to DLP in late March 2023 with our 8 year old daughter and this guidance was key.

Staying in Serris in an AirBNB was great and felt almost “on-site”, because the village is so themed. There is a little boulangerie on the Main Street that would not be out of place in the parks.

The 30th Anniversary show with the drones was astonishing – I’ve never heard the sound of that many people gasping in unison.

“Un Monde die S’Illumine”, for parents of an 8 year old who had been in pandemic lockdown since she was 5 – the lyrics “We’re gonna dream a little bigger / Laugh a little harder / Sing a little louder now”, were really cathartic and moving. Like an announcement that the world is coming back.

The restaurant review link is broken, FYI

Tom, the Disneyland Paris Restaurant Reviews link remains broken.

i have never beem to paris

Thank you for the detail & all of the links to your other articles!! We are planning a very cold early Feb 2024 visit (due to other plans) and when I try to book a hotel package, it won’t let me change the number of ticket days. I need 4 nights and 3 days b ut it will only give my 4 nights and 5 days of tickets. Any experience or tips with this??

DL Paris isn’t one of the US parks where we can customize our packages! DL Paris makes you buy one more day of ticket than nights of hotel stay. We bought a 4 day ticket with 3 nights for next month. We really only wanted a 3 day and 3 night package.

I read somewhere online you can call Disney Land Paris and book hotel and tickets seperately as opposed to a package. Maybe that will work?

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Plan Your Dream Trip To Disney!

How To Easily Get From Paris To Disneyland Paris

May 23, 2020 //  by  Jessie Wolf //   Leave a Comment

If your trip to Paris includes more than just Disneyland Paris then figuring out how to get from Paris to Disneyland Paris can be a bit of a worry. But that doesn’t need to be the case.

This handy guide will tell you everything you need to know about easily getting from Paris to Disneyland. It includes different routes, including the train, the bus and driving, as well as routes from the Paris airports.

How ever you intend to travel between Paris and Disneyland, it is important you feel comfortable doing so, so we have included helpful tips and tricks for navigating the different systems in Paris. For the more complicated systems (particularly the RER train) we have produced a step by step guide so you can move around almost as though you are a Parisian.

It is important to make the most out of your Disneyland Paris Itinerary and being stressed before you’ve even arrived at the parks is not ideal for anyone.

Get a FREE printable 30/60/90 day Disney countdown by joining our private  Disney Facebook Group  and share your photos and ask for tips and tricks!

Where Is Disneyland Paris

Despite the name, Disneyland Paris is actually around 20 miles outside of Paris city centre. Paris is a busy and crowded city so it makes sense that the sprawling Disneyland Paris parks would need a bit more space. But Disney, and Paris, are aware that you might want to spend some time in Paris whilst you are visiting, so they have made it super easy to travel from Paris to Disneyland Paris.

How Long Does It Take To Get From Paris To Disneyland Paris?

This depends on where you are staying in Paris, but from the city centre it takes roughly 45 minutes using the RER train, 1 hour and 30 minutes getting the Disney shuttle bus and 40 minutes to drive. Taking the bus or driving yourself to the parks is dependent on traffic conditions so bear that in mind when you’re planning your journey, especially if you are travelling during rush hour (Monday- Friday, between 7:30-9:00am and 5:00-6:00pm).

If you are going straight to the parks from the airport, it takes around 1 hour by shuttle bus from either Charles de Gaulle or Orly airports. Alternatively, you can take the express train from Charles de Gaulle and be at Disneyland Paris in around 15 minutes, although there are some issues with using this method as we’ll explain.

Transportation Options For Getting From Paris To Disneyland Paris

Paris has a pretty comprehensive train and metro system that allows locals and tourists to travel conveniently to various destinations by public transport. The RER is slightly different from the Paris Metro as it links Paris with other destinations rather than inside Paris city centre.

The RER has lettered lines, rather than the numbered lines of the Metro, and these have a corresponding colour on the train map, which can be found in stations, on the trains and on various apps and websites as well as paper copies being available. To get from Paris to Disneyland Paris you need to take the RER A line, the red line, east ( ost ) to Marne-la-Vallee–Chessy. In most stations, although not all of them, the sign for this route will feature a prominent Mickey head so you know it’s heading to Disneyland.

The RER A splits into two paths so make sure you board the train going to Marne-la-Vallee. The platforms at the station will tell you the destination the next train is going to, and the train itself will display its final destination. Again, most of these signs will feature a Mickey head, but not all so pay attention to the trains destination before you board.

Using the system is very similar to any metro/train system that uses automated turnstiles, which means you need to have your ticket available at the start, and the end, of your journey. You will need to scan your ticket to exit the station at Disneyland, so make sure you don’t lose it on your journey and keep it somewhere easy to access so you can move through the station with ease.

Parisians use the metro a lot and there are a number of unwritten rules that they tend to abide by. These will likely be lesser on the RER A line as it is often filled with tourists heading to Disneyland Paris but it is good to be aware of them nonetheless. For one, it is considered rude to eat on the train so try not to plan on eating your breakfast on the train on the way there. It is also considered rude to talk on the phone or have loud conversations whilst you’re on the train, as well as to sit on the foldable chairs whilst other people are standing.

You will need to get to a station that is serviced by the RER A line but once you’re on it, it’s a straight shot to Disneyland and the station is right at the gates to the park so this is one of the simplest ways to get to the parks from Paris city centre.

How To Buy Train Tickets From Paris To Disneyland Paris

There are a number of ways to purchase train tickets to travel from Paris to Disneyland Paris. The system works on a zone system so the ticket price depends on your starting destination and your final destination. However, you buy your tickets you will need to specify where you are travelling to so that you can buy the right type of ticket.

The easiest way is probably to buy a ticket from an attendant at the station. There are automated machines in the stations to purchase tickets but they can be a little funny about taking card payments, especially if you have a card without a chip and pin option, and some machines can only take cash payments.

The attendants are able to take different payments much easier but there can be longer queues to purchase tickets this way.

A lot of locals who use the trains use a Navigo Pass which they can add season tickets to or top up with money so they don’t have to worry about buying tickets every day or for specific destinations. For tourists, or for people who use the metro infrequently, there is the Navigo Easy Pass which can be purchased for an additional 2€ and topped up whenever you need to.

This can be a more convenient way of having tickets if you’re making a number of trips as you don’t need to keep track of a bunch of paper tickets.

The Paris metro is attempting to become paperless so in 2019 they rolled out the ViaNavigo app which allows users to purchase tickets through the app and use their phones as their tickets.

This is a super convenient way to travel as the app can be used in a number of different languages however currently it is only available to Samsung users. The app is available on Apple devices but does not allow for ticket purchase within the app.

Paris does run public buses but if you are looking for a public transport option to get from Paris to Disneyland Paris then the RER is a lot cheaper and much simpler. Disneyland Paris do offer a shuttle bus service, however, that services the city centre.

It is called the Disneyland Paris Express and can be added on when you are purchasing park tickets. You cannot buy this service on its own, it can only be purchased with park tickets, so if you already have tickets then this is not the best option for you.

Disneyland Paris Express offers 2 shuttle services. One has pickups/drop-offs at Gare du Nord , Opéra and Châtelet and the other is from the Eiffel Tower area. Shuttle 1 has pickups at Gard du Nord at 8:20am, Opéra at 8:30am and Châtelet at 8:45am. Shuttle 2 picks up at the Eiffel Tower at 8:10am.

Both shuttles arrive at the parks by 10am but this is dependent on traffic so could be earlier. The shuttle then departs the park at either 8 or 9pm depending on the seasonal opening hours. It is advised that you arrive at the pickup points at least 15 minutes before the departure time to make sure everyone has enough time to get on board.

It is possible to drive from Paris to Disneyland Paris and Disneyland has a large area devoted to carparks but driving in Paris can be a bit of a pain. If your trip to France includes more than Paris then hiring a car can be a good way to save money. Some areas of France are quite remote and offer beautiful driving routes so having a car can be an advantage.

However Paris itself is not particularly car-friendly due to narrow streets, lots of roundabouts and angry Parisian drivers. If your only excursion outside of Paris is Disneyland then hiring a car may not be the best idea.

It’s a 40 minute drive from Paris to Disneyland Paris and involves driving for roughly 34 miles on the A4 motorway. The route features signs to Disneyland and once you exit the motorway it is a 2-minute drive to the parks.

If you do hire a car in Paris there are a number of things you need to know. It is a legal requirement in France that your car has an emergency stop sign, a reflecting jacket for every passenger, and a single-use breathalyzer.

Your hire company should provide all of these items but make sure you check and know where they are in case you are asked. If you are driving your own car in Paris then you will need to pack these items for yourself.

All cars driving in Paris are also required to display a clean air sticker which shows how much pollution the car produces. These will already be on a rental car if you hire it in France but you would need to have one produced for your own car if you choose to drive that to Paris.

Children under the age of 10 are not allowed by law to ride in the front seat and no hands-free or Bluetooth devices can be used in the car at all. Cars are also not permitted to carry speed camera detectors or use Satnavs with a speed camera function.

It is also worth noting that gazole in French is diesel, whilst petrol is essence . So make sure you’re filling up your car with the correct fuel type to avoid any breakdowns.

Getting to Disneyland Paris from Paris Airports

If you are travelling to Paris exclusively to visit Disneyland Paris then there are transport options that will take you straight from the airports to the parks. Disney run a Magical Shuttle airport bus which picks you up from either Charles de Gaulle or Orly Airport and takes you straight to the various Disneyland Paris hotels. This takes roughly an hour and can be added when you are buying your holiday package or added separately later.

There are also commercial shuttle bus options which follow a similar route and may be cheaper than the official Disney option. Some airlines offer this service as an additional extra when booking your flights.

Charles de Gaulle also has an express train service which connects the airport with Marne-la-Vallee. The TGV train is a highspeed train that travels between the different cities of France. Due to its speed, it only takes 9 minutes from Charles de Gaulle airport to the Marne-la-Vallee station at the entrance to Disneyland Paris.

If you are flying into CDG airport, make sure to check out our post about how to get from Charles De Gaulle to Disneyland Paris!

However, the trains run at odd times throughout the day and there can sometimes be up to a 2 hour gap between trains, so if you miss your train you could be in for a long wait at the station. It therefore depends when your flight arrives if this is a feasible option for you, but if you can get one of these then it is by far the quickest option.

Disneyland Paris is such a magical place and it’s important that you are able to make the most of your time there, so having a worry-free journey is the best way to start. This guide should provide you with everything you need to know to travel smoothly between Paris and Disneyland Paris so your entire trip is as wonderful as possible.

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9 things to know about visiting Disneyland Paris if you've only been to US Disney parks

In between touring the Louvre, strolling the banks of the Seine and ascending the Eiffel Tower, many visitors to the City of Light also pay a visit to Disneyland Paris. Situated to the east of the city, the resort is home to Europe's largest (and most visited) theme park.

With China still closed to tourism and Japan only starting to reopen, Disneyland Paris is the international Disney resort that is currently the most accessible to the traveling world. Combine this with the fact that Paris is set to host the Summer Olympics in 2024 and it's safe to say that many visitors will likely soon pass through the theme park's gates.

While Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, is my family's home park, we frequently visit Disney destinations around the world. So, when we had the chance to spend several weeks in France and the United Kingdom this summer, we knew we had to set aside a little time to see what France's version of Mickey Mouse had to deliver.

Not surprisingly, we found that Disneyland Paris does a lot of things in a slightly different way. However, one detail remains a constant across all the parks, Disneyland Paris included: Guests who pre-plan, know what to expect and understand the rules will surely have a magical vacation.

Disneyland Paris basics

Before delving into all you need to know about experiencing Disneyland Paris, it's important to have a lay of the land and understand the logistics of getting to the property.

Located about 25 miles east of Paris ' city center in Chessy, France, Disneyland Paris is easy to reach by train. The Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy train station sits a few steps away from the park's entrance and is accessible via Réseau Express Régional routes departing from downtown Paris and Trains à Grande Vitesse routes that leave Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and other destinations in France.

Once at the property, you'll notice that Disneyland Paris has a similar layout to Disneyland Resort. Two theme parks — Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park — comprise the resort, with each within walking distance of the other. There is also an adjacent shopping and entertainment district known as Disney Village, as well as multiple themed hotels with additional services and dining locations.

Like all the Disney parks, Disneyland Paris is a bucket list experience for Disney fans, regardless of when you visit. However, now is an especially magical time to check out the resort, as it's celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2022, with celebrations set to continue until Sept. 30, 2023.

Related: How to do the sold-out 'Disney Parks Around the World' trip on points and miles

Essential Disneyland Paris tips

If you are considering or planning a visit to Disneyland Paris, it's vital to know about the resort's unique rules and tricks. Even as a seasoned Disneyland and Walt Disney World visitor, I had to learn a lot of new things while at Disneyland Paris. Fortunately for us, the pieces ultimately fell into place once we identified the major differences. Here's what you need to know:

Related: How to use miles to fly to Paris

Logistics are easier

Recently, Disneyland and Disney World have received a lot of negative press for their complicated post-pandemic rules and procedures. While Disneyland Paris did implement a few changes after its reopening that have stuck, nearly everything is much easier to navigate for the casual visitor.

For example, Disneyland Paris does require park reservations for some guests, but if you are booking a Disneyland vacation package for a stay at an on-property hotel, then no park reservations are required.

Ticketing options are simpler, more flexible and overall less expensive as well. Guests who purchase park tickets as part of a vacation package will find ticketing to be as easy as showing up and entering. If you are not purchasing a ticket as part of a package, it's still a fairly straightforward process. Once you know how many days you'll be visiting, all that's left to decide is whether you want a dated or an undated ticket. (Dated tickets are cheaper but require picking your entry dates when you book, whereas undated tickets are pricier but let you choose your park dates after booking.) If you pick a dated ticket, you can then opt for a park hopper or one-park option. That's about it. Should your plans change, tickets are fully refundable up until three days prior to their valid date.

Thankfully, tickets are cheaper than in the U.S. with one-day, one-park tickets starting around $70-$80, depending on the date. In the U.S., they can be roughly double that price.

Disneyland Paris also doesn't have arbitrary time limits on its park hopping hours. If you've purchased a park hopper ticket, you are free to go back and forth between the two parks at any time of day.

In short, there are fewer opportunities at Disneyland Paris to make a mistake and find that you've run afoul of some obscure new rule. We found that assurance comforting, especially when dealing with the greater logistical challenges already inherent in an international trip.

Related: The best credit cards for a theme park vacation

Ride lines are mostly manageable

The most common complaints about theme parks around the world are the crowds and long lines. Disneyland Paris certainly has its fair share of both, but we were pleasantly surprised to find that standby queues for attractions were not as painfully long as guests might fear.

My family visited during a peak time of year (the U.K.'s summer recess from school), so we experienced ride lines at close to their worst. Lines were a little longer than I like to stand in but were by no means as terrible as lines you'll find at Disneyland or Disney World on a very busy day. If you can time your visit for a weekday when kids are not on break, you'll likely have an even more manageable time at Disneyland Paris.

Of course, there are tricks to finding shorter lines, including arriving early for rope drop or staying late after many guests retire for the evening. Disneyland Paris also has single-rider lines for a number of popular attractions that can save you time. We used all of these tricks to great effect.

Additionally, Disneyland Paris has a skip-the-line FastPass-style program of its own for select rides, with two paid options available: Disney Premier Access One and Disney Premier Access Ultimate.

With the more affordable Premier Access One program, you pay between 9 and 18 euros (roughly $9-$18) per ride for expedited access at a particular time via the attraction's fast lane. Meanwhile, the Premier Access Ultimate program automatically gives you access to each ride's fast lane whenever you want for a higher price (usually well above 100 euros, or $100, per person, per day).

Since fewer guests use these pay-to-play options at Disneyland Paris, they don't have as great of an impact on standby lines for non-paying guests. As a result, my family decided to skip the high cost of the upgraded Premier Access option and instead purchase three regular Premier Access One passes during our three-day visit. We found them to be far less complex than Disney's confusing paid Genie+ and Lightning Lane systems currently in operation at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Our most valuable purchase was for Crush's Coaster, which historically has the longest line at either park.

The second park is weak

Disneyland Paris includes two parks, but guests should know before deciding how to divide their time that the parks are far from equal. Disneyland Park is the property's main draw and where most guests spend the bulk of their time. There's also Walt Disney Studios Park, which only has a couple of major attractions mixed in with a lot you can skip, making it the much weaker of the two parks.

Recognizing this lack of star power at the latter, Disney has started making incremental changes to Walt Disney Studios Park. Earlier this summer, a brand new land called Marvel Avengers Campus debuted in the park.

Like its counterpart in Anaheim, the land has a new "Spider-Man"-themed attraction and a lot of new characters and dining locations. Avengers Campus delivers a solid product just like it does in Anaheim, but it's not enough to redeem the park as a whole. Walt Disney Studios Park still has a long way to go.

Thankfully, there is more coming, with a "Frozen" land set to debut in 2024. Still, until that area opens, Walt Disney Studios Park remains a half-day park at best. If you're a frequent Disneyland visitor like me and my family, odds are you'll want to allot even less time for the park, as Paris' Avengers Campus isn't that different from what you'll find in Anaheim.

It can be done as a day trip

With so many other can't-miss attractions in the City of Light, it's understandably hard to justify spending too many days at a theme park. So, a lot of travelers visit Disneyland Paris as a day trip from the city, as it's only about a 40-minute train ride away from the city center.

If your time will be limited when you visit, know that it's still possible to get a solid overview of the parks in a single day. You'll be able to ride quite a few of the headliner attractions in that time, especially if you budget for a couple of Premier Access One passes. Since Walt Disney Studios Park lacks the same wow factor as Disneyland Park, you can easily get by with a single-park ticket instead of the park hopper upgrade.

That said, Disney fans would be remiss if they didn't set aside a little more time for the parks.

Disneyland Paris is nearly as large as Disneyland Resort, so you'll need more than a day to truly see it all, especially if you want to ride every unique attraction available. We allotted a full day and two half days (an evening on our arrival and a morning before flying elsewhere in Europe) for our Disneyland Paris visit and found it was just about the right amount of time for a family of Disney fans.

Related: Where to stay in Paris

The food is not on par with the US parks

Travelers come from around the world to experience France's magnificent food scene. Unfortunately, there is very little of that fine cuisine at Disneyland Paris.

I had heard from friends and fellow Disney experts for many years that the food in Disneyland Paris was terrible, so my family had low expectations when it was time for our visit. Much to my surprise, everything wasn't inedible slop: Every quick-service meal and buffet we had was entirely adequate. In fact, the food was pretty similar in quality to an average quick-service meal you'll get at Disneyland or Disney World. Prices weren't excessively high, either.

Where the food faltered most was in the sit-down establishments. For example, my husband and daughter ate at Captain Jack's, a fine dining restaurant overlooking the Pirates of the Caribbean ride that reminded them of Disneyland Resort's Blue Bayou. They found the meal was quite expensive, especially since both of their dishes were extremely overcooked. I've heard similar complaints from friends who've dined at Bistrot Chez Rémy in recent years as well.

We found some other food inadequacies at Disneyland Paris, too. The parks simply don't have a lot of snack options or variety, a strange state of affairs given how the U.S. parks churn out new, Instagrammable treats for every holiday or special event under the sun.

Disneyland Paris also doesn't keep all its in-park restaurants open full-time. A number of quick-service options close before the dinner hour, leaving pretty slim pickings for guests who haven't made reservations at pricier sit-down restaurants.

To avoid being disappointed during your visit, do as we did and make food as little of a focus of your trip as possible. Skip the expensive table-service restaurants and instead plan in advance to eat some utilitarian theme park basics like chicken fingers, pizza and burgers at quick-service establishments. As long as you check in advance so you know which options are open, particularly later in the day, you'll have no trouble filling empty stomachs.

Service isn't quite up to Disney standards

While I hate to be a stereotypical American complaining about French service, the reality is that there are subjective cultural differences that many visitors to Disneyland Paris will probably perceive when it comes to service. France just doesn't have the same tradition of effusive, overly friendly customer service that guests who frequent the American (or even the Asian) Disney parks are used to.

That's not to say that the customer service in Disneyland Paris is poor. We found most cast members quite courteous and even had a couple of magical moments with a select few. We were also impressed by the fact that every cast member we encountered spoke English, which we found helpful since none of us speak French.

Still, cast members were noticeably more blunt in tone and less visible everywhere in the parks. I got the distinct impression that there were fewer cast members per capita in the Paris parks than in other Disney parks I have visited. This was especially evident at the park entrances, where cast members were in short supply for morning rope drop. Clueless guests were trying to scan their tickets and passes at the turnstiles only to encounter errors and slow down the lines considerably at a pivotal time.

Ultimately, park operations felt a little more like a regional theme park in America than the gold standard of Disney efficiency and warmth.

The parks' beauty is its own attraction

What Disneyland Paris lacks in customer service it more than makes up for in beauty.

Disneyland Park is easily the most beautiful theme park I've visited. It feels like a microcosm of the well-designed city of Paris itself, with wide pathways surrounded by colorful, meticulously maintained landscaping. Many of the ride buildings have bold theming that commands your attention, such as the Jules Verne-inspired Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain.

This unique atmosphere means that guests should approach a visit to the resort a little differently. Disneyland Paris is a park that is meant to be savored. If you run from ride to ride all day, you'll miss a major part of what makes the property so special.

We slowed down during parts of our trip and made time to explore some of the non-ride attractions and specially themed play areas (which are far more ubiquitous than in the U.S. parks). We found these areas sparked the curiosity of our kids, who enjoyed wandering the meandering pathways and playing in spaces like Alice's Curious Labyrinth and Skull Rock.

Another visual delight was the arcades — enclosed pathways that run behind the shops of Main Street U.S.A. These pathways serve the practical purpose of moving big crowds but in a visually stunning setting. Of course, the awe-inspiring Disneyland Paris castle is another gorgeous feature that no guest should miss.

Many attractions are familiar — but uniquely different

A quick glance at the map of Disneyland Paris may give the impression that the park is largely a clone of the Magic Kingdom in Florida or Disneyland Park in California . Sure, quite a few attractions, such as Peter Pan's Flight and Mad Hatter's Tea Cups, are similar to what you'll find in the U.S., but a number of rides at Disneyland Paris actually have unique twists all their own despite looking like carbon copies of their American counterparts.

For example, two thrill rides, Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain, are far more intense than those in the U.S. As such, roller coaster lovers should make a beeline for them. Parents, on the other hand, will probably need to pause and consider whether more cautious kids in the family are ready for the more intense experience.

Additionally, spooky rides like Phantom Manor (similar to the Haunted Mansion) and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror have very different storylines than the ones in the U.S. Both have an edgier and more morbid vibe thanks to the French influence.

Even some children's rides have new angles. Casey Jr., for example, is actually a mild kiddie coaster rather than the slow-moving train that sits in Anaheim. Storybook Land Canal Boats brings guests through different fairy-tale scenes than the ones that appear at Disneyland Resort, too.

Given how many rides vary here despite their similar theming, you should err on the side of riding as much as possible while at Disneyland Paris. Though you may think you've experienced a ride before in Florida or California, chances are it will offer a very new experience.

Related: I've visited every Disney park. Here's the best of the best

On-property hotels fall short

For guests who plan to visit for more than a day trip, there are seven on-property hotels to choose from.

As you may expect, Disneyland Paris is no exception to the price premium you'll pay to stay on property when visiting Disney. Still, there are a couple of key benefits, including the proximity to the parks and the early entry benefit (known here as Extra Magic Hours), that swayed our family to stay at the on-site Disney Sequoia Lodge.

A moderately-priced hotel with national park lodge theming, the Disney Sequoia Lodge's rooms and common areas felt extremely tired and dated. In fact, the hotel was nowhere near as nice as the newly renovated value resorts at Walt Disney World such as Disney's Pop Century Resort , despite being more expensive. As a result, it didn't seem to offer as much value as what we're used to getting when staying at American Disney properties.

Other properties like the flagship Disneyland Hotel, which sits right above the Disneyland Paris park gates, may provide more value but are currently unavailable due to an extensive renovation expected to wrap up in 2024.

In the meantime, the most luxurious option is the newly renovated Disney Hotel New York — The Art of Marvel. While it is visually stunning, my family couldn't justify paying peak summer prices of more than $800 a night to stay in a small hotel room that had two double beds and was a 15-minute walk from the gates.

Given the shortcomings of these hotels, you may find it hard to stomach spending hundreds of dollars on a room that's officially on property. So, if you're on a tighter budget, you may be better served by staying off-property, especially if you wouldn't use the early entry benefit.

Bottom line

While there were a couple of ways in which the French parks underdelivered, Disneyland Paris is mostly a positive and enjoyable experience.

Disneyland Paris has a number of surprising and delightful differences that Disney fans will enjoy, from its beautiful grounds to unique attraction variations. Visiting Disneyland Paris also requires less preparation and touring the parks there feels less stressful.

In a way, we found our trip replicated the experience of visiting the U.S. parks a decade or more ago when the costs and the stakes of taking a theme park vacation weren't quite so high. Because of this, Disneyland Paris is well worth a Paris detour.

Planning a Disneyland Paris vacation? Read more about visiting Paris:

• 11 things I learned during my trip to Paris
• 15 things to see and do on your first trip to Paris
• Paris on points is possible — here's where to stay
• 8 mistakes travelers often make during their first trip to Paris
• Paris Charles de Gaulle vs. Orly: Which airport should you fly into?

28 Disneyland Paris Tips for First Timers!

Last Updated on May 15, 2024

Disneyland Paris for First-Timers it can be hard going, with children even more so, looking after young children can be stressful at the best of times. If it is your first time in France experiencing French culture is another new experience to be had.

We love Disneyland Paris and have had the opportunity to visit many times. That said Mouse Travel Matter presents 28 Disneyland Paris Tips for First Timers!  These are our first-hand tips from our days exploring Disneyland Paris as Disneyland Paris First Timers.

28 Tips to Make Your Day Brighter

• If you haven’t booked yet and can afford it, book at least 3 days as you can’t get much done in a day, it takes time to get your bearings, and it doesn’t give you room for a rainy day .
• Plan plan plan your day! You will do so much walking and the wait times for things can be extremely long so know where you’re going and what you’re doing, otherwise, you’ll spend ages just walking about doing nothing.
• Take comfortable shoes or several pairs to alternate as you will walk a lot. After tracking our steps we were covering over 12 Km a day pushing a buggy.
• Take water bottles and concentrated juice and fill up at the fountains around the park. You’ll save a fortune.

For great photos and inspiration, follow us on   Instagram.

• Make your reservations for dinner early as otherwise, you’ll end up just eating burgers and fries.
• Book advanced dinner reservations for character dinners if you can, it’s fantastic. We saved this for our last night and our kids met so many characters in such a short space of time included Mickey whom we refused to queue for the day before (just too long and too hot to even try)
• If you have a non-walking baby or even just a small child, take a baby sling or carrier. You can’t take strollers into the queue and when you’re waiting over an hour for a ride, your arms will start to hurt holding them the entire time.
• Take some snacks from home. We didn’t need as much as I packed as we were so full from breakfast, but it was handy to have them if needed (especially when trying to keep little ones happy in queues)
• Ensure you get to see Mickey and the Magician, the Disney Stars on Parade and the Disney Illuminations Fireworks show. Find your spot about an hour before these events start as many guests start waiting quite early! These definitely helped make our holiday and I’d highly recommend not missing them.
• Take layers and waterproofs.

• Download the free   Disneyland Paris Mobile App , which can show you your current location in the park and is handy to see quickly where things.  It also displays current wait times for rides!
• We recommend dining at  Bistrot Chez Rémy . This sit down restaurants decor is fantastic and the food is lovely. Ratatouille: The Adventure  next door is brilliant! You shrink down to the size of Remy and duck, dive, dodge and scurry to safety in a dazzling chase across a gigantic kitchen.
• Allow lots of time for meals in restaurants. 1.5 hrs for a 2-course meal minimum.
• For those travelling to Disneyland Paris with Kids , be sure to tie something unique such as a ribbon to your buggy if taking one. You wouldn’t want to walk off with someone else’s after a ride or lose yours in a sea of strollers.
• As Disneyland Paris First Timers we planned to spend all day in the park, as it can be a good 20 min walk back to the hotel so we avoid the trek back until evening. Little ones can sleep in the stroller and parents can use Rider Swap.
• If riding the Magical Shuttle between Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport and Disneyland Paris. It’s really not obvious at all where to catch the bus. Follow the signs for generic buses from Terminal 2E and then look out the window for yellow coaches. There is no Disney sign.
• Be prepared for bag checks and x-ray machines when entering Disney Parks and Hotels.
• Seasoned Disney Fans use ID holders around their necks to hold their tickets, fast passes, photo pass etc. It will save you the bag shuffling.
• Prepare yourself for lots of queues. Even when visiting off-peak it can be very busy and quite warm waiting in the queues without shade or covers. Hats and water are a must to prevent dehydration .

Colour Your Own Star Wars

O2COOL Deluxe Handheld Battery Powered Water Misting Fan

• If staying on-site at a Disney Hotel, every morning at breakfast there is a character outside the restaurant (you don’t need to be having breakfast for this) with an official photographer for the meet and greet, in some of the hotels. Call to see if your hotel has this option. The wait is never long and you are only competing with fellow hotel guests, not the whole park
• If you aren’t watching the parade, use that time to explore Walt Disney Studios Park around 4 pm. It’s much quieter for rides at that time.
• If renting a stroller, it is best to rent on the day you want to catch Illuminations, as it’s not till 11 pm in the summer months. T his way your kids can sit back and chill out whilst you wait.

• If you have purchased your Disneyland Paris package with Free Half Board Plus like us on occasion, and it is a good thing it was free because paying for it wouldn’t have been worth it. Princess lunch at Auberge de Cendrillon took 2 vouchers and we only had 1 left so we still ended up paying for half the meal. Bistrot Chez Rémy  required the extra addition of dessert and drinks, and Plaza Gardens was only half off since the breakfast voucher doesn’t cover the whole cost, just a lunch voucher – to be used during actual lunchtime. Full Board Premium or nothing for us.
• During Extra Magic Time, there are meet and greets for Minnie, Donald and Chip & Dale.
• If you plan on taking any Photopass+ pictures, it is worth buying in advance since it is cheaper and a lot more trouble to buy it after you arrive.

• Yes! There’s is a Dragon under the castle; “La Tanière du Dragon”. For Disneyland Paris First Timers, it is not to be missed.
• Don’t worry if you don’t speak French, the majority of the Continent doesn’t either. You will be fine.
• European attitudes are a bit different from North America. They’re Not Rude, They’re Just French. They may appear rude or indifferent, that’s not it – they just do it differently. Walt Disney World has different magic all its own. You may find that Europeans don’t have much tolerance for “personal problems” or “do you know how much I paid for this vacation?” type attitudes. It’s part of the Disney experience worldwide to explore cultures.

• Bring a portable charger . Taking all those pictures are going to kill your battery and you can’t rely on public outlets when you are on the proverbial clock.
• Take advantage of FastPasses. You may not be able to book in advance, but that doesn’t mean you can’t think about it strategically. Plan which attractions you want to FP and in which order.
• Never pay for water. All quick service locations, plus the water fountains at all restrooms, have free drinking water.
• Take a picture of your parking spot. Cause let’s be honest, when you are that tired, you will not remember where you parked.
• Buy your tickets online. It’s cheaper!
• Get a special occasion button. Considering it’s your first time, you will want to celebrate with a fancy new Disney pin. And they are free!
• Have your shopping sent to your hotel room. No need to carry anything around with you, just have the store send everything to your hotel gift shop, and collect it tomorrow.
• Use the single rider line. If you have zero intention of riding those scary attractions with your partner, send them through the single rider line and watch as they sore to the front of the line and fill in those empty seats.
• Or the Rider switch system. If your little ones can’t or won’t ride a certain attraction, no one has to choose to stay away. The rider switch system allows everyone a chance to ride while the other parent watches the children.
• Eat at weird times. Most people like to eat at noon and 5 pm. If you can muster the strength to eat well before or after these times, you will have much better success in securing a table, and the kitchen staff won’t be as busy.
• Use a Stroller . You may not think your little ones require a stroller anymore but this is Disneyland Paris! The number of Miles you and your family will walk in a single day is incredible. Add that to the heat, less of sleep and overwhelming nature of Disney, and you have a recipe for disaster. Even if you park it in the morning and only grab it after lunch, you will thank yourself for it later.

Are you ready for a European adventure including Disneyland Paris? We hope this gives Disneyland Paris First Timers the info needed for a great time at DLP.

Water Pen Airplane Travel Toy for Toddlers

Disney World Park Life Autograph Book

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23 Best Disneyland Paris Rides & Attractions You Shouldn’t Miss

Planning a trip to Disneyland and not sure which rides & attractions to enjoy? This article will show you the best Disneyland Paris rides not to miss !

Disneyland Paris is a magical place, full of beauty and wonder!

I’m sure it has been on your bucket list for a long time, and now that the trip is finally coming, it’s time to organize your visit carefully so that you don’t miss any of its fantastic attractions!

Disclaimer:  This post might contain affiliate links. This means we may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) should you choose to sign up for a program or make a purchase using one of our links. It’s okay – We love all of the products we recommend anyway, and you will too! Also, that commission helps us keep this awesome free blog up to date! You can read our  full disclosure here  for more details!

And believe me, it’s not easy. There are over 50 attractions in the main Disneyland park and Walt Disney Studios Park and doing everything in one day is almost impossible.

You’ll have to plan, set priorities, and decide on which ones are must-dos for you and which ones you can ride last or even leave out if time doesn’t allow.

To help you plan, in this post, I’ll show you the best Disneyland Paris rides and attractions to ensure your Disney trip is filled to the brim!

Get ready, remain seated and keep your hands & arms in the ride…and let’s go!

Before You Go, Here’s How To Plan Your Visit To Disneyland Paris: Practical Quick Tips

• Before going to Disneyland Paris, make sure that you have already bought this 1 day Disney entry ticket to avoid wasting time in lines or this multi-day entrance ticket if you plan on visiting for more than one day. Ps. Do not buy the tickets on the day of your visit as they tend to be much more expensive.
• Take advantage of the extra magic time by staying at one of the Disneyland Paris Hotels. You can stay at Relais Spa Chessy Val d’Europe if you’re on a budget, Disney’s Newport Bay Club for a luxury mid-range stay (this is actually where I stayed when I visited Disney), or Disney’s Hotel New York® – The Art of Marvel for a luxurious stay. All these hotels offer a free shuttle to Disneyland Paris and are 10 minutes away from the park on foot.
• Unfortunately, things can and do go wrong when you travel. World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation, and more. If you’re considering travel insurance for your trip, check out World Nomads .
• You’ll also need  sunscreen , comfortable walking shoes, and a refillable  travel water bottle .

Must Do Attractions & Rides At Disneyland Paris

To help with navigation, I’ll categorize these rides in Disneyland Paris depending on the park they’re located (whether Disneyland Park or World Disney Studios) and I’ll also include height requirements and who the ride is most suited for so you know what to expect.

Disneyland Paris’s best rides in Disneyland Park

I’ve categorized these into thrill rides, family-friendly, and attractions geared towards the little ones.

Big Thrills Rides & Attractions in Disneyland Park

These Disneyland Paris rides located in Disneyland Park will get your heart racing in no minute!

1. Big Thunder Mountain

I’m getting all excited just typing this! Big Thunder Mountain is one of the best rides in Disneyland Paris.

This crazy roller coaster is situated on an island surrounded by a lake. You will be taken on a journey full of curves and slides, and ups and down while entering tunnels of the abandoned mines at full speed. Thrill is guaranteed!

The scenery depicts an abandoned mine on the haunted Thunder Mesa mountain. Recently renovated, the environment is ultra-detailed in the traditional FarWest style.

The best thing about this attraction is that it is suitable for children and adults. With no loops or spins yet excellent sensations, you won’t be disappointed!

But since it’s one of the most popular attractions at Disneyland Paris, you should expect long lines.

Ride location: Disneyland Park, Frontierland

Height restriction: 1.02m (47,2″)

Age Interest: Kids, Tweens, Teens, Adults

2. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril

Based on the iconic Indiana Jones movie, this attraction is short but intense! You sit aboard a mining cart that has gone completely crazy and will lead you through the ruins and remains of a temple lost in the jungle.

While the queus are long here, waiting in line will make you feel like an explorer on the tracks of a lost civilization.

Thanks to its unique 360-degree looping, this attraction is very popular and will give you a great shot of adrenaline.

Ride location: Disneyland Park, Adventureland

Height restriction: 1.40m (55,1″)

Age Interest: Teens and adults

3. Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

Who has never wanted to board a Star Wars ship? Thanks to Star Tours, you will realize your dream and board a Speeder piloted by C3PO. The Problem? He’s not the best pilot in the galaxy, so the journey might be eventful!

In this attraction, you will be wearing 3D glasses in an interactive cinema with moving seats. You may think that it’s not too crazy by just reading this, but the immersion is incredible, and the thrills are guaranteed!

Besides traversing into space, the queue is one of the best decorated in the park and fully immerses the visitor in the Star Wars universe. This is actually one of my favorite attractions in Disneyland Paris.

The best part about this ride is that it offers different themes, so even if you ride it more than once, chances are high that you’ll have a different experience in space.

Ride location: Disneyland Park, Discoveryland

Height restriction : 1.02m (40,1″)

Age Interest: Kids, tweens, teens, and adults

4. Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain

Perhaps the most popular attraction in the park and definitely one of the best Disneyland Paris rides, Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain (formerly Space Mountain) is a favorite among thrill seekers!

You get into the spirit right from the start as your ride is propelled full speed up a steep slope simulating the ship’s takeoff. Trust me, the anticipation of the launch is more than exhilarating.

Once launched, you will loop, spin, turn and corkscrew in the dark vacuum of hyperspace at full speed while admiring the star wars themed visual effects!

Recently renovated, it originally referred to Jules Verne’s book “from the earth to the moon” but it was modified in 2017 to match the popular Star Wars theme.

Fun and thrilling at every turn, Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain is one of the rides at Disney Paris that I make sure I ride twice if I have the chance.

Height restriction: 1.20 m (47,2″)

Age Interest: Tween, teens, and adults

Related Post: Best Restaurants at Disneyland Paris

Family-friendy adventures in Disneyland Park

Below are the fun rides in Disneyland Park the entire family can enjoy.

5. Pirates of the Caribbean

Ready to live the true pirate’s life? Then get on the boat and sail to the Caribbean!

Entirely indoor, this recently renovated boat ride is based on the Pirates of the Caribbean movie with Jack Sparrow.

With the original soundtrack playing in the background, you will navigate through the breathtaking, ultra-detailed scenery.

You will witness funny situations and moments surrounded by animatronic pirates. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but be ready for a little twist during the ride!

Whether you’re traveling with kids or adult friends, this is one of the of the best Disneyland Paris rides that everyone will enjoy.

Ride location: Disneyland park, Adventureland

Height restriction: None

Age Interest: All ages

6. It’s a small world

It’s impossible to talk about the best Disneyland Paris rides and not mention It’s a small world.

The 10-minute boat cruise takes you around the world with a display of various dolls representing different cultures who dance and sing to the unforgettable tune, “it’s a small world afteeeer all…”

Called “the happiest cruise in the world”, it will amaze kids and grown-ups alike with its perfectly designed costumes, beautiful lights, and dances from various cultures.

The attraction has become so legendary that its impossible to get out and not continue humming its catchy theme song.

Ride location: Disneyland Park, Fantasyland

7. Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains (Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs)

This small but pleasant attraction takes you to the world of Snow White and the 7 dwarfs.

Throughout the attraction, there will be a narration (in French only) of the story of Snow White and her fight against the witch while riding on the quiet train ride.

Non-French speakers may not understand the narration but the beautiful visuals make it worthwhile.

While adults may find it a tad boring unless you are a Snow White fan, kids will be amazed. Be aware that the dark and disturbing universe of the witch can frighten the little ones.

If you choose not to enter the ride, the building itself is incredibly beautiful and worth admiring.

Ride location: Disneyland park, Fantasyland

8. Peter pan’s flight

Like the “snow-white” ride, Peter pan’s flight brings you to the world of the beloved classic movie.

The best of the 3 peaceful rides based on the Disney tales (Pinocchio, snow-white and peter pan), it is one of the most poetic and enchanting rides at Eurodisney.

On board a mini pirate ship, you’ll fly (thanks to Tinkerbell’s magic) over the city of London beneath the glittering stars of the night sky.

An enchantment for both young and old, this is the attraction I recommend if you have to choose one of the three dark rides at Disneyland Paris (as they are called).

9. Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups

The inevitable tea cups! Who doesn’t know this classic theme park and fairground ride? This attraction never fails to put a smile on everyone’s face.

In a colorful decor based on Alice in Wonderland, get on board the rotating cups and enjoy the spinning ride.

Your challenge is to try and make the cup spin as fast as possible by turning the central wheel!

Though some people consider it basic, I find it really fun, especially after a thrilling ride.

10. Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast

To infinity and beyond..! Toy Story fans, the galaxy needs you!

On board your flying saucer which you can control with a joystick, you will be equipped with a laser gun. Your goal is to aim and shoot as many enemies as possible to get the maximum points!

This interactive attraction will please all Toy Story lovers with its various details and references to Buzz’s universe.

While children will love to shoot the big bad guys, adults will get hooked on the game and try to score as many points as possible to be the king of the attraction! 

Age Interest : All ages

11. Phantom Manor

Enter the creepiest house in the park if you dare! From the outside, this mansion may look abandoned, but on the inside, you’ll be welcomed by spooky ghosts!

Once inside, you’ll be carried to the castle’s various rooms by a rather unique seat. The music is disturbing, the walls are moving, the cobwebs are falling from the ceiling, and every part of the manor screams haunted! But that’s not all, you will have to be brave to face the zombies and other spooky stuff along the way.

Among the different Disneyland Paris attractions, Phantom manor is one of the most captivating but with a rather sad and interesting history.

But don’t just stop on the inside, you should also explore its surrounding area to learn more about the former owners of the manor!

Related Post: Best Campsites near Disneyland Paris

Rides & Attractions For the little ones in Disneyland Park

12. alice’s curious labyrinth.

Follow the white rabbit through a mind-bending maze! This lovely green area in Fantasyland is, in fact, a small labyrinth.

As you make your way to the exit, you’ll come across the iconic characters from Disney’s craziest cartoon; Alice in Wonderland.

For once, let the children walk in front of you and guide you. Do not hesitate to turn back and forth and even stoop down to take the tiny doors!

While the little ones will be searching for the exit, the older ones will enjoy the beautiful garden and flowers.

A fast, queue-free, and enjoyable experience, this is one of the best attractions at Disneyland Paris for kids.

13. Casey Jr – The Little Circus Train

This is a relaxing and scenic train ride based on Disney’s fairy tales. Perfect for a break between two thrilling rides, this little ride will delight the little ones.

As for the scenery, you will not be disappointed as you will discover models and beautiful little castles (including a magnificent miniature of the princess’s castle) along the way.

14. Dumbo the Flying Elephant

This attraction is a classic Spin-Ride. There are 2 other rides at Disneyland Paris that are similar to it; The Flying Carpets in Walt Disney Studios and Orbitron in Discoveryland.

These 3 attractions are quite equivalent and share the same concept. You get on board for a few laps with a joystick that allows you to steer your vehicle up or down.

The music is lively and the colors are flashy, and if you decide to fly as high as possible, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the park and other attractions!  

15. Autopia

Warm up the engines and get behind the wheel of these super cool sports car!

This kid-friendly attraction allows them to drive real small cars. Is it dangerous? Not at all. The vehicles are on a track, preventing them from running off the road.

Despite the rail, there is some freedom since you can accelerate, brake as you want, and even turn the wheel to move slightly to the side until the rail puts you back in the right direction! 

This is a fun ride that will delight children who are interested in cars. They now have a chance to drive their parents!

Height restriction: 81 cm (31.4″)

Disneyland Paris rides in Walt Disney Studios

I’ll categorize these into thrill rides, family-friendly, and attractions geared towards the little ones as well.

Big Thrills Rides & Attractions In Walt Disney Studios

These Paris Disney rides in Walt Disney Studios will send you into a thrilling frenzy.

16. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Are you ready to be scared twice? First from the thrill of the attraction and second from its thematic and terrifying setting!

Overlooking Walt Disney Studio 55m (180.4 ft) above the ground, this tower hides an elevator that carries you up… and then falls 13 floors!

The free falls seem random, sometimes long, sometimes brief, and abruptly interrupted, so you can catch your breath… and fall again! The fact that you never know when you’ll free fall or pause makes it even more exhilarating.

The ambiance of the Tower of Terror is probably one of the best in the park. Set in an old 1930’s hotel theme, the staff plays along and tries to scare you as much as possible before you enter the elevator to add to the thrill of the attraction.

Since it has intense free falls, you may not want to go immediately after eating!

Ride location: Walt Disney Studios

Height restriction: 1.02m (40,1″)

Age Interest: Tweens, teens, and adults

17. Avengers Assemble: Flight Force

This attraction opened in July 2022 in the Avengers area of Walt Disney Studios Park.

Right at the beginning of the queue, you will be impressed by the atmosphere as the Marvel universe is perfectly captured. You can also admire a crazy well-made animatronic of Iron Man.

Once in the seat, the attraction throws you full speed, chaining spins and loops at a crazy pace.

You will be immersed in the dark, and despite the lack of lights and decor during the ride (a bit criticized at the attraction’s opening), the sensations are incredible, making it one of the best Disneyland Paris thrill rides!

Ride location: Walt Disney Studios, Avenger Zone

Height restriction: 1.20m (47,2″)

18. Crush’s Coaster

Ready for an unforgettable experience at the bottom of the Indian Ocean? Get on a turtle’s shell and ride the East Australian Current, made famous by the movie Finding Nemo!

This attraction looks calm and cute in the first place but it hides a very original roller coaster.

4 people placed back-to-back embark on the shell of a sea turtle that spins at 360 degrees creating an electrifying experience.

The world of Nemo is perfectly recreated, and the queue is full of little references to the movie. This surprising ride will please kids and grown-ups alike.

Height restriction: 1.07m (42,1″)

Family-Friendly Adventures in Walt Disney Studios

Below are the fun rides at Walt Disney Studios Park the entire family can enjoy.

19. Ratatouille: The Adventure

Based on the hit movie Ratatouille, The Ratatouille attraction is, first and foremost, a magnificent setting.

Outside is recreated to look like a beautiful Parisian square but once inside, you will walk through the dark streets of Paris while listening to the sound of accordions.

In the attraction, you will hop onto a rat (yes, a rat), which surveys the kitchen of a big Parisian restaurant.

Unfortunately for you (and the rat), chief cooks will quickly spot you, resulting in a gasping chase under the kitchen tables and pipes!

The rat wagon runs through the various rooms at full speed, and you will even feel the effects of the flames displayed on the screen!

The immersion is excellent, thanks to the 3D glasses making it feel like you’re the one running around the restaurant.

In short, it is one of the best Disneyland Paris rides for the whole family. But before going to Disney, I recommend watching the movie, Ratatouille to fully appreciate this attraction.

Ride location: Walt Disney studios

20. Cars Road Trip

This car ride, quite hidden at the end of a street is often forgotten by visitors yet it’s really fun!

The tour takes you to the world of the Pixar movie “Cars”. You will meet the franchise’s main characters, such as Flash McQueen and Martin the old pickup.

Throughout the road trip, you will make several stops to admire some works of art and other curiosities but be careful; one of the stops is unexpected and will surprise many of you (advice: take your raincoat!)

Some people choose to skip it but I think it would be a shame to miss it, especially since its waiting time is relatively short.

Ride location: Walt Disney Studios Park, Worlds of Pixar

21. Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop

What if your child went parachuting? I know this might sound scary but once the ride is done, s/he will come out thrilled and beg you to do it again!

Based on Toy Story, this attraction takes the shape of a giant parachute. Once seated in the pod, you will be elevated 20 meters (3.2 ft) above the ground, then enjoy the multiple falls back at full speed in a “free-fall” fashion.

In summary, it’s like the Tower of terror for the kids (though adults can also enjoy it too). Yes, there’s something for everyone at Disney!

Height restriction: 81 cm (31.8″)

22. Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure

This recently opened attraction houses a spider-man-themed ride in a large industrial building.

Wearing your 3D glasses, you will have to prevent an invasion of evil robot spiders. To do so, you must perform the famous Spider-Man gesture (you know the one) and aim at the spiders on the screen to destroy them! The concept is quite similar to Buzz Lightyear.

The screen’s interactivity is impressive, and you quickly get into the game!

Obviously, at the end of the attraction, you can compare the scores with your party to know who is the best Spider-Man!

Ride location: Walt Disney Studios Park, Avenger Zone

Rides For the Little Ones In Walt Disney Studios

23. slinky dog zigzag spin.

The traditional fairground “caterpillar” is re-designated into a Toy Story style. Ideal for children, this little ride crosses pleasant scenery at a moderate speed and goes for several laps.

The pace is just enough for the centrifugal force to push you slightly to the car’s sides. Children always ask for more!

The waiting time is usually quite short, and it’s even suitable for the very young if they ride with their parents.

Final Thoughts on the Best Disneyland Paris Rides and Attractions

I hope this article will inspire you and help you plan your future visit to Disneyland Paris.

Of course, some attractions are missing, but you can’t (and won’t) do everything! You just have to use this information to create the perfect itinerary and choose the best Disneyland Paris rides for you and your party.

NEVER TRAVEL TO PARIS WITHOUT TRAVEL INSURANCE One of the biggest mistakes you’ll ever make when planning a trip to Paris is to forego Travel Insurance ! You might think that it’s expensive, but when you think of how much it will save you when you lose your valuables or even get sick, then you’ll know that it’s NOT that expensive! Unfortunately, things can and do go wrong when you travel. World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation, and more. If you’re considering travel insurance for your trip, check out World Nomads .

More articles to help you plan your trip to Paris.

• Best Things to do in Paris in March
• How to get from CDG to Paris
• Best rooftop bars in Paris
• How to get from Paris to Versailles Palace
• Things to do in the 16th arrondissement of Paris
• Best night tours of Paris
• A complete guide to the 20 arrondissements of Paris
• Best Souvenirs from Paris
• What is Paris famous for
• Fun things to do in Paris in November

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Esther is the face and voice behind Dreams in Paris! She has always been obsessed with Paris even before she moved there. She has lived in Paris for a couple of years, and that obsession has not changed! That love for Paris, plus her passion for writing led to the birth of Dreams in Paris! She now shares all the practical tips and guides she’s picked along the way to help you plan a memorable trip to the city of love! You can learn more about her here !

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15 Quick Tips for Visiting Disneyland Paris

Are you planning a trip to Disneyland Paris? Have a look at these 15 Paris Disneyland Tips for a truly magical experience!

It can seem like a daunting task for first-timers planning a trip to Disneyland Paris.  But I got you covered with this guide to the best Paris Disneyland. As a Parisian Mom of two, I have been to Disnelyland Paris more often than I can count.

Read on to get my 15 best tips to help you maximize your visit and have the best experience for your Disneyland Paris Visit.

You might also be interested in these articles:

• How to get from CDG to Disneyland Paris? (5 Airport Transfers)
• Orly Airport to Disneyland Paris: How to get there best
• The 5 Best Camping sites near Disneyland Paris

Salut, I am Lena – travel planning expert and parisienne since 2006 🩷

If you purchase through links on this site, I may earn – at no cost to you – a small commission. This helps me cover my costs and keep my website running. Thank you so much for your support 🙂   Learn more

15 Best for Visiting Disneyland Paris

So here is for you without further ado my list with the best 15 tips for Disneyland Paris.

#1 Download the Disneyland Paris App

The Disneyland Paris App is an essential first step to planning your trip itinerary. The app can provide you with show schedules, park open and close times, restaurant bookings, and also informs you about waiting times for all the park attractions. In addition to the park times, you can easily view maps to ensure you can navigate the park without losing precious time figuring out where you are.

#2 Purchase your tickets in advance to avoid queuing

→ Buy your tickets for Disneyland Paris here

Whether you take a day trip from Paris to Disneyland Paris or are keen on spending a couple of days in the parks, get your ticket beforehand! This saves you from stress and hassle once you are there, and most important: you skip the huge ticket queues and have more time at the park!

#3 Know about Disney Premier Access

In Disneyland Paris, you can purchase Disney Premier Access, which allows you to have speedy access to some of the most popular attractions. You only can purchase this pass once you are in Disneyland.

The pass gives you a dedicated lane that moves faster than the standard queue. Be sure to have the Disneyland Paris app downloaded , book your spot in line, and head to the attraction when it is your time. You get to choose your time and avoid the general queue, giving you more time back for more Disneyland Paris fun.

#4 Plan out your Disneyland attraction itinerary ahead of time

When you visit the park, it spreads out through winding trails that loop through the many attractions. To make sure you make the most of your day, plan your attraction itinerary ahead of time.

Before you go, view a map that lists the attractions and plan out where you want to start and what path you would like to take.  This ensures you get a chance to visit every attraction on your wish list. Write down a schedule with good estimates of how long it would take to make it through the entire park.

If you are keen on exploring everything, be sure to add on Premier Access to make reservations for rides and skip the long queues. It’s a huge time saver.

#5 Make it a day trip from Paris

Disneyland Paris is only a short 40 km away from Paris and can easily be squeezed into a day trip from your vacation in Paris . The park is well worth the day trip from Paris by train . and can provide an element of fun and magic away from the city that is fun for the whole family. Read our article about how to get from Paris to Disneyland to get additional information about possible transfers.

#6 Visit the Disneyland Park during the week

Disneyland Paris can get very crowded, especially during the weekends, holidays, and during French school vacation times. If you visit the park, you should attempt to plan your trip on a weekday or during the off-season. Furthermore, avoid bank holidays. This involves a little research before you plan your trip, but it is well worth it to avoid large crowds and long wait times. Also check our Paris by Month guides , to know what’s going on in Paris.

#7 Wear layers to prepare for unpredictable weather

A little bad weather can spoil a great day if you’re not prepared. Disneyland Paris is known for unpredictable weather that can change unexpectedly. Dress in layers and bring rain gear just in case, so you can continue to enjoy the park, rain, or shine. You’ll want to be certain you are wearing comfortable walking shoes because you will be walking the majority of the day.

#8 Buy Disneyland Tickets for a fixed date to save money

→ Book your fixed date ticket to Disneyland Paris here

While you can purchase your tickets at the gate when you arrive at Disneyland Paris, you can buy them in advance online.

You get to choose the dates and how many days you want to visit, which allows you to save money on each day the more days you choose to visit. You could book an Annual Pass depending on your duration, and it could save you money on parking and provide discounts at Disney restaurants and shops.

Traveling on a Budget to Paris? Don’t miss this guide!

#9 Avoid going to Disneyland Paris by car

See this article to know what’s the best way to visit Disneyland from Paris

Although the drive to Disneyland Paris is quick from many hotspots in France, arriving by car may end up costing more money than if you were to take some of the many public transportation options. Public transportation drops off close to the park entrance, allowing for a quick walk to get in.

Parking costs €30 , and you have to account for gas plus time looking for parking. When you take public transportation, you also do not have to stress worrying about where you parked your car in the massive parking garage.

Unless you have your car in Paris, it is not worth it to rent one to drive out to Disney. If you’re arriving by camper, don’t miss our post about the best camping sites near Disney .

#10 Bring your own snacks, water, and food

It may be surprising to hear, but the food quality at Disneyland Paris is notorious for not being the best. Although there are many options through the various food stalls across the park, you will be paying a lot of money for a low-quality meal or snack. It’s mainly (not good) burgers, pizza, or pasta. Thankfully, the park allows you to bring in your own food.

Bringing your own food is more cost-effective, yummier, and you can ensure everyone is eating healthy. Don’t forget to bring lots of water or a refillable water bottle, as walking in the park takes a lot of energy.

#11 Make sure to make dinner reservations in advance

There are a few sit-down restaurants at Disneyland Paris, and they are better than the snack options you find throughout the park.  If you want to sit down at one of the restaurants or enjoy a character dinner , you need to be sure to make your reservations well in advance.

Sitting down to eat a meal may be a good buffer between walking the long distances through the park and serving as a great break before the evening festivities. You can make reservations up to 6 months in advance by calling the park or even booking through the Disneyland Paris app.

#12 Know the difference between the two Disneyland Parks & Tickets

There are two parks to choose from when you visit Disneyland Paris, Walt Disney Studios Park, and Disneyland Park. You always want to make sure you select the correct ticket for the park you intend to visit that day.

The two parks are right next to each other, but they differ in many ways. Disneyland Paris Park is the larger of the two parks where you can enjoy attractions, the fairy tale castle, and characters. Walt Disney Studio Par k is much smaller and more dedicated to behind-the-scenes inspired by iconic Disney stories. It hosts the Worlds of Pixar and Toon Studio . Both parks are definitely worth a visit, and you can visit both in one day by purchasing a hopper park ticket or dedicating a full day to each park.

#13 Eat at off-peak times

If you don’t plan to eat at a sit-down restaurant or a character dinner, set out to arrange your meals to eat a late lunch or dinner. When you eat during off-peak times, you can avoid long waits for food and maximize the amount of time you get to spend enjoying the park.

#14 Know the best way to get to Disneyland Paris

Read more:  How to get to Disneyland Paris from Paris

Before you head to the park, whether you decide if you are driving, book a private transfer with welcome pickups , or take public transportation, be sure to do your research to find the most efficient way there. ( I did the research for you here )

If you are taking public transportation, know where the drop-off and pick-up spots are as well as the times for the shuttles/buses/trams to make sure you know where to go and at what time. If you are driving, take a look at your maps and driving directions before and ensure you leave before hitting traffic. Google Maps allows you to see an estimate of what traffic will be like at what times.

You might also be interested in this article:

#15 Plan your stay at the park

If you intend to do the park for more than one day or visit both parks during your trip, it may be a good idea to think about booking a hotel . There is a wide selection of places to choose to stay near or onsite at Disneyland Paris. The onsite hotel, Disneyland Paris Hotel, will definitely be the more costly choice. But staying onsite also allows you more perks, such as Early Magic Hours or early access, to beat the crowds and enjoy a resort-like stay. Staying offsite may be more beneficial if you want to save money, and it is great if you will only be at the hotel for bedtime.

One Paris Disneyland Tip be sure to pack a portable battery to make sure your phone has the battery life to sustain taking 1,000 pictures while creating memories and to make sure you have enough battery life to utilize the app. Using these top Disneyland Paris tips can help to ensure you make the most out of your magical trip.

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PS: Check out these posts, they will help you plan your trip to Paris

• 20 Arrondissements in Paris (Quick Guide + Map)
• Paris hidden gems: 80+ well kept secrets you shouldn’t miss
• What NOT to do in Paris -23 (costly) Paris Mistakes you need to avoid!
• 14 Hotels with stunning Eiffel Tower views- for (almost) every budget!
• Your Perfect 2 Days in Paris! Itinerary & Insider Tips
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Home > Disneyland Paris > Disneyland Paris Guide

Disneyland Paris Guide

Disneyland paris trip planning.

Disneyland Paris is a popular destination in Europe, thanks to its magical atmosphere, fun rides and shows, and excellent location near Paris . Whether you are planning an extensive trip to Disneyland Paris or a day trip from Paris or London, there are a few things to consider, like how to travel, where to sleep, or what to do in the parks.

There are many ways to visit Disneyland Paris, and this quick Disneyland Paris guide will tell you the best tips to plan a trip to Disneyland Paris. After reading this Disneyland Paris guide, you will see that it is very easy to travel to Disneyland Paris!

Basic Tips for Disneyland Paris

Parks: There are two parks in Disneyland Paris – Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park .

Location: Disneyland Paris is located in  Marne- la-Vallée , a town 40 km east of Paris. Marne-la-Vallée is home to the two Disneyland Paris parks, all the Disneyland Paris hotels, and a shopping mall.

Language:  French is the primary language spoken in Paris and France. However, Disneyland Paris is one of the top tourist attractions in Europe, and all the Disney staff speak English. The Disneyland Paris shows and parades are in different languages, English included.

Currency:  The currency in France is the euro, also known as EUR (€).

Best Time to Visit Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris welcomes travelers all year, but the best times to visit can be spring or late fall for mild weather and lesser crowds.

Disneyland Paris at Christmas (November – December) and Halloween are also great times to visit as the parks get very festive and offer special shows.

If the crowds are your main concern, check out this Disneyland Paris Crowd Calendar with the best periods and top tips to avoid the biggest crowds in Disneyland Paris.

TIP: If you or a loved one live with a chronic or invisible illness, disability, or reduced mobility, check out our post about Disneyland Paris’ Priority Card to visit Disneyland Paris safely and without giving up on fun!

How Many Days Do You Need in Disneyland Paris?

Is two days enough for Disneyland Paris?

Yes. We recommend spending at least one day in each Disneyland Paris park. Both parks are very extensive, with many fun rides and shows, and they all deserve at least one full day.

Can you see all of Disneyland Paris in one day?

With one day in Disneyland Paris, you can enjoy both parks’ top rides but not all of Disneyland Paris.

So How Many Days Do You Need in Disneyland Paris?

Three days is a good amount of time to get the most out of Disneyland Paris, with two days for Disneyland Park and one day for Walt Disney Studios Park. Allow an extra day to enjoy the facilities in your Disney hotel – swimming pool, grounds, golf course, and more.

Where to Stay

DISNEY GETAWAY OR DISNEY HOLIDAYS

If you plan a holiday to Disneyland Paris, book at one of the Disney hotels for a complete Disney experience.

All the Disneyland Paris hotels are within walking distance (or offer a free shuttle) to the parks, and they come with great facilities for all the family.

Besides, all the Disney hotels propose the Extra Magic Time , a whole extra hour before regular park opening to enjoy some of your favorite attractions without the crowds.

Book your stay in one of the Disneyland Paris hotels

DAY TRIP FROM PARIS

If you plan to visit one of the parks on a day trip from Paris, book a hotel in Paris instead. Click here to learn what are the best districts to stay in Paris.

Click here to book your hotel in Paris

Getting There

TRIP TO DISNEYLAND PARIS FROM ABROAD

Most international visitors travel to Disneyland Paris by plane, flying to nearby airports like Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) or Paris Orly (ORY).

• Book your flight tickets to Paris Charles de Gaulle – Disneyland Paris
• Book your flight tickets to Paris Orly – Disneyland Paris

Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) is the closest airport to Disneyland Paris, only 35km away from the parks. Click here for all the ways to get from CDG Airport to Disneyland Paris .

Orly Airport (ORY) is located 45km from Disneyland Paris. Click here for all the ways to get from Orly to Disneyland Paris

DISNEYLAND PARIS TRIP FROM LONDON

There are many ways to travel from London to Disneyland Paris, but the  Eurostar to Disneyland Paris  is our favorite option. The Eurostar train from London St Pancras to Disneyland Paris is fast and straightforward, plus it is more eco-friendly than flying.

This quick  London to Disneyland Paris guide  is focused on train travel to Disneyland Paris, and it will tell you everything you need to know to travel from London to Disneyland Paris by train.

Click here to buy your train tickets to Disneyland Paris

DISNEYLAND PARIS TRIP FROM PARIS

There are many ways to travel to Disneyland Paris from the French capital, and this quick Paris to Disneyland transportation guide will tell you everything you need to know to choose how to get to Disneyland Paris.

Top Disneyland Paris Rides

There are two parks at Disneyland Paris:  Disneyland Park  &  Walt Disney Studios Park .  Disneyland Park  is the classic park with the Disney characters like Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, or Frozen whilst  Walt Disney Studios Park  has a more general moviemaking theme – but it’s still very Disney.

This Disneyland Paris guide also helps with your to-do list. Click on the pictures below for the list of best rides in Disneyland Paris.

Click here to buy your tickets to Disneyland Paris

TIP: check out the Disneyland Paris wait times to avoid the longest lines!

Where to Eat in Disneyland Paris

There are more than 50 restaurants in Disneyland Paris offering different types of cuisine and dining experiences to suit all budgets. In both parks, you will also find food trucks offering snacks, coffee, and other drinks.

It is also possible to bring your own food, and you will find some nice corners for a quick picnic in the parks. If you require specific equipment (cool box, containers, tables..), there is a dedicated picnic area between the parking lot and the park entrance.

Remember to bring your refillable water bottle; it is possible to drink tap water in Disneyland Paris.

Day Trip to Disneyland Paris from Paris

Disneyland Paris is one of the most popular day trips out of Paris . Leave the French capital’s hustle and bustle for a day and enjoy the fairytale world of Disneyland.

If you visit Disneyland Paris on a day trip, we recommend focusing on one park only. Check out our best tips for a perfect day in Disneyland Paris .

Day Trips from Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris is an incredible place with many fun things to see and do. But if you have any more than three days in Disneyland Paris, take the opportunity to get out of the parks and see more of France on a day trip.

THE EIFFEL TOWER

You are not interested in Paris, but you don’t want to miss the opportunity to see its most iconic site? Then, book your Eiffel Tower tickets and head straight to Champs de Mars.

How to travel to the Eiffel Tower from Disneyland Paris

Check out our best tips for visiting the Eiffel Tower . If you have some extra time, consider one of these fun things to do around the Eiffel Tower .

One day in Paris is not very long for a city that has so much to offer. With a little advance planning, though, you’ll be surprised at just how many Paris’ highlights and top monuments you can cover with just one day in Paris.

Check out this Paris in one day itinerary , which goes through well-known sights like Notre Dame or the Eiffel Tower to some of our favorite places in Paris.

Provins is a lovely medieval town located 53km southeast of Disneyland Paris. The old town is listed as UNESCO World Heritage, and it is a great place to explore on a day trip.

Direct buses (#50) leave for Provins from Chessy Bus station, located 5 min walk from the parks. The ride takes 1 hr 10 min (one way), and it costs 2€).

Check out what to do in Provins for one day

PARC ASTÉRIX

The exciting Parc Astérix is at only 55 kilometers from Disneyland Paris. You have come so far to see Mickey Mouse; it would be a shame to miss Astérix, Obélix, and their gang!

Parc Astérix recreates Astérix and Obélix’s village in Gaul, and it is filled with its own unique set of fun rides and shows.

Click here to buy your tickets to Parc Astérix

To visit Parc Astérix from Disneyland Paris, take the train to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (10 min ride, hourly). From there, take bus #N702 to Parc Astérix (15 min, every 7 hours). The total journey takes 1 hr 10 min (one way), including transportation times, transfers, and waiting times.

A faster and more comfortable alternative is to book a private transfer Disneyland Paris – Parc Astérix. The drive in a private car only takes 42 min.

Click here to book your transfer to Parc Astérix

So there you have it, the Disneyland Paris guide with everything you need to know for your Disneyland Paris trip planning.

Click here for more Disneyland Paris posts

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Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you make a purchase through my links. It costs you nothing more (in fact, if anything, you’ll get a nice discount) but helps me to go on creating incredible Paris content for you. I trust all products promoted here and would never recommend a product that isn’t of value. World in Paris is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no expense to you.

About WORLD IN PARIS

Quirky parisian explorer with a preference for lesser-known sights, i am continuously looking for new ideas and tips to bring you the best of the city of light read more about me ., i am elisa, the travel blogger behind world in paris. quirky explorer with a preference for the local side of my city and its lesser-known sights, i am continuously looking for new ideas to enjoy the best of paris & around . do you want to go beyond the louvre museum or the eiffel tower keep clicking for first-hand information & my best tips learn more.

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How To Visit Disneyland Paris In 2024

Erica Forster Last Updated: October 26, 2023

If you’re a Disney fan, this is a no-brainer! You can expect the same attractions as other Disneyland locations plus unique Paris additions that make it extra special. In this guide, find out how to visit Disneyland Paris including how to get there, when to go, if it’s worth it, and more.

Pro Tip: Planning what to do on your trip to Paris? Bookmark this post in your browser so you can easily find it when you’re in the city. Check out our guide to Paris for more planning resources, our top Paris tours for a memorable trip, and the best things to do in Paris .

Visiting Disneyland Paris: What We’ll Cover

Officially ranked as Europe’s most popular tourist destination, Disneyland Paris is the first and only Disney park in Europe. It opened in 1992 and has been welcoming visitors of all ages from around the world ever since.

You can expect attractions similar to the original Disneyland in California, including the beloved Main Street U.S.A., Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, and more. However, the French park definitely has its own uniqueness and isn’t identical to other Disney parks.

Before investing your time and money into a day at Disneyland, you’ll want to know what to expect and if it’s really worth taking up one of your European vacation days. In this guide, we’ll outline the main things you need to know before visiting Disneyland Paris. Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Opening hours and tickets
• How to get there
• Which park to visit
• How long to budget for your visit
• When to visit
• Do you need to plan an itinerary
• Is it worth it to visit

Disneyland Paris Hours and Tickets

At Disneyland Paris, you can visit one or both of the parks: Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park. You must purchase your tickets in advance.

You’ll be able to choose between dated and undated tickets for one day (including one park) or multiple days (including both parks). The longer you visit the more you save on your tickets.

There are a lot of options when it comes to choosing the right tickets for your visit. You can combine Disneyland tickets with hotel bookings, shuttles, and extra experiences.

Ticket prices range from €62 to €130 for individual tickets depending on whether you choose dated or undated tickets, how many days you’ll visit, and whether you plan to visit one or both of the parks. Check out the official website for ticket information and booking .

Opening hours:

Opening hours for the Disneyland parks are subject to change, particularly closing times. Be sure to check the website for up-to-date opening times for both parks for the day of your visit. Here is a general guide to opening hours:

Open daily, Monday to Friday from 9:30 am to 9 pm, Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 am to 10 pm (closing times are subject to change).

Address: Bd de Parc, 77700 Coupvray, France

How To Get To Disneyland Paris

It would have been impossible to build a Disney theme park in the center of Paris. Instead, the park is located in a city called Marne-la-Vallée, east of Paris. While there are many different ways to get to Marne-la-Vallée from Paris, the easiest option is by train.

The easiest way to get to Disneyland from Paris is by train. You’ll need to take the RER A line (on the Paris metro maps, it’s always indicated as a red line). Metro ticket prices are zone-based, and since Marne-la-Vallée is outside of Paris, using a regular metro ticket won’t work.

You’ll need to purchase a different ticket, which costs €5 one way. You can buy these at any machine in Paris metro stations, but we recommend purchasing one with the help of an employee working at one of the help counters if possible, just to avoid any mistakes.

As you’re waiting for the RER A train, you’ll notice that the RER As are labeled differently. That’s because halfway through the RER A eastern route, there’s a fork in the route. You need to make sure that you get on a train heading to Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy, otherwise you could be traveling in a different direction.

While this may sound a bit stressful, it’s easier than it sounds. When you’re on the train platform, overhead signs will indicate which directions the upcoming trains are going, and there’s even a pair of Mickey ears next to the train station name that you need to get to. When in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask a friendly-looking Parisian—they all know where Disneyland Paris is.

Once you get on the RER A, you don’t need to worry about keeping track of when to get off the train, as the Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy stop is the very last stop on the route. When you exit the station, signs will easily indicate how to get to Disneyland. It’s less than a five-minute walk from the station, so you can’t miss it!

Driving to Disneyland Paris is also possible. This might be the best option if you’re heading to Disneyland from a city other than Paris or if you’re really trying to get the most out of your rental car.

From the very heart of Paris, Disneyland is only about 25 miles away. Keep in mind, though, that traffic in the Paris city center and its suburbs can be unpredictable. Driving will definitely take you over an hour one way—likely longer, especially if you drive during rush hour. Parking at Disneyland is set at €30 for a normal-sized car, but you should always check their website for the most up-to-date fares.

If you’re staying in Paris, we still highly recommend going by train. However, we don’t recommend trying to take a taxi to Disneyland Paris. Since it’s not a flat fare, you don’t want to risk watching that meter running while you’re stuck in bad traffic. Uber is possible, but prices fluctuate. The train will likely still be quicker and cheaper in the long run.

From the Airport

If you’re staying at one of the Disney hotels or a partner hotel, there’s a Magic Shuttle Bus that transfers clients from both Parisian Airports (CDG and Orly) to the hotels. The ride takes about an hour, give or take.

Our Best Guided Tours of Paris

Likely to Sell out

Privileged Access Eiffel Tour with Champagne on the Seine

Sometimes the most amazing moments happen by chance. Other times, they are orchestrated by professionals. Our Eiffel tower tour cruises by the famed monument as it lights up and you drink champagne. After, you’ll have tickets to enter the tower and ascend to the 2nd level with an elevator. Admissions included and we’ll take care of the details… you simply pay and show up!

Top Selling

Secrets of the Louvre Museum Tour with Mona Lisa

The Louvre is the largest art museum on Earth and the crowning jewel of Paris. It embodies the French vigor for life. Join a passionate English speaking guide for a tour of the most famous artwork. Skip the line admissions included.

Not ready to book a tour? Check out our  best Paris tours to take and why .

Which Park Should I Visit?

As with some of Disney’s other locations, Disneyland Paris has two adjoining but separate parks: Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios Park.

Walt Disney Studios

Walt Disney Studios Park was built in 2002 and is smaller than Disneyland. It’s dedicated to movies and showbusiness, giving visitors more of a behind-the-scenes look at the film industry. There are some rides (although not nearly as many as in Disneyland) that are fun to try, such as a 3D Ratatouille adventure ride.

The Tower of Terror and a cool Crush coaster ride (from Finding Nemo) are also favorites. If you enjoy shows, Walt Disney Studios hosts a couple of fantastic events, like a stunt show and “Frozen” musical. Check the Disney calendar to find out what’s on during your visit.

Disneyland Park

Disneyland Park offers more classic rides you’ve likely encountered if you’ve visited another Disney park. Big Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones, and the Haunted Mansion make up the main forty attractions here. Disneyland Park has more rides and also a bit more of a classic Disney feel than its counterpart.

Tickets allowing you to visit one or both parks are available. However, if you’re only visiting for one day and none of the Walt Disney Studios Park attractions are must-dos for you, then we recommend purchasing a ticket just for Disneyland. If you’re visiting for multiple days or just absolutely want to see both parks, the park hopper ticket is the way to go. You can check out everything you need to know about current ticket pricing here .

How Long To Spend at Disneyland Paris

The number of days you spend at Disneyland Paris will depend on you and the focus of your trip. If your goal is to see every inch of both parks and attempt to go on almost every ride, we recommend three days.

We realize, however, that most visitors living outside of Europe aren’t coming to France solely for Disneyland Paris. If your main purpose is visiting the city of Paris, one day at the park is enough to give you a great taste of Disney, get your money’s worth but also not make you feel like you wasted your time.

If you do decide to visit Disneyland Paris for more than one day, you might choose to stay in one of the multiple Disney-themed hotels located within less than 10 minutes’ walking distance from the park. While our favorite is the classic Disneyland Hotel, it’s currently being renovated and isn’t expected to reopen until sometime in 2023.

When To Visit Disneyland Paris

Most visitors will likely align their Disneyland Paris visit with a European travel experience. If this is the case, you certainly shouldn’t plan what time of year to travel based solely on this guide. However, if your main reason for traveling is to visit Disneyland Paris, then there are a few prime moments to go.

March to April and September to October: these are our favorite times to visit. These months experience fewer crowds as well as usually pleasant weather.

December is also a great time to go if you want to see Disneyland decorated in peak Christmas attire. If possible, avoid July and August, as these dates are the most crowded and also sometimes experience heat waves.

Do I Need To Plan an Itinerary

Some Disney fans enjoy planning out their day at Disneyland before it even begins. While this is certainly an option, we think it’s less necessary at Disneyland Paris than at some other Disney parks. If you’re in somewhat good shape, it’s fairly easy to walk your way through Disneyland Paris. While it covers more acres than Disneyland in California, it’s significantly smaller than Disney World in Florida.

When it comes to food, many French and European visitors bring their own lunches from home. This is not at all frowned upon. A large number of restaurants in Disneyland Paris feature American food. If you’re American, be warned that this is a European view of American food and not the most delicious version.

Is It Worth It To Visit Disneyland Paris?

If this is not your first time at a Disney park, we recommend just going with the flow. Disneyland Paris is not a cookie-cutter version of the other parks and does have its differences. Some of these are positive, like the fact that their version of Thunder Mountain Railroad is much longer than the California version.

They have a cool green dragon “living” underneath Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, and the Crush Coaster ride in the Walt Disney Studios park is fantastic fun. However, there are a few things that are potential downsides. Remember, France isn’t famous for having great customer service.

The employees at Disneyland Paris might appear a tad less joyful than in other parks. There are designated outdoor smoking areas, but don’t be surprised to see some people lighting up cigarettes in non-designated areas. Their food and drink items also don’t quite live up to the expectations one might have when they think of famous French food.

If you’re a true Disney fan, though, this is a no-brainer. A day at Disneyland Paris, especially if you’re traveling with kids, is guaranteed to be a fun and unforgettable day. If you’re on the fence, try to weigh the pros and cons of visiting Disney versus what else you could see in the city of Paris.

Where To Stay in Paris

With a city as magnificent as Paris, it can be hard to find the perfect hotel at the perfect price. Explore the best hotels and places to stay in these incredible neighborhoods in Paris.

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Disney Halloween Festival

A season full of wickedly wonderful surprises:

• Spine-chilling Atmosphere: Get ready to feel the spooky Halloween chills in the air.
• Eeerie Entertainment: Discover Mickey's Magnificent Halloween Parade.
• Marvellous Meets & Greets: Experience encounters with Disney Villains and Disney Characters.
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A season full of magical celebrations and fairy-tale moments:

• Festive Atmosphere: Feel the wonder and joy of Christmas all around.
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• Holly Jolly Treats: Enjoy Christmas themed dishes and glorious gifts.

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‘Lion King’ Attraction Coming to Disney Adventure World in Paris

It will be a Splash Mountain-style flume ride

“The Lion King” is, finally, getting a really for real theme park attraction, more than 30 years after the original film debuted theatrically in 1994. And it will be coming to Disney Adventure World, the new name for Disney Studios, part of the Disneyland Paris complex outside of Paris, France.

Josh D’Amaro, the head of Disney Experiences, made the announcement at D23.

“The attraction is based on the animated classic,” D’Amaro said, although the concept art suggested that the attraction would be based on Jon Favreau’s live-action remake in 2019. “First you’re going to have a chance to explore the Pride Lands with dining and shopping and meeting your favorite characters. Then, when you’re ready, you’ll go into Pride Rock to follow Simba from cub to king.”

The attraction seems to be a flume ride, which was immortalized by Disney with Splash Mountain (now in the process of being transformed into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure) and has been a staple of theme parks for decades. (Knott’s Berry Farm, for instance, has a great one.)

A timetable was not given for the new attraction. But you better believe it’s part of the circle of life.

More to come…

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New Nighttime Show Coming to Disneyland Paris in January 2025

An all-new nighttime show is coming to Disneyland Paris  in January 2025, that will include projections on Main Street U.S.A. for the first time ever.

What’s Happening:

• Starting January 2025, an all-new nighttime spectacular will enchant guests every day at Disneyland Park – as announced at the Disney Experiences Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event .
• This new show will bring guests on a journey filled with emotion and nostalgia to discover that true magic can be found in every moment of life.
• In addition to drones, fireworks and projections, the show will also feature projections on the buildings of Main Street U.S.A. for the first time ever.

More Disney Experiences Announcements from D23:

• New Concept Art Revealed for “Avatar” Land Coming to Disney California Adventure
• First Ever “Coco” Ride Coming to the Disneyland Resort
• New Magic Kingdom Nighttime Parade “Disney Starlight” Announced
• “The Lion King” Log Flume Attraction Coming to Disney Adventure World at Disneyland Paris
• A New Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic to Debut in Main Street Opera House at Disneyland in 2025

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Disneyland trip, outfits behind swimmer luana alonso getting kicked out of olympic village: ‘inappropriate’ environment.

Paraguayan swimmer Luana Alonso  might’ve had too much fun during the Paris Olympics.

The 20-year-old Alonso was asked to leave the Olympic Village for creating an inappropriate environment , which was reportedly tied to a trip to Disneyland that angered Paraguayan Olympic officials and wearing skimpy outfits instead of team clothing.

Alonso documented the visit to Disneyland Paris with photos on Instagram after she failed to advance out of her heat and into the women’s100m butterfly semifinals on July 27.

Alonso modeled a pair of Mickey Mouse ears in front of the castle at Disneyland Park in a few snapshots, while another featured two champagne flutes toasting at the park. The drinking age in France is 18.

The photos were posted to a highlight on her Instagram account on July 29.

Paraguayan media outlets reported that Alonso chose a tourist destination over supporting her teammates, which upset the country’s Olympic leadership.

A separate report by The Daily Mail said Alonso became a distraction to other competitors with her “skimpy clothing and socializing with other athletes.”

Alonso checked into a hotel in Paris and visited high-end stores and restaurants after she was asked to leave the Olympic Village, according to the report.

“Her presence is creating an inappropriate atmosphere within Team Paraguay,” Larissa Schaerer, the head of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, said in a statement published by The Sun on Monday.

“We thank her for proceeding as instructed, as it was of her own free will that she did not spend the night in the Athletes’ Village.”

Alonso had reportedly been staying in the Olympic Village despite not qualifying in her event, which is allowed.

She also announced her retirement from the sport on social media after the race.

Alonso appeared to be back in the U.S. on Monday when she posted a photo of an American flag to her Instagram Story.

“Pony up,” she wrote with a peace sign emoji over another snapshot of a statue of horses.

Alonso has yet to directly address the situation.

It’s difficult to know everything that goes on inside the Olympic Village, which spans parts of three cities — Saint-Denis, Saint Ouen and L’Île-Saint-Denis — and accommodates 14,250 athletes.

The rules in the Olympic Village also differ depending on the host country — and teams can follow their own guidelines.

Athletes are also required to uphold social media guidelines at the Paris Olympics.

2024 PARIS OLYMPICS

• Today’s schedule, results, medal counts and more updates
• Star American gymnast could be stripped of medal in Olympics controversy
• American wins women’s 100-meter hurdles gold by 0.01 seconds in Olympic thriller
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“Athletes staying in the Olympic Village are also required to respect the protected atmosphere and privacy of the Olympic Village and are not allowed to report on the activities of other residents, unless they have obtained such other persons’ consent beforehand,” the 2024 Paris Games guidelines state.

“Please note that it is forbidden to take photos or to record audio or video in restricted areas, including but not limited to the medical areas or doping control station.”

Athletes must reside with the team they’re representing at the Paris Games.

“We can’t share an apartment with another country,” Team USA’s Olympic Village Director Daniel Smith told People prior to the Summer Games.

Athletes can leave the Olympic Village to see their friends and family, who are not allowed entry into the Olympic Village.

There is an exception for nursing athletes, who are allowed to bring their infants into the Olympic Village.

Some teams also implement quiet hours in their Olympic Village residence halls.

“This is a distraction-free environment,” Smith emphasized repeatedly.

“[Athletes] can do as they please. It doesn’t mean they have to be in their rooms by 10:00 p.m. We just can’t have music blaring out of an apartment at 10-11 p.m. just to make sure people are getting their rest and recovery and they’re ready to train or compete the following day.”

Team USA, specifically, follows a no-alcohol policy in the Olympic Village in order to respect athletes who are still competing in the latter half of the games.

Smith explained that things “get a little tricky” when some events, such as rugby, begin July 24 and conclude July 30.

“They still have another 12 days in the Village,” Smith said, adding that some may want to “go have fun” and celebrate after their event is finished.

“So we have to set some specific guidelines so that there’s just a general level of respect across the board. Everyone is in competition mode until the games finish on Aug. 12. So that is why we put those parameters in place.”

“… At the end of the day, a lot of these folks are adults. The majority of them are adults, and they’ll make their decisions. But within this space, we have to be very high performance focused.”

In March, Laurent Michaud, the director of the 2024 Paris Village, confirmed there would be no alcohol in the Olympic Village, but said athletes can “have all the champagne they want also in Paris.”

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Holidays, long weekends and seasonal events at Disneyland Paris

Choose the best time to visit disneyland paris.

There is always something to enjoy at Disneyland Paris! You can explore the magic throughout the year during school holidays, on long weekends or celebrating our seasonal events!

Autumn Holidays

Disneyland Paris is a breathtaking destination for the October half term with Disney Halloween Festival, bringing a special festive atmosphere like no other. Meet your favourite Disney Villains during the exceptional Halloween parade and be transformed to a scary new world with haunted shows and hellish attractions guaranteed to excite all ages!

Christmas at Disneyland Paris

Christmas comes early at Disneyland Paris! From 11 November 2023 until 7 January 2024, be immersed into Disney Enchanted Christmas. Create beautiful memories to last a lifetime and experience the Christmas parade, admire the giant decorated tree and watch the spectacular evening show. Plus, you can meet Santa Claus and keep the magic alive by staying in one of Disney's themed hotels.

Summer Holidays

Looking for an unforgettable holiday with family or friends next summer? Then Disneyland Paris is the place to visit! Spend the warmer days enjoying the thrilling rides, character experiences and variety of attractions for all ages.

Good to know: traveling to Disneyland Paris this summer

Disneyland Paris is just 32 kilometers from Paris, and will remain accessible during summer 2024, whatever your preferred mode of transport!

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BREAKING: 'The Lion King' Land Coming to Disneyland Paris

Disney confirmed that a new area themed to “The Lion King” will be coming to Disney Adventure World at Disneyland Paris.

‘The Lion King’ Land

At the Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, a new land based on the classic Walt Disney Animation Studios film “The Lion King” was announced for Disney Adventure World at Disneyland Paris. The area will be called Pride Lands and will be dedicated to the characters and stories from the film. There will be dining, shopping, and character meet and greets.

In addition, the land will feature a brand-new attraction themed around Simba and the rest of the animal kingdom. The attraction will be down in the caverns beneath Pride Rock and will bring guests along for Simba’s journey from cub to king. The concept art shows a ride vehicle plummeting down rushing waterfall, drawing obvious comparisons to the final drop of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

A “Lion King” experience has been rumored for Disneyland Paris  since at least 2022 . Disney recently announced that, after a years-long reimagining, Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris will be renamed Disney Adventure World . The current expansion includes a Parisian version of World of Frozen on the new Adventure Bay .

The park’s entrance area is becoming “World Premiere.”  Disney teased earlier this year that work is already underway on the park’s next immersive world . Disneyland Paris teased D23 announcements and the Disney Adventure World model on display was mysteriously empty.

What do you think of the new “The Lion King” coming to Disneyland Paris? Let us know in the comments.

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on  Twitter ,  Facebook , and  Instagram .

Paris Olympics quick hits: Nadia Comaneci hits out over gymnastics heartbreak, Tom Brady watches Simone Biles, and Paraguay swimmer told to leave village over Disneyland trip

Sport Paris Olympics quick hits: Nadia Comaneci hits out over gymnastics heartbreak, Tom Brady watches Simone Biles, and Paraguay swimmer told to leave village over Disneyland trip

It feels like we're repeating ourselves, but it was yet another golden day for Australia as Noemie Fox claimed victory in the kayak cross .

Meanwhile, Swedish superstar Armand Duplantis had the Olympic stadium rocking when he cleared the pole vault bar to set a new world record .

But there was plenty more weird, wonderful and heartbreaking moments around the Games that you might have missed. Here's some of the best of it.

1. A Wilde ride for Kiwi triathlete

New Zealand's Hayden Wilde is a two-time Olympic medallist and a near permanent feature on triathlon podiums around the world, but even the best can come unstuck.

In the first leg of the mixed relay, Wilde got tangled up with France's Pierre le Corre in an ugly bike crash.

While le Corre struggled to get his chain back on, Wilde's issues were less mechanical and more maxillofacial.

With blood streaming from his brow, Wilde ultimately handed over to Nicole van der Kaay with New Zealand in 13th spot and the Kiwis never recovered, finishing 14th.

Germany would eventually claim gold, the USA silver, and Team GB bronze. Australia came 13th.

2. Take your marks — set — Sweet Caroline

The tension is always high before a race in the Olympic Stadium, and that was certainly the case as Aussie Mia Gross and six other women lined up for her 200m repechage.

But on Monday night (AEST) they were made to wait on the track while the stereo system blasted Neil Diamond's hit Sweet Caroline.

The full three-minute singalong played while seven of the best athletes in the world did their best to stay focused.

And spare a thought for Ecuador's Nicole Caicedo, who less than an hour prior had been disqualified from her 400m heat for a false start.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, she was slowest out of the blocks by some distance after Sweet Caroline-athon.

3. GOAT recognises GOAT at the gymnastics

It was the final chance to watch Simone Biles at the Paris Olympics, and NFL legend Tom Brady seized it.

Like so many top athletes and A-list celebrities before him, the former quarterback came to see the American superstar performing at Bercy Arena.

He did not get the chance to see Biles on the top of an Olympic podium, though.

Biles could have tied the record for most Olympic gold medals by any female athlete in any sport with two more wins on the final day of gymnastics competitions. But she fell during her beam routine, and then earned silver in the floor exercise after a routine that included a couple of costly steps out of bounds.

Brady attended the beam competition with his daughter, Vivian, sitting close to the front row. He also met with Biles's teammate Sunisa Lee, who posted a picture of her posing with Brady on her Instagram account.

Brady, who turned 47 on Saturday, posed for a lot of pictures with Lee, 21. But when they separated, all the fans followed Lee.

The large number of celebrities who have turned out at the gymnastics venue sometimes gave the impression that the Cannes Film Festival was going on at the Bercy Arena.

A-listers Nicole Kidman, Natalie Portman and Serena Williams previously gathered at the Olympic venue to watch the most decorated athlete in the history of gymnastics. Spike Lee, Michael Phelps, Lady Gaga, Tom Cruise and Jessica Chastain also made a stop at the gymnastics venue.

4. Comaneci hits out after heartbreaking scenes for Romanian

Gymnastics great Nadia Comaneci was furious after fellow Romanian Ana Barbosu lost her bronze to American Jordan Chiles on Tuesday morning when US coaches called for an inquiry that boosted Chiles' score and left Barbosu off the podium and crying on the floor at the Paris Olympics.

"I can't believe we play with athletes mental health and emotions like this … let's protect them," the nine-time Olympic medallist wrote on X.

Barbosu initially thought she'd won a medal in the floor final on the last day of gymnastics events. Chiles was the final competitor, and the initial score posted on the video board was lower than Barbosu's, prompting the Romanian to grab her country's flag and begin celebrating.

Moments later, it was announced that Chiles's coaches had asked judges to review the difficulty component of her score. That led to a .1 boost, bumping Chiles to 13.766 — just ahead of Barbosu's 13.700.

When the revised results flashed, the 18-year-old Barbosu looked up toward the giant screen and froze. 

She was then filmed exiting the venue in tears, devastated.

“At this point, we had nothing to lose, so I was like ‘We’re just going to try,'" Team USA coach Cecile Landi said of the inquiry. 

"I honestly didn’t think it was going to happen but when I heard her scream, I turned around and was like ‘what?’”

5. Marchand happy to soak up Olympic vibes

Léon Marchand isn't ready to rest just yet.

The 22-year-old French swimmer who won five medals — four of them gold — is eager to soak in the Olympic atmosphere and make the most of his time in Paris.

"I'll try to watch some sports," Marchand said when asked about his plans. 

"It's not easy because I have to do business now. And I have a new life, so it won't be easy to be in the stands with everyone else. But yes, I’m at the Games and I want to enjoy it."

He's particularly excited about catching some basketball and volleyball, as well as the track and field 200m finals.

But after the Games, Marchand is looking forward to some much-needed down time.

"Then I will take some vacation next week and celebrate with my family," he said.

6. Phelps calls for one and done rule for positive tests

In the wake of a Chinese doping scandal, Michael Phelps has doubled down on his support for tougher sanctions — including a lifetime ban for anyone who tests positive for a banned substance.

"If you test positive, you should never be allowed to come back and compete again, cut and dry," Phelps said. 

"I believe one and done."

The World Anti-Doping Agency and World Aquatics have acknowledged that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. 

The results were not made public until media reports surfaced this year, with both bodies accepting the Chinese explanation that the positive tests were caused by tainted food.

Nine of those swimmers won medals — several as part of relay teams — in Paris, leading British star Adam Peaty to gripe that the playing field was not even.

Phelps reiterated those sentiments, saying the Chinese swimmers who tested positive should not have been allowed to compete in either Tokyo or Paris.

Or anywhere else, for that matter.

"If everybody is not going through that same testing, I have a serious problem because it means the level of sport is not fair and it’s not even," he said. 

“If you're taking that risk, then you don’t belong in here."

7. Paraguay swimmer sent packing over Disneyland visit

Paraguay swimmer Luana Alonso has been sent packing from Olympic village after claims she left team camp to go to Disneyland. 

Alonso's Games came to an end after she failed to progress in the women's 100m butterfly heats, and has since been asked to leave the village by the Paraguayan Olympic Committee (POC). 

According to local media reports, Alonso spent a night out in Paris and went to Disneyland rather than staying to support teammates.

"Her presence is creating an inappropriate atmosphere within Team Paraguay," POC boss Larissa Schaerer said.

"We thank her for proceeding as instructed, as it was of her own free will that she did not spend the night in the athletes’ village."

8. Faith restored after initial disqualification

The women’s 5,000m final ended in a double-barrel of controversy, when second-place finisher Faith Kipyegon was disqualified for contact with Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay — before the Kenyan then had her silver medal reinstated.

The two runners were shown pushing and shoving mid-race, with officials deeming Kipyegon was at fault in the incident.

While Kipyegon wandered around the stadium celebrating her medal with flag in hand. it was announced she had been disqualified for the incident.

But on appeal, her silver medal was reinstated to the Rio and Tokyo 1500m gold medal winner.

9. Brazil to appeal Marta ban

Brazil has appealed FIFA's decision to suspend  football legend Marta for two matches after her red card in the group stage of the women's soccer tournament.

Brazil is set to face World Cup champion Spain in a semifinal match at Marseille tonight.

Marta sat out Brazil's 1-0 quarterfinal victory over host France after she received a red card in her team's group-stage finale against Spain for a foul on Olga Carmona.

The red card was an emotional blow to Marta, the team captain and a six-time world player of the year who has said this is her final international tournament with the team.

FIFA's disciplinary committee later determined the foul merited a two-match suspension. The Brazilian soccer federation announced it was appealing the decision.

"Marta has an impeccable record of respecting the rules of the sport and fair play, being a world reference in the sport for several generations for everything she has achieved on and off the field," the federation said in a statement.

The appeal on behalf of Marta looked likely to fail as FIFA’s own disciplinary rules state that appeals are not admissible for two-game bans.

The ABC of SPORT

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