Disneyland Paris is one of the most beautiful Disney Parks that every Disney fan should try to experience. I am still grateful that we were able to spend a few nights there as a family and I hope that we can go back to experience everything new. This guide is everything I wish I knew when planning a Disneyland Paris trip from where we stayed to how we planned our Disneyland Paris itinerary.
The thought of visiting a Disneyland park outside the United States felt like an impossible dream, until we started planning a trip to Europe. We are big Disney fans and knew we had to include Disneyland Paris in our time in France.
Disneyland Paris felt the same and different as we experienced the park over 2.5 days. It has its own style and pacing that is unique to the Paris Disney park, and we really loved how everything was meticulously detailed and stunning.
Planning a Bigger Europe Trip? If Paris is just one stop on your family adventure, check out my complete Europe Itinerary for help planning a trip that includes Paris, London, Iceland, and Disneyland Paris!
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Planning Disneyland Paris Trip- My Experience
I feel like I can plan a trip to Walt Disney World at the drop of a hat but planning our trip to Disneyland Paris required a lot more research. I knew there were two parks. I knew there was a dragon in the basement of Sleeping Beauty’s castle, but that was about it.
I was worried about the language barrier and would we be able to navigate a park without knowing any French. Thankfully most of the attractions are in French with a mix of English. A lot of cast members speak both English and French and it ended up being a non-issue. Cast members are mostly helpful, menus are in French and English, and most attractions were easy to follow along with.
Another thing that was different and unexpected was the coffee at the parks. This is more a personal preference than anything, but in the states you see many guests walking with their morning coffee. This is not as common in Europe and at the Disneyland Paris Parks. There is a Starbucks at Disney Village and guests have nespresso machines in their rooms but you will not really find it like we do at the US parks.
Overall we were excited about experiencing Disneyland Paris and felt it was totally worth it. Since our last visit Walt Disney Studios has been reimagined to Disney Adventure Park and is getting new lands and updates. This is definitely giving us a reason to plan another Disneyland Paris trip.
Looking for Disneyland Paris Hotels?
Disney Newport Bay Club– Click here for Prices & Availability
Dream Castle Hotel Marne La Vallee- Click here for Prices & Availability
Disney Hotel New York- The Art of Marvel– Click here for Prices & Availability
Disneyland Paris Parks
Disneyland Paris has 2 theme parks: Disneyland Park and Disney Adventure Park (formerly Walt Disney Studios). Disneyland is much like Magic Kingdom with guests entering the park to find Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. Disney Adventure Park is more like Disneyland’s California Adventure park with different lands dedicated to beloved characters like Avengers Campus.
There are also numerous resorts and Disney Village, a shopping and dining area. Guests staying at most of the Disneyland Paris resorts can walk between the two parks and Disney Village. The park entrance for both parks is less than a 5 minute walk.
Disneyland Park
Disneyland has 5 lands: Main Street U.S.A., Discoveryland, Fantasyland, Adventureland, and Frontierland. Throughout the park you will find familiar favorites as well as unique attractions. Our favorites at Disneyland Park were Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain, Phantom Manor, and Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain.
Disney Adventure Park
Disney Adventure Park has 5 lands: World Premier Plaza, Worlds of Pixar, Marvel Avengers Campus, Adventure Way, and World of Frozen. Our favorites from when we visited were Crush’s Coaster, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Spider-Man W.E.B Adventure, Avengers Assemble: Flight Force, and Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquee de Remy.
Attractions Unique to Disneyland Paris
These are the attractions that are only at Disneyland Paris or are a little different making them worth including in your day at the parks.
Disneyland Park
- Alice’s Curious Labyrinth: This is a walk through maze attraction that is unique to the park. Try to visit when crowds are low to have more time for pictures and to explore.
- Phantom Manor: This is Disneyland Paris version of Haunted Mansion. It is different enough to be a unique attraction to the park.
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril: This is nothing like the Disneyland California attraction. It is a roller coaster attraction, mostly outside.
- Les Mysteres du Nautilus: This is a walk through attraction down to a submarine themed to 20,000 Leagues under the sea. It is unique to the Disneyland park and worth including in your visit.
- Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains: This is the original Snow White’s Scary Adventure that no longer exists at the US parks. Walt Disney World’s ride was removed and Disneyland’s ride was refurbished and changed. Definitely ride this one!
- La Taniere du Dragon: Disneyland Paris has a dragon under the castle. This is original to the park. Unfortunately for us it was closed during our visit. I would make sure to see this if you can.
- Le Passage Enchante d’Aladdin: This is another walk through attraction that is cute and original. If you miss it, its not a big deal, but if you have time to walk through it is a nice retelling of Aladdin.
- Big Thunder Mountain: Big Thunder Mountain is located on a small island. Guests board at the train station and travel through a tunnel to get to the island. This ride is so much fun and a unique spin on the classic train ride.
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Pirates is different than the Pirates ride at other parks. This is one of my favorite rides and I always suggest riding at any park.
- Star Tours: The Adventures Continue: This is the same as Disney’s Hollywood Studios attraction but it was fun to ride it with all the dialogue in French.
- “it’s a small world”: This follows the same basic ride as the other parks but it is in French and it is fun to see how America is represented on the ride.
- Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain: This is different than Space Mountain at the US parks and is worth riding.
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic: This is in French making it a different experience than the US parks
- Peter Pan’s Flight: A little different than the attraction at the United States Disney Parks but worth a ride. This gets busy so ride early.
- Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast: This attraction was down for refurbishment during our visit but it is quite similar to the attraction at Magic Kingdom. I think it would have been fun to ride it with French dialogue.
- Le Pays des Contes de Fees: This is the Storybook Canal Ride at Disneyland but it has continuous boats. It is a fun and relaxing experience. They do have a few different fairy tales than the California park.
- Casey Jr.-le Petit Train du Cirque: Casey Jr. train is a kiddie coaster at the Disneyland Park. This was a fun ride and I would check it out.
Disney Adventure Park:
- Avengers Assemble: Flight Force: This is a Avengers themed roller coaster. The track is like Rock n’ Roller Coaster but with an entirely different theme. I suggest checking it out!
- Cars Road Trip: This was another original attraction that was down during our visit. From reviews I have read it is not the most exciting attraction but I would have liked to experience it.
- Crush’s Coaster: Crush’s Coaster is one of the most popular rides at Walt Disney Studios park. It is indoors with Nemo scenes throughout the ride. You want to check this one out!
- Raiponce Tangled Spin: A Rapunzel themed spin flat ride.
- Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: I was so surprised that this is different than the Hollywood Studios attraction. The ride system is more like Guardians at California Adventure with a Twilight Zone story. It is so much fun!
- Frozen Ever After: A full Frozen Land with Frozen Ever After, dining, and shopping. A few minor difference than the Epcot attraction.
- Wilderness Explorers Sky Swings: Pixar UP themed swings. Opening 2027.
- Lion King Pride Lands: Lion King themed area with a water attraction, themed dining, and shopping. Opening 2028 or later.
Read more about our best ride picks: Our Picks for Best Rides at Disneyland Paris for Teens
Tickets for Disneyland Paris
You should always purchase park tickets before you arrive at the parks. This will save you time and money during your days at the parks. Most tickets are park hopper tickets giving you access to Disneyland Park and Disney Adventure Park.
We purchased our tickets and hotel as a package through the Disneyland Paris website. Our package was 4 day tickets (both parks) and 3 nights at Newport Bay Club. Always compare prices when budgeting for your trip. Check Disneyland Ticket prices here.
Premier Access Pass
Disney Premier Access is a line skipping add-on to your general admission ticket. This is an extra cost in addition to your general admission ticket. It allows guests to get in the fast lane and have shorter wait times.
There are two types of passes: Disney Premier Access Ultimate which gives you fast lane one time on multiple attractions and Disney Premier Access One allows guests to pick one attraction to skip the line for.
The Ultimate Access starts at $115.00 (USD) in low season up to $240.00 (USD) in high season. This is in addition to your ticket and per person. One Access start around $15.00 (USD) per attraction. Each person in your group needs to purchase this if you all want to use it. Learn more here.
Guests purchase Disney Premier Access Ultimate before you arrive at the park. Disney One Access is purchased the day of your visit.
From our experience we didn’t need either of the passes. We stayed on-site and took advantage of early entry. We went on every attraction that we wanted to ride with minimal wait times because we did the most popular attractions first thing in the morning or later at night. If Premier Access is in your budget and you don’t want to plan out your day, it will minimize your wait times.
Where to Stay at Disneyland Paris
There are on-site and off-site options for where to stay when visiting Disneyland Paris. When planning our Disneyland Paris trip I knew we wanted to stay on-site, so we budgeted for it. You can find less expensive accommodations a train stop away but the perks of early entry and walking to the parks was worth it for us.
Disneyland Paris hotels:
- Disney Hotel New York- The Art of Marvel (10 min walk to park/8 min shuttle)
- Disneyland Hotel (Located at the entrance of Disneyland Park)
- Disney Newport Bay Club (15 min walk to park/8 min shuttle)
- Disney Sequia Lodge (15 min walk to park/8 min shuttle)
- Disney Hotel Cheyenne (20 min walk to park/8 min shuttle)
- Disney Hotel Santa Fe (20 min walk to park/8 min shuttle)
- Disney Davy Crockett Ranch (15 min drive by car- no shuttle)
The perks of staying on-site are early entry and guests can make dining reservations before off-site guests. Some restaurants allow up to 12 months in advance. Off-site is 60 days.
If you stay off-site you will want to look for accommodations in Marne-la-Valle. We initially booked a spacious room at B & B hotel and the price was great, but we ultimately decided to stay on-site.
For us we love the Disney parks and wanted to splurge on being close to the parks. We decided to stay at Disney Newport Bay Club. This was a mid-range cost hotel but offered space for the five of us. Read this post for what I thought: Disneyland Paris Newport Bay Hotel Review
Disneyland Paris Tips
- Disneyland Paris is NOT in the City of Paris– Disneyland Paris is located in Chessey, France. This is about a 1 hour train ride from the city of Paris. You can take a day trip to Disneyland Paris if you do not want to spend a lot of time at the parks.
- Download the Disneyland Paris App Before You Leave Home- Stay informed on park hours, opening times, show times, character meet and greets, attraction wait times, and restaurants. Do this a few weeks before your trip to become familiar with the app and watch wait times for your favorite attractions.
- Stay On-Site– Guests receive early entry to the parks and many resorts are within walking distance.
- Prioritize the Unique and Original Attractions- There are a few attractions that you will only find at Disneyland Paris. These are the attractions you should prioritize when planning your visit. There are also attractions that are at other parks but a little bit different and are worth checking out.
- Stay for Shows at Night– Both parks offer a spectacular nightly show. Check out the app for latest offerings and times.
- Take a Mid-Day Break- When visiting a theme park I always suggest arriving early, taking a break after lunch for the afternoon, and returning in the evening.
Dining at Disneyland Paris
I had read so many poor reviews of the food at Disneyland Paris. I was worried it was going to be terrible. We actually liked it and felt it was just as good as the parks in the States.
We prefer to dine at quick service options during our theme park days with 1-2 table service restaurants during our trip. I recommend looking through menus on the app before you arrive to help decide where to eat. A couple quick service spots we liked were: Pizzeria Bella Notte and Au Chalet de la Marionette.
For this trip we made reservations for a buffet dinner at PYM’s Kitchen. It was a nice experience and something we looked forward to. Table service restaurants are pricey but if your budget allows it is worth the splurge. Read about our experience dining at PYM’s Kitchen.
Bistrot Chez Remy and Captain Jack’s Restaurant are also very popular dining spots. Check the menus ahead of your visit to make sure your kids will eat what is on the menu. I really wanted to eat at Bistrot Chez Remy because of the fun theme and ambiance, but I couldn’t justify the cost for food. I wasn’t sure my kids would like the food options and I didn’t want to waste money on meals they wouldn’t eat. Maybe next trip!
Disneyland Paris Itinerary
I always start planning our Disneyland Paris itinerary with listing out the rides and attractions that are most important to us and noting the ones that are most popular. These are the rides I plan to do within the first few hours of park opening.
The most popular attractions at Disneyland Paris are: Peter Pan’s Flight, Big Thunder Mountain, Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain, and Phantom Manor.
The most popular attractions at Walt Disney Studios are: Crush’s Coaster (this was always a 60 minute or more wait.), Ratatouille: The Adventure, and Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure, and Frozen Ever After.
After riding the most popular attractions we will have lunch, do a few walk thru attractions or shows, take a mid-day break, and then return to the parks for dinner and evening shows.
4-Day Itinerary for Disneyland Paris
The park has changed a lot since our last visit, Disney Adventure Park has seen the biggest changes, but I still find it helpful to share how we planned our day. Use the list below to plan your Disneyland Paris trip.
Day 1
- Check-in to Newport Bay Hotel (4:00pm)
- Disney Adventure Park: Avengers Assemble, Spider Man, Ratatouille,
- Dinner- Five Guys at Disney Village
Day 2:
- Disneyland Park: Arrive 30 minutes before early entry time.
- Big Thunder Mountain, Peter Pan Flight, Hyperspace Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains (Snow White), Les Voyages de Pinnochio,
- Lunch: Au Chalet e la Marionnette
- Labrinyth, Casey Jr., Meet Piglet and Rabbit, pool time at hotel,
- Dinner: Pizzeria Bella Notte
- it’s a small world, Phantom Manor, Aladdin Walk Thru, Sleeping Beauty Walk Thru
Day 3:
- Disney Adventure Park: Arrive 30 minutes before early entry time.
- Crush’s Coaster, RC Racer, Slinky Dog Zig Zag Spin, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Radiator Springs Ride,
- Lunch: McDonalds at Disney Village
- Nap at Hotel
- Walked around Disney Adventure Park
- Dinner: Pym’s Kitchen
- Disneyland: Night Show, Phantom Manor
Day 4:
- Disneyland: walked around and took some pictures, met characters, ride a few favorites, check-out and travel to Paris.
For our itinerary we watched the app for wait times and moved through the parks accordingly.
Planning Disneyland Paris- Recap
If you have visited the Disney theme parks in the United States you may be a bit disappointed by Disneyland Paris. We are huge Disney fans but the parks didn’t really blow us away the way we had hoped. I think we had very high expectations and it was different than we expected.
After some time home I can appreciate the good parts of Disneyland Paris, and I would encourage people to visit if they are in Paris, but it is not my favorite Disney park.
I realized the park is not bad, it is just very different than the parks in the States, and that is a good thing. The culture of France inspires this park and with the updates happening at Disney Adventure Park I am considering a trip back.
The landscaping is gorgeous. There are flowers everywhere. It is a really pretty and clean park. When you are walking around Disneyland Paris you have to take it at a slower pace and take it all in, not easy for a Walt Disney World regular.
The little details is one of the things that makes Disneyland Paris special and worth a visit.
Are you visiting Paris during your trip to Disneyland Paris? Check out our Paris Itinerary to plan your trip.
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Leah has been traveling with her family of 5 since 2012 and sharing her expertise on planning family vacations and visiting theme parks since 2016. Leah has been featured in Visit Rochester, Undercover Tourist, and Home Publications. She has worked with brands like Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, Hersheypark, Toyota, and various Tourism boards and destinations. Leah creates family travel itineraries based on real trip experiences with her family. Her guides and tips help others plan great family vacations. Learn more about Leah and Five for the Road.