Disneyland in Paris – arrival, travel time, tips and tickets

A visit to Disneyland Paris should be an unforgettable experience for parents and children alike. A chance to fulfill childhood fantasies and experience the magic of Disney up close. But to make it a dream visit, you need to consider a few important things.

For so many people in the world, a visit to a Disney park is a big dream that they want to make come true someday. In Europe, since 1992, there is Disneyland Paris – a very special of its kind.

Ticket info for you

About Disney Park in Paris

Disneyland Paris is the only Disney theme park in Europe. If you’ve never been to Disneyland Paris, or your visit was a long time ago, you’ll find all the insider tips, tricks and knowledge you need about Disneyland Paris here. So your visit to the realm of fairy tales and Mickey Mouse is guaranteed to be a success!

First things first: Disneyland Paris actually consists of two parks: Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios. Disneyland Paris is the main park with the legendary fairy tale castle and Walt Disney Studios is a smaller park, but equally worthy of your visit.

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In addition, there is another area called Disney Village. Here you will find the best restaurants and stores of the park. And the Disney Village is where most of Disneyland Paris’ hotels are located – and many of them are around the grounds as well.

Disneyland Park

Disneyland Park is divided into five main areas, or “lands,” each with attractions, restaurants and stores based on a particular theme – the same layout as other Disneylands around the world.

There you have:

• Main Street USA – this is where the Disney Magic Parade takes place. The Music Pavilion in Main Street Square is the best place to see the Disney Magic Parade. This part of the park is also home to the Main Street Station, from which the Disneyland steam train dummy chugs slowly clockwise through the park throughout the day.
• Frontierland – To the left of Main Street, Frontierland evokes dreams of the Wild West. Its centerpiece, Big Thunder Mountain, is a tower of red rock around which a roller coaster winds. One of my absolute favorite attractions in the park.
• Adventureland – Here, of course, adventure is on the agenda. Highights here include Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril and Pirates of the Caribbean (Fun Fact: The movies are based on the Disney attraction – not the other way around).
• Fantasyland – Peter Pan’s Flight and It’s a Small World are the visitor magnets here. It is the most popular land for younger children, with many charming but quiet rides. Here is also the Doenröschen castle, so the fixed point of the park, so to speak. By the way, under the castle there is a dragon – must see.
• Discoveryland – The futuristic, high-tech experiences at Discoveryland are primarily for older children. Surely you’ve heard of Space Mountain? You can find this attraction, a breathtaking high-speed roller coaster ride, here.

Walt Disney Studios Park

There’s also plenty to marvel at in the second Disney park, Walt Disney Studios Park. he park is full of rides and attractions inspired by the world of cinema and consists of four zones:

• Front Lot – Everything here revolves around film. Lots of scenery you’ll see here, complete with hundreds of movie props. This becomes clear right at the entrance, where a 33-meter-high water tower stands, the traditional symbol of a Hollywood movie studio. But this is just the beginning of the studios.
• Toon Studio – This segment is intended as Disney’s tribute to the art of film animation, from its origins in Europe to the greatest animated films of the 21st century. Toy Story Playland is fun for younger children. Crush’s Coaster, a spinning roller coaster based on Finding Nemo, is extremely popular – so be sure to get there early in the day.
• Production Courtyard – The heart of the studio production facilities beats here, with daily productions and shows. Here is also the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – one of my absolute favorite attractions!
• Back Lot – TheRock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is here, it is the fastest ride at Disneyland Paris. But the real highlight of the Back Lot is the Spectacular stunt show. This excellent live action show for the whole family is based on the Cars movies.

Disney Village is the third of the bunch. It’s not really its own park, though, and admission is included with every Disney ticket. This area includes stores, restaurants, some with live shows, a sports bar, an arcade and a movie complex. Most restaurants are open until about 11 pm

The best tickets for your visit to the park

It is not so easy to find the right ticket. here are a number of different ticket options at Disneyland Paris. It is important to understand the different types of tickets. This is the only way to find the ticket that really suits you. But don’t worry, I know about it and will help you with it.

But if you’re only at Disneyland Paris for one day, it makes things pretty easy. Then you only have to decide between a ticket for a single park and a so-called park hopper ticket. The Hopper ticket gets you into both parks (and Disney Village), Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios.

If I were you, I would choose the Park Hopper ticket (the multi-day ticket). Because each park has something special about it and attractions you don’t want to miss. The parks are within walking distance of each other, so you should have no problem seeing everything in one day.

Things get a little more complicated when you visit for several days. Which ticket for Disneyland Paris should you choose then? Essentially, you now have two options: a multi-day ticket or the annual pass.

“Annual pass? What’s the point of that? I’m only there for a few days, aren’t I?” You are probably asking yourself now.

In some cases, it’s actually cheaper to buy the Discovery annual pass than a park hopper ticket for two days.

Because the Discovery Annual Pass is not a ticket that allows you to spend 365 days a year at Disneyland. It is valid only on certain days of the year. What are they? You’ll have to check the official Disneyland Paris website to find out. Then you’ll see if the Discovery Annual Pass is valid at the time you want to go.

Unfortunately, the Annual Pass can only be purchased on-site at the ticket counter or by calling Disney at 069 13 80 41 07 (standard rate from German landlines, German-speaking staff).

And there’s another little catch to the Discovery annual pass, though: it’s not valid for the first two days after you buy it. That is, it should be booked more than two days in advance.

When you arrive at the gates of either Disney park, anyone over the age of 3 needs a ticket to get in. Although tickets are easy to purchase once you’re at the resort, it’s highly recommended to buy your Disneyland Paris tickets online in advance. This will save you both time and money.

You can print your tickets at home or, for some orders, even pick them up at the gates of the park from new vending machines that offer a faster and easier process – ideal if you want to skip the postage costs and times or if you’ve been putting off buying them until the last minute!

Important: The ticket options I have picked out for you always include both parks in the price!

Disney Land Paris Facts

• Approximately 16 million visitors per year
• 83 hectare site
• 2 theme parkswith a total of 58 attractions
• 15,000 employees
• 5,800 hotel rooms
• 97 km/h (60 miles per hour) – speed ofthe fastest roller coaster ride, the Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster

This is the best way to get to Disneyland Paris

Now, before you start a Disney movie marathon and then head off to Disneyland in elation, you first need to decide how you want to travel to Paris. Denn es gibt mehrere Möglichkeiten in die französische Hauptstadt zu kommen, die sich alle im Zeitaufwand und der Bequemlichkeit unterscheiden.

The fastest way to get to Paris is by plane. Von den deutschen Flughäfen Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin, München und Düsseldorf aus bringen euch Direktflüge in die französische Hauptstadt. Der Flug dauert zwischen 80 und 110 Minuten, je nachdem von wo ihr los fliegt.

From outside Europe and from many places within Europe, the best option to get to Disneyland Paris is to fly. The resort is conveniently located from CDG airport (10 minutes) and central Paris (35 minutes). With the exception of the two hotels outside the complex, the entire resort is within walking distance. It’s about 20 minutes from one end to the other. The parks are about a three-minute walk from each other.

Disneyland is just over a half hour drive east of Paris

Adjacent to Disneyland Paris is the Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy train station. This station provides access to central Paris (about 45 minutes by train) and Paris Charles de Gaulle (“CDG”) Airport (10 minutes by train). We discuss how to get to and from Disneyland Paris by train below.

Doch auch mit dem Zug kommt ihr gut in die Stadt der Liebe. Dabei kommt es jedoch stark darauf an, von wo ihr losfahrt. Aus dem Norden Deutschlands lohnt sich eine Zufahrt jedenfalls nicht. Am meisten lohnt sich die Zugfahrt nach Paris ab Köln, denn so seid ihr nur knappe drei Stunden unterwegs. Auch ab Dortmund, Stuttgart oder Frankfurt fahrt ihr maximal vier Stunden. Ab München benötigt ihr mit dem Zug ungefähr sechs Stunden.

Natürlich könnt ihr auch mit dem Auto fahren. Ob sich das jedoch lohnt ist eine andere Frage. Wenn ihr mit mehreren Personen reisen möchtet, kann die Autofahrt selbst zwar günstiger sein als die Alternativen, ihr müsst aber bedenken, dass die Parkplatzpreise vor Ort nicht gerade günstig sind. Wir haben aber noch ein paar Tipps für die Anreise mit dem Auto für euch zusammengeschrieben.

Mit dem Auto nach Paris

Solltet ihr mit wenig Budget reisen, könnte der Fernbus eine gute Alternative für euch sein. Ab Hamburg zahlt ihr nur rund 40 Euro. Allerdings haben Fernbusse nicht nur mehrere Haltestellen, die die Fahrzeit erheblich verlängern, sondern auch gesetzliche Ruhezeiten, was heißt, dass ihr gegebenenfalls auch mal mitten in der Nacht aus dem Bus aussteigen müsst. Wenn ihr zum Beispiel ab Köln reist, ist die Fahrzeit aber natürlich nicht so lange wie von Hamburg aus. Der Fernbus wie Flixbus ist also auf jeden Fall eine gute Alternative für flexible Menschen mit wenig Budget.

Alle Anreisemöglichkeiten für euren Paris Urlaub haben wir euch auch noch einmal detailliert aufgeschrieben.

The best time to visit Disney

Paris experiences four seasons on roughly the same pattern and schedule as GermanyUnfortunately, some rides may be closed on some days in winter due to snow, ice and frost. For this reason, you should avoid the months of December through February.

From April to September, Paris is a popular vacation destination – August excluded. That’s when many Paris residents are drawn out of the city to the coast. Paris then seems a little deserted. In den anderen Monaten könnt ihr angenehme sommerliche Temperaturen erwarten, aber natürlich auch das größte Touristenaufkommen. This then also applies to the Disney Park.

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From October to March, on the other hand, it is quieter. But then there is a risk that it could rain. But if you don’t mind a little rain or gray weather, these are the right months for your visit to Disneyland in Paris.

However, you never have to fear sub-zero temperatures or many consecutive rainy days. Temperatures throughout the year average between 3°C and 26°C.

These are the best attractions in the park (in my opinion)!

Disneyland Paris is perhaps Disney’s most beautiful castle park. Many visitors, and I’m sure you will feel the same way, are not drawn straight from attraction to attraction. Because the park itself is the real highlight. He is incredibly stylish and detail-oriented. One of the best moments I had there was when I just walked around aimlessly and let the Disney atmosphere take effect on me.

There are basically five different types of attractions at Disneyland Paris:

• Roller coasters
• Water rides
• High and round rides (e.g. carousels)
• Round trips and theme tours
• Shows

Personally, I always like the roller coasters and themed rides best in theme parks – Disneyland Paris is no exception for me. The shows are cool done, but I prefer other attractions.

I think overall I liked more attractions at Walt Disney Studios, which is Disneyland Paris’ second-nb theme park. Walt Disney Studios is aimed more at teens and adults. Its main theme is cinema and the attractions are even scarier and more exciting than those at Disneyland Park, or so I thought.

My favorite attractions at Disneyland Paris:

• Hollywood Tower of Terror (I don’t want to spoil anything, you simply have to have experienced it)
• Big Thunder Mountain (cool roller coaster)
• Space Mountain: Mission 2 (bigger and faster than the Space Mountains in the USA parks!)
• Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril (great steel roller coaster)

If you are traveling with children, you must definitely stop by here:

• Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
• Disney Illumination (a really well done show at Sleeping Beauty Castle every night!)
• Les Voyages de Pinocchio
• Meet Mickey Mouse (what would a visit to Disneyland be without meeting Mickey himself?).

Day planner for a visit to Disneyland

In my opinion, you should always plan several days for a visit to Disneyland Paris. There is simply too much to experience – it is relatively impossible in one day.

• Day 1 – Arrive, check in, visit Disneyland Park.
• Day 2 – Visit Walt Disney Studios Park in the morning, Disneyland Park in the afternoon.
• Day 3 – Visit Disneyland Park, late departure to Paris or CDG airport.

If you only had one night and two days, we would suggest:

• Day 1 – Arrive & Disneyland Park
• Day 2 – Morning at Walt Disney Studios Park, afternoon at Disneyland Park

The best insider tips

Be sure to download the Disneyland Paris app on your smartphone. It is mega helpful.

The app contains everything you need to know about Disneyland Paris. It includes:

• A map of the two parks and Disney Village
• Live waiting times for attractions
• A list of restaurants and their menus
• Schedule of events with times for parades, shows and fireworks
• There’s free WiFi in the parks, so you can easily use the app without using up your cellular data.

Multiday ticket

Avoid the rush hours!

The fast food restaurants are often overcrowded. I therefore always try to eat outside of peak hours.

Most park visitors eat between 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

I mean to have once waited almost an hour for a hot dog during those rush hours. And the hot dog was definitely not worth it…. Don’t make the same mistake and eat at different times instead.

If you’re not at rush hour, you’ll have another advantage: the wait times at the rides will be a little shorter.

Buy a Fastpass

The only thing I don’t like about Disneyland Paris (or all Disney parks worldwide, really) are the queues. But who likes them? At peak times, the wait time for some attractions was up to 90 minutes. Since the attractions themselves only last a few minutes, this is not a particularly good deal.

You won’t have this problem if you travel alone. If you visit the attraction alone, you can stand in the designated queue, which is much shorter.

Alternatively, you can get a FastPass. You can use it at the most popular attractions and faster

You can use the Disneyland Paris FASTPASS at the following attractions:

• Disneyland Parl:
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, Adventureland
• Star Wars: Hyperspace Mountain, Discoveryland
• Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, Discoveryland
• Big Thunder Mountain, Frontierland
• Peter Pan’s Flight, Fantasyland
• Star Tours, Discoveryland

Walt Disney Studios Park:

• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Production Courtyard
• Ratatouille: The Adventure, Toon Studio

Important: You can not buy the Fastpass online, but only directly on site!

Weitere Highlights in Paris

Disneyland Paris hotels

Want to make just one trip to Disneyland during your vacation in Paris? Disneyland, as mentioned, is only a little over 30 minutes by car from downtown Paris. Ein schickes Hotel in der Innenstadt ist natürlich nicht ganz preiswert, aber auf jeden Fall empfehlenswert. Um Paris wie ein Einheimischer zu erleben und dabei etwas Geld zu sparen, ist ein Airbnb eine tolle Alternative.

Hotels and other accommodation near Disneyland Paris

If you really only want to go to Disneyland, you should look for a hotel nearby. Just look here and find what you are looking for:

The best Disneyland Paris hotels The best vacation rentals at Disneyland Paris

Hotels in der Nähe von Attraktionen

Wenn du nach einem Hotel mit einer der vielen Sehenswürdigkeiten von Paris in direkter Nachbarschaft suchst, dann sind diese Artikel für dich bestimmt interessant:

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The best Disneyland Paris Hotels

If you have decided to visit Disneyland Paris for more than one day, you are...

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Airbnb in Paris

As I said, a visit to Disneyland Paris only makes sense to me if you stay for a few days. You can see a lot in one day, but it’s also really stressful. After a long day of sightseeing in the park, all you really want to do is fall into bed – the closer it is, the better.

Fortunately, there are many great hotels in and around Disneyland Paris, as you’ll notice.

My personal favorite Disney hotel is Disney’s Santa Fe. I love the US theme with Wild West in the hotel and the value for money is really good.

All Disney hotels offer complimentary buses to and from the resorts – this includes partner hotels, of which there are many around the Disney park. Because many hotels are not located directly on the park area. But one of the best things about staying at a Disney hotel: You can take advantage of Magic Time! Because hotel guests can enter the parks one hour earlier. That makes a really big difference. While many of the Disneyland Paris rides are not open during this magical hour. But those that are, have short or no queues.

Disney’s Santa Fe Hotel

News from Disneyland Paris

In the coming years you can expect many great additions to the park. Many billions of euros are currently being poured into Disneyland Paris and three completely new countries will be created:

• Star Wars Land / Galaxy’s Edge
• Frozen Land
• Marvel Land

Mehr Highlights in Paris