You might wonder how to plan a trip to Disneyland Paris? We’ve got you covered. First of all, Disneyland Paris comprises four parts:
- The castle theme park, Disneyland Park or Parc Disneyland
- A second park, Walt Disney Studios Park
- Disney Village, a small shopping / restaurant area akin to Downtown Disney or Disney Springs
- The hotel area, home to six Disney hotels; a seventh hotel, Disney’s Davy Crockett’s Ranch, is located slightly farther from property; a new eighth hotel, Villages Nature Paris, is also located farther from the parks
With the exception of the two off-site hotels, the entire resort is walkable. It is about 20 minutes from one end to the other. The parks are about three minutes walking from each other.
Adjacent to Disneyland Paris is the Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy train station. That station provides access to central Paris (about 45 minutes by train) and Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport (“CDG”) (10 minutes by train).
First of all, to know how to plan a trip to Disneyland Paris, let’s have a glimpse of the latest gouvernement news.
President Macron recently addressed France to unveil new measures meant to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Among these measures is a health passport, which is a QR code or certificate proving that the holder has a negative test, is fully vaccinated, or recently recovered, will be required throughout different establishments in France including bars, restaurants, cafés, shopping centres, and theme parks.
Disneyland Paris has announced that it will adjust operations to comply with the new measures and provide more updates as soon as possible. France’s ‘Pass Sanitaire’ or COVID-19 sanitary pass has been in use since June in digital and paper formats, and will become mandatory at many locations as early as July 21, 2021. So from the 21st of July 2021, the Pass Sanitaire is mandatory.
If you have your choice of dates and seasons for visiting Disneyland Paris, we recommend to visit Disneyland Paris particularly during shoulder seasons outside of France’s peak tourist seasons. 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. 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.
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. Read our article on the best time to travel in France to match it with your visit to Disneyland Paris.
If you are a Disney fan, we’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. Two days usually feels like too few, and 5 like too many. With that said, if you only have one day to experience Disneyland Paris, skip the Studios and just do the Disneyland park.
Here’s a sample two-night, three-day itinerary:
- 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, depart late to Paris or CDG airport
If you only had one night and two days, we’d suggest:
- Day 1 – Arrive & Disneyland Park
- Day 2 – Morning at Walt Disney Studios Park, afternoon at Disneyland Park
Unless you have the stamina of a mule, staying on site is a must. Disney days are long and tiring, as you race from one attraction to another, and attempt to take in all the shows and nighttime illuminations. By the time the park closes, the chances are you will be utterly exhausted and fit only for a good night’s sleep. An added bonus of staying in one of the Disney hotels is that you do not have to worry about parking. All hotels include complimentary buses to and from the resorts.
Two Disney hotels, Davy Crockett Ranch and Village Nature Paris, are off-site.
As for onsite hotels, there are basically three categories:
- Disneyland Hotel is at the entrance to Disneyland Park and is the flagship hotel of the resort
- The Lac Buena Vista Hotels, Disney’s Sequoia Lodge, Disney’s Newport Bay Club, and Disney’s Hotel New York, are the mid-tier hotels, about seven to 10-15 minutes walking from the parks
- Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne and Hotel Santa Fe are the lowest-priced Disney options, about 15 to 20 minutes walking from the parks
For us, the Disney on-site hotel experience isn’t just about the room. All things considered, the Disney hotels 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.
Heading to Disneyland Paris is meant to be a magical experience for parents and children alike. A chance to fulfill childhood fantasies and indulge your imagination. However, it can also turn into a house of horrors with long lines, unruly crowds, and expensive food and drink. I hope you got some extra tips to know how to plan a trip to Disneyland Paris! That extra sprinkling of fairy dust will make your visit a little more magical!
If you need more information, of simply if you want us to include this experience in your tailor-made trip, do not hesitate to contact us.
