Visit Disneyland in 1, 2 or 3 days: all our tips!

Organising a trip to Disneyland is no mean feat. You need to understand the different parks, decipher prices and passes, manage transport, choose accommodation, book restaurants and find out the times of shows and the parade.
In short, behind the magic of a trip, there’s a bit of preparation.

We’ve put together all the essential information to help you make the most of your visit and organise your stay in no time!

A few facts about Disneyland

• The first Disneyland opened in 1955 in Anaheim, California (a suburb of Los Angeles). It is the only “Enchanted Kingdom” known to Walt Disney.
• Walt Disney’s original concept was to create a place where parents and children could enjoy themselves together.
• Walt had a hard time financing the park! He had to sell his house and his life insurance and finally ask for help. It was the BBC that finally ended up financing the park (in exchange for a contract on Zorro).
• There are only 5 Disneylands in the world, in addition to the original! Disneyland Paris is the only park in Europe! Which explains why it’s so popular!
• Magic Kingdom in Florida – USA
• Tokyo Disneyland – JAPAN
• Disneyland Paris – FRANCE
• Hong Kong Disneyland – CHINA
• Shanghai Disneyland – CHINA

Presentation of the different parks

Things have changed a lot since the site opened in 1992. At that time, the theme park was called Euro Disneyland, but marketing campaigns shortened it to Euro Disney, which you’ve probably already heard (if you’re over 30!).

Later, the hotel section was brought together and the whole thing was called Disneyland Resort Paris, then Disneyland Park when the Walt Disney Studio opened.

1. The first park: Disneyland

This is the image you have in mind, with the iconic Sleeping Beauty castle, parades, character encounters, classic attractions and games for children. Although there are some thrilling attractions, such as Space Mountain, this park is more geared towards families and children.

It is divided into 5 themed zones: Main Street, Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland and Discoveryland.

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• Main Street USA : This is the main street that takes you straight to Sleeping Beauty’s iconic castle. This nostalgic recreation of a charming American town from the early 20th century was largely inspired by the town of Marceline, where Walt Disney spent his childhood. This is where you’ll find all the park’s shops.
• Frontierland: the term frontier is used here to describe the last frontier of the United States, the myth of the American West. Here you are in the imaginary Wild West, with cowboys and Indians. This area recreates an Indian and cowboy scenario. Among its best-known attractions are the haunted house and Big Thunder Mountain with its mine train.
• Adventureland: here you can experience great adventures at the end of the world! You’re in a lush paradise setting. This is the area for pirates and explorers, with Robinson’s cabin, the Indiana Jones rollercoaster and the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, among others.
• Fantasyland: this is the favourite zone for the little ones, with the world of Disney magic. This is where you’ll find Sleeping Beauty’s castle, Alice’s Labyrinth and the Mad Hatter’s mugs. Classic images of the park.
• Discoveryland : time for the future and modernity! Discoveryland is dedicated to technology and science! This is where you’ll find Space Mountain and the Buzz Lightyear sword game.

2. Walt Disney Studio

In 2002, a second park opened, based on the concept launched by Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida. An imaginary world dedicated to cinema and television, and designed for an older audience. The attractions are more modern and more geared towards thrills.

Here too, the park is divided into several zones:

• The world of cinema, with the Front Lot, Production Courtyard and Toon studio : Welcome to Hollywood! Here you can discover all the secrets behind the making of a Hollywood film! You’re on the most legendary film sets! This is where you’ll find the famous abandoned Hollywood Tower Hotel, and where you can take selfies with Marvel superheroes and Snow Queen heroines.
• A section dedicated to the Marvel universe with Marvel Avengers Campus: new attractions “Avengers Assemble, Flight Force” and Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure”.
• A section dedicated to Pixar with Worlds of Pixar: experience the Pixar adventure with all your favourite heroes in this section of the park entirely dedicated to them. Attractions based on the worlds of Cars, Ratatouille, Nemo and Toy’s Story!

3. Disney Village

Although it’s not a park as such, Disney Village can be part of your stay. It’s a shopping area, so you don’t need an entrance ticket to visit it. It’s open all year round and its opening times are longer than those of the two parks mentioned above.

You’ll find restaurants, shops, cinemas and the famous Panora Magic Balloon, which rises 100 m above the village.

How long will it take to visit the park?

If you’re only visiting the classic Disneyland park with young children, two days is ideal. If you’ve never been, you may not have realised just how big Disneyland is! The first park is around 50 hectares, or more than 70 football pitches! That’s a lot of steps in a day! You’ll need to be organised. If you know which attractions you want to see and your children are grown up (or you’re among adults), you can visit Disneyland in one day.

If you want to visit both parks, on the other hand, you’ll need two whole days to make sure you have no regrets and don’t miss anything.

If you want to take full advantage of both parks, visit them at your own pace, take time to have lunch in the incredible restaurants, shop and see the shows, then it is often recommended that you spend 3 full days there: 2 days for Disneyland Park and its 5 magical worlds and 1 day at Walt Disney Studio Park.

If you’ve found a nice hotel and want to really enjoy the parks while spending time at the hotel swimming pool, then aim for 4 days (3 nights on site).

Which ticket should I choose to visit Disneyland Paris?

Tickets :

If you know your availability throughout the year, and can travel on fixed dates, then buy a dated ticket. The fare is much cheaper if you buy a specific date. There are several fare zones depending on the period you choose (see below).

Think carefully in advance and decide how many days you want to spend there. You can then choose a multi-day ticket. The longer you stay, the cheaper the daily rate.

On the other hand, an open-date ticket can be very useful if you want to give the Disney experience to someone close to you, who can then visit whenever they like.

Passes :

Passes give you priority access to attractions. Please note that this does not mean that there will be no queue at all, just that you will have access to a dedicated, faster queue. Children under 3 can accompany their parents in these express queues without having to pay for an extra pass.

• Disney Premier Access Ultimate: 1 express lane per attraction. No time slots. Bookable in advance or on the day. Purchase via mobile application, website or telephone as part of a “Hotel + Tickets” package.
• Disney Premier Access One: 1 fast track ride on 1 attraction of your choice. With time slot. To be booked on site via the mobile application only.

What’s your budget for visiting Disneyland Paris?

The big question when you start planning your Disney trip is, of course, how much will it all cost and can I afford it?

1 – Transport :

First of all, there’s the unavoidable part: the journey. If you live at the other end of France, you’re going to have to book a train ticket in advance, because yes, it’s certainly on the train that you’ll find the best deals. OuiGo have very attractive fares to Marne-la-Vallée, often cheaper and less tiring than the motorway + petrol bill (which isn’t going to get any easier, let’s be honest! ).

• Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy station is just 200 metres from the park.
• Tickets from all major French cities: from €10 (prices vary enormously depending on dates and anticipation).

2 – The park :

Here too, prices vary considerably depending on the date. If you book in advance, travel during the off-peak period and choose a dated ticket, the price starts at €52 for children and €56 for adults. This is the lowest price you can pay for the 2023-2024 season. If you buy your ticket on the day, the price rises to €105 for an adult (1 park).

There are three types of fare, each with 7 date categories:

Tickets with a date

1 DAY DATED TICKET		ADULT fare	CHILD FARE
1 DAY TICKET DATED Green Fare Period	1 day / 1 park	56 €	52 €
	1 day / 2 parks	81 €	77 €
1 DAY DATED ticket Blue Fare Period	1 day / 1 park	62 €	57 €
	1 day / 2 parks	87 €	82 €
1 DAY DATED ticket Period Pink rate	1 day / 1 park	84 €	78 €
	1 day / 2 parks	109 €	103 €
1 DAY DATED ticket Yellow Tariff Period	1 day / 1 park	89 €	82 €
	1 day / 2 parks	114 €	107 €
1 DAY DATED ticket Orange tariff period	1 day / 1 park	94 €	87 €
	1 day / 2 parks	119 €	112 €
1 DAY DATED ticket Fare period Red	1 day / 1 park	99 €	91 €
	1 day / 2 parks	124 €	116 €
1 DAY DATED ticket Same day	1 day / 1 park	105 €	97 €
	1 day / 2 parks	130 €	122 €

Info official Disneyland Paris website

Tickets 2 to 4 days dated

MULTI-DAY DATED TICKET		ADULT fare	Child fare
DATED MULTI-DAY TICKET Green Fare Period	2-day ticket	142 € (71€/j)	132 € (66€/j)
	3 days	201 € (67€/j)	186 € (62€/j)
	4 days	236 € (59€/j)	220 € (55€/j)
DATED MULTI-JOURS ticket Blue Fare Period	2-day ticket	154 € (77€/j)	142 € (71€/j)
	3 days	216 € (72€/j)	201 € (67€/j)
	4 days	252 € (63€/j)	236 € (59€/j)
DATED MULTI-DAY TICKET Period Pink fare	2-day ticket	196 € (98€/j)	182 € (91€/j)
	3 days	270 € (90€/j)	249 € (83€/j)
	4 days	320 € (80€/j)	296 € (74€/j)
DATED MULTI-JOURS ticket Yellow Tariff Period	2-day ticket	208 € (104€/j)	192 € (96€/j)
	3 days	285 € (95€/j)	264 € (88€/j)
	4 days	336 € (84€/j)	308 € (77€/j)
DATED MULTI-JOURS ticket Orange Fare Period	2-day ticket	214 € (107€/j)	198 € (99€/j)
	3 days	297 € (99€/j)	276 € (92€/j)
	4 days	352 € (88€/j)	324 € (81€/j)
DATED MULTI-JOURS ticket Fare period Red	2-day ticket	224 € (112€/j)	206 € (103€/j)
	3 days	312 € (104€/j)	288 € (96€/j)
	4 days	368 € (92€/j)	340 € (85€/j)
DATED MULTI-JOURS ticket Same day	2 day	Same price as Red Period
	3-day ticket	Same price as Red Period
	4 days	Same price as Red Period

Info official Disneyland Paris website

Flexible date tickets

LIBERTÉ ticket		ADULT fare	Child fare
FREEDOM ticket	1 day / 1 park	105 €	97 €
	1 day / 2 parks	130 €	122 €

Info official Disneyland Paris website

3 – Accommodation :

If you’re planning to spend the whole weekend at Disneyland, which is essential if you want to visit both parks, you’ll need to sleep somewhere!

If budget is not an issue, then treat yourself and extend the experience in one of the 6 Disney hotels (they will be presented below).

Price for two adults, including admission to both parks for 2 days:

• 4 stars : between €500 and €1550
• 3 stars: between €350 and €950
• 2 stars: between €330 and €850

You can also check out our partner hotels, which offer free shuttles to the park.

If you’reon a medium budget, look for the classic hotel chains (Campanile, B&B, etc.) just 2 km from the site. They can be reached in around twenty minutes on foot if you don’t want to take the car.

If you’re on a smaller budget, you’ll be better off renting flats such as Air Bnb or Abritel in Marne la Vallée or other towns on the RER A line (without going too far).

4 – Restaurants

It’s important to understand that the Disneyland Paris parks offer a huge range of tourist attractions to cater for all the 10 million visitors who flock here every year. You’ll find gourmet restaurants with €100 menus, as well as fast-food outlets, buffets and takeaway snacks. Each zone has a fine range of gastronomic delights to suit the theme of the fantasy world in which it is set.
So there’s something for every budget when it comes to dining out, and you’ll be spoilt for choice in terms of experience.

If you want to spend as little as possible, pack a picnic! Mind you, knives and forks are not allowed at the park entrance. Think sandwiches!

When is the best time to come to Disneyland Paris?

Travel out of season to get away from the crowds

If you’re reluctant to come to Disneyland because you don’t like crowds and sigh in anticipation at the thought of queuing for two hours at each attraction, travel out of season! If you’re lucky enough to be able to come outside the school holidays, do it! During the week? Even better! You can consult the attendance calendars, which show you (statistically, mind you, it’s not an infallible science!) what the attendance at Disneyland will be day by day for each month of the year.

Let’s forget July and August and focus on the end of September, with low attendance from Monday to Thursday in the last two weeks of the month. Early October (still on weekdays) is also a good time to take it easy.

If you have to come at the weekend, you should be aware that crowds are fairly constant. If you’re only coming for a day, opt for Sundays between September and mid-December.

Travel during the festive season for even more magic

If crowds don’t scare you and you want even more Disney magic, why not discover the special holiday programmes!

Halloween

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On Halloween night, when the border between the world of the living and the world of the dead is at its thinnest, the spirits and villains of fairy tales take control of the park (open until 2am for the occasion). 3 “scare zones” have been set up to send shivers down the spines of young and old (but not too young!). Disguise yourself for a memorable evening!

Christmas

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Disney is pulling out all the stops for the festive season! If you’ve always dreamed of living in a Christmas film, now’s your chance! A magical setting, an impressive Christmas tree, lights everywhere and dedicated shows.

What are the best attractions?

With over 50 attractions spread across 9 Disney universes, it’s hard to make an exhaustive list of the attractions you’ll be able to discover! And it’s even harder to define which attractions are the best! It all depends on your age, your tastes, etc.

What follows is a mini description of the most famous attractions in both parks, sorted by age. But beware of size restrictions!

With very young children (under 2)

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• Main Street Vehicles: take a trip up Main Street, and back in time, in typical 1900s carriages.
• Disneyland Railroad: visit the park on board a steam train for around twenty minutes. Ideal for taking a break.
• Visit Sleeping Beauty Castle : the park’s star attraction that even the youngest visitors will love.
• Alice Curious Labyrinth: find the Queen of Hearts’ castle on this amazing trail.
• Robinson’s Cabin: the best viewpoint in Adventureland
• Dumbo, the flying elephant: let your children fly aboard giant elephants.

Other possible attractions with a baby : Aladdin’s Enchanted Passage, Pocahontas Indian Village, Horse Drawn StreetCars, the Castle Theatre, the mysteries of the Nautilus, Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing. It’s a small world …

With young children (2 to 6 years old)

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• Pirates of the Caribbean : The attraction that inspired the film, rather than the other way round, will take you on a scenic cruise through breathtaking scenery to relive the epic tales of piracy.
• Peter Pan Fly: A little fairy dust and you’re off with Peter Pan, Wendy and George in search of the lost children. A magical flight through the starry night.
• Mad Hatter’s Tea Cup : A Disney classic! The Mad Hatter’s swirling tea cups. Great fun for all the family!
• Ratatouille: Get ready, you’re going to shrink until you’re no bigger than a little rat! Follow Rémy on a 4D adventure to escape Chef Skinner.

Other possible attractions for young children: the flying carpets, Toy soldiers Parachute Drop, the Mickey and the Magician show, Stitch Live! Cars Four Wheel Rally…

With older children and teenagers:

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• Big Thunder Mountain: another of the park’s iconic attractions, the mine train takes you on a thrilling adventure to the heart of the famous haunted mountain. A roller coaster that’s both soft and fun!
• Phantom Manor: The famous haunted mansion is a classic of its kind! Recently renovated, this dilapidated former residence opens its doors to you… If you dare to push them open, of course!
• Crush’s Coaster: discover the East Australian Current on the back of your turtle, diving into the depths of the ocean! in the company of
• Buz Lightyear LaserBlast: The shooting game at Disneyland Paris, based on the world of Toy Story! Something for all the family.

For thrill-seekers and newcomers :

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• Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain: Star Wars has taken over Space Mountain, so come and discover the new version of Disneyland’s most famous attraction!
• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: if you’re not afraid of lifts, climb the Tower of Terror for a 13-storey freefall!
• Avengers roller coaster: ride a roller coaster accompanied by Captain Marvel and Iron Man, following the old Rock’n Roller coaster circuit in total darkness. Projections and LED screens set the scene for your trip to Marvel land.
• Spiderman Web Adventure: Spiderman has also been given his own attraction at Walt Disney’s studio. It’s an immersive (with 3D glasses), interactive experience, combining special effects and new technologies. You’ll be able to try your hand at web throwing to capture the robots!

Other activities in the park

1. The Parade

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What would a trip to Disneyland be without seeing its wonderful parade!
Created especially for the park, this procession of all the Disney characters is a must-see during your stay! With over 2,000 costumes, breathtaking floats and elaborate staging, it’s sure to make your dreams come true!
The floats arrive, accompanied by dancers, at the “it’s a small world” attraction. They then go around Sleeping Beauty’s castle and down Main Street to Town Square.
So there are plenty of ways for you to watch the parade and catch a glimpse of all your favourite heroes!
Times will be announced on the mobile app.
If you have a disability, go to the dedicated area on Castle Stage. Cast members will make sure you’re comfortably seated for a good view!

2. The shows

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There are many shows available with your park entry. That said, places are limited, so remember to book! If you want to be sure of a place at your favourite show, you can buy a €15 “guaranteed access” pass, which gives you priority in the show queue and guaranteed entry. Here are the big must-sees:

• The Lion King and the Rhythms of the Earth show – Fronterland- Disneyland
• The Snow Queen – Toon Studio – Walt Disney studio
• Heroic Ceremony – Avengers Campus – Walt Disney studio
• Disney Illumination: the park’s famous night-time show with fireworks, songs and projections – Central Plaza – Disneyland

Where to eat in Disneyland Paris?

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If you don’t have much time to spare and want to see as many attractions as possible during the day, avoid eating in a restaurant, or at least not between 12pm and 2pm. The long queues will waste precious time.

So eat after 2.30 p.m. and 3 p.m. (and take advantage of the fact that the big attractions are less crowded) or take your sandwich with you and eat it quietly on a bench (and not on the forbidden lawns!).

If you want to experience the park’s restaurants, no problem! But remember to book!

Some themed restaurants to try:

• Auberge de Cendrillon: Refined French cuisine in a princes and princesses setting.

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