The most magical place on earth, Disneyland! No matter your age or your gender, there really is nothing like being here. Full of thrill-seeking rides, Disney shaped food and enough happiness to put a smile on even the grumpiest persons face! My recommendation would be to spend a few days here, as it’s always busy, and the queues for rides can be long; therefore, to explore the whole park you’ll need at least two to three days.
I’ve put together this guide to Disneyland Paris to help with everything you’ll need to know about planning your trip and enjoying it while you’re there!
Where To Get Your Tickets
Although you can buy tickets on the day, you’ll have to queue and you won’t be getting the best deal you can get. I’ve been twice now and each time got my tickets from two different places, Isango and Travel Republic. The first time I visited back in February 2016 we purchased these through Isango where we got a good deal, most likely due to visiting off-peak.
The second time which was in April 2019, we purchased from Travel Republic, it was £133 each for two-day park tickets, but we were going peak time (over Easter weekend). Alongside the tickets however, we did get some vouchers for money off food and merch!
Where To Stay
Depending on whether you just want to head to Disneyland or explore the whole of Paris will determine where you stay. Both times I’ve been I stayed outside of Paris as we were splitting our time between Disneyland and Paris, we stayed in the center which took us around an hour each way to travel to Disney.
You can stay within the parks which means you get extra magic hours, which I most definitely would love to do in the future! It is expensive, so that’s one to save up for. Both times I’ve visited Paris we’ve used Airbnb which I’ve used countless times and would most definitely recommend.
The second time we stayed we were situated in Ménilmontant, which had great transport links and an area I’d suggest looking into!
What To Bring
It’s a long day and like any theme park, food and drink can be expensive. I’d propose packing some snacks, such as bags of crisps to snack on in the ride queues. Also, bring a bottle of water, there are fountains all around to fill up. If it’s sunny pack some suncream as the queues for the rides can be situated right in the sun. But also remember to bring a jacket too if it’s warm, as soon as the sun goes down it can get chilly, especially if you’re staying for the fireworks!
What To Wear
It can get hot and it can get cold, it’s key to plan for your visit as you don’t want to be too hot or too cold! My suggestion is lots of layers, so you can strip off when it’s hot but add them back when it gets cold! Have you heard of Disney Bounding before? If not you can read my blog here about it, but basically it’s dressing up inspired by the characters and it’s a load of fun! I dressed up inspired by Cinderella one day and the other I picked up a Pooh top from Primark (Primark is killing it with the Disney stuff!).
How To Get There
This is dependent on where you stay again, but the easiest way is to get the Metro. You get the RER A train to Marne-la-Valleé – there’s a Mickey Mouse logo on the metro, so you can’t miss where it is! It’s also the last stop on the RER A, so you’d have to depart here. It can get really busy on the Metro, especially during peak times.
What Are The Areas
There are two parks at Disneyland; Disneyland Park and Universal Studios. You can opt for a two-park ticket, so you can explore both at your leisure! Disneyland is split into five parts; MainStreet U.S.A., Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland, and Discoveryland. Walt Disney Studios is split into four areas; Front lot, Production Courtyard, Backlot and Toon Studio.
Pick up a map on your entrance so you can find your way around as it is massive!
Must-Do Rides
With an abundance of rides, there really is something for everyone! You may not enjoy big rides, so I’d recommend discovering something that is right for you! Although we didn’t use the Fast Pass, this is something which you should look into, where you have the option of getting a fast pass ticket to one of the rides of your choice!
Disneyland
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
- Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain
Walt Disney Studios
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Ratatouille
- Crush’s Coaster
Shows To See
As well as the incredible rides, there are some incredible shows to see too. You can catch the parade at 5.30pm every day, it gets busy so you’ll want to get there earlier to get a good spot!
Moterus is a good watch, where you can watch cars do stunts and learn about how they did them after too. As well as watching the Marvel characters have a dance off, get interactive with Stitch Live!
The best way to finish one or all of your days visiting Disneyland is by watching the spectacularly sparkly Disney Illuminations show which takes place at park closing.
Snacks To Pick Up
Even though I’d recommend packing snacks, you’ll want to pick up some Disney themed snacks too! My recommendation is to head into the shops at Mainstreet U.S.A., where you can pick up Mickey shaped cookies!! We picked up these giant cookies with caramel sandwiched in between, delicious!
Where the main food hall is there’s also a Starbucks, I most definitely needed a coffee due to the lack of sleep I got in Paris!
Where To Eat
There are plenty of places to eat, whatever cuisine you fancy! It’s key to remember that food in the park isn’t cheap and a normal meal will cost around £30 for a drink and a main, but you’re in Disney!
One of the vouchers we received with our tickets was for Earl Of Sandwich, which is relatively cheap and is a nice alternative if you don’t fancy McDonalds!
I’ve visited Planet Hollywood and Annette’s Diner for dinner, both offering proper American food. My favourite of the two probably has to be Planet Hollywood!
I’d love to go to the Wild West Dinner Show on my next visit, where you can feast on an all you can eat Texas barbecue banquet and enjoy the Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show too – it’s not cheap so this is something to factor in if it something you’d like to do.
Hopefully, this guide to Disneyland Paris has been useful in helping you plan your trip! It’s honestly one of my favourite places, everyone is so happy which translates! If you’re thinking of spending longer in Paris and exploring as well as heading to Disneyland, I’ve got the perfect three-day itinerary! Do you have any hacks for visiting Disneyland? Let me know!
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