Bonjour, travel lovers! Today we’re heading just outside the City of Light to a place where European charm meets pure, unadulterated imagination: Disneyland Paris. Whether you’re a seasoned Disney parks pro who has conquered Orlando and Anaheim, or a first-time traveler wondering if it’s worth skipping a museum day in Paris to hang out with Mickey Mouse, this guide is for you.
My best friend Kelly and I took the kids over spring break this year, stayed on property for three nights, and then went on to Paris. Here’s what we learned, from the rides you can’t miss to the honest truth about the food.
Is Disneyland Paris Worth It?
I hear this all the time: “Samantha, I only have four days in Paris. Should I really spend one at Disney?” My answer: if you appreciate incredible design, art and immersive storytelling, and you like Disney, yes. Don’t miss it.
Disneyland Paris is widely considered the most visually beautiful of all the castle parks in the world. The creators knew they were building a theme park in the birthplace of classic fairy tales, so they had to step up their game. Everything feels a bit more romantic, more detailed and a little more grand.
The Two Parks (and the New World of Frozen)
Disneyland Park is the classic fairy-tale park, home to Sleeping Beauty Castle. This is where all the iconic rides are, so if you’re looking for everything you know and love about Disney, it’s here.
The second park, right next door, is the movie and Pixar park, and it’s in the middle of a massive multi-year transformation. It just opened World of Frozen, an immersive land all about Arendelle and the adventures of Elsa and Anna. We missed it by about a week or two, which was pretty sad. It’s a must-see.
Good to know (checked October 2026): World of Frozen opened on March 29, 2026, the same day Walt Disney Studios Park was renamed Disney Adventure World. Source: Disneyland Paris News.
Here’s my pro tip: the two parks, Disney Village (the shopping and dining district) and the train station are all about a five-minute walk from each other. No monorails or complicated bus systems required to switch parks, so you can do both parks in one day.
Is One Day Enough?
It’s okay. You’ll scratch most of the surface, but you’re not going to see everything, especially now that World of Frozen has made the resort that much bigger. Could you do it in two days? Yes. We did three, and it was nice: nobody was exhausted when we left.
Getting There From Paris
Disneyland Paris is in Marne-la-Vallée, east of central Paris. Getting there is an absolute breeze: hop on the train, and in about 40 minutes it drops you right at the front gates. Just make sure you have the right ticket. The resort is in zone 5, and the wrong ticket will get you stuck at the turnstiles.
Good to know (checked October 2026): since Paris simplified its fares, one Metro-Train-RER ticket covers the trip from central Paris on the RER A to Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy (about €2.55 one way in 2026, loaded on a Navigo Easy card or a phone). The old paper metro tickets don’t work, so check current fares before you go. Source: RATP.
Flying straight in? We booked a car service to pick us up at the airport. It’s a separate company, not Disney, and it was on time and easy.
The Rides You Can’t Miss
You walk under the Disneyland Hotel to enter the park, and it opens up onto Main Street. If you’ve been to the American parks, you’ll recognize the classics, but almost all of them have a unique French and European twist.
Sleeping Beauty Castle (and the Dragon Underneath)
This isn’t just a castle. It’s a work of art, with whimsical curved towers, a hill on the side and square topiary trees. Europe already has real castles, so this one had to look straight out of an animated storybook. Walk up inside it for a view of Fantasyland from above, which you don’t get to do in many of the other parks. And here’s the secret: go underneath it. Hidden in the dark caverns below the castle is a massive animatronic dragon that wakes up, growls and breathes smoke. It is spectacular and a little bit spooky.
Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain
Forget the smooth dark coaster in Florida. This one launches you out of the mountain and through loops and corkscrews in the dark, with lightsabers and ships flying across the sky. It’s much faster than its American cousin, and it was a very big hit with the kiddos. Kelly’s son rode it five times. (I don’t go upside down anymore, but they tell me it’s so dark you can barely tell.)
Big Thunder Mountain
I think this is the coolest ride in the park and the best version of it anywhere, because it lives on its own island surrounded by water. To start, the train plunges into darkness and dives under the river, then rockets out onto the island. If you’re a Big Thunder fan, or you just like it, you have to try it here.
Big Thunder Mountain: in Paris, the mine train dives under the river to reach its own island.
Phantom Manor
Right next to Big Thunder is their version of the Haunted Mansion, with a tragic Western gothic storyline centered on a jilted bride. It’s darker and more atmospheric, and the house looks completely different from the others. (It looks a little like the Psycho house, if you ask me.) There’s one character who keeps popping up looking ready to pull you into the underworld, and I kept asking, “Where is he going?”
Phantom Manor, Paris’s darker, Western gothic take on the Haunted Mansion.
Pirates of the Caribbean and It’s a Small World
Pirates is really different: scenes in unexpected places, and two drops instead of one. (We saw the second one coming, because the climb up is a lot bigger.) And Small World is so bright and on point that I think it’s better than the one at home.
In the Second Park
Ratatouille, because of course you’re in Paris.
Crush’s Coaster, a spinning coaster that starts out backwards. I skipped it, because backwards and spinning are not my thing, and everyone who rode it loved it. I kind of wish I had sucked it up.
World of Frozen, because it’s the newest thing in the resort.
The Food: My Honest Take
If you’re used to the US parks, it’s a complete change. There aren’t a lot of burgers and fries; it’s very European (go figure). You’ll find steak frites everywhere, because that’s what France is known for, and chocolate mousse everywhere too.
I’m always going to be completely truthful, so here it is: I don’t think the food in the parks is great, and not because it’s European. Some of it just wasn’t good. The snacks were the highlight.
The snack huts: we found cones of cheese and salami, basically a carry-your-own charcuterie board, which I loved. Plus chocolate-dipped fruit and marshmallows, hot chocolate and hot apple cider.
Macarons: Kelly’s son lived on them the entire time.
Chocolate mousse: this is where I realized France knows how to mousse it up. I had about seven helpings.
Book Bistrot Chez Rémy
For the best meal we had, book a table at Bistrot Chez Rémy, right next to the Ratatouille ride. Everything is bigger than normal so you feel like you’re the rat: huge plates, spoons and paper umbrellas. I could not stop taking pictures. The pumpkin soup was exactly what we needed on a pouring-rain day, and the chocolate mousse was amazing. (The steak frites were hit or miss; it depended on the cut.) It sells out very quickly, and I didn’t book the minute reservations opened, so it took a while for one to pop up. Set a reminder.
Where I’d Skip
In Disney Village, the kids of course wanted Rainforest Cafe. The ambiance is great, and the food was fine; honestly, it might have been one of the better meals we had. We also had a reservation at Billy Bob’s, the Western saloon: downstairs has an à la carte menu and a stage, and upstairs is a big buffet. I wanted to be downstairs by the stage, and they put us upstairs at the buffet. If buffets are your thing, it’s actually a good one, with crêpes and that mousse. They’re just not mine. (There was no soap in the ladies’ room, and I watched a kid grab a chicken wing with his bare hand. I ate potato salad.)
Yes, Go to McDonald’s
You’re going to laugh, but it’s always fun to try McDonald’s in another country, and in France it’s a whole lot better. The chicken nuggets were real chicken with a crispy outside, like Grandma baked them, and everything came on reusable plates instead of paper boxes. One warning: don’t go right after the nighttime show, when half the park lets out and has the same idea.
Wine With Lunch, and No Rushing
Unlike the US parks, alcohol is widely available here. You can have a glass of French wine or a cold beer with lunch at sit-down and quick-service restaurants. One of my favorite moments was a toast with the coolest glasses right in front of the castle.
And remember, you’re in France. Dining is meant to be savored. Nobody is going to rush you, and they’re never going to bring you the bill until you ask for it.
How to Beat the Lines
I hate lines. Theme parks are where you literally live in lines, unless you do it the right way.
Download the Disneyland Paris app. It’s your lifeline: live wait times, show and parade schedules, the nighttime spectacular and dining reservations, which open months in advance.
Consider Premier Access Ultimate. There’s no free FastPass here. You can buy Premier Access for single rides, or the Ultimate pass to use the faster line on every ride that offers it. It was the best purchase we made. I think it was about $200 a person, so it is not cheap, but I would pay it again in a heartbeat. We walked onto every ride that had it, in the pouring rain, and I was not leaving that park until we got every penny out of it.
On a budget? Buy single-ride Premier Access for the heavy hitters like Big Thunder Mountain and Crush’s Coaster, which has a really long wait.
Buy reserved spots for shows, the parade and the nighttime spectacular. Again, not cheap, but it was the best thing we did to avoid elbowing people for a spot. And get there on time: we ran late to The Lion King and were the last ones through the door.
The shows are fun, partly because they’re half French and half English. One character speaks French and the other answers in English, so you get the gist without ever hearing the full conversation. We loved The Lion King and Mickey’s magic show.
Stay for the Nighttime Show
I know you’re exhausted. Stay anyway. The nighttime show over the castle is world-class: projections on the castle, water effects in front of it, low fireworks and fleets of drones painting your favorite characters in the night sky. Just when I thought it was over, it kept going. Our reserved spot was right in front of the castle, and there couldn’t have been a better place to stand.
Where to Stay: Book a Disney Hotel
My last tip: stay at a Disney hotel on property, even if it’s only one or two nights. You get early park entry, you’re close to the parks, and it’s part of the experience. Your park tickets can come with your hotel package, and you can add a dining plan: half board (breakfast plus one lunch or dinner) or full board (breakfast, lunch and dinner). I bought half board and didn’t use all of it, because we’re grab-and-go people, not big breakfast people. Kelly skipped the dining plan, which was the smart move for us.
The Disneyland Hotel sits right at the park entrance. Staying on property, even for a night or two, makes the whole trip easier.
Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel: where we stayed, and I highly suggest it. You walk out the door, through security and straight into Disney Village. The rooms are well themed, with Avengers art on the walls and a TV hidden in the mirror (we didn’t find it until day two). You can sign up to meet Marvel characters, and the Skyline Bar is so cool: the Avengers show up on the big screen behind the bar.
The Disneyland Hotel: right at the park entrance and absolutely beautiful, if a little oddly laid out. We were allowed to walk through because we were staying on property, and we had a drink at the newer Fleur de Lys bar. Don’t miss it. (I had a Belle cocktail.) Next time, we’d like to try staying here.
Sequoia Lodge: I stayed here a couple of years ago, and it felt like it needed a refresh.
Newport Bay Club: priced similarly to Sequoia Lodge, but much farther from the entrance, so I went with a closer hotel.
A few European-hotel quirks to know: check-in is at 3:00, and they mean 3:00 (at 2:59, it was still a no). And expect a European shower, a tall tub with a handheld wand and a half panel, so water goes everywhere. You’ll be stretching like you’re mounting a horse to get in.
Weather, Language and Other Things to Know
It’s open year-round, but the weather isn’t Florida’s. In March it was cold and windy, and it rained all day on our ride day.
Pack real rain gear. My REI waterproof pants were amazing; Kelly wore jeans and a water-resistant jacket and was damp by the end of the day. Ponchos work too, if you can live with the crunchy plastic.
Don’t let the language stop you. English is very widely spoken here. I always asked “Parlez-vous anglais?” first, because I felt that was the right thing to do, and say “bonjour” and “merci.” It goes a long way.
If you can’t live without your Starbucks, there’s one in Disney Village.
The Bottom Line
Is Disneyland Paris worth the trip? Absolutely. It’s a blend of classic Disney storytelling and sophisticated European design, it’s easy to reach from Paris, it’s beautiful, and it has some of the best thrill rides in the entire Disney portfolio. Would we go back? In a heartbeat.
If you need help finding the right Disney hotel, adding Paris before or after your stay or arranging transfers, my team at Fabulous Adventures Travel would love to help. And tell me: have you met the dragon under the castle?
