Free walking tours in Disneyland Paris and what to see

Must-sees

Disneyland Paris is in Marne-la-Vallée, about 30 kilometres east of Paris, and has two theme parks. Disneyland Park is the classic, with Sleeping Beauty Castle at its centre and five themed lands: Main Street, U.S.A., Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland and Discoveryland. Here you will find well-known rides such as Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean and Phantom Manor, as well as the parades and the night-time show in front of the castle.

The second park, for years called Walt Disney Studios, has been renovated and expanded and is now called Disney Adventure World, with a Frozen area beside a lake. Between the two parks and the station is Disney Village, a street of shops, restaurants and entertainment you can visit without a ticket. From here PanoraMagique takes off, a tethered balloon that rises to show you the resort from the air.

Free tours and guided visits

As this is a theme park resort, there are no free walking tours. The most popular bookings are park tickets, on their own or with the train included, and a ride on the PanoraMagique balloon. As Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy station is connected to Paris, there are also independent trips to the capital combining the journey with a Seine cruise or the sightseeing bus, and a private tour of Paris that ends with an airport transfer.

How long to spend

To see both parks without stress, allow two full days, one for each park. In a single day you can focus on Disneyland Park, the main park. If you are travelling with young children or in high season, three days let you repeat rides and take a break in the middle of the day. Paris is about 40 minutes away on the RER, so it is easy to add a day or two in the city.

Where to stay

The most convenient option is to stay in the resort’s own hotels, spread around the lake and a few minutes from the gates on foot or by shuttle. In Val d’Europe and neighbouring villages such as Serris, Magny-le-Hongre and Bailly-Romainvilliers there are slightly cheaper hotels and apartments, with shuttles or one RER stop to the parks. If you want to combine Disney and Paris, you can also stay in the capital and come by train.