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Disneyland Paris, a little paradise for young and old! As a self-respecting Parisian, for a long time I put Paris and the Paris region to one side in terms of visits, concentrating on the regions and above all abroad.
It wasn’t until chance sent me to work at Disneyland for a few months that I rediscovered the park. Since then, although I no longer work there, I’ve been back 2-3 times, mainly to show others around, and the magic still works (especially the magic of the Tower of Terror’s screams).
Except that every time I go, I go in a different way, and so I’m going to explain the different ways of getting there, and the advantages and disadvantages of each means of locomotion. Let’s have a look!
Getting to Disneyland by train from Paris
The RER A
The RER A is the train line that crosses Ile de France from east to west. It passes through the center of Paris and its terminus is Chessy-Marne la Vallée, which is the Disneyland Paris station. Impossible to miss, because you’ll find Mickey’s ears on the routes, on the maps and on the billboards.
From the center of Paris, for example Gare de Lyon, it takes 40 minutes to get there, and it’s direct. But be careful! Line A splits into 2 at Val de Fontenay station. So make sure when you get on that the train goes to Marne la Vallée – Chessy. Otherwise you’ll end up in Saint Maur.
What’s more, Marne la Vallée isn’t the terminus for all trains. Some stop before. But at worst, if that happens to you, you can just wait for the next train to the few remaining stations.
- Allow just over an hour between Gare de Lyon and Disneyland Paris
- The first train from Paris is at 5.20 a.m… that’s a bit early!
- The last train from Disney to Paris is at 00:22.
- A train every 5 to 20 minutes
In general, the A line is pretty reliable. The big advantage is that you’re travelling in the opposite direction to the workers, so the train isn’t full.
Door to door it takes 1h15, but take more time! Try to arrive 30 minutes early, before the doors open, as you won’t be alone.
- Tickets cost 5€, or 10€ each way.
- It’s included in your Navigo pass
- You need to buy the cardboard ticket at the kiosks.
- If you have a compatible phone, then you can charge it!
Find out more on the RATP website.
The train station
It’s super convenient, there’s also a TGV (high-speed train) station that goes directly to Disneyland Paris. This station is easily accessible:
- From England with Eurostar
- From Belgium with Eurostar
- From Lille, Nantes, Lyon… and many other French stations via the SNCF network and OUIGO.
But the good thing is that you can also take the TGV from Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport, which is only 10 minutes away. This costs between €16 and €22.
Flying to Disneyland Paris
There are 3 tourist airports in Paris:
- Roissy Charles de Gaulle
- Orly
- Beauvais
To get from your point of departure to these airports, I can only advise you to use a comparator to avoid paying full price. For my part, I use Kayak and I’m very satisfied with it
From Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport to Disneyland Paris
It’s super simple, with lots of options:
- with the RER B train to Chatelet – Les Halles, then the RER A to Marne la Vallée – Chessy. Approx. €15 ticket and 2h
- with the TGV direct from the airport. 10 minutes, from €16
- with the Disney Magical Shuttle, to get the party started!
From Orly airport to Disneyland Paris
It’s also quite simple:
- in June 2024, metro 14 will arrive at Orly! So in 25 minutes we’ll be in the center of Paris. Then, at Gare de Lyon, you’ll have to take the RER A. The fare should be €5 and the journey time 1h45.
- Orlyval + RER B + RER A. It’s long, easily 2h15, expensive, around 17€.
- The Disney Magical Shuttle bus, which picks you up at the airport and takes you to the park! 1h and 24€.
From Beauvais airport to Disneyland Paris
Beauvais airport isn’t the most convenient. Okay, it’s cheap (well, without baggage!), but it’s pretty far from Paris.
Well, from Porte Maillot it takes a good 1h15 with the official shuttle bus. But! I’ve just seen that there’s a direct shuttle bus between Beauvais airport and Disneyland! It’s the A05 line, which drops you off at the bus station (a few minutes’ walk from the park). However, there isn’t a shuttle every day.
Find out more on this website
Getting to Disneyland Paris by car
By car, it’s super easy because the park is close to several major highways:
- the A4 freeway, which runs from Paris to Strasbourg
- the A104, known as the Francilienne, which circles the Ile de France region
- the practical N3 and N4 national roads
The problem won’t be getting here. It’s direct and easy. You’ll have to watch out for traffic jams, but as you’re going in the opposite direction to the Parisians, that’s fine.
Unless you’re staying in one of the official hotels, parking in the park costs €30 a day. But I’d advise you to use the EFFIA parking lot at the Chessy Marne la Vallée station, which is much cheaper and right next door. It’s cheaper because you pay by the hour, so 12h on site (from 9am to 9pm for example) will cost 20€. But it fills up pretty quickly, so get there early.
Going to Disneyland with the Magical Shuttle from Paris
If you don’t want to hassle, then take the shuttle + ticket combo! This means you get :
- the park entrance ticket (1 day or 2 as you wish)
- a round-trip Disney shuttle from Paris
There are several possible places to board the shuttle (Opera, Eiffel Tower, Montparnasse, Châtelet, Gare du Nord).
Departure is between 8 and 9 a.m., depending on the place you choose.
Departure is at 8 p.m. from Disneyland.
4 recommended accommodations near Disney
Practical information about Disneyland Paris
- Price range: €56 to €119 for an adult
- Tickets must be purchased in advance
- Park and attraction opening times: 9.30 a.m. to 11 p.m. (9 p.m. for Studios)
- Best hotel in the park: Art of Marvel
- High season :
- May to early September
- between Christmas and New Year’s Day
- 1 or 2 parks:
- If it’s your first time, do 1 park a day, as there are lots of cool attractions, and it’s likely to be crowded, so you’ll waste time queuing. Discovering both parks may be difficult without having to run.
In conclusion
There you go, I hope I’ve told you everything!
Getting to Disney isn’t at all complicated, and the transport options are good and varied. You can come directly from the airports either via the nearby TGV station (a 5-minute walk away, really), or with Disneyland’s Magical Shuttle service.
If you’re coming from Paris, then I really recommend the RER A, which is pretty reliable. But leave early – that would be my really big piece of advice – and get to the park as early as possible, because people will be arriving at around 10 am. So arriving before them is good for enjoying the park before the crowds.
And leaving early means you can anticipate any problems on the line. You never know with this line 🙂
