A couple years ago, while I was visiting Paris in January, the winter weather took a turn for the worse. The weather reports predicted snow. A lot of it. To the point that pretty much everything in the city closed up shop. Faced with the prospect of a day trapped in my hotel room doing nothing (not a bad idea in general, but it wasn’t what I had planned for my time in Paris!), I had a brilliant idea. The city of Paris might not have much of an emergency snow plan…but Disney certainly would.
It was a cold, wet, magical day…and one of the best decisions I made that trip! It may not have been a second day at the Louvre, but it was way better than sitting around in my hotel watching it snow (it does that plenty back in Kansas).
Getting there
About 20 miles from the city, Disneyland Paris is relatively easy to reach. Probably the best way is via train. It’s about a one hour train ride and an all zone travel pass will cover your trip (if you don’t already have one of these passes, you can purchase a single round trip fare at the train station…for more information on Paris transportation check out this blog post). Don’t worry about finding your way once you arrive, the train station is only a couple minute walk from the theme park gates.
The parks
Disneyland Paris is made up of two different theme parks: Disneyland Park and Disneyland Studios Park. Don’t worry about getting from one to the other. The gates of the parks are just a few minutes’ walk from each other. There is also an associated shopping and restaurant district: Disney Village.
One day or multiple?
If you want to see absolutely everything that Disneyland Paris has to offer, you’ll need multiple days. However, the parks can provide a satisfying day trip so long as you understand that you’ll not be able to do everything (see The Most Important Thing to Know About Your Trip to Disney).
Where to stay
There are seven official Disneyland hotels. Most of them impeccably themed around locations such as New York, Cheyenne, the Sequoia forests, and Santa Fe. There are also additional partner hotels in the immediate area.
What if you don’t speak French?
No worries! English is widely spoken throughout the parks. Shows are often in a combination of French and English…or alternate between the two depending on the showing. Most signs have both English and French directions. That being said, learning a small amount of French will go a long ways to making your visit more enjoyable!
