Disneyland Paris with kids: Everything you need to know

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Are you going on a trip to France and want to know how to plan a trip to Disneyland Paris with kids?

We recently visited Disneyland Paris with our toddler and understand that planning a trip the iconic theme park can get a bit overwhelming. In this guide, we will talk you through everything you need to know before visiting Disneyland Paris with kids (or without). We will break down how and where to get Disneyland tickets; hotels in Disneyland; where to eat at Disneyland and everyting in between.

How to get to Disneyland Paris from the airport

Charles De Gaulle

Train

Getting from Charles de Gaulle to Disneyland is fairly straightforward. Once you land, make your way to Terminal 2 via the shuttle train and purchase tickets for the TGV train. This will get you to Marne le Vallee Chessy in around 10 minutes and tickets cost €19+ each way.

Magical Shuttle Bus

Another great way to go directly to your hotel (On site hotels/partner hotels) is to take the magical shuttle bus. This journey takes around 1 hour and you catch the bus from exit 32 at T1; T2e or T2f. Tickets for the shuttle cost between €11 and €24 per person, with kids under 2 travelling for free. They also often provide special offers for group sizes of 5 to 8 people.

You can get more information about this shuttle bus here.

Private Transfer

Alternatively, you can also get a private transfer which will remove some of the hassle but naturally this option will be more expensive.

Orly

The easiest way to get to Disneyland from Orly is to take the magical shuttle bus. Tickets for the shuttle cost between €11 and €24 per person, with kids under 2 travelling for free. They also often provide special offers for group sizes of 5 to 8 people. You can see the departure points for the Magical Shuttle from Orly to Disneyland below:

• 1 /2 bus station: exit at Gate 18, Platform D6
• 3 bus station: exit at Gate 22a, Platform D6
• 4 bus station: exit at Gate 48a, Platform 3

Beauvais

Beauvais is the furthest airport from Disneyland Paris but a direct bus is still available. Tickets cost around €21 for an Adult ticket each way and €15 for a child ticket. The bus journey takes around an hour and a half from Beauvais to Disneyland.

Where to stay at Disneyland Paris

When it comes to choosing a hotel at Disneyland Paris, you have 3 options, each with advantages and disadvantages. You can stay at Disneyland itself, or get a hotel in Val D’Europe or a hotel in Paris City Centre.

Disneyland Hotels

If you choose a hotel at Disneyland Paris, it means you don’t need to travel and get exclusive access to the parks before the other visitors. However, with that comes additional cost and hotels at Disneyland Paris can be extremely expensive, particularly during peak season.

Hotels near Disneyland

If you get a hotel in Val D’Europe, it will be a lower cost and only one stop on the train, with a large shopping centre and lots of restaurants in the area. A number of hotels in this area will also provide shuttle buses directly to Disneyland, making it very easy to access despite not staying on site. The downside with this option is you don’t get early access and if you want to leave the park during the day, it can take longer than you think to get to your hotel and back again.

Hotels in Paris City Centre

Finally, you can book a hotel in Paris City Centre. This option is great for people who want to combine a trip to Disneyland with exploring the city as well. There is a direct train to Marne La Vallee Chessy on the Red A line and you will get to Disneyland in 30-40 minutes. The obvious downside is that you are further away from the parks and this may restrict you when it comes to staying for the fireworks etc.

We ultimately chose to stay at Val D’Europe as we wanted easy access to both Disneyland and Paris city centre and found this to be the best option. If you are planning to visit Paris as well, we would recommend reading our guide to spending 2 days in Paris to help you plan your trip.

Below, you will find our recommended hotels in Paris for each of these 3 options.

Where to get Disneyland Paris Tickets

There are 4 main options that we found to be best when choosing where to purchase Disneyland Paris tickets.

1. Get Your Guide

1. For standalone tickets, we would recommend buying tickets from Get Your Guide. Get Your Guide provides discount codes for first time app purchases and also have availability calendars so you can see the price and availability of tickets for every date.

2. Directly from Disney

This is probably the best option if you are planing to book a package deal with tickets and hotel combined. Disney also provide flexibility in terms of cancelling tickets and have a price guarantee for package deals to ensure you get the best price.

3. Attraction Tickets

Attraction Tickets is another great option for those wanting to purchase a package deal option for tickets and hotels at Disneyland Paris. This site will often have package deals and discounts and will provide a wide range of on site and off site options.

At Disneyland Paris

You can also buy your tickets directly on the day and may be able to negotiate promotional offers on the day. The major disadvantages of this approach are potentially long queues and a lack of availability.

Things to know before visiting disneyland paris with kids

Disneyland Paris with Kids – Under 3 years old go for free

If you are planning to visit Disneyland Paris with kids, one important thing worth noting is that under 3 year olds can visit for free. We would advise bringing their ID with you in case you are asked for evidence of age but otherwise, there is no need to purchase tickets for visitors at that age.

What is the best age to go to Disneyland Paris?

Visiting Disneyland Paris with kids is something that can be done at any age. We debated whether to take our son when he was so young, but even at 2 he was able to enjoy a number of the rides without missing out on too much. Oisin also really loves Mickey Mouse so meeting the character in person was enough to justify the decision for us.

If you are planning to visit Disneyland with kids between 0-4, one thing we would advise is to make sure to bring your pram/stroller. There is A LOT of walking involved, it can get very hot and kids tire easily. You will see designated areas to leave the pram/stroller outside each ride and it just removes a lot of the stress involved.

Beyond that, there are obvious limitations to visiting Disneyland with a 2 year old but from our experience, anyone from the age of 4/5 up can enjoy almost everything there is to offer at the parks.

What is the best month to go to Disneyland Paris with kids

The best month to visit Disneyland in terms of price would be January as this tends to be the cheapest time to get tickets and the least crowded. That being said, we first visited around that time of the year and it was very cold, while a number of the rides were closed. So January is not necessarily the best time to visit Disneyland with kids in particular.

The key thing is choosing a time outside of peak months where possible. For example, July/August is the most expensive, most crowded and has the hottest weather. Whereas April/May/October still has a good chance of warm weather, smaller crowds and hotels are more reasonably priced. Choosing those months will make it more manageable to visit Disneyland Paris with kids.

Disneyland Priority Passes – Visiting Disneyland Paris while pregnant

One thing worth noting is that if you are visiting Disneyland Paris during pregnancy, you can receive priority passes that will give you access to the Premier Access queues. This is made available to minimize wait times for busy rides for expectant mothers, as well as up to 4 of their companions. These passes can also be used for priority access for meet and greets with main Disney characters including Mickey Mouse.

In order to get the premier access passes, please ensure to bring evidence of your pregnancy such as a letter from your doctor etc. Once inside Disneyland, you can go to City Hall, which you will find on the left hand side between the Disney Castle and Main Street. Alternatively, we simply approached a member of staff and they were also able to provide those passes.

Disneyland Paris Rides

Below, we have put together a breakdown of the rides at Disneyland Paris, including their age/height restrictions.

Where to eat at Disneyland Paris

When it comes to finding somewhere to eat at Disneyland Paris, there are a wide range of options and naturally they can be expensive. To reduce your costs, there are a few things we would suggest. Firstly, at the Marne La Vallee Chessy train station you can purchase water and snacks etc. and there are filling stations for water throughout the grounds.

Items like croissants and basic pastries are relatively cheap and there are also fast food options like McDonald’s on site. If you want to eat something more substantial, a number of restaurants will have set menu options available. When we visited, we had the set menu at Chez Remy, which is €45 for 2 courses, €55 for 3 courses and €30 for the kids menu. For what it cost, we found the food there to be quite disappointing to be honest but other people we know loved it, so it can come down to personal preference.

We have put together a guide below showing the different restaurants at Disneyland Paris, their cost range and food type to help you plan your visit. If you plan to eat at a sit down restaurant, the majority require bookings to be made in advance.

Disneyland Paris parade and fireworks times

Two of the most sought after events at Disneyland Paris are the parades and end of night fireworks. The parades take place at 5:30pm and the fireworks usually don’t start before 10pm. That being said there was also a parade at 11:30am when we visited so it is subject to change.

The best things to do is to download the Disney app before going to the parks to get the most up to date timings and information. This will also store your tickets and have a map of the parks to help you plan out your days at the parks.

One thing to note with the fireworks display is that it tends to run quite late, so if like us, you are visiting Disneyland with a toddler, it might be a bit of a stretch to stay out for it. That being said, it is an incredible display and something you will hold on to as a great memory from your trip.

Other things to know before visiting Disneyland Paris with kids

Planning a trip to Disneyland can be a bit overwhelming at times so it is easy to forget something along the way.

If you are travelling to Disneyland with young children please know that medicines like Calpol etc. are not available on site. If this is something you typically provide for your child make sure to pack it in advance as the closest Pharmacy is at Val D’Europe and does not open on a Sunday.

Finally, if you are not staying at an on-site Disneyland Hotel, please know that the parks do not open until 9:30 to the general public. Additionally, the internet connection on site is not great so make sure to download your tickets for use offline to make sure there are no issues with access when you reach the entrance.