Disneyland Paris Travel Guide: A Perfect 2 Day Itinerary
Can Disneyland Paris be done in 2 days? YES! With a bit of planning, 2 days in Disneyland Paris is absolutely possible. Today, we are sharing our top tips and itinerary to help you see and do the best that Disneyland Paris has to offer on a 2 day trip.
Only have 1 day in Disneyland Paris? Check out our 1 day itinerary here
Please note: For this itinerary, you'll need a 2 day/2 park ticket. At the time of writing, you can no longer buy tickets at the gate. All tickets must be bought in advance and you must book a park reservation along with your ticket. More information here.
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Day 1
01. Arrive As Early As Possible
If you want to make the most of your time at Disneyland Paris, arriving as early as possible is essential. Where you are staying will determine how early you can enter the parks.
A Disney Hotel: If you're staying onsite in a Disney hotel (or have an annual pass) you will have early access to the parks, known as Extra Magic Time (EMT). The parks open early each morning to Disney Hotel guests, allowing them extra time (usually a whole hour) to enjoy the parks before other guests are admitted. If you have EMT, we highly recommend making the most of this perk and take advantage of the shorter queue times. We suggest arriving at the park about 15 minutes before Extra Magic Time begins to be one of the first in the queue. All you need to do is show your Magic Card at the park gate.
A Non-Disney Hotel: If you're not staying in a Disney Hotel, you may still be able to get into the parks early. How? Our top tip is to arrive 30 minutes before the official park opening time. It's not always guaranteed, but sometimes the cast members begin letting guests into the parks 30 minutes early. If this doesn't happen on your trip, by arriving early you'll still be one of the first Non-Disney Hotel guests into the park.
To view the park hours for the day of your visit (and Extra Magic Time if you're staying in a Disney Hotel) click here
02. Start Your Day In Disneyland Park
Start your trip with a day in the beautiful Disneyland Park. The Imagineers clearly spent a lot of time making this park feel special, so take your time and soak in the atmosphere as you walk down Mainstreet USA, especially if this is your first visit. Listen to the music, admire the design of the buildings, peer into the magical window displays and take in the sight of the beautiful Sleeping Beauty castle at the end of the "street".
After taking plenty of pictures of this part of the park, head to Frontierland to take a trip on "the wildest ride in the wilderness", Big Thunder Mountain. Big Thunder Mountain is the most popular ride in Disneyland Park and is prone to temporary breakdowns, so ensure your ride on this fun attraction by choosing to ride it first. After your wild ride, wander over to the imposing house overlooking Frontierland and unearth the mystery that haunts Phantom Manor. When leaving this attraction, head to the side of the house and explore Boot Hill, a cemetery with humorous gravestones connected to story of Phantom Manor.
If you're a fan of thrill rides head over to Indiana Jones and The Temple of Peril before making your way over to Discoveryland.
Take a ride on the best rollercoaster at Disneyland Paris, Star Wars: Hyperspace Mountain, before journeying to a galaxy far far away, with Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. End your time in this land by watching Mickey's PhilharMagic 4D show and challenging your friends and family to a ride on Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast.
03. Grab Some Lunch
After a busy morning, you're probably ready for some food and to rest your feet. As time is precious, we don't recommend a table service meal for lunch as the service across the parks tends to be a little slow. Disneyland Park has some great quick service options for lunch including: Café Hyperion in Discovery Land, Hakuna Matata in Adventureland and Casey's Corner located on Mainstreet USA. Or you can skip all the lunch time queues and bring sandwiches with you.
04. Explore Some Of The Quieter Spots & Family Rides In Disneyland Park.
After a big lunch, we wouldn't recommend jumping on any rides straight away, so take this time to explore some of the quieter areas of Disneyland Park. Visit the dragon that lives beneath the castle (look for the small sign on the castle "La Tanière du Dragon) Did you know you can also walk to the top of the castle? Follow the staircase up and see the story of Sleeping Beauty told through detailed stained glass windows and gorgeous tapestries.
When you've explored the beautiful castle, make you way over to Adventureland. Take a trip to Agrabah, and explore Le Passage Enchanté d'Aladdin, miniature scenes retelling the story of Aladdin. From here, you're a short walk away Pirates of The Caribbean, a gentle boat ride through pirate filled scenes.
Spend the last part of your afternoon by stepping into a world of fairy tales, Fantasyland. Here is where you will find classic family rides such as Peter Pan's Flight, Dumbo the Flying Elephant and It's A Small World. Make sure to take a spin on the Mad Hatter's Teacups and get lost in Alice's Curious Labyrinth. Top Tip: After completing the maze, walk up the stairs to the top of the Queen of Hearts' castle for a great view of the park.
05. Find A Place To Watch The Parade
Make sure to set some time aside to watch Disney Stars on Parade, where Disney characters make their way through the park on colourful floats and dance to some very catchy music. If you want a front row view of the parade, we recommend scouting out a good spot before the show begins (about 30 minutes before on quiet days and 45 minutes on busier days) To see the route the parade takes through the park click here
Top Tip: Our favourite place to enjoy the parade is at the turrets near Pizzeria Bella Notte. This area is not as busy as other parts of the parade route and the view is great.
If you're not too big into characters, skip the parade and use this time to ride some of your favourite attractions with shorter lines.
06. Enjoy Dinner
If you're visiting when the parks close before 8pm, we recommend staying in Disneyland Park for dinner. If you're looking for a relaxed, table-service meal, consider booking a table at: Walt's - An American Restaurant (pictured below) Auberge de Cendrillon or Captain Jack's - Restaurant des Pirates. If you're on a tighter budget book the popular Plaza Gardens buffet, or enjoy a quick-service meal at Café Hyperion, Hakuna Matata or Casey's Corner.
If you're visiting when the parks close after 8pm, why not venture out and enjoy a meal at one of the hotel restaurants? Hotel New York - The Art Of Marvel's 2 restaurants Manhattan Restaurant and Downtown Restaurant are must dos for Marvel fans. Or try the selection of food on offer at one of our favourite restaurants - Sequoia Lodge's buffet, Hunter's Grill.
Top Tip: If you choose a table-service or a buffet restaurant, book a table on the Disneyland Paris app. You can make your booking 2 months before your visit and make sure you do - tables book up fast!
07. Watch The Fireworks
A day in Disneyland Paris isn't complete without watching Disney Illuminations. Disney Illuminations is a spectacular firework show that takes place at park close, with water effects and projections on the Sleeping Beauty castle. If you're visiting in 2022, you'll want to find your spot on Mainstreet USA early to watch the special drone pre-show, Disney D-Light, part of the special 30th anniversary celebrations.
Don't forget to say goodbye to Mickey, who (at the time of writing) waves to guests as they leave the park. Find him at the train station at the front of the park.
After the fireworks, we recommend heading back to your hotel and getting an early night, as you'll be up early the next day.
Day 2
01. Start The Day At Walt Disney Studios Park
Make the most of your last day by getting up bright and early and heading to the Walt Disney Studios Park. If you're a Disney hotel guest, make use of Extra Magic Time, or if you're a non-Disney hotel guest, arrive before park open to avoid the queues.
(We are writing this before Avenger's Campus has opened in July 2022. If you're visiting when this new land has opened, head to the rides here first. If you're visiting before the land's opening, follow the plan below.)
When you enter the park, you want to follow the crowd and ride Crush's Coaster first. Usually, we don't like to follow the crowd, but wait times for this attraction are consistently high (about 60 - 90 minutes long) so we recommend heading there first. After being spun around on Crush's Coaster head to the back of the park to ride Ratatouille: The Adventure, a fun, immersive 4D attraction. Pick up some souvenirs from Chez Marianne and look at all the little details in this land before making your way across the park to enjoy the drops on The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror. Walt Disney Studios Park has other fun rides that we would recommend if the wait times aren't too long including: RC Racer, Toy Soldier's Parachute Drop and Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin.
If there are little ones in your group, they are sure to enjoy the recently rethemed ride Cars Road Trip (previously Studio Tram Tour: Behind The Magic)
Once you've had your fill of rides in this park, we highly recommend heading to Animagique Theatre to the watch Mickey & The Magician which returns April 23rd 2022. This award winning stage show has become a must do on our trips to Disneyland Paris and is easily the best show we've seen in either of the 2 parks. If you haven't seen this production yet we would highly recommend taking the weight off your feet for half an hour and enjoy a bit of Disney magic. Make sure to arrive early as the show is popular and the theatre can fill up quickly.
If you have seen Mickey & The Magician before and are looking for something new, how about Frozen: A Musical Invitation. The show is aimed at younger children, but if you're a big Frozen fan, you may still enjoy this show (the Sven puppet, pictured below, is impressive)
If you are a Pixar fan, pick up some cute Pixar themed snacks from various locations, including Monsters Inc beignets, Toy Story shortbread biscuits and Lightning McQueen toasted sandwiches.
On your way out of the park, take some time to wander around the shops, picking up souvenirs from your trip. Our favourite shops in this park include: Les Légends d'Hollywood and Walt Disney Studios Store, which are both on the right as you exit the park.
02. Time For A Quick Lunch
After a morning in Walt Disney Studios Park, we suggest heading out of the park for some lunch. The quick service options inside Walt Disney Studios Park aren't the best (although we're looking forward to trying the new food offerings in Avengers Campus when it opens Summer 2022) so we suggest heading out of the park for lunch.
Our favourite lunch spot in Disneyland Paris is Earl of Sandwich, located at the far end of Disney Village. The service here is usually pretty quick, the queues are low, the prices are reasonable and the sandwiches are delicious. Some of our other favourite lunch spots include: Five Guys, also in the Disney Village, Café Hyperion in Discovery Land, Hakuna Matata in Adventureland and Casey's Corner located on Mainstreet USA. Alternatively, skip all the lunch time queues and bring lunch with you.
03. Spend The Afternoon In Disneyland Park & Revisiting Your Favourite Attractions
If your trip has gone smoothly and you've been able to see and do everything on the itinerary so far, GREAT! If not, spend the afternoon doing anything you haven't yet been able to do. After that, spend the afternoon doing what you prefer. If your favourite part of the trip has been the attractions, revisit your favourite rides (we love riding some rides 3 or 4 times when we visit)
Or if you have had your fill of rides, why not explore one of the quieter parts of the park such as La Cabane des Robinson or Adventure Isle. Take the weight off your feet and enjoy a relaxing ride around the park on the Disneyland Railroad or catch a performance of the (AMAZING) popular show The Lion King: Rhythms of the Pride Lands. Or why not spend some time meeting your favourite characters.
04. Have A Great Final Meal At Disneyland Paris
A great trip deserves a great final meal. Our favourite restaurant is Bistrot Chez Rémy in Walt Disney Studios Park. The theming is incredible, the food is delicious and this restaurant gets bonus points for the beautiful Ratatouille soundtrack playing in the background. Other options for a "fancy" meal include Manhattan Restaurant located in Hotel New York - Art Of Marvel, Yacht Club in Newport Bay Club hotel or Walt's - An American Restaurant & Auberge de Cendrillon (when they reopen in 2022) both located in Disneyland Park.
Update: On our June 2022 trip, we enjoyed meals at Hunter's Grill, Downtown Restaurant, Bistrot Chez Remy & Walt's. Read what we thought in our trip report here.
Top Tip: Booking for these restaurants is essential. You can book a table 2 months in advance via the Disneyland Paris app.
If your budget doesn't stretch to a "fancy" meal, try Annette's Diner, Earl Of Sandwich, Five Guys or Rainforest Café in Disney Village (we have tried and recommend all these options) Read our Disneyland Paris on a budget post for some money saving ideas.
05. End Your Trip By Watching The Fireworks & Wandering Around The Shops
A day in Disneyland Paris just doesn't feel right without watching Disney Illuminations, so if you feel the same, find a good spot to enjoy the fireworks.
After Disney Illuminations, wander around the shops on Mainstreet USA and pick up any last minute souvenirs to remember your special trip. Even though the rides and other lands are now closed, Mainstreet USA remains open to park guests until the last guest leaves. The shops will be busy, but is a great way to squeeze in some extra time in the park. If you're lucky, you'll be able to get some pictures of an empty Mainstreet USA when you're done.
Not quite ready to say goodbye just yet? Spend some time shopping in World Of Disney, in Disney Village, or grab a drink at Skyline Bar at Hotel New York - The Art Of Marvel, before heading back to your hotel.
Some Other Things To Keep In Mind:
• At the time of writing, you can no longer buy tickets at the gate. All tickets must be bought in advance and you must book a park reservation along with your ticket.
• There are also health and safety measures in place due to Covid-19. Make sure you're fully up to date with what you need to do to enter the parks by checking the official Disneyland Paris website. These extra health and safety measures at the gate may mean longer queues at the entrance of the parks, so try and account for these when making your plans.
• If you or a member of your group has a disability: "Guests with disabilities or a Long Term Chronic Disease can request a Priority Card or Easy Access Card for certain activities and services, depending on the official document provided by the Guest." more information can be found here
• If you have visited Disneyland Paris before the pandemic, you may have been familiar with the Single Rider service and hoped to use it on your upcoming trip. At the time of writing, Disneyland Paris have temporarily suspended the Single Rider service due to the pandemic. But things are always changing with Disneyland Paris, so we recommend to keep updated on any changes by visiting the official Disneyland Paris website.
• If you're visiting on a busy day and want to ride popular attractions with smaller wait times, we suggest making use of Disney's Premier Access. This service, simply put, is a pay per ride system which allows guests to skip large portions of the queues at the most popular attractions. To find out how this service works and how much it costs, visit Disneyland Paris' official website here.
• If you can, avoid visiting on a weekend as the parks will be busier, meaning the queues will be longer. We have found Tuesday - Thursday to be the quietest days.
Of course, some of these plans may need adjusting depending on what time of year you're going, how many people you're with and any specific needs or preferences you have. But we hope this has given you a good place to start when it comes to planning your trip to Disneyland Paris. If you found this post useful, please let us know in the comment section below.
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