Making Your Trip to Disneyland Paris with Kids Magical!
Are you currently planning your trip to Disneyland Paris with a toddler (or kids under five) and looking for some useful tips for first-timers? Or maybe you’re still considering it and wondering if it’s worth taking your young children to Disneyland. This guide will cover everything you need to know about making your first time in Disneyland Paris magical and a very special memory for the whole family.
In this guide, I’ll be telling you everything you need to know about Disneyland Paris, from what to pack to the best rides for toddlers at Disneyland Paris. Plus, top tips for visiting Disneyland Paris with kids from a well-travelled mum who has learnt a lot along the way. Grab yourself a cup of tea (or a glass of prosecco) with a sprinkle of pixie dust and let’s go.
OTHER PARIS GUIDES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
Complete Guide to Your First Time in Paris as a Family
Where to See the Best Views of the Eiffel Tower
Taking the Eurostar with Kids Under 5
DISCLAIMER: This post contains some affiliate links, if you shop through my links, I may earn a small commission. There is no additional cost to you and I’m so grateful as these help me to run my blog!
Is it Worth Visiting Disneyland Paris with a Toddler or Little Kids?
I’m going to talk about this first as Disneyland is not a budget-friendly experience, and I know many people wonder, is it worth bothering when they won’t remember it? We’ve done a few theme parks with our kids, and they’ve always been great days out. It truly is a magical experience for everyone and, in my opinion, it’s totally worth it.
We visited in September 2024; at this time, our boys were aged 4.5 and 1.5 years old (so two kids under five!). My kids aren’t really Disney fans; they just haven’t really got into watching movies, but both of them had the best time. My eldest said it was better than Legoland Windsor (guide linked here), and he adores Lego!
When is the Best Time to Visit Disneyland Paris with Under Five?
The perfect thing about visiting Disneyland Paris with kids under five is that you can avoid school holidays. Term time will be much quieter, and tickets will also be cheaper. September was roughly half the price of August.
Visiting in spring or autumn (fall) is a great option because, fingers crossed, you will get decent weather. Disney goes all out for holidays such as Halloween and Christmas, so these are also great options.
How Long to Spend in Disneyland Paris with a Toddler
There are two parks at Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Park, which is the one with the castle and Walt Disney Studios Park, which is themed on Disney, Pixar and Marvel.
We only spent one day there, and we also only visited one park. We chose to do the main Disney Park as it is more iconic and is also more suited to toddlers and little kids. One day was great, and we did a lot on that day, however, we could have easily spent another day in the main park.
One of the reasons we only did one day is that it’s a long day and can be quite overstimulating for small children. It wouldn’t be as fun if they were overtired and cranky. I think my 4-year-old would have handled a second day fine, but he might not have done it when he was 3. My younger one is very easygoing and happy with whatever, so use your judgment on your own children’s needs.
My advice would be, if your little one is easy going or used to themeparks, then 2 days would be great. If not, start by doing one day.
How to Get to Disneyland Paris
The best way to get to Disneyland Paris is to take the train. Conveniently, there is a train station right by Disneyland Paris. I will share more details about your options below:
Taking the Eurostar to Disneyland Paris
If you are just planning to visit Disneyland, you can take the Eurostar from London to St Pancras to Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy, changing at either Lille or Paris Gare du Nord. Then you only have a few minutes walk to the Disney Park.
If you choose to stay in a Disney hotel, you’ll be just a short walk or a free shuttle service away from the park.
Taking the Train from Central Paris to Disneyland Paris
If, like us, you’re visiting from Paris and taking a day trip to Disneyland, it’s an incredibly easy journey! The train station for Disneyland Paris is called Marne-la-Vallée Chessy. It is easy to spot on the map as it has a Mickey Mouse face on it. Marne-la-Vallée Chessy is on the RER A (red coloured) line from the centre of Paris.
We found it easiest to look for the closest red line station to our accommodation rather than changing trains. See the full metro map here to plan your route.
Tickets cost €6 each way for adults, and €3 each way for kids aged 4+. Under 4’s can travel for free, which is another benefit of travelling with toddlers! The trains run approximately every 15 minutes and, depending on where you get on, will take around an hour.
From the station, you’ll be able to see the entrance!
Buying Your Tickets for Disneyland Paris
Another great benefit of going to Disneyland Paris with a toddler is that under-3s visit the park for free with an adult!
There are multiple places where you can buy Disneyland Paris tickets, and shop around, as we found them to be cheaper on Viator than on the official website. Just make sure you buy from a reputable source. I’ve listed some great options below:
- The Official Disneyland Paris Website – here you can easily shop for entry tickets, combined park and hotel tickets or even consider an annual pass if you plan to visit multiple times.
- Viator – this was the cheapest option when I looked. Again, you can choose day entry tickets (like we did) or multiple-day entry tickets if you plan to spend longer in the park.
- Get Your Guide – very similar to Viator’s options. They have day entry tickets or multiple-day entry tickets.
- Booking.com – you can also book the hotels through popular travel websites, although do note, park entry is not included with this booking.
It’s a little tedious but I would check all the options for the best price at the time of your trip.
The Best Disneyland Paris Toddler Rides:
One of the lovely things about Disneyland Paris is that there are so many rides that are suitable for all ages! This meant we could really enjoy the day as a family. In our opinion, the best toddler rides at Disneyland Paris are:
- It’s a Small World
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Alice’s Curious Labyrinth
- Le Carousel
- Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups
- Pirates of the Caribbean (my 4-year-old did this with Daddy while our little one napped)
- Peter Pan’s Flight (this was closed, but was my favourite as a child!)
- Swiss Family Treehouse
- The Disney Castle (not a ride, but fun to explore and don’t forget to see the dragon underneath it!)
What to Pack for Disneyland Paris with Kids
When going on a day out with toddlers or young children, it’s best to be prepared.
You’re going to want to pack plenty of drinks, snacks and food. No one likes a hangry toddler, and sometimes a snack is needed in the queue to keep them happy!
The weather can be unpredictable. We had a perfect forecast, but of course, it changed last minute and was raining. Take umbrellas and raincoats, and also spare clothes for children. If you forget (like me), there is a shop in the train station that sells umbrellas and ponchos.
Also, make sure to wear comfortable shoes and pack all the usual essentials such as sunscreen, sunhat, any medications and hand sanitiser.
Top Tips for Visiting Disneyland Paris With a Toddler
Below are our top tips for visiting Disneyland Paris with a toddler or little kids. These will be especially useful to families planning their first trip to Disneyland!
1. Arrive Early
I’d read on another blog that it opens at 9:30, but they’ll let you in at 9. This was not true! The park opens at 8:30 for hotel guests and 9:30 for everyone else, and they were strict on this. However, I would still advise you to get there early.
Our kids are early risers anyway and were impatient to get out the door. We arrived in the rain at 8:30, but it was still so magical. You can wait on the grounds of the main Disney Hotel, which are just beautiful. They had fun playing music, and the area was very quiet, which is the perfect opportunity to get some perfect photos for your family album!
We were also able to get close to the front of the entry line. We went on 3 rides in the first hour, barely having to queue!
2. Download the Disneyland Paris App
Download the official app before you go. This app is great, it has a map of the park and tells you the queue length for each ride. It also shows resteraunts, bathrooms and other useful places.
This makes the park easy to navigate, and you can pick activities close to you that have a short wait time. A great tip when visiting with young children is to aim for rides with short wait times.
3. Plan your Priorities
As I mentioned, my boys aren’t Disney fans. So they had no interest in queuing up to meet any of the characters. My eldest didn’t even want to watch any of the shows (which was sad because I did!). He just wanted to go on rides and watch the parade. So we made that our priority and did as many rides as possible.
Before you go, look at the website and plan what you most want to do. If you want to see a show, people start to queue for them an hour before, so plan that into your schedule (or you can purchase priority tickets.)
All I wanted to do was to get a photo by the Disney Castle. When we entered the park, it was busy with everyone rushing in, but a while later it had quietened down. There is a small circle to the left of the castle, which is the perfect spot. People seemed to make an orderly queue here, and it wasn’t long (possibly due to the rain).
4. Know What to Expect with Character Meet and Greets
I remember when I was a child at Disney, the characters walked around, and you could go up to them and get them to sign your autograph book. Now they have scheduled times and areas where you can line up to meet them.
If it’s your little one’s dream to meet their favourite Disney princess, make sure to check out where they’ll be and what time!
I believe they still do autographs. I got these cute Mickey Mouse notebooks for the boys at just £1.49 each on Amazon (you had to buy at least 2). We didnt end up using them at Disney, but we did use them on the London to Paris Eurostar journey!
5. Prepare for the Food at Disneyland Paris
Unfortunately, Disneyland Paris is known for having terrible food. This is such a shame, especially considering the prices.
If you stay in the hotel, you have the option to add a meal plan to your booking. There are various options to choose from, including special character dining visits.
If you’re there for the day, there are also plenty of places to eat around the park. Knowing the food was bad, we planned to mainly try the snacks, fries, sweet treats, etc. However, due to the rain, we ended up eating in one of the resteraunts. We ran to the closest one, luckily, it was a pizza place. It wasn’t amazing, but the price was OK and the kid’s meal came shaped like Mickey Mouse!
There are also plenty of snacks you can purchase throughout the park, cookies, marshmallows, lollipops, etc, all in the shape of Mickey Mouse. Most of these were around €5 or less and are a good way to give kids a little energy boost or help them manage a long queue.
You can also take in your own food and drinks. On previous theme park trips, we’ve eaten in the queues. This gives little kids something to do and also doesn’t waste time sitting down to eat in a restaurant.
There are also water fountains throughout the park, so take a refillable bottle.
5. Be Realistic About Time
Toddlers can have big emotions, and that’s OK! However, you don’t want them to ruin your trip. I already mentioned not doing more days than you think your kids can handle, but also consider the length of the day. The park is open from 9:30 am to 10 pm. While we would have loved to stay and see the fireworks, it just wouldn’t be practical for us, especially as it was cold and wet.
We left at about 7:30, which is still late for my kids as they get up so early! Doing this avoided any overtired meltdowns and allowed us all to finish the day on a high. Keep this in mind when planning your trip to Disneyland Paris with kids under five.
6. Know What to Do in a Medical Emergency
Hopefully, you won’t need to visit the medical centre, but it is still good to know they have one and that it is located just off the end of Main Street to the right.
Unfortunately, we did have to visit the nurse due to a mild allergic reaction. I’m pleased to say she was amazing and we were sorted very quickly. They did this as a complimentary service and we didnt have to show our insurance. I can’t confirm if everything is free of charge, but it was in our experience.
7. Other Safety Info You Should Know
Paris is known for pickpockets, and sadly, I hear they often operate in Disneyland, especially around the entrance.
I have also seen multiple reports of mouse ears, rain covers and umbrellas being stolen while people are on rides. Please don’t leave anything valuable or essential under your pushchair (stroller), just in case!
8. Don’t Miss the Parade
The Disneyland Paris parade was one of the highlights of our day. It really is magical to watch! We lined up on Main Street and managed to get a perfect view. See the Parade route here. Note, the parade starts by the It’s A Small World Ride and finishes after going down Main Street and around the Town Square. We had to wait a while before the first floats got to us!
9. Embrace or Avoid the Gift Shop
There are a lot of gift shops and things to buy in Disneyland Paris. They’re quite overpriced, and you can buy almost identical products cheaper on Amazon. It’s completely your choice if you want to buy your kids a treat or not, but if you’re trying to stick to a budget. There’s nothing stopping you from buying a small Disney-themed treat before you go and taking it into the park with you, This is a great Disneyland Paris money-saving tip!
Thank you for much for reading our post on visiting Disneyland Paris with a toddler or little kids. I hope you’ve found our tips useful and you enjoy your first trip to Disneyland Paris!
OTHER PARIS GUIDES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
Complete Guide to Your First Time in Paris as a Family
Where to See the Best Views of the Eiffel Tower
Taking the Eurostar with Kids Under 5
Happy Exploring,
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