Ryan and I were lucky enough to spend one day in Disneyland Paris with my parents, who kindly took us there during their visit from Australia.

Before going I researched a few tips, and while I was there I picked up some more, which I thought would be great to share in case you’re going to Disneyland Paris soon, or would like to go in the future.

I’ve also written Disneyland Paris in one day with a 5 year old, if you’d like to check that out as well.

Tips for visiting Disneyland Paris – before you go

Here are some tips for visiting Disneyland Paris to consider before your visit.

Buy Disney clothing and Mickey ears before you go

Disney clothing and Mickey ears can be expensive at Disneyland Paris, so my advice is to buy them before you get there.

Many high street shops sell Disney clothing, Mickey ears, and other Disney accessories that are really affordable, or you can buy them online.

Download the Disneyland Paris app

There’s a Disneyland Paris app that you can use during your visit to Disneyland Paris that contains maps, show times, ride wait times, recommendations, a pre booking system for show tickets, and a few other things that will help you throughout the day.

Something I wish I did was play with the app before my Disneyland Paris trip, because I found it hard to find some of the information that I needed on the day, and I didn’t find the maps very helpful.

So my advice is, if you like the app and it helps you, definitely use it, otherwise if it’s not helpful, turn it off and don’t worry about it.

Check opening and closing times

Each park within Disneyland Paris has different opening and closing times, knowing what they are before you go will help you to decide which park to visit first.

If you’re staying at a Disneyland hotel, check to see if they offer a magic hour, which allows you to enter Disneyland Paris before it opens to the public.

One tip that I read was to get to Disneyland Paris early because the lines get long early. However, I chose not to do this, and instead got there 30 minutes after opening time, which meant we were able to walk straight in.

Make sure you have the right ticket

Double check your ticket to make sure it doesn’t say one park visit on it, because if it does, it means you only have access to Walt Disney Studios, or Disneyland Park, not both.

If you have a ticket for only one park, you need to pay the difference, and on the day I went it was €105 per person.

Pre book your restaurant or Disney character meal

If there’s a particular restaurant you want to go to book it well ahead of the date you’re visiting, because bookings fill up.

Similarly, if you want to dine with a Disney character then book in advance, you can find out more about how to do this here.

This is a tip that I ended up not doing because I wasn’t’ sure what we’d feel like eating during our visit, and I also didn’t know where we’d be when we were all hungry.

Plan the rides

One of the tips for visiting Disneyland Paris that I did first was to visit the Disneyland Paris website and make a list of all the rides that I thought Ryan would like to go on, then I grouped them by parks and zones.

If you do this as well, it means that you won’t waste time going from one ride to another in areas that are far away from each other, saving you a lot of time.

When doing this include timings of parades, shows, meet and greets, rest stops, and meals, so you’re in a zone at the time you need to be, and you don’t miss anything on your must see list.

Take a book with you

If you have older kids you don’t have to keep an eye on whilst lining up for rides, a great thing to do is read.

I saw a lady doing this on my visit to Disneyland Paris, and wished that I thought of doing it as well.

Take a portable charger and backpack

Take a portable charger with you that’s fully charged in case you run out of phone battery, as you’ll rely on your phone to check what you want to do during the day, for photos, and to contact family or friends if you get separated from them.

Also take a backpack that’s large enough for a light jumper if it cools down at night, snacks, water, your phone, and purse, because it’s great being hands free during the day.

This is what I had in my backpack when we went to Disneyland Paris:

• 2 x water bottles
• 2 x light jumpers for night time
• 2 x bags of snacks
• Portable charger
• Money

Bring snacks and water bottles

Snacks and drinks at Disneyland Paris are expensive, so bringing your own snacks and a water bottle that you can refill will save you money, and will keep everyone’s energy levels up when needed.

Some of the snacks I bought with me were:

• Dried fruit
• Breakfast bars
• Lollies
• Lollypops
• Biscuits

Consider hiring a buggy and bring a baby carrier

If you have younger children that no longer use a buggy but you know will have trouble walking long distances, then consider bringing or hiring a buggy to save their legs, save your patience levels, and allow you to have extra storage.

On the day we went buggy hire was €25.

You can’t take any buggies into the ride queues, so if you have a baby, bring a baby carrier so you don’t have to carry them for long periods of time in the queues.

Tips for visiting Disneyland Paris – when you’re there

Here are some tips for visiting Disneyland Paris when you’re there.

Take a photo of your car spot

If driving to Disneyland Paris, take a photo of your car spot so you don’t get lost at the end of the night.

Get a paper map

A paper map will come in handy as it allows you to see the entire park at a glance.

You can get paper maps at the entrance, and on Main Street.

Get a photo outside the castle

After getting a paper map, head to the Castle for a photo before it gets busy.

If you head to the left of the Castle, you can get the entire Castle in one shot, with not many other guests in it.

Go to the castle balcony for the parade

We were a little late to get a spot for the parade, and ended up having to stand on the Castle balcony, which worked out really well as it ended up being a fantastic viewing spot.

Because it’s high up, we weren’t’ behind anyone tall who obstructed our view.

Use the single rider queues or get Premier Access to rides

If a ride has a long queue check to see if it has a single rider queue, which means you ride the line alone, which is great if you don’t mind riding without your family.

You can also avoid long ride wait times by utilising the Premier Access option, where you pay to access the fast lanes of the popular rides.

There are two different Premier Access options, one allows you to use the fast lane once per applicable ride any time of day. The other one allows you to join the fast lane only once for one ride, and you need to book a timeslot.

You can buy Premier Access on the Disneyland Paris app, or when you first buy your Disneyland Paris tickets.

At the time I visited, the Premier Access option allowed fast lanes to the following rides:

• Autopia
• Big Thunder Mountain
• Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
• Cars Road Trip
• Crush’s Coaster
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril
• Peter Pan’s Fight
• Phantom Manor
• Ratatouille
• Star Tours
• Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain
• Tower of Terror

Things to do when ride queues are long

If you don’t want to pay for Premier Access, and don’t want to wait in a long ride queue, some other things you can do are:

• Visit La Tanière du Dragon (Dragon’s Lair) and the Christmas shop underneath Sleeping Beauty’s Castle
• Walk through Alice’s Curious Labyrinth in Fantasyland
• Visit Le Passage Enchanté d’Aladdin in Adventureland
• Character meet and greets, the times will be on the Disneyland Paris app
• Visit the shops in Main Street

Visit Disney Village for a break

Disney Village is a great place to take a break because it’s quieter, and has some great dining options such as Planet Hollywood, Vapiano, Five Guys, McDonalds, and many cafes.

There’s also a Lego store, and outlets where you can get some reduced Mickey ears.

Stay for the castle illumination and fireworks show

The Castle illumination and fireworks show is on very late, it was 11pm on the day we went, so make sure you plan this into your day because it’s definitely a highlight, and is a nice way to end a big day.

I saw people sitting outside the Castle two hours before the show started, and once I had my spot behind a tree, I definitely understood why they did it, as a lot of the illuminations happen towards the bottom of the Castle.

Be flexible

This is one of my favourite tips for visiting Disneyland Paris, because your plans will change.

You may not go on every ride you wanted, your kids may get really, really tired and need a longer break than you’d like. Or you or your kids may not enjoy one of the zones you thought you’d spend a long time in.

It’s a long day, and even if you don’t do everything you planned, you’ll still go on rides, you’ll still see some shows, and you’ll still have a great day, so don’t be hard on yourself if things don’t go to plan, or if you run out of time.

Everyone needs to enjoy the day.

I hope you’ve found some tips for visiting Disneyland Paris that will allow you to make the most of your time there.

Related posts:
Disneyland Paris in one day with a 5 year old
What to look for in a hotel when travelling with kids
5 tips for surviving road trips with toddlers
How to survive a long haul flight with a toddler

Do you have any tips for visiting Disneyland Paris?
I’d love to hear about them in the comments section below.