Do I have time to go to Disneyland Paris?

FSU Girl

DIS Veteran
Joined
Oct 20, 2016
For my upcoming honeymoon (I've changed it a bit) we are going to spend 4, possibly 5 days depending on flights in Paris. I want to hit up the highlights since I've never been before. We are planning on going to Versailles, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and the Louvre. Do you think we have enough time to go to Disneyland Paris for a day? I love Disney, will be getting married there. I've been to WDW too many times to count and recently went to Disneyland in California. I'd love to go to all the parks one day and not sure when I'll get back to France so this might be my only chance to go.
 
Versailles is a day trip by itself (it's 45 minutes outside of Paris), and you kind of need a full day to do the Louvre too depending on the crowd levels. When I was there we had 6 days and didn't quite get to everything, so I'd say you *could* do it but you might have to prioritize it over some other Parisian sights that you had planned on.
 
Pretend you just come back from your honeymoon and you tell friends and family about what you did. And they ask you, 'any regrets?' Which out of the things you mention would you regret most not seeing? Would Disney be high on the list?

I think it is possible, but it will be busy, no time to relax, really. One day to recover from jetlag, one day Versailles, one day Louvre, one day Notre Dame and Eiffel Tower and one day Disney.
 
It’s certainly possible to see everything you want to see and have time for a day in Disney. To maximize your time, arrange your accommodations in central Paris (such as 1st arrondissment) so you don’t have to spend a ton of time commuting every day. I would also urge you to consider booking guided tours through a site such as Viator to get the most out of hitting lots of sites in a short time period. Otherwise the Paris Museum Pass will be worth it for “front of line” privileges. A good option might be to spend your last night staying at or near Disneyland Paris since it is close to CDG airport. You could stay at the park late and then take train or bus to the airport the morning you leave. Have a great trip!
 


Pretend you just come back from your honeymoon and you tell friends and family about what you did. And they ask you, 'any regrets?' Which out of the things you mention would you regret most not seeing? Would Disney be high on the list?

I think it is possible, but it will be busy, no time to relax, really. One day to recover from jetlag, one day Versailles, one day Louvre, one day Notre Dame and Eiffel Tower and one day Disney.
We won't have any jetlag, we are doing a 3 night cruise first then flying to Paris so we'll be good on the day we arrive. It does seem really busy though.

It’s certainly possible to see everything you want to see and have time for a day in Disney. To maximize your time, arrange your accommodations in central Paris (such as 1st arrondissment) so you don’t have to spend a ton of time commuting every day. I would also urge you to consider booking guided tours through a site such as Viator to get the most out of hitting lots of sites in a short time period. Otherwise the Paris Museum Pass will be worth it for “front of line” privileges. A good option might be to spend your last night staying at or near Disneyland Paris since it is close to CDG airport. You could stay at the park late and then take train or bus to the airport the morning you leave. Have a great trip!
This is great advice, thanks! I'll look into the tour group and tickets you mentioned. I definitely want to stay near some of the things we are going to visit to help with travel time. We're going to take the train to London after our trip to Paris, is that train station near anything in particular?
 


We won't have any jetlag, we are doing a 3 night cruise first then flying to Paris so we'll be good on the day we arrive. It does seem really busy though.

I think that's the problem with 'once in a lifetime' trips. Trying to do too much in too little time. I'm also not good at it, but I am trying to learn to be satisfied with doing two or three things indepth and fully enjoy it, instead of doing eight or ten things superficially.
Like with the Louvre, it really depends on what kind of person you are. You have the tourists who go in, snap a selfie with the Mona Lisa and then leave again, just to be able to say they saw it. The tourists who love art and want to see every artwork in a relaxed pace. And everything in between those two. In retrospect, on my first trip to Paris, I should have gone to Musee D'orsay, as the impressionists interest me more.

Same with the Notre Dame, I am not a religious person, for me the building does not have the significance as it has for some people. I did enjoy the architecture and of course standing on the square in front of the Notre Dame while listening to the opening number. For the Notre Dame I do not need more than an hour or so. I am not a fan of viewing points, I don't really care for it, unless it is my own city and I recognize things myself. When I stand there and see on the sign on the viewing deck that the tall building on my left is the 'such and such building', then all I think: 'ok, next'. :p
So I didn't go up the towers of Notre Dame, and with the Eiffel Tower, I didn't need to go up this tower either. For me taking a picture while walking by it was enough.

What I am trying to say is pick things you love and that interest you, don't see things in a city because they are on the highlight list. You can go off the beaten path on your first trip.

Back to the question what it's all about, in twenty years from now, would you kick yourself for not going to Disneyland Paris? Is there a chance you will say 'I should have done that?' If the answer is yes, then go to DLP :)
 
I think that's the problem with 'once in a lifetime' trips. Trying to do too much in too little time. I'm also not good at it, but I am trying to learn to be satisfied with doing two or three things indepth and fully enjoy it, instead of doing eight or ten things superficially.
Like with the Louvre, it really depends on what kind of person you are. You have the tourists who go in, snap a selfie with the Mona Lisa and then leave again, just to be able to say they saw it. The tourists who love art and want to see every artwork in a relaxed pace. And everything in between those two. In retrospect, on my first trip to Paris, I should have gone to Musee D'orsay, as the impressionists interest me more.

Same with the Notre Dame, I am not a religious person, for me the building does not have the significance as it has for some people. I did enjoy the architecture and of course standing on the square in front of the Notre Dame while listening to the opening number. For the Notre Dame I do not need more than an hour or so. I am not a fan of viewing points, I don't really care for it, unless it is my own city and I recognize things myself. When I stand there and see on the sign on the viewing deck that the tall building on my left is the 'such and such building', then all I think: 'ok, next'. :p
So I didn't go up the towers of Notre Dame, and with the Eiffel Tower, I didn't need to go up this tower either. For me taking a picture while walking by it was enough.

What I am trying to say is pick things you love and that interest you, don't see things in a city because they are on the highlight list. You can go off the beaten path on your first trip.

Back to the question what it's all about, in twenty years from now, would you kick yourself for not going to Disneyland Paris? Is there a chance you will say 'I should have done that?' If the answer is yes, then go to DLP :)
You make really good points. I love history and seeing famous places that are rich with history. I absolutely love everything about Versailles and will probably spend an entire day there. I'm not sure about Notre Dame, the most I know about it is from the Disney movie. But my Fiance mentioned wanting to go into the towers so we will probably do that. My mother is a professional artist and could probably spend a whole week in the Louvre. I don't think my appreciation is as great as hers, but I'd definitely like to spend some time there. Eiffel tower we are planning on eating in the restaurant on my 30th birthday. I love all things Disney so I would probably be sad to not make it there when I'm so close.
 
I definitely think it's do-able. My family did a trip this summer for a week to Paris and we did everything you mentioned except Versailles but did other things. It all depends on how much time you want/need to spend at each major attraction.

We did one day at Disney (park hopper so did both parks)

Then we spent two full days inside Paris proper touring the touristy places. The Paris Pass is indeed a great way to maximize what you see in as shot a time as possible since you get the hop on, hop off bus tour for a day, and the river cruise for another day.

We were able to check out:
Louvre - We spent less than 1/2 a day a the Louvre, but didn't feel like we missed too much. We're not crazy art/history buffs. I mean you could literally spend a week in there if you wanted to see every last room, but I felt we got a good amount in for the time we spent in there.
Arc De Triomphe
Orsay Museum
Eiffel Tower
Aquarium
Gervin Wax Museum
Gourmet Chocolate Museum
Notre Dame
ummmmm trying to remember what else we did....

Plus we did a lot of walking around through the parks, up and down the Champs Elysees etc.

And we had a wedding to go to wedged in between.

Tip for the Eiffel Tower:
a) get there for first thing in the morning. The lines get HUGE just to get through security to get onto the site
b) if you have good legs, get the tickets for the stairs up to Levels 1 and 2. The line for the elevator from the very bottom can literally be hours long, but for the stairs there is ZERO line. You can get a combo ticket for stairs to Levels 1 & 2 and then elevator to level 3 if you want to go up to the very top. Plus you will always have the story that you climbed the Eiffel Tower.
 
I definitely think it's do-able. My family did a trip this summer for a week to Paris and we did everything you mentioned except Versailles but did other things. It all depends on how much time you want/need to spend at each major attraction.

We did one day at Disney (park hopper so did both parks)

Then we spent two full days inside Paris proper touring the touristy places. The Paris Pass is indeed a great way to maximize what you see in as shot a time as possible since you get the hop on, hop off bus tour for a day, and the river cruise for another day.

We were able to check out:
Louvre - We spent less than 1/2 a day a the Louvre, but didn't feel like we missed too much. We're not crazy art/history buffs. I mean you could literally spend a week in there if you wanted to see every last room, but I felt we got a good amount in for the time we spent in there.
Arc De Triomphe
Orsay Museum
Eiffel Tower
Aquarium
Gervin Wax Museum
Gourmet Chocolate Museum
Notre Dame
ummmmm trying to remember what else we did....

Plus we did a lot of walking around through the parks, up and down the Champs Elysees etc.

And we had a wedding to go to wedged in between.

Tip for the Eiffel Tower:
a) get there for first thing in the morning. The lines get HUGE just to get through security to get onto the site
b) if you have good legs, get the tickets for the stairs up to Levels 1 and 2. The line for the elevator from the very bottom can literally be hours long, but for the stairs there is ZERO line. You can get a combo ticket for stairs to Levels 1 & 2 and then elevator to level 3 if you want to go up to the very top. Plus you will always have the story that you climbed the Eiffel Tower.
I would want to do both so that's great to hear you did both parks in one day. For the Eiffel Tower I want to have my 30th birthday dinner in the restaurant inside it. Do you have to go through the same line for security as just going up to see it? I don't think my Fiance could do more than half a day in an art museum, I'm not even sure he's ever been to one before. Is a river cruise something we should book in advance? Thanks for all the tips! I tried to get an extra day added, but the flights are way more expensive flying home on Saturday vs Friday so it's not happening.
 
The entire base of the Eiffel Tower is securely enclosed so you have to go through an airport style security to get in. But that being said, I don't know if there is a separate security line that is shorter/quicker if you have a dinner reservation so something you might want to look into.

As for the river cruise, no you don't need to book it ahead of time You can just show up and buy tickets/get in line. To note, there are about a half dozen different river cruise companies right at the pier next to the Eiffel Tower so lots to choose from But if you buy the Paris pass for a couple of days, you get a free ticket for the particular one we were on.
 
When are you actually going?
There is more than one restaurant in the Eiffel Tower. The Jules Verne is the most expensive one and is closed until Spring 2019 for renovation. Im not sure if its still there but if you had a reservation to dine at this restaurant there was a separate entrance and lift you used so you didnt have to queue to get up. Im not sure about the security queue though.
If you are dining at the other restaurant which is less formal than you had to go up via the normal lift.
There is also a champagne bar at the very top
You can also book tickets to go up the Tower in advance - they are timed tickets and do sell out very quickly

If you dont want to spend too long in the Louvre you would be best researching and finding a guide to where everything is and deciding what you want to see and then you can just head in that direction.

You mentioned in a previous post about travelling to London by Eurostar afterwards and asked about the station
You can either go direct from Paris itself in which case the train leaves from Gare du Nord. There are several trains a day but you are advised to book them in advance and the prices are cheaper the sooner you book.
I wouldnt recommend finding a hotel close to Gare du Nord though as its not the best area to stay in

The metro system in Paris is very good and you will find it easy to get from your hotel to the station easily

Or there is a direct Eurostar from Disneyland Paris (the station is called Marne la Vallee) but there is only 1 a day and it doesnt run every day - it leaves about 6pm so this would cut your day very short
 
When are you actually going?
There is more than one restaurant in the Eiffel Tower. The Jules Verne is the most expensive one and is closed until Spring 2019 for renovation. Im not sure if its still there but if you had a reservation to dine at this restaurant there was a separate entrance and lift you used so you didnt have to queue to get up. Im not sure about the security queue though.
If you are dining at the other restaurant which is less formal than you had to go up via the normal lift.
There is also a champagne bar at the very top
You can also book tickets to go up the Tower in advance - they are timed tickets and do sell out very quickly

If you dont want to spend too long in the Louvre you would be best researching and finding a guide to where everything is and deciding what you want to see and then you can just head in that direction.

You mentioned in a previous post about travelling to London by Eurostar afterwards and asked about the station
You can either go direct from Paris itself in which case the train leaves from Gare du Nord. There are several trains a day but you are advised to book them in advance and the prices are cheaper the sooner you book.
I wouldnt recommend finding a hotel close to Gare du Nord though as its not the best area to stay in

The metro system in Paris is very good and you will find it easy to get from your hotel to the station easily

Or there is a direct Eurostar from Disneyland Paris (the station is called Marne la Vallee) but there is only 1 a day and it doesnt run every day - it leaves about 6pm so this would cut your day very short
We are going in the middle of May 2019. Is that considered part of Spring? The last time I looked at the restaurant website it hadn’t mentioned any renovations, but I had looked a couple months ago. I’ll have to look into the trains. That would probably decide if we go or not if the train isn’t running. That’s a shame it only leaves at 6pm we wouldn’t be able to get a full day in the parks then. I’ll have to start looking into buying tickets, but I think most probably don’t let you book six months out. Good thing I’m a planner this trip definitely needs a lot of that lol
 
I’ll have to start looking into buying tickets, but I think most probably don’t let you book six months out. Good thing I’m a planner this trip definitely needs a lot of that lol
We are Looking at taking the Eurostar from DLP to Ashford (outside of
London) in July. Though many Eurostar train schedules are not out for summer yet, the trains are available to book from DLP.
 
We are Looking at taking the Eurostar from DLP to Ashford (outside of
London) in July. Though many Eurostar train schedules are not out for summer yet, the trains are available to book from DLP.
Is it a separate system I’d book through? Go through the Disney site instead of Eurostar?
 
We are going in the middle of May 2019. Is that considered part of Spring? The last time I looked at the restaurant website it hadn’t mentioned any renovations, but I had looked a couple months ago. I’ll have to look into the trains. That would probably decide if we go or not if the train isn’t running. That’s a shame it only leaves at 6pm we wouldn’t be able to get a full day in the parks then. I’ll have to start looking into buying tickets, but I think most probably don’t let you book six months out. Good thing I’m a planner this trip definitely needs a lot of that lol


This is the website where I got the info about the restaurant being closed - I would think mid May would be ok but you would need to book the restaurant well in advance anyhow so they would tell you if it wasnt open.

https://www.toureiffel.paris/en

Just to make sure I didnt confuse you - the Eurostar which leaves from DLP would be if you were going to London direct from DLP without returning to Paris.
If you are going there for a day and returning into Central Paris you use the RER train which runs non stop throughout the day. You dont book this train. You would be able to go to DLP by RER, spend the day there and then return to Paris late evening then get the Eurostar another day from Gare du Nord in Paris.

In May the main park will probably be open til about 10pm ish so your other option would be to spend the days in Paris, book into a DLP hotel for your last night and head over there late afternoon. The hotels include tickets for the day of arrival and departure so you would be able to spend the evening in the park doing the night time show and some rides etc then you would also have access to Early morning entry so could go in early and have til about 5pm to enjoy the rest of the park. Then get the Eurstar right from there.

You book the Eurostar trains direct on their website both from Paris and from DLP
If you are booking a hotel at DLP d that direct on DLP website but also look at other countries sites as different countries have different offers on and you can book any
As I say you cant book the RER train from Central Paris to DLP but look at this website to help you use the metro/RER

https://parisbytrain.com/paris-metro/
https://parisbytrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/paris-metro-map-2014.pdf
 
This is the website where I got the info about the restaurant being closed - I would think mid May would be ok but you would need to book the restaurant well in advance anyhow so they would tell you if it wasnt open.

https://www.toureiffel.paris/en

Just to make sure I didnt confuse you - the Eurostar which leaves from DLP would be if you were going to London direct from DLP without returning to Paris.
If you are going there for a day and returning into Central Paris you use the RER train which runs non stop throughout the day. You dont book this train. You would be able to go to DLP by RER, spend the day there and then return to Paris late evening then get the Eurostar another day from Gare du Nord in Paris.

In May the main park will probably be open til about 10pm ish so your other option would be to spend the days in Paris, book into a DLP hotel for your last night and head over there late afternoon. The hotels include tickets for the day of arrival and departure so you would be able to spend the evening in the park doing the night time show and some rides etc then you would also have access to Early morning entry so could go in early and have til about 5pm to enjoy the rest of the park. Then get the Eurstar right from there.

You book the Eurostar trains direct on their website both from Paris and from DLP
If you are booking a hotel at DLP d that direct on DLP website but also look at other countries sites as different countries have different offers on and you can book any
As I say you cant book the RER train from Central Paris to DLP but look at this website to help you use the metro/RER

https://parisbytrain.com/paris-metro/
https://parisbytrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/paris-metro-map-2014.pdf
Thank you so much! This is really helpful! I really appreciate it :)
 

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