How to get to Disneyland Paris: car, train, plane, shuttles

Good news before you even set off: Disneyland Paris is one of the best-connected destinations in France. Train, car, plane or shuttle, there’s bound to be an option that suits where you’re starting from.

I’ve been coming to the park for years and by pretty much every means of transport, so in this guide I compare each option, give you the routes depending on your region and tell you what I recommend for a stress-free arrival.

Disneyland Paris is in Marne-la-Vallée, in Seine-et-Marne, around thirty kilometres east of Paris. Its big strength is that everything is in one place: the two parks, the Disney hotels, Disney Village and the station are side by side.

The result: once you’re there, you hardly need any transport at all. You can do almost everything on foot.

In my view, the train is the easiest way to get there, because the station is right by the park. Only one station serves Disneyland Paris: Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy, which handles TGV high-speed trains, OUIGO (cheaper), Eurostar (direct from Brussels) and the RER A. From London, you need to change (Eurostar to Lille-Europe then a TGV, or to Paris then the RER A).

Big cities such as Lille, Lyon, Marseille and Bordeaux have direct TGVs. When you arrive, allow about 5 minutes on foot to reach the park entrance through Disney Village, with no shuttle or connection. My tip: book your train tickets as early as possible, that’s when prices (especially on OUIGO) are at their best. If you’re staying at a Disney hotel and arriving by train, the Disney Express service takes your luggage from the station straight to your hotel: the details are in my luggage storage guide.

If you’re in Paris or stopping there on the way, the RER A (Paris suburban train) is the most direct option: it links central Paris to the Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy terminus in 35 to 40 minutes, with no change. It’s also the easiest way to combine a day at the park with a day in the capital. I cover the stops and tickets in my RER A guide.

The car is still a good option, especially if you’re coming from far away, as a family or with lots of luggage. You reach Disneyland Paris via the A4 motorway (exit 14 Parcs Disney), well signposted as you get close to the park. The advantage: the large car park (over 11,000 spaces) is right by the entrance and easy to get to, which makes arriving simpler.

Things to plan for: tolls depending on your route, parking (paid) and the Crit’Air sticker, which you only need if your route goes through Paris (the park itself is outside the low-emission zone). I cover parking in my parking guide and the Crit’Air rules in my dedicated article.

If you’re coming from far away or from abroad, you’ll land at one of the two Paris airports: Charles de Gaulle (Roissy) or Orly. From there, you have several options to reach the park: the Magical Shuttle (paid, from €24, which stops at the Disney hotels), the RER, a direct TGV from Roissy, or a taxi or private hire car (the most comfortable but the most expensive). I compare journey times and prices in my guide to getting there from Orly and Roissy airports and my Magical Shuttle guide.

Long-distance coach companies (FlixBus and others) serve the area from many cities, often at very low prices. It’s a budget option, but watch out: few routes go directly to the park. Most of the time, you need to get to Paris or an airport, then continue by RER or shuttle for the last few kilometres.

Once you’re there, you generally don’t need a car. Free shuttle buses serve most of the Disney hotels and many partner hotels. Most Disney hotels are within walking distance of the parks. Only Davy Crockett Ranch, further out, has no shuttle: you’ll need a car there (parking at the parks is free for its guests).

I cover all of this in my hotel shuttle guide. In short: if you’re staying at a Disney hotel or a partner hotel with a shuttle, you don’t need a car.

The best option obviously depends on where you’re starting from. Here’s a rough guide:

• From Paris: the RER A, direct and quick (35 to 40 minutes).
• From the north (Lille, Calais, Amiens): direct TGV or OUIGO trains, or the A1 motorway then the A4.
• From the east and south (Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg): direct TGVs to Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy, often the quickest option.
• From the west and south-west (Brittany, Normandy, Bordeaux): TGV, sometimes with a change in Paris, or the road.
• From Belgium: direct Eurostar to Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy.
• From Switzerland and Luxembourg: train to Paris then RER A to the park (you’ll need to change stations), or the motorway for those living closest.

Either way, compare the train and the car based on how many of you are travelling: in a group, the car can work out cheaper, but on your own or as a pair, the train often wins.

Depending on who you’re travelling with, the right choice changes:

• First visit: the train is the simplest and least stressful option, with no driving or parking to deal with and the station right by the park. My pointers are in the first-time visitor guide.
• Families with children: you don’t need a car if you’re staying at a Disney hotel (free shuttle buses), and the train is practical with a pushchair. See the family hub.
• With friends: in a group, car sharing or a long-distance coach can bring the cost down. Ideas in the friends group hub.
• Disabled visitors or those with reduced mobility: the station, the RER and the hotel shuttles are accessible, and it’s step-free all the way from the station to the parks. Everything is in the accessibility hub.