Disneyland Paris is actually two separate theme parks: Disneyland Park, and Walt Disney Studios Park. Each has their own draws, including classic Disney rides and meet and greets with characters. Both also have more modern attractions like rides from the Star Wars and Marvel universes.
Make the most of your time by booking it to the front of the line at the best rides and attractions in Disneyland Park.
🏅Honorable mentions: Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean. These two rides are awesome and almost made the list. But with a Hyperspace Mountain in Disneyland Park California and Pirates of the Caribbean in Walt Disney World Florida, we wanted to showcase some of the rides and attractions that you’ll only find when taking a day trip from the French capital to Disneyland Paris.
Image Credit: Disneyland Paris
La Tanière du Dragon
Best in Fantasyland
Fantasyland is the best. It has the quintessential Disney theme park classics like Peter Pan’s Flight, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, It’s A Small World, and the Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups. However, you didn’t come to Paris to ride the same rides you can in the States. Beneath Sleeping Beauty’s Castle lies La Tanière du Dragon: the dragon’s lair.
🚆Trainline Tip: While in Fantasyland, you can meet Disney Princesses in the Princess Pavilion and Mickey Mouse in his magic room.
Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Best in Discoveryland
The force is strong with the Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain ride, but it’s stronger with Mickey Mouse. Mickey’s PhilharMagic is one of the best attractions in Disneyland Park, let alone Discoveryland. It’s fun for all ages and embodies the fantastical feelings only Disney can create.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril
Best in Adventureland
Hold onto your hat as this roller coaster whips you through jungle ruins. The Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril ride is perfect for bigger kids and adults who want to be just like Indy.
Image Credit: Disneyland Paris
Phantom Manor
Best in Frontierland
Big Thunder Mountain is a classic; just ask anyone who’s been to Magic Kingdom. Disneyland Paris has it, too, but while Florida’s park has the Haunted Mansion, France has the Phantom Manor: a can’t-miss for those who live and breathe Disney parks. This ain’t no silly, spooktacular ride. Phantom Manor is scarier than its USA cousin by design.
Horse-Drawn Streetcars
Best in Main Street U.S.A.
Don’t breeze through Main Street U.S.A. without acknowledging that it’s more than just a freeway. It’s a little light in the ride department, but the Horse-Drawn Streetcars are fun all the same. Make a magical memory with a relaxed ride, a welcome change from the sole-swelling ride queues.
After spending the day at Disneyland Park, begin your next day on the best rides and attractions in Walt Disney Studios Park.
Ratatouille: The Adventure
Best in Worlds of Pixar
Worlds of Pixar is the toughest area to judge because it has some of the best rides and attractions in Disneyland Paris. The Toy Story and Cars rides take us back to being a kid, but we’re going to pick Ratatouille: The Adventure as the attraction you can’t miss. You are in Paris, after all.
🚆Trainline Tip: Did Remy’s ratatouille spike your appetite? Make sure you pop in for lunch at Café de Flore when you go back to Paris.
Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure
Best in Marvel Avenger Campus
Avengers vs Spider-Man: who do you got? Marvel Avenger Campus has two rides — Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure, and Avengers Assemble: Flight Force. Both are awesome in their own heroic ways, but if you can only ride one, the family-friendly webhead has no height restrictions.
Image Credit: Disneyland Paris
Animation Academy
Best in Toon Studio
The good news is that you can leave your Disneyland Paris trip knowing how to professionally draw a Disney character. The bad news is that Animation Academy only has a limited number of seats per session, making it not only one of the best attractions in Disneyland Paris, but also one of the hardest to check off your list.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Best in Production Courtyard
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is one of the best rides at Disneyland Paris that you’ll want to ride multiple times — and have a new gut-dropping experience each time. Not one, not two, but three different stories — each with their own music, effects, and drop sequences — make this one of the most exciting attractions in the park.
Disney Studio 1
Best in Front Lot
Disney Studio 1 isn’t a hair-raising attraction but what it lacks in thrills it makes up for with unique fun. Tour Tinsel Town as the new rising star of Hollywood, inserting yourself under the limelight of the golden age of film.
🚆Trainline Tip: There are plenty of places in Walt Disney Studios Park that host character meet and greets. Meet Olaf from Frozen, Jessie from Toy Story or other Pixar friends at Toon Studio; and meet Avengers at Avengers Campus and the Hero Training Studio.
Is 4 hours enough for Disneyland Paris?
You could knock off a handful of landmark rides at Disneyland Park in four hours, and maybe see most of Walt Disney Studios Park in four hours — but you really should devote more time to each. Either spend a full-day at each park or try to park hop from open to close and cram in as much as possible with no regrets.
If you’re only doing a day trip to Disneyland, read our guide to kid-friendly activities for your family in Paris. Download the Trainline app today and get booking — magic awaits!
Header Image Credit: Disneyland Paris
