3 Days in Paris with a Day at Disneyland

Many families plan a trip to Paris around a single question: how do we fit in Disneyland? The answer is to give it a full day, from opening to the fireworks, and to keep the two city days around it light enough that the children still have energy for the parks. This route does that, with one day in the old center, one at Disneyland and one at the Eiffel Tower.

Day 1 is the islands and the Marais: Notre-Dame, the Sainte-Chapelle, an ice cream on the Île Saint-Louis and the playground of the Place des Vosges. Day 2 is Disneyland Paris: the original park with Sleeping Beauty Castle at opening, the second park next door in the afternoon and the evening show over the castle. Day 3 is the Eiffel Tower, a Seine cruise from its foot and the Arc de Triomphe at the end of the Champs-Élysées.

The arrival day does not count, and with children it should not: settle in, eat early and sleep well. Disneyland is open every day, but it is busiest at weekends and in French school holidays; put Day 2 on a weekday if you can. When the parks reach capacity, nobody without a dated ticket gets in, so book the park day in advance.

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This route at a glance

Tickets to book before you fly

Book Disneyland and the Eiffel Tower first. The prices shown are where each adult ticket starts; child options are at the checkout, and children under 3 go free at Disneyland.

Arrival evening: early dinner and early bed

Keep the first evening simple: a walk to the nearest park or square, an early dinner in a brasserie or crêperie that serves from 18:30, and bed. The children will need every bit of energy for Day 2.

If you are staying near the RER A, check the walk to the station tonight; on park day you want to be on the train by 8:15.

• Brasseries and crêperies are the easiest early dinners with children.
• Download the Disneyland Paris app before Day 2 for wait times and show schedules.
• Pack snacks and water for the park; food inside is expensive.

Day 1: Notre-Dame, the Sainte-Chapelle and the Marais playground

Start at Notre-Dame, free to enter. Children are usually most impressed by the size of the nave, the colors of the rose windows and the gargoyles on the outside, so walk around the cathedral after the visit and look up. At 10:30, the Sainte-Chapelle is five minutes away: its upper chapel of stained glass is the kind of room that makes even teenagers go quiet, and the visit takes less than an hour.

Cross the little bridge to the Île Saint-Louis for lunch and an ice cream on the quays. The island has no big sights and almost no traffic, which makes it relaxing with children.

In the afternoon, walk into the Marais to the Place des Vosges, where the garden in the middle of the square has a sandpit and a playground under the trees, and parents can sit on benches under the arcades. On the way back, the falafel shops of the rue des Rosiers serve the easiest dinner in Paris to eat with children.

Stops in order

1. 9:00 · Notre-Dame Cathedral: free entry, the gargoyles outside
   6 Parvis Notre-Dame - Place Jean-Paul II, 75004, Paris
2. 10:30 · Sainte-Chapelle: under an hour
   8 Boulevard du Palais, 75001, Paris
3. 12:30 · Île Saint-Louis: lunch and an ice cream
   Rue Saint-Louis en l'Île, 75004, Paris
4. 15:00 · Place des Vosges: playground in the garden
   Place des Vosges, 75004, Paris
5. 18:00 · Rue des Rosiers: falafel for an early dinner
   Rue des Rosiers, 75004, Paris

The numbers for this day

💡 Pro Tip

Keep Day 1 short

Plan to be back at the hotel by 19:00. A tired child at Disneyland is the most expensive mistake of a Paris family trip, and an early night before the park day pays back all day.

Pro tip by: Alesia Vakula

Travel expert and itinerary planning specialist

If it rains: Notre-Dame and the Sainte-Chapelle are indoors; swap the Place des Vosges playground for the Musée Carnavalet, which is free.

Day 2: Disneyland Paris from opening to the fireworks

Be on the RER A by 8:15 to reach the entrance before opening. Go straight to the most popular rides in Disneyland Park first, before the queues build: Peter Pan's Flight, Big Thunder Mountain and the others the app shows as busiest. Sleeping Beauty Castle, with the dragon in its cellar, is at the center of the park and makes a good meeting point.

Have lunch early, at 11:30, to avoid the midday rush, then cross to the second park, Disney Adventure World, for the afternoon. Use the app to follow wait times and show schedules; parades and character meetings are timed through the day.

Come back to Disneyland Park in the evening for the night show over Sleeping Beauty Castle, with projections, fountains and fireworks. Find a place on Main Street or in front of the castle half an hour before it starts. Afterwards, the shops of Disney Village and the RER station are a few minutes from the gates.

Stops in order

1. 9:30 · Disneyland Paris: the most popular rides first
   Boulevard du Grand Fossé, 77777, Chessy
2. 13:00 · Disney Adventure World: the second park in the afternoon
   Boulevard de Parc, 77700 Chessy
3. 21:00 · Sleeping Beauty Castle: the night show over the castle
   Disneyland Park, 77700 Chessy
4. 21:30 · Disney Village: shops and the station after the show
   Disney Village, 77700 Chessy

The numbers for this day

💡 Pro Tip

Ride the big attractions in the first hour

Queues at Disneyland grow fast after 10:30. The first hour after opening is worth two in the afternoon; plan the three rides your children care most about for that hour.

Pro tip by: Alesia Vakula

Travel expert and itinerary planning specialist

If it rains: Disneyland works in light rain, and queues are shorter. Bring ponchos; many shows and some attractions are indoors.

Day 3: The Eiffel Tower, a Seine cruise and the Arc de Triomphe

After the park day, start a little later. At 10:00 go up the Eiffel Tower; children love the glass floor on the first floor and the lifts that climb at an angle through the legs. The second floor has the best view of the city.

Walk down to the pier at the foot of the tower for a one-hour cruise on the Seine. It is the easiest hour of the trip with children: everyone sits down, the city slides past, and the boat passes under the bridges and around the islands you walked on Day 1.

In the late afternoon, take a taxi or the metro to the Champs-Élysées and climb the Arc de Triomphe. The roof gives you the twelve avenues spreading out like a star and the Eiffel Tower to the south; it is a fine last view of Paris to end a family trip on.

Stops in order

1. 9:30 · Trocadéro Gardens: the photo of the tower
   Paris
2. 10:00 · Eiffel Tower: glass floor on the first floor
   5 Avenue Anatole France, 75007, Paris
3. 13:30 · Bateaux Parisiens pier: one-hour cruise from the foot of the tower
   Port de la Bourdonnais, 75007, Paris
4. 16:00 · Champs-Élysées: walk up the avenue
   Avenue des Champs-Élysées, 75008, Paris
5. 17:00 · Arc de Triomphe: the rooftop
   Tunnel de l'Étoile, 75008, Paris

The numbers for this day

💡 Pro Tip

Picnic on the Champ de Mars between the tower and the boat

Buy sandwiches and drinks at the shops near the Trocadéro and eat on the lawns under the tower. It saves time, money and the stress of a restaurant with tired children.

Pro tip by: Alesia Vakula

Travel expert and itinerary planning specialist

If it rains: The tower and the cruise work in light rain; the boats have a covered deck. Skip the Arc roof in heavy rain.

Departure morning with children

On the last morning, pack before breakfast and leave with time to spare. If you are flying from Charles de Gaulle, the TGV station there is next to Disneyland's station on the same line, so some families choose to stay at the park on the last night and go straight to the airport.

A taxi or booked transfer is easier than the RER with luggage and tired children.

• Allow extra time with children and luggage.
• Children under 4 travel free on Paris public transport.
• A park hotel the night before puts you minutes from Charles de Gaulle by TGV.

Which day goes where

The three days can run in any order. Use this table to keep every sight off its closing day.

Disneyland Paris in one day: what to know

One day is enough to see the best of both parks if you plan it. The table sums up the essentials for a family day at Disneyland Paris, from the train out to the last show, so that nothing on the day comes as a surprise and the children spend their energy on the rides rather than in queues.

💡 Pro Tip

Avoid French school holidays

Disneyland Paris is busiest during French school holidays, which include two weeks at All Saints, two at Christmas, two in February, two at Easter and the summer. A weekday in term time can halve the queues.

Pro tip by: Alesia Vakula

Travel expert and itinerary planning specialist

Is it better to stay in Paris or at Disneyland?

• Stay in Paris if Disneyland is one day out of three: the RER A makes it an easy day trip.
• Stay at Disneyland for the last night if you are flying from Charles de Gaulle; the TGV links the two in minutes.
• Stay near an RER A station such as Châtelet, Gare de Lyon or Nation to make park day as easy as possible.

More 3-day routes

• Paris with kids: three city days for families without Disneyland.
• Paris with toddlers: the stroller-friendly version.
• Paris with a day at Versailles: the other big day trip.
• Where to stay in Paris with kids: family-friendly areas near the RER.
• Paris at Christmas: Disneyland is open on the 25th.
• 4 days in Paris: one more city day for the family.
• All the 3-day routes, by theme