Planning your trip to Disneyland Paris? This one-day guide offers a step-by-step on how to accomplish most of the big-ticket rides at either one park or both in one day. Even if you’re spending more than a day at the parks, this guide can help you prioritize how to spend your time and what rides to fit in during your vacation.

Both Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios are fairly small parks. Either could be done in one day or both in one. Both itineraries are easily accomplished, with plenty of time to go back and fit in another round on your favorite ride, grab a bite to eat or catch a show.

Looking for tips and tricks on where to eat and what to do? Then check out my Ultimate Disneyland Paris Guide instead, where I cover the best restaurants, where to stay, and what to do – everything you need to know before you go to DLP!

The Ultimate One Day Guide to Disneyland Paris

No matter which itinerary you are going to take, you should start your day off with breakfast:

Breakfast Options

Either day, either way, grab some breakfast before getting into the parks.

France is not really a “breakfast” kind of country. Instead of eating a traditional breakfast in the way we think of breakfast, Parisians eat what is called petit dejeuner – which traditionally consists of a croissant, a juice, and a coffee or tea. That’s it! It surprised me too, but once you try it, it can be surprisingly filling. Therefore, outside of Disneyland Hotel, don’t expect a full-blown character breakfast that is filled with potatoes and eggs as you’d find at Walt Disney World.

However, Disneyland Paris does a good job of bridging this gap so they have what can be felt like both an American and French breakfast. That being said, don’t expect a breakfast that is going to blow you out of the water, or to fill your stomach with comfort food. Instead, DLP’s breakfast offerings will start your day and get you ready to get to the park.

Your breakfast options are:

• Your hotel – If you’re staying at a Disneyland hotel, each hotel will at the very least have a Starbucks (if you’re staying in a value hotel) or a sit-down breakfast (such as Disneyland Hotel). However, the bus from the value hotels to Disneyland Pariss can be very slow – so no matter what your offerings are, I’d suggest to grab a quick breakfast and eat it on the go – you want to get to the parks as fast as you can.
• Disney Village – Disney Village is a quarter mile strip right outside of the entrance to both parks. It would be fairly easy to grab breakfast, eat it, and then head right in! We saw menus for petit dejeuner at both Starbucks and Earl of Sandwich (if you try the Starbucks breakfast, let me know. It looked amazing!)
• In the Park – In Disneyland Park, the only place open for breakfast during Extra Magic Hours is Hyperion Café (there are others once the park opens) In Studios, there is breakfast in the Studios area before you enter the park. I’d highly recommend against this though and would say only to do this if you are running late – we ate breakfast in Hyperion and paid €21 for two breakfast sandwiches and coffee or juice.

I would recommend you grab breakfast in your hotel, no matter where you’re staying and head to the parks. If you can bring outside food in, do it. As I discuss in my guide, the food at Disneyland is sub-par. Eating breakfast in your room while you get ready would be the absolute best option and best price for your euro. However, breakfast is fine wherever you end up finding it, so grab what you can and head to the parks.

Extra Magic Hours

Disneyland Paris allows those who stay in any of the on-property hotels to access their parks an extra hour earlier in the morning via Extra Magic Hours. Times can vary for the beginning of EMH based on when the park opens but generally, you’re allowed in the park an hour and a half before the park opens. You’ll get that first half hour on either Disneyland’s Main Street or Studio’s Front Lot, which is a good chance to get in, get settled, take a few pictures (the park will be near about empty – so it’s the best time to get a photo with Sleeping Beauty Castle or Hollywood Tower of Terror!)

I’d highly recommend staying in a Disneyland hotel so you can use Extra Magic Hours and this guide assumes that is how you start your day. For Disneyland, the advantage to EMH is you can take photos of and with the castle with no one behind you and then head to either the princesses meet-and-greet or some of the best rides in the park first. For Studios, Extra Magic Hours lets you get to the big-ticket rides like Crush’s Coaster and Ratatouille without the long lines that will come once the park opens. Both of these reasons make it more appealing to stay in a DLP hotel, especially since the pricing can be very similar between the value DLP hotels and the local-area hotels.

Additionally, our experience with Extra Magic Hours is that the parks are not only empty – they’re almost barren. For us, that meant that the little bit of extra money to stay in a DLP hotel was worth it – we not only got most of the rides accomplished, but we also got some amazing photos with the vacant park. The park didn’t really begin filling up until about lunchtime, giving us plenty of time to hit as many rides as we could.

Disneyland Paris App

Disneyland Paris has an app that anyone can download to their phone. In fact, if you’re international and trying not to pay extra for data, the park even has Wi-Fi that you can connect to. Make sure to have the app downloaded on your phone and ready to go at the beginning of the day – because you are going to use it to help gauge line times, get around the park via the map, and even see important information such as ride closings, character locations and show times. While my guide is a basic layout to how you can approach your day, you can use the DLP app to make changes and tweaks to your itinerary based on what may have a short wait, what might be closed, or what may even have shut down unexpectedly.

Fast Passes

One of the best parts of any Disney park is a “Fast Pass,” which gives you the ability to wait in line without really waiting in line. Using your park ticket, you can walk up to a Fast Pass turnstile, put your ticket in, and out comes another ticket that will allow you to return to that ride later in the day. Times will be specified above the Fast Pass kiosks, letting you know the window when you’ll be able to return. When you get back, you’ll be able to get in a special Fast Pass line that is much shorter, making your wait that much faster.

Be wary when using these, however: once you have a Fast Pass, you can’t get another until the window for your Fast Pass has started (meaning you can only have one at a time). A good rule of thumb for Fast Passes is to get one and wait until that Fast Pass’s time frame begins. However, before riding that ride, go get another Fast Pass (so you can begin the next waiting period) and then go ride the ride you initially had a Fast Pass for.

I will touch on a few places you should find and get Fast Passes, but again – this is up to you. Make sure to fit in Fast Passes when appropriate, such as an unexpectedly long line or a ride that you absolutely have to ride again.

One Day Guide to Disneyland Paris

Extra Magic Hours & Park Opening

Princesses Itinerary

Is your goal for Disneyland Paris to meet a Princess? Is that an absolute ‘must’ for you? If so, make sure to be at the park entrance right when the rope is about to drop to open the rides for Extra Magic Hours. And be ready. Because as soon as that rope goes down, you are going to have to run. Run as fast as you can towards Princess Pavilion (which is right behind the castle). Because if you don’t, you will have to wait at least an hour in line for the princesses. And this number won’t change – the wait time for the Princess meet-and-greet is consistently around an hour all day, every day at DLP. So your best bet if you don’t want to wait is to be ready to run (don’t worry – others will be running with you!)

Non-Princesses Itinerary

If you don’t care about the princesses, or are even just ambivalent about meeting them, then don’t waste your time and instead head right to Discoveryland. Here, you can cover three rides that are going to get much busier as the day goes on, with waits that will only continue to climb. These rides are Hyperspace Mountain (which should be the first ride you do), Star Tours and Buzz Lightyear Blast.

If you can get through these three fairly quickly and want to ride any of them again, do it. If you need breakfast or a bathroom, hop into the Hyperion Café. Don’t use your Fast Passes now (save them for later in the day) and head over towards Frontierland right as EMH is beginning to end.

The Rest of Your Morning

No matter how you spent your morning (whether with the princesses or in Discoveryland) your next goal is to line up outside of Frontierland (when you enter back into the HUB, it will be either directly across from Discoverland or to your right if you are approaching from Frontierland). Non-EMH guests will have been let in about half an hour before the park opens. So join them, get in line for Frontierland, and get ready.

If you have timed everything out correctly, you’ll be standing right outside of Frontierland when the park officially opens (you’ll know by the announcement they make). Then don’t run. But maybe speed up your pace. Or maybe, actually, run. Because your goal now is to get over to Big Thunder Mountain as quickly as you can and (hopefully) be some of the first people in line to ride it. If there’s a big crowd in front you, you can also grab a Fast Pass (or maybe even do both).

Once you have either ridden or have a Fast Pass for Big Thunder Mountain, head over to Phantom Manor (also in Frontierland). NOTE: Before you arrive, check to make sure that Phantom Manor is open. It was closed at the end of 2017 for renovations that have taken much longer than anticipated. If it’s open, hop in the line (which should still be short).

Once you have both of these rides done, head back towards the HUB and behind the castle to Fantasyland. There are a bunch of smaller rides back there, and now is the time to do them. Honestly, they aren’t the best in the park, but they’re Disney history, so you have to do them! Since they are kid-friendly, they will get much busier later in the day, so make sure to fit them in now. They aren’t worth longer than a 10-15 minute wait.

Mid-Day

Now that you’ve done that mad dash of a morning, you can slow down. If you’ve prioritized your morning correctly, you have ridden most of the big-ticket rides and completed almost half the park at this point. Since you’re in Fantasyland, I would recommend you ride in any other rides that interest you in here. If you are looking to do Peter Pan, now is the time (wait times usually sit around 45 minutes). You can also head behind Fantasyland to get ann obligatory It’s a Small World ride in (yes – you have to do it).

If you have a Big Thunder Mountain Fast Pass, you will probably hit your window sometime around now too. Grab a Fast Pass to another ride (Maybe Peter Pan’s Flight if the line is long), and head over to search for gold.

If you don’t have a Fast Pass, then now is the time to grab your first one (you can grab one for Peter Pan’s Flight if the line is long, or maybe wait and grab one in Adventureland if either of those lines is long). Then head towards Adventureland and ride Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones. Don’t forget to take some time to explore some of the walk-through exhibits such as Adventure Island and The Enchanted Passage of Aladdin.

Lunch

If you’re getting hungry, you have a few options for lunch. However, I want to remind you that the food in Disneyland Paris, especially the counter-service food, is not very good while being very expensive. If you can get by on snacks and pastries for lunch, then I would recommend it. Save your time and money and do a sit-down restaurant for dinner (or not at all).

1. Walt’s – Walt’s is the DLP version of Club 33. It serves Americana food in a Club 33-like atmosphere. Even if you don’t eat here, it’s fun to ask the hostesses to let you peek around and pretend that you are really in the California version! Food can be a little pricey (entrees are usually around €20 euro) but it’s worth it to check out the atmosphere.
2. Hakuna Matata – I have personally not eaten here, but I have heard on numerous occasions that one of the only palatable counter-service meals in the park is Hakuna Matata’s chicken strips and corn fries. Give them a try and let me know how they are.
3. Cable Car Bake Shop & Casey’s Corner – If you’re looking to go the snacks and pastries route, then these are your go-to’s. Cable Car Bake Shop has all of the typical French pastries (and even some beer to wash them down), and Casey’s serves up a classic hot dog. You’re on vacation – grab a corn dog and a croissant and call it lunch!

Afternoon

Now that you’re full from lunch (or your snacks), you can stop and realize that you’ve done a majority of the park (and probably all of the big-ticket rides!) Now it’s time to slow down and take it all in. Disneyland Paris is a beautiful place, with a lot more small details than most other Disney Parks. Now is the time to take the opportunity to take it all in. Additionally, you’ll find that it is beginning to get crowded (most amusement parks find themselves around capacity at lunchtime) so this is the best time of day to walk around and let everyone else jostle for the rides.

Head towards Sleeping Beauty Castle but instead of going across the drawbridge – head to your left. There’s a ramp that will lead you down underneath the castle! This castle is unique because not only can you go to the bottom of the castle – but there’s a dragon that lives underneath. He’s pretty cool to watch, and sometimes he even wakes up. Keep an eye throughout this area – the dragon does a few different things, so make sure to stick around and watch him for a bit.

Once you’ve experienced all the dragon has to offer, head up the stairs behind you and towards the top of the castle. Similar to Disneyland California, there is an exhibit at the top, where you can walk around and learn about the story of Sleeping Beauty (make sure to keep your eyes open here too – there are a lot of fun tricks and moving parts).

Once you’ve seen everything inside of the castle (and maybe even taken a few more pictures in front of it), head across the castle drawbridge and towards the back of the park to Alice’s Curious Labyrinth. This may seem like an ordinary maze, but it will surprise you – it’s nothing like the corn mazes you might be used to. It’s actually quite hard, and quite fun, to navigate. But, once you make your way through, you’ll find yourself at the top of the Queen of Hearts castle – and the view from the top is worth it. This is the highest point for guests in the park, and you get a beautiful view of the entire park. You can see everything up here. Grab a few photos and snap a few selfies before heading down to the bottom again.

From here, the afternoon is yours. If there are any rides you missed, or lines you want to stand in, do them! Now is also a good time to stand in line for character meet-and-greets (I highly recommend the Darth Vader one). Your app will let you know when and where the characters are, so head towards your meet-and-greet of choice.

Unlike other Disney park, a lot of characters roam around DLP, so make sure to keep your eye open – you never know who you might run into when you turn the corner. Just note that all characters are backstage by 2 p.m. (or whenever the first show starts) so as not to ruin the Disney magic (Disney avoids having “duplicate” characters in the park. Meaning, they don’t want you to take a photo with a character in Fantasyland and then walk down to the parade and see them performing at the same time – it would cause a lot of questions!)

Now is also a great time for a snack. I highly recommend grabbing a chocolate crepe from the red wagon on the HUB. Other good snacks include some popcorn in the HUB or ice cream on Main Street.

Around 2 p.m., the shows will begin and most of the characters will have gone backstage, so a lot the activity and people will begin moving towards the castle. Head over to the right of the castle, where you’ll see the Castle Stage. There is no seating, so make sure to find a good place where you feel comfortable standing and can look through other guest’s heads.

If you want to see the parade, don’t have to line up too early, but make sure to get there on time as seating on Main Street does fill up. If the parade doesn’t interest you, then make sure to get in any big-ticket attractions that usually has a long line. The park will empty out a bit while people are on Main Street watching, so now is the best chance to get in a line that may have been longer earlier in the day.

Dinner

By the time nighttime begins to roll around you should have had the opportunity to do everything on your list and more. As I said, Disneyland Paris is a rather small park and even on its busiest day can be very manageable. Remember that Disneyland Paris (as well as Studios) closes fairly early (when we were there, it was closed by 8:30 p.m.), so no matter how early it feels, the end of your day is drawing close.

If you’re looking for dinner, now is the time. I still don’t recommend too much in terms of food, but Disneyland Paris does have one extremely unique restaurant that may be worth the price: Captain Jack’s. If you’ve ridden Pirates of the Caribbean, this is the restaurant you see to your left, right before you head into the bayou area. From what I have heard, the food is a little more top-shelf than the rest of the park, and you can sit and watch the boats float by while you are eating (and drinking!)

What I would recommend is to save your time and get as much park time in as possible (after all, you’re only spending one day here!) There are some dinner choices outside of DLP in Disney Village, but don’t get your hopes up – the food out here is also very sub-par (sense a theme here?!) out of all of the ones we tried, I would recommend King Ludwig’s – but maybe split a meal if you’re with someone, since the price is high and the food mediocre (You can fill up on snacks while you continue to walk around the park!)

Dinnertime is also a great time to pick up any souvenirs that you may be looking for. Remember that Disney allows you to bring your bags on rides (even the looping Hyperspace Mountain) so don’t feel inhibited and get what you would like.

Nighttime

After dinner, or before you leave, make sure to ride some of your favorites again before the night closes out. Some rides are perfect at night – such as Hyperspace Mountain (where when you blast off you can get a glimpse of the night sky and the park at night), Dumbo and Big Thunder Mountain (where the line has probably died down by now). You can even hop on your favorite ride a few times in a row (David and I like to walk through the virtually-empty queue and get a few more rounds on Buzz Lightyear Spin).

No matter how you spend your night, make sure to catch the fireworks show at the end of the night. It’s completely unique to DLP and is absolutely breathtaking. The show uses all of Sleeping Beauty Castle, projecting Disney movie clips onto the facade while a water show and fireworks play in tandem. It’s the perfect way to end the night.

Something to note, however, is that the rides close down right as the fireworks show starts. This means that near-about everyone in the park has made their way to Main Street to catch the show – and there will be a serious bottleneck when it’s over. If you’re looking to grab some food (or just get out into Disney Village) consider watching the show from the back of Main Street so you’re not stuck when the show is over. If you do watch from the front, make sure to use the arcades on either side of Main Street (instead of the main path) to speed up your getting out.

Additionally, there is no “Kiss Goodnight,” at Disneyland Paris like other Disney parks (Kiss Goodnight is the hour after the park closes, where the castle sparkles and music plays, allowing you to have some time to go through the souvenirs on Main Street and leisurely close out your night). Once the fireworks show is over, the park is closed – so plan your night accordingly.

After the Park Closes

There are plenty of options for an after-park drink if you’re not exhausted from your long day. You can easily find a nice drink (and maybe a snack) by heading into the Disneyland Hotel and grabbing a drink at Café Fantasia or California Grill. It’s a five-star location that feels five-star, and it’s a beautiful demonstration of Disney’s service and food (but be warned – everything is quite pricey).

If you read my guide to Disneyland Paris, you’ll know that the French (or at least DLP) has a big obsession with cowboys and westerns. There are plenty of Western options throughout Disney Village and if you’re looking for a show, try to get a reservation at Billy Bob’s Country Western. There’s usually a show after the park closes, so it would be a good way to sit down while keeping the Disney magic going.

As I discussed above, the rest of the restaurants are going to be only OK all while being pricey. Some options to try are King Ludwig’s, Rainforest Café and Planet Hollywood (but try at your own risk!)

Almost every restaurant in Disney Village (and throughout Disneyland Paris) serves alcohol. Additionally, almost every restaurant in Disney Village also has a bar. So if you’re looking for a drink, it won’t be hard to find. Some of the fun places to get a drink and enjoy the Disney Village atmosphere include the Sports Bar and Planet Hollywood.

By now you will be able to say, “I did Disneyland Paris in one day!” Enjoy the feat, and rest your aching feet, because it is quite an accomplishment. Grab a drink or head home to get some sleep. You’ve done a lot in one day!

One Day Guide to Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios

Before starting this itinerary, three things to note:

1. Read the itinerary above. While you’re also going to be adding in Studios, the bulk of what you’re going to be doing at DLP is the same (but faster).
2. If you’re doing all of Disneyland Paris and Studios in one day, note that while you will definitely be able to do all of the big-ticket rides, you will not be able to hit every ride in both parks. There’s just not enough time. You’re going to have to miss some of the small rides – and it’s up to you to decide what, when and where you’ll fit these in based on wait times (the app will help you find the rides with smaller lines).
3. This itinerary also assumes you have a park hopper pass (though if you were trying to do both parks in one day, I don’t see why you wouldn’t). If you only have one day at Disneyland Paris and want to do both parks, then the splurge for the Park Hopper pass is worth it. You’ll easily have time to do both parks, so don’t feel intimidated.

Breakfast

Before leaving, make sure that your phone is charged and the Disneyland Paris app is downloaded and ready on your phone (and you are connected to the Wi-Fi). You’re going to have to move quickly today, and these will be essential to making sure that you fit it all in.

Grab some breakfast using my tips above. Preferably, eat before you get in the parks. You’ll have time to grab a bite, but it can’t go unsaid that you can move much quicker without stopping for breakfast.

Morning – Disneyland Park

You are going to start your day with Extra Magic Hours at Disneyland Park. Since Disney Studios is the much smaller park, and therefore the park that you can do faster, it makes more sense to spend the majority of your day and begin your day, at DLP. Make sure to get to the park about an hour and a half before the real park open time (i.e. if the park opens at 9:30, you will be let in around 8:00 for Extra Magic Hours, with the rides starting at 8:30). In this time, get some photos with the castle and nearly-empty park, grab a cup of coffee or espresso, and make sure to be at the front of the HUB for rope drop right at the beginning of EMH.

Princesses Itinerary

As discussed above, if you have even the smallest desire to meet some Princesses, make sure to start your day by being the first at rope drop and then running to the Princess Pavilion from there. After you meet the princesses, and if you still have time in your Extra Magic Hours, make sure to complete all of the dark rides in Fantasyland (such as Snow White’s Scary Adventure, Pinocchio’s Voyage, and Peter Pan’s Flight) before heading back to the HUB before the park opens. Your goal is to be standing in front of Frontierland when they make the park opening announcement, and head right to Big Thunder Mountain.

Try to be one of the first in line to ride Big Thunder Mountain and then immediately head over to Phantom Manor. Once these rides are complete, head back to Discoveryland and do all three big-ticket rides over there (Hyperspace Mountain, Star Tours, and Buzz Lightyear Blast).

After completing the “Big Three” in Discoveryland, you will want to go back towards the castle to finish any other ride you want (remember: don’t try to fit all of the smaller rides in). Walk over towards Adventureland, where you’ll ride Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones. Take a peek into any of the walkthrough exhibits that interest you in Adventureland and then take note of the time. All of this should get you right up to lunchtime.

Non-Princesses Itinerary

If you do not want to meet the princesses, then your morning will be a little slower than the above. As soon as you can go in, head to the right toward Discoveryland where you are going to start by riding Hyperspace Mountain, followed by Star Tours and Buzz Lightyear. You’ll then head back to Fantasyland to complete all three dark rides. If you still have time in your Extra Magic Hours, make sure to explore the castle and visit the dragon (if you don’t make it to the dragon in the morning, then make sure to find time later the in the day – the dragon is not something to miss!) Make sure to be back in the HUB and ready to head to Big Thunder Mountain as soon as the park opens.

Make sure that you are standing right at the entrance to Frontierland when the park opens. You’ll want to head straight for Big Thunder Mountain, where you’ll hopefully be first in line to ride. Once you’ve ridden Big Thunder, then head right across the street to Phantom Manor.

After Big Thunder and Phantom, head over to Adventureland to ride Indiana Jones and Pirates of the Caribbean. Once these are done, you’ll have done all of the big-ticket rides in this park. Make sure to fit anything else you missed or want to do before lunch (some suggestions include the Alice in Wonderland maze and some of the walkthrough areas in Adventureland) but don’t try to fit every little ride in.

Late Morning & Lunch

In both itineraries, Fast Passes won’t help you – your goal is to fit in as much as you can in the morning to leave room for Disney Studios in the afternoon. If you see a Fast Pass for a ride that still has time slots in the morning, then grab it, but make sure that it doesn’t hinder your ability to complete all of the big-ticket rides by lunchtime.

For lunch, you have a few choices. If you want to eat in Disneyland Paris, then I’d recommend one of two choices:

1. Casey’s Corner – Grab a quick bite to eat at Casey’s Corner. If you’re still hungry, you can follow this up with some ice cream on Main Street or something sweet from the Bakery.
2. Café Hyperon – This restaurant is counter-service at its best, but it serves the classics – hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken and salads. It’s a good place to grab something that will keep you going for the rest of the day – but don’t expect too much for the price.

If you want to eat at Studios for lunch, then your best bet is Chef Remy’s. The restaurant is one of the most expensive in the park, but it is also one of the coolest (the restaurant is located in the Ratatouille ride, allowing you to watch the mouse cars go by as you eat). I’ve been told on multiple occasions that this is some of the best food you will get at Disneyland Paris, so if you’re going to splurge, now is the time. If you want to go this route, you will need a reservation, so make sure to plan accordingly.

Other quick lunch choices between parks in Disney Village include:

1. Five Guys
2. McDonald’s
3. Earl of Sandwich

If you’re feeling guilty about eating a chain restaurant for lunch when you’re at Disney – don’t. If there’s been one constant from my guides, it’s that I feel the food within the Disneyland Paris parks is mediocre at best. Since you’re switching between the two parks anyways, it’s worth it to save time and money at a restaurant where you know exactly what you’ll get for a price that isn’t exorbitant.

Afternoon – Walt Disney Studios

After lunch, make sure to head to Disney Studios if you weren’t already there. As you walk in, take the time to look around the Front Lot (the building you enter the park through). When you exit Front Lot, head to the right and straight towards Ratatouille.

Ratatouille can vary in terms of wait time throughout the day, so if you see that the wait time is under half an hour, get right in line. If you read my guide, you’ll also know that a good time-saving trick for Ratatouille is using the single-rider line. Even if you have a lot of people in your group, it’s a high likelihood that you’ll be able to ride in the same grouping of cars, or one right after another. Additionally, when you’re riding the ride, you’ll find that you’re so focused on what the ride has to offer that you won’t even notice if your friends and family are with you (and you can always compare notes afterward).

After Ratatouille, head right to RC racers in Toy Storyland. This may be the longest wait you have in Studios (the cars have a small capacity, so the lines are usually very long) but the ride is worth the wait. Hop on any of the other small rides you want to do in Toy Story Land before heading to Hollywood Tower of Terror. After Tower of Terror, head right over to Rock ‘N Roller Coaster. Both of these will likely have small lines.

If the Lights, Motors, Action show is running (it closes often due to weather) and there is a show time near, then go watch and let your feet take a break. If not, head over to the Studio Tour and let your feet rest that way NOTE: The Studio Tour has seen better years and may not meet your expectations after having been on the big-ticket rides in the park. That’s OK – this is still a good way to sit down and rest in the afternoon.

If there are any other shows you want to do, fit them in now. Otherwise, the last part of your day should be heading over to Crush’s Coaster. Again, the single-rider line will cut down your wait time significantly.

At this point, Studios should be getting ready to close (it isn’t generally open later than about 6:30 – 7 p.m.). If you have time, ride your favorite ride again (I always vote for Ratatouille) but once the park closes, head back over to Disneyland Paris.

Night – Disneyland Paris

At this point, it will probably be nearing closing at Disneyland Paris (the park doesn’t close much later than Studios, usually around 8:30 or 9:00 p.m.) Because of this, you’ll want to prioritize your final few hours wisely.

The final parade or show of the day may be happening as you walk back in. If wanted, make sure to catch that. After that, prioritize any rides you couldn’t get to in the morning. Now is also a good time to get a repeat of your favorite ride in – I like Buzz Lightyear or Pirates of the Caribbean.

Instead of focusing on dinner in Disneyland Park, I would focus on getting in as many rides as you can before park closing. If you have done all of the big-ticket rides, then it’s worth going counter-clockwise around the park and hitting each again (the park is quieter at night, so you shouldn’t need to wait too long). Use the app to help guide you – if something is longer than a twenty-minute wait, then skip it.

No matter what, your night should end by watching the fireworks show. Between the Disney clips, the water show and the fireworks, it’s the perfect ending to what was a very busy day. Once the show is complete, make your way out and head to Disney Village for a drink if wanted (use the guide above to help you pick your poison) or head off to sleep. You’re now one of the few who can say, “I did both Disneyland Paris AND Walt Disney Studios in one day!” No matter what, let your feet relax. I’m sure they deserve it 😊

One Day Guide to Walt Disney Studios

There isn’t a need to write a one-day guide for Walt Disney Studios. That’s because Studios is so small that you can get it all done in one morning or one afternoon without really needing much more of a plan than what I outlined above. If you choose to spend a full day at Studios, that’s fine, but know that you will have a lot of downtime. Studios is easily completed in a morning or afternoon and should be reserved just for that.

For example, my husband and I walked into Studios at 1:30 p.m. during the Food & Wine Festival with a 6 p.m. closing time. Not only were we able to get most of the big-ticket rides in multiple times (we did Ratatouille two times and Hollywood Tower of Terror three), we rode almost all of the small rides and had a sample from almost every booth. Therefore, I’d reserve just Studios for a travel day and do it either before you leave or after you get in town. Make sure to use the tips above to help you prioritize, and don’t forget to use the app to check wait times.

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Now that you have done Disneyland Paris in one day, leave a comment below to let me know how your experience was! Let me know: What did you think of DLP? Would you go again? What was your favorite ride? I want to hear!

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