We get asked this often: “If we can visit just one Disneyland Paris Park, which one should it be?” And usually, our answer is pretty straightforward, “both”. The two Disneyland Paris parks each have their unique themes, experiences, characters, and rides. And most of them you don’t want to miss. If you really have to choose, we will guide you to the best park for you in this article, but remember, either way, you will be missing out on some fun!
Disneyland Park
Disneyland Park is the oldest of the two parks at Disneyland Paris. It’s also the most magical, with lots of Disney characters and rides based on famous films. The pink Sleeping Beauty Castle is the centre of the park and the perfect backdrop for photos to commemorate your visit.
Throughout the day, there are multiple parades and character meetings, and at closing time, you can watch a nighttime show with lots of fireworks, special effects, and music from Disney films.
Walt Disney Studios Park
Walt Disney Studios Park opened 10 years after Disneyland Park, with significantly fewer rides, characters, and experiences. This park has a film theme, and most rides are based on a famous Disney film or show.
That would make the decision easy, right? Not necessarily, as this park is also home to the most popular rides in Disneyland Paris, like Crush’s Coaster, Ratatouille The Adventure, and the two brand new rides in Avengers Campus. You can also find some wildly popular shows here, like Mickey and the Magician, Disney Junior Dream Factory, and Frozen: A Musical Invitation.
Reasons to choose just one of the two parks
One of the reasons why people choose to visit just one of the two Disneyland Paris parks is time. Usually, one day isn’t enough to see and experiences everything the resort has to offer. By skipping one of the two parks, you don’t have to rush and can take your time to go on the rides, see some of the shows, and eat at one of the themed restaurants.
Another reason to just visit one park is the price. If you are visiting for one day, you can buy a one park one day ticket. This is the cheapest ticket available. However, it saves you just a few euros, so if saving money is your only reason, it might not be worth it. And if you are visiting for multiple days, both parks are included in your ticket.
What is the best Disneyland Paris park?
Most people will agree that Disneyland Park is the best of the two theme parks. It has the most rides, shows, characters, experiences, and of course, the famous castle. It also has many family rides without height restrictions if you bring your little ones.
That being said, Walt Disney Studios Park has some of the best thrill rides in Disneyland Paris. If you like thrills, you don’t want to miss Crush’s Coaster, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and Avengers Assemble: Flight Force. This park is also home to Avengers Campus, an immersive themed land made for fans of the Marvel Universe.
The thing is, both parks have lots to offer and rides and shows you don’t want to miss. If it’s your first and maybe only visit to Disneyland Paris, I would really advise you to buy a ticket for both parks. To save time, you can purchase Disney Premier Access for the rides you don’t want to miss. This will cut the wait time to 15 minutes at most, which can be a huge time saver for rides such as Crush’s Coaster, Big Thunder Mountain, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure.
You can also look into visiting the parks during the offseason, which are parts of January, February, May, June, September, and November, and try to avoid weekends and French Public Holidays like May 1st, 14 July, 11 November, and 11 December. That will leave you with enough time to experience both parks.
And finally, if you are able to stay at least one night, look into Disney Hotel Santa Fe. This is the cheapest hotel on the property, where the price for a package with stay and tickets is usually just a bit more expensive than a two-day two-park ticket.
So if you are considering visiting just one of the two Disneyland Paris parks, choose Disneyland Park, but know that you are missing out on the amazing rides and shows at Walt Disney Studios Park.
