Disneyland Paris :: Paris, France

Also known by its original name of Euro Disney, Disneyland Paris is a wonderful vacation and recreation resort in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. Disneyland Paris is made up of two theme parks, a retail, dining and entertainment district and seven Disney-owned hotels. Opened in April 1992, it is the second complex opened outside the United States and the first to be owned and operated by Disney. Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios are the complex’s two theme parks and combined, the two parks bring in over 15 million visitors annually making Disneyland Paris and Disneyland Park (12+ million on its own) the most visited attractions in France and Europe.

Disneyland Park is based on the blueprint of Disneyland in California and is the largest of the Disney parks based on the original park. The park features forty nine attractions scattered through five themed “lands”. These lands encircle Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, which acts as a hub connecting all these lands with pathways across the 140 acres the park fills. Enjoy exploring all the different lands and interacting with beloved Disney characters or get some big thrills with a ride on Space Mountain Mission 2, a roller coaster ride that takes you to the edge of the universe. Walt Disney Studios was added to Disneyland Paris in 2002 and is a sister park to Disney’s Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney-MGM Studios) in Orlando. The park is themed around show business and shares numerous attractions with Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The park is currently separated into four themed areas: the Front Lot, Toon Studio, Production Courtyard and the Backlot. Opening in August 2010 will be the newest area of the park, Toy Story Playland. Toy Story Playland will be around the popular Disney-Pixar films with a variety of new attractions to enjoy.

With seven Disney-owned hotels you have many accommodation options available to choose from for your stay. The Disneyland Hotel is the most luxurious and most expensive, it is designed to loosely recreate lavish Victorian hotels which were popular in the United States around the end of the 19th century. Located over the entrance of Disneyland Park, the hotel gives guests magnificent views of the park. For those staying in the hotels most exclusive rooms, the Castle Club section, there is even a private elevator to provide access to the rooms. A stay at Disney’s Hotel New York will give you the essence and feel of New York City, with the exterior of the hotel designed to look like a miniature skyscraper-filled skyline. Disney’s Newport Bay Club is designed to replicate all the style and charm of the New England seaside in the late 19th century. The hotel is built in a crescent shape around one of Lake Disney’s bays and is the largest hotel on the property. At the time of its opening in 1992 the hotel housed more rooms than any hotel in Western Europe. In the mood to relax in a rugged charming mountain lodge, then Disney’s Sequoia Lodge is the place for you. Designed to evoke the atmosphere of American National Park lodges, this wonderful hotel lets you enjoy nature in all her majesty. Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne lets you continue your Frontierland experience with hotel designed as an authentic old Western town instead of a single hotel complex. Located on the other side of the man-made Rio Grande river across from Hotel Cheyenne is Disney’s Hotel Santa Fe. Disney’s Hotel Santa Fe is based on the southwestern United States and features bright colors and geometric Navajo designs combined with lots of sand, cactus and of course fiestas. Last but not least is Disney’s Davy Crockett Ranch, a hotel that lets you get back to nature and stay in your own wooden cabin. You will surely enjoy the natural and refreshing environment this rustic village is set in.

Looking for some entertainment? Make your next stop Disney Village. With loads of shopping, dining, movies, dancing and live entertainment, Disney Village is a great place to keep the magic going once the parks have closed for the day. From Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show with Mickey and Friends to a multiplex with 15 screens and an IMAX theater showing all the latest movies, there is plenty of entertainment for the kids. Adults will enjoy the four bars and ten themed restaurants serving delicious cuisine that offers you a variety of different tastes. With so much to see and do, Disneyland Paris is a great place to spend a vacation with the family.