How to get there and ticket questions...

[DisneyDudet]

OK.. my friend and I, from Texas in the US, are heading to Paris this December and will stay in the Latin Quarter, on Rue Muffetard.

I was wondering what the fastest and cheapest way to get to DLP? We're heading there for two out of our 6 or so days in Paris, so we want to utilize all the time we have, plus save some money (as we both just graduated college in December and are paying back loans and parents and such). So, that's question number one. I want to know EXACTLY how to get there. I heard that there is some station near Notre Dame, which is somewhat near us, if that helps...

Also, is there any way we can purchase tickets prior to arriving in Paris? We do this for WDW, and was wondering if people from the US can pre-purchase tickets? If not, I thought I read that you can buy them at some train station? I've never been to Paris, so I don't know anything. All I know is, I want to be able to have my ticket and walk into the park as early as possible to get all my time in.

Thanks in advance. You'll have to be very plain in talking to me. If there is a certain transportation system, you'll have to explain it to me, not just give me the name. I've been trying to read up on everything Paris, but since I haven't been there, I don't know much. So, please, explain everything as if I'm stupid!

 

[A Small World]

Found this info in the Useful info thread at the top of the page.

DLP is connected to Paris by the RER. You can very easily travel between DLP and Paris on the RER Line A - the journey takes about 35 minutes

When travelling to DLP from Paris, be sure to board the RER Line A4 in the direction of "Marne-la-Vallée / Chessy Parcs Disneyland".

The RATP website includes maps and information on the RER, Metro and buses. It also gives information on the Paris Visite travel card for use on all those methods of transport.

Another option for just a one day visit, and for use only on the RER, is the Mobilis ticket. NB the Mobilis can not be used for travel to the airport.

- The RER is an extension of the Paris metro (underground) system and goes out into the suburbs of Paris. The trains run every few minutes.
I think the station you are thinking of near Notre Dame is Chatelet les Halles which is on the same line and so you will not need to change however it is on the other side of the river to where you are in the Latin Quarter.

 

[DisneyDudet]

I tried to look up times of when the trains leave, but I can't find any.

I want to get there before opening, so what time would we have to leave from the Chatelet les Halles station on a Tues/Wed/Thurs?

Also, what about Disney tickets? Would it be cheaper to buy them before we leave?

 

[Ware Bears]

Hi, the park hours haven't been released yet for December but you need to allow about 35 minutes for the train journey. The trains are very frequent, probably about every ten minutes.

It would certainly save you time if you bought your tickets in advance. You can either buy them online from the official DLRP site here or you can buy them at FNAC stores in Paris, the Virgin Megastore on the Champs-Elysées in Paris, or the main RATP (Metro) ticket offices in Paris.

 

[A Small World]

I assume you could also get them from the Disney shop on the Champs Elysee in Paris

 

[Bexx]

I tried to look up times of when the trains leave, but I can't find any.

I want to get there before opening, so what time would we have to leave from the Chatelet les Halles station on a Tues/Wed/Thurs?

Have a look here to find the timetable that you need. The trains go about every 15-20 mins to Marne La Vallee - next to the times, look for the groups of letters starting with Q

If you buy a travel card, you need one that covers Zones 1 - 5

 

[Principessa]

Wow, Disneydudet,

I have some serious questions and info for you.....I am an American
who has lived in Paris (in the rue Mouffetard area!!!)

and a Disney fan who has been to Orlando WDW about 5 times,

I am going to DLP for my first time in like three days,

(I bought my ticket on the DLP official site and it was sent
to me Fedex in a couple of days; I think I paid $10 for
shipping)

and my sister lives in Fort Worth. Those are my "qualifications"

Now what can I tell you? From my standpoint, as someone who
wants to be at the front gates when the park opens, and in no
way disrespecting the nice advice everyone posted for you about the RER,
I have to ask you - have you traveled in Europe before? have you used public transportation in the US in a major metropolitan city before? These are things to consider. Do you speak French well enough to ask for directions and understand the answer if lost? This is only important if time is a key issue for you, which I think it is. If you don't care how long it takes you to get to DLP using the RER then you have no worries, go for it. BUT...if you want to go fast then in my opinion the RER is very
hard to use if you haven't first understood and mastered the Paris Metro, (so you know the difference and don't wander around the Metro looking for the RER!!) and
impossible to use if you are used to your whole life traveling by car and have never taken for example, the subway in New York or some other major urban area.

So question: why not stay one or two nights at a Kyriad (least expensive
French chain near DLP I think - kind of like a US Motel 6 maybe) out near
the park instead of commuting *twice* to Marne la vallee??? I think you would have to allow 90 minutes door to door for an RER trip, just to be safe. I agree that the travel time for the train is 35 minutes, but you
need to add in the walking to the RER entrance, standing around
time because the train you needed just left (another 15), the possible
technical delays, etc.

In my opinion, the RER can be fabulous, or a nightmare. I take it often
to visit a friend in the French suburbs. Sometimes the trains stop for 30-90 minutes because of a "passenger problem", ie, someone has jumped
onto the tracks. Once we took it to go to Versailles from Paris and
there was a major summer renovation project that added 40 min to our trip. Once the trains weren't working from the airport so they put us all on a local bus instead...it took an extra hour to get into town. And sometimes it works just fine... So...if you have lots of experience in life, you will love the RER. If you have less experience...still take the RER to go out to DLP but do it the night before and stay at the cheapest hotel you can find relatively near...then you'll only be negotiating the shuttle bus to get to the park on time.

Did you say you were going to go in December? Remember it's going to be cold and probably rainy! Oh my, I don't mean to be sounding negative; you could get one of those crisp clear beautifully sunny December Paris days too...Hope these thoughts are useful to you as you plan!

PS. Do you know about the "Let's Go" series of travel guides? I have
always used Let's Go France to plan my trips...it's written by college
students and has all of the cheapest most fun stuff to do. Look in it to
see if there's still a restaurant called Les Fondus (or something close to that) up near Montmartre,
it was a riot back in the day! They serve fondue and you drink red wine
out of baby bottles. Lots of laughs!

 

[DisneyZell]

Hi there, we just got back from Paris and had a great time at DLP. I know the previous poster was listing many drawbacks to using the RER to get to DLP, but I have to say, we found it pretty easy (and we are from a small town in New Hampshire with no experience taking public transportationand we don't speak French.) The info desks at the major train stations always had someone who spoke English, so it was never a problem for us. I would recommend buying the tickets ahead of time (we bought at our hotel) because the lines to purchase tickets were so long! I would also get there about 1/2 hour before the park opens to get on the rides you want to go on the most. I would give yourself about 1 hour to get to the park from your hotel...like it was said earlier, the train ride is about 35 min. but if you just miss one, you'll be waiting about 10-15 min for the next one. If you have any other questions, let me know. Enjoy your trip.