Disneyland Paris makes for a great day trip from the city of Paris. Despite its name, the theme park isn’t located in Paris, but it isn’t too far. While you can get there by car, it’s more convenient to go by train, we think, plus you’ll save money if you can skip the rental car. In this post, we’ll cover taking the train from central Paris to Disneyland Paris.
The Short Version
As with all our transit posts, I like to include a summary of the trip for people more familiar with Paris transit. Traveling from Paris to Disneyland Paris by train is easy—take the RER A to Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy. The only thing to note is that RER A trains in this direction terminate at either Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy or Boissy-Saint-Léger. Make sure you get on one terminating at Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy.
About the RER A
The RER A is a regional train line serving Paris and the surrounding cities. It is one of five RER lines (A, B, C, D, E) and is typically represented by a thick red line on maps and a red “A” in a circle icon.
The RER train system is distinct from but related to the Paris Metro, which has 16 numbered lines primarily serving the city of Paris.
In the eastbound (“Est” in French) direction, the RER A line splits into two destinations—Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy and Boissy-Saint-Léger. Signage at the station should thoroughly indicate where the upcoming trains are headed (more on this below).
ABOUT DISNEYLAND PARIS RESORT AND MARNE-LA-VALLÉE—CHESSY
Disneyland Paris Resort is a Disney parks complex located 20 miles east of Paris center in Marne-la-Vallée (sort of pronounced “marn lava LEE”). Disneyland Paris resort has two theme parks, several hotels, and a shopping/dining district called Disney Village. With the exception of a few off-site hotels, the entire resort is walkable.
The Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy train station is adjacent to Disney Village and about one minute from the entrances to the two parks. Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy is serviced by RER A trains from Paris (about 30 minutes to Paris center) and by TGV trains that connect Disneyland Paris to Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in about 10 minutes.
Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy has luggage storage starting at 5.50 Euro. I don’t know how big the lockers are.
You can walk from Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy to the two theme parks (2 min), Disneyland Hotel (2 min), Hotel New York (6 min), Sequoia Lodge (9 min), Newport Bay Club (10 min), Hotel Cheyenne (15 min), and Hotel Santa Fe (15 min). There is also complimentary bus service to the hotels.
Planning Your Trip
The simplest way to plan your trip from Paris to Disneyland Paris is to use Google Maps. You want your destination to be Gare de Marne la Vallée Chessy. Input your point of origin and request transit directions (the train icon), and Google Maps will tell you how to make the trip.
Depending on your starting point in Paris, you’ll either go straight to an RER A station or take a metro (or other RER) train first and then transfer to an RER A station. If Google Maps is giving alternate directions, try again.
If you are searching from the US, the directions may be “wrong” because the current time is the middle of the night in Paris, and the RER A isn’t running. You can change the times in Google Maps.
The RER A usually runs about every 15 minutes, typically from about 5AM to midnight. You can check the official timetables here.
Buying Your Ticket
Note: Paris is phasing out paper tickets in the coming years, so the details of this process will change slightly.
There are a variety of ticket options for the Paris train systems—day passes, week passes, reloadable cards, etc. We’re going to focus here on the simplest option, one-way train tickets from Paris to Disneyland Paris. The fare is 5 Euro from Gare de Lyon, for example, to Disneyland Paris as of early 2023.
Because fares are zone-based, you need to keep your ticket in order to exit at Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy. Do not discard it once you get on the RER A train.
Note About Credit Cards
If you have to purchase with a US-issued credit card, know that there’s a chance the machines won’t take your card because it likely doesn’t have a PIN associated with it. I’ve had better luck lately (as in, over the last decade or so) with the machines just overlooking my American card and the transactions going smoothly. But it’s best to be prepared with cash or to just start by purchasing from an attendant.
Buying from an Attendant
Most (or all?) stations have ticket booths serviced by attendants. To avoid dealing with a machine, you could just approach one of these people and ask to purchase a ticket to Disneyland (you’ll sound less stupid saying “Disneyland” than trying to pronounce “Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy”).
Buying from a Ticket Machine
The quickest way to buy a train ticket in Paris is typically to use a ticket machine. There are a few variations of these, but your origin station should have a ticket machine selling RER and Metro tickets. Because of the variations, there’s no single set of step-by-step directions / photos to give you.
The machines all have an English option. RER fares (or combo RER-metro fares) are zone-based. That means your origin and destination together determine the fare. When purchasing a ticket to Disneyland Paris, you’ll want to choose an option that allows you to name your destination station (Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy).
The main options are typically for rides within Paris or into Paris if you’re outside Paris. It shouldn’t be hard to find “Other Stations” or some similar option.
Taking the RER A to Disneyland Paris
The ticket you purchase from the metro or RER station for the destination Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy will be good for your entire trip, and you’ll need it until you exit at Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy. Don’t lose it.
If you need to take an RER or Metro train to connect you to the RER A, I can’t speak to the specifics of every possible trip. Generally:
Use your ticket to go through the turnstile
Keep your ticket
Make sure you board the train in the proper direction
Exit at the station with the RER A
Once you’re at a station with the RER A, you need to do a few simple things…
Follow signage for the RER A. Because—duh—we’ve already established a thousand times that you’re taking the RER A to Disneyland Paris.
Follow signage for the RER A “Est.” “Est” is “east” and “Ouest” is “west.” You’re going east to Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy, so you’ll want to follow signs for the RER A Est if the station uses different platforms for east and west. These signs often but not always have a prominent Mickey icon.
Board the train to Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy. RER A Ost trains terminate at two different stations—Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy and Boissy-Saint-Léger. Don’t get on a train going to Boissy-Saint-Léger.
Paris really helps you get on the right train. First, the monitors at the station tell you where the next trains are going, and they have Mickey icons to clarify that Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy is Disneyland:
The signage above the platform indicates where the next train will be stopping:
And when a train is approaching, the topmost line on the monitor will say “approaching” in English and French (the image below was from a station only serving Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy):
Onboard, screens show the destination station and the upcoming stations:
Once at Marne-la-Vallée—Chessy, follow the signs for “Parcs Disneyland.” Exiting the station out the south doors, the parks are toward your right and Disney Village is (mostly) to the left. You can go through whichever security line looks shortest, though.
Welcome to Disneyland Paris!
All Your Other Disneyland Paris Planning Questions Answered
Don’t be overwhelmed by Disneyland Paris planning! Take a second to check out our most important content! Just starting out? Check out our Disneyland Paris Trip Planning Guide. Need to know how much this is going to take out of your pocket? We’ve got a post on How Much it Costs to Go to Disneyland Paris.
When it comes to hotels, we’ve reviewed three of them. Check our our Review of Disneyland Hotel (Paris), Review of Disney's Sequoia Lodge, and Review of Disney's Hotel Cheyenne. We also recommend considering an off-site hotel or Airbnb when visiting Disneyland Paris.
Know what to ride with our: Disneyland Paris Rides Guide and Walt Disney Studios Park Rides Guide. And just as important, know how to get on the best rides without the wait with our Guide to Disneyland Paris Fastpass! For the complete guides to a day at the park, we have a One Day Disneyland Paris Itinerary and a Walt Disney Studios Park Itinerary.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.