Verdun and Versailles...

 Disneyland Park and Disney Studio Park Paris

In the Spring of 1992 the amusement park Disneyland Paris opened it`s gates.

The official name is Disneyland Resort Paris. It is spread out over an area of 2000 hectometers.
A giant Fairytale Land awaits you, exactly like the one in the USA. The attactions and rides are true in detail and interesting not only for the young.

Coming from Germany the park is, so to speak, on the way to Paris; it lies 30 km east of Paris. There are buses that bring you from the airport and from the TGV-Trainstation.

To get into the park with its 60 attractions you can buy tickets for one day only, or passes for several days that do not have to be used in accordance.

The tickets cost around 40,-Euros per person and day.
There are several hotels adjoining the park. These can be booked in Germany under (phone) 0180-58189 or in the Internet under
http://www.disney.de.

Also you can visit the Disney Village where different services are offered. There is a gym, a bicycle rental, boutiques, a movie, restaurants and last, not least, the Hurricane Discotheque.

Disneyland Paris is open year-round, from October to March only from 10:00 to 18:00 hrs.. In the remaining months the park opens at 9:00 o`clock and closes it`s gates at 23:00 hrs.. You can find up-dates on the following Web-Site http://www.disneylandparis.com. An inofficial Site will also help, it`s URL http://www.disneylandparis.de.

Here are the highlights of Disneyland Park Paris:

Main Street USA

Entering through the main gate into the park you will pass through the Disneyland Hotel onto Main Street USA. You will feel like being sent back to the last century.

Main Street has rows of shops and resaurants. All have true details of the last century. You`ll be greeted by musicians, disney-figures and a waving Mickey Mouse sitting in an oldtimer car and greeting all the visitors. Every day there is a grand parade.

Walking on you will get to the Central Plaza that shows themes of the countries of the world.

Best attraction here would be the castle of the Sleeping Beauty which is beautifully adorned and 40 meters high.

Discovery Land

Turning to the right you will come to Discovery Land where visions and ideas of people in the turn-of-the-century are dedicated to. Here stands "Space Mountain". Jules Verne and Leonardo da Vinci are also depicted.

Coming across the Nautilus which has ankered in the sea (can be viewed!) you arrive at Space Mountain with its rotating dome. This is one of the newer high-speed-attractions in Paris.

After staying in line you will be in for big surprises. The waiting line alone is quite interesting because it leads you through the run of the rollercoaster in semi-darkness. When finally you arrive at one of the wagons of Space Mountain, you will be catapulted upwards in a diagonal angle to await a rollercoaster ride in semi-darkness with wild loopings and lots of adrenalin.

Further attractions here are Star Tours (a virtual flight in a Star Wars plane), the Grand Prix runway Autopia and the Visionarium with Jules Verne`s time machine. You will also find the 4-D movie attraction "Darling, we shrunk the Visitors" and the show called "Mula, a Legend".

Fantasy Land

When you walk along the Central Plaza counter-clockwise ,you will come to Fantasyland which was inspired by Disney`s films.

Here you find Sleeping Beauty`s castle (Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant). You can walk around inside and encounter a dragon in the dungeon...

You will also encounter a magic forest, a Dumbo circus train, a caroussel with horse figures and other attractions suited for smaller children.

Adventure Land

Again walking counter-clockwise we reach Adventure Land.

Here we find examples of myths, legends and big adventures of times long ago that had to be dealt with. The main attraction here are the stories of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Death, which were created by Disney and George Lucas.

There is a small, seemingly wobbly, rollercoaster that is full of surprises.If you always had the wish to watch dangerous pirates doing their job, don`t miss the Pirates of the Carribean.

There are more things you can explore on your own on Adventure Island.

Frontierland

On the left side of Central Plaza lies Frontierland which you will enter through a Fort. Visually dominant in this part is the sea called "Rivers of the Far West" with it's Thunder Mountain.

This is the main attraction in Wild-West-Land. Getting into the wagons of the deserted gold mine that are on land, you will be riding through a tunnel that takes you under the sea to Thunder Mountain.

You can watch the above-mentioned ride from the Riverboat Landing Station, from where a ride is possible with the luxurious Riverboat. With the boat ride you pass the Phantom Manor, a replica of the Bates Motel (Psycho) that will send chills down your spine. Of course there are more attractions that are also suited for smaller children. For example the on-hands zoo or the show “Micky in Winterwonderland”.

If you want to take in all the attractions in one day you need a lot of energy walking around, and a lot of patience standing in line. It`s possible to get around in one day but much more comfortable and enjoyable if you give yourself two days, at least.

If you don`t want to see all the shows and the parade, one day will be enough to take in the main attractions. For me one day was enough because in theme parks of this kind the attractions are similar and I don`t have to see them all...


 In cooperation with travel pictures from Paris travel gallery pictures from Paris (german). 

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