Disneyland Paris – Disney Village

Disneyland Paris’ Disney village is a lot like Downtown Disney in California; small and right near the park. But it looks like a lot of changes are going to be happening here over the next few years, so it will be interesting to see the development when you compare it to the likes of Disney Springs in Walt Disney World.

Unlike Disney Springs, that very much feels like a village of endless shops and restaurants, Disney Village is essentially a strip of a few Disney-related shops and places to eat. That isn’t to say it isn’t good. It’s really good, with just about everything that you need, and every time we walked through it, there was always a really happy vibe.

Restaurants

We didn’t actually eat anything in Disney Village this time, as we just spent as much time in the parks as possible, so ate as we went on. But we’ve definitely got our eyes on a few places for our next visit.

In terms of dining here, you have quite a good variety to choose from. From Earl of Sandwich to Planet Hollywood to Annette’s Diner to Rainforest Cafe to McDonalds. There are also a few kiosks where you can buy snacks from too.

Towards the end of our holiday we also spotted a sport bar, aptly called Sports Bar – and when passing through from the afternoon it was quite busy, with tables outside and sports on the big screens.

You can’t book a reservation at Annette’s Diner, it is just recommended to visit during non-peak hours – so I would always say when big events are happening in the parks like parades. It is meant to be a really cool place to eat with great food and waitresses serving you on roller skates. This is a must for our next visit.

The likes of Mc Donald’s and Earl of Sandwich are walk ins. Planet Hollywood and Rainforest Cafe, you could probably chance to walk in, but I would definitely book a table if I were you.

Shops

We all miss the Disney Store in the UK, so visiting Disney Village’s World of Disney was a breath of fresh air. It is literally a world of Disney, selling everything you could ever wish for and more. The shop is big (not on the scale of the one in Disney Springs) but it suits the style and size of Disneyland Paris. And then they have a DISNEY STORE which is just like your regular Disney Store. It was great to be back inside. Everything you’ll find in both shops you’ll likely also find in the parks and hotel shops – so if you want a shopping-free time in the parks, you’ll likely be able to find the same items in Disney Village.

Other shops you can find here include Boutique Planet Hollywood (on the outside of the restaurant, you don’t need to walk up and through the restaurant to get to it), Boutique Rainforest Cafe (at the restaurant entrance), Disney Fashion, The Disney Gallery and The LEGO Store.

Other

Before entering the Disney Village, you will have to go through a quick security check (metal detectors and bag check), from the hotels side, the trains, and I imagine it is the same on the other side for non-hotel guests. Even at peak times, we didn’t wait anymore than 2 minutes at any of the security checks.

When the parks get super busy around the times between 1 and 3 o’clock – having the Disney Village so close is definitely worth it. We used it to break our days up, and as a way for our toddler to have a safe run around, because at certain times of the day, the parks got far too busy to let him run around.

Disney Village is of course great for shopping, but it’s also great for finding a few moments of calm, away from the manic parks. It is a relaxing part of Disneyland Paris.

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