The Best Time to Go to Disneyland Paris

At Disneyland Paris the party never stops, the parks are open all year round for the enjoyment of the public and the seasons with special shows full of magic and colour follow one after the other.

This reality brings with it significant advantages as well as some notable disadvantages. On the one hand, no matter what time of year you decide to embark on your adventure, there is always plenty to see and do at Disneyland; on the other hand, the question of what is the best time of year to go to Disneyland can be a complicated one. Anyway, I'll break it all down for you below:

Christmas in Disneyland Paris is undoubtedly the best time to visit the park. During this period all the details, shows and decorations are carefully thought out to amaze us, thrill us and make us dream like children.

• The setting: The team in charge of the elaboration of the Christmas season at Disneyland Paris puts a lot of effort in achieving the delight of the visitors. A gigantic 24-metre high Christmas tree is installed in Town Square; Main Street is transformed into a Christmas village that guides you on your way to Sleeping Beauty's Castle.
• The shows: Many new ceremonies are included during this time. During the day there are two character parades and at night, the traditional Christmas tree lighting event led by Mickey and Minie.
• The characters: Christmas is the perfect time to see our Disney characters dressed in their festive finery. My favourites? Santa Goofy and the ever-adorable Stitch in his red and white outfit.
• The party starts early: The Disney Christmas season is usually available from the second week of November. If you want to make the most of the best days, I advise you to buy your Disneyland Paris tickets for the last two weeks of November and avoid weekends if you can.

Disneyland is one of the best destinations to travel from Paris. If you are on holiday in the City of Light and you want to take advantage of the opportunity to visit Disney on a budget, my recommendation is to strategically choose the cheapest times of the year.

The cheapest months in Disneyland are January and September; specifically the first two weeks of both months. These seasons coincide with the beginning of school and, therefore, the end of the holidays. The only drawback is that if you plan to travel to Paris with children, it will be very difficult to match their schedule to enjoy these experiences.

If you want to avoid crowds on your trip to Disneyland the least busy time is in winter but after the New Year. As a general tip, you can plan your trip on the first days of the week. From Tuesday to Thursday, if it doesn't coincide with a bank holiday, you will find shorter lines at the most popular attractions and you can easily book reservations at Disneyland's most popular restaurants.

Below is a specific range of dates to visit Disneyland and avoid the crowds. These dates are obtained by looking at the park's visitation history over the last few years; they are especially useful if you are only staying one day at Disneyland or two days at Disneyland and want to see everything.

• January: From the second week of the month, from Monday to Friday, you will find few visitors; I recommend to let the Christmas season furore pass.
• February: Only during the first week of the month there is little traffic, the rest of the month is moderate and with high traffic every day at the end of the month.
• March: As in January, the number of visitors drops considerably from the second week of the month and from Monday to Friday. Always avoid weekends and the Mardi Gras holiday on 6 March.

Spring at Disneyland is the best time to enjoy the park with good weather and a less euphoric Disney. In addition to a mild weather that sometimes turns summery, it has extended opening hours during weekends. Although if you want to avoid crowds, weekends are not the best option, neither are French holidays or school holiday weeks.

Although springtime at Disneyland has no fixed shows for the moment, there are beautiful parades with floats full of flowers and the usual characters that liven up the party. During this season, the gardens of the park take special prominence, where sculptures representing our favourite animations are placed. Alice's Labyrinth is brought back to life and it's not surprising in the spring season to find the Hatter or the White Rabbit taking part in the parades and floats.

Marvel Superheroes also makes its presence felt with a light show and acrobatics to entertain all the fans. As well as seeing the characters on stage you will be able to have your photo taken with: Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, Thor and more.

If this is your first time at Disneyland, summer is your best option. Although there is a widespread idea that this season should be avoided at all costs due to the influx of tourists, I personally consider that this season offers some interesting qualities.

Regarding summer crowds, while it is true that there are more people visiting Disneyland as a result of school holidays, it is also true that the crowds at this time of year are a little better distributed. Unlike the rest of the year where weekends are always very crowded, by summer the load is a little more evenly distributed.

But undoubtedly the main reason to choose this time if it is your first time at Disney is the opportunity to enjoy the park for longer hours thanks to the extended summer opening hours. During this time the parks usually close at 23:00, so you will have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the rides and outdoor shows. The weather also becomes quite pleasant, especially early in the season when the summer heat is not yet hitting us so hard.

Want to take advantage of **Disney'**s summer without the crowds? Plan your trip in June at the beginning of summer in Paris and between Monday and Thursday of the week.

Halloween at Disneyland Paris is the second big celebration in the calendar. Similar to the Christmas season, the theming is very strong with decorations made especially for this time of the year, with Halloween-inspired menus and Disney characters giving their all.

The settingTwo spaces not to be missed are:

• Sleeping Beauty's Chateau. Princess Aurora's castle, located at the end of Main Street in the central area of the park, is haunted by the evil Maleficent and the enchanted trees from the fairytale once again invade the walls and gardens giving them a terrifying appearance.
• The Fuente de Oro Restaurant: This space has always been the Mexican food restaurant of Disneyland Paris; on Halloween it honours the Mexican Fiesta de Muertos and its decoration is totally allusive to the film Coco. The whole square is filled with garlands, gigantic alebrijes and of course the beautiful skull and crossbones of the catrina.

Characters Don't miss the opportunity to have your picture taken with Jack Skeleton, the real King of Halloweentown; you can find him at a photo booth or with Sally in the Haunted Mansion. Maleficent also wanders the streets, most often in the area near the haunted castle.

ShowsThe fairytale villains take to the open-air stage next to Sleeping Beauty's castle and sing their favourite songs. Performers include Ursula, Maleficent, Cruella, The Evil Queen and more.

AttractionsTwo attractions not to be missed on Halloween are: The Haunted House and Tower of Terror.