If you're planning a Disneyland Paris trip, one of the easiest things to underestimate is just how much time you'll spend walking.
We've regularly done 20,000–30,000+ steps in a day at Disneyland Paris, often in changing weather and with long days in the parks.
Over our 19 trips to Disneyland Paris, we've forgotten things, overpacked things and eventually settled into a packing routine that genuinely makes life easier.
This guide covers exactly what we personally pack for Disneyland Paris, including practical essentials, things that save money and a few items we've learned not to forget.
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For most trips we always pack:
✔ Refillable water bottle
✔ Squash/water flavouring
✔ Hand sanitiser
✔ Phone charger
✔ Power bank
✔ Snacks
✔ Waterproof jacket
✔ Small umbrella
✔ Plasters
✔ Pain relief
✔ Comfortable shoes
✔ Sun cream
The rest depends on the season and how long you're staying.
Buying drinks throughout the day adds up quickly.
Disneyland Paris has water refill stations around the parks and we nearly always take refillable bottles.
It saves money and means you're not constantly stopping to buy drinks.
This probably sounds random, but we always take small squash bottles.
Children can suddenly become much more interested in drinking water when it tastes like something.
They take up almost no room and have saved us buying expensive drinks many times.
You'll touch:
Especially with younger children, hand sanitiser quickly becomes one of those things you use far more than expected.
Between flights, queues and walking all day, headaches and sore feet happen.
We've ended up needing this enough times that it's now permanently part of our packing list.
These have rescued several trips.
Even shoes you've worn before can suddenly become uncomfortable after 25,000 steps.
Blister plasters take up almost no room and can save a lot of misery later.
Disneyland Paris weather can change very quickly.
We've had trips where we've started in sunshine and ended up absolutely soaked a few hours later.
A lightweight waterproof jacket takes up very little room and is usually easier than carrying ponchos around all day.
The Disneyland Paris app uses much more battery than you'd think.
Throughout the day you'll probably be checking:
We use the app constantly, so a power bank is one of those things we would not travel without now.
It sounds obvious, but we've forgotten chargers before and it's surprisingly annoying when you're relying heavily on the Disneyland Paris app throughout the day. We always keep ours in an easy-to-reach pocket rather than buried at the bottom of a bag. Don't forget an adapter too.
We nearly always take snacks into the parks.
Usually things like:
Partly to save money, but also because children suddenly become hungry while standing in queues.
If you're wondering what you're allowed to take into the parks, we've covered that fully in our guide to Can You Take Food Into Disneyland Paris?
Summer is definitely easier to pack for because clothes take up less room.
We'd usually pack:
✔ T-shirts
✔ Shorts
✔ Sunglasses
✔ Sun cream
✔ Refillable bottle
✔ Hat
✔ Portable fan
Don't underestimate how warm queue areas can feel during summer.
Winter trips need a little more planning because bulky clothes take up more space.
We'd usually add:
✔ Coat
✔ Gloves
✔ Scarf
✔ Hat
✔ Extra socks
✔ Layers
We've visited Disneyland Paris at Christmas and during colder months and the temperature can feel much colder standing outside watching parades and fireworks.
If you're travelling with younger children we'd also pack:
✔ Nappies
✔ Wipes
✔ Spare clothes
✔ Small snacks
✔ Muslins
✔ Pushchair rain cover
✔ Comfort item/toy
One accident or spill can suddenly make spare clothes very useful.
Teenagers usually become much easier to pack for, but phone batteries become the new problem.
For older children we'd usually add:
✔ Headphones
✔ Power banks
✔ Portable chargers
✔ Snacks
✔ Hoodie for evenings
Over the years we've definitely packed things we never used.
Things we'd usually skip now:
✘ Too many spare outfits
✘ Large towels
✘ Multiple pairs of shoes
✘ Large toiletries
✘ Heavy bags you'll carry all day
The less you're carrying around Disneyland Paris, the happier your feet usually are.
Wear comfortable shoes you already trust.
Not brand new Disney trainers.
Not shoes you've never properly worn.
You'll likely walk far more than you expect and sore feet can ruin a day quickly.
We've learned that lesson the hard way. The biggest mistake we used to make was overpacking. Disneyland Paris is much easier when you're carrying less and only taking things you'll genuinely use.
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