Disneyland California park: practical information and tips
Are you leaving for a road trip in California soon and have you already enjoyed the most beautiful beaches in Los Angeles? In this case, visiting Disneyland in California is certainly one of the essential activities that you do not want to miss! In this post, I give you a taste of what you can see and do in one of the most iconic amusement parks in the world.
Disneyland Park, which is more often simply referred to as Disneyland or Disneyland California, is an amusement park located in the city of Anaheim on the outskirts of Los Angeles. It is one of the oldest and largest amusement parks in the world. Open since 1955, it is the very first “Enchanted Kingdom” (a designation reserved for the largest Disney parks divided into “lands”), and it is the only one whose creation was led by Walt Disney himself
On the agenda of this article
- How much does a ticket to Disneyland California cost?
- Special offers
- The different areas of Disneyland California
- Main Street, USA
- Adventureland
- Frontier Land
- tomorrowland
- Fantasyland
- New Orleans Square
- Critter County
- Mickey's Toontown
- Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
- Shows
- Disney California Adventure Park
- Visit Disneyland in California: practical information
- Opening hours and dates
- How do I get to Disneyland California?
- How long to visit Disneyland in California?
- When should you go?
- Where to eat ?
- The Disneyland App
- Additional tips
- The history of Disneyland California
- Where to sleep at Disneyland Resort?
- Disney hotels
- The Good Neighbor Hotel
- Find accommodation on your own
How much does a ticket to Disneyland California cost?
To visit Disneyland in California, you will need a ticket as well as choosing the exact day of your visit. The reservation of entrance tickets to the parks as well as the nights for a stay at Disneyland California is made directly from the official site.
Standard theme park tickets can be valid from 1 to 5 days, and they allow you to visit both parks. The price per day changes according to the number of days the ticket is valid. Prices are also variable depending on the date chosen.
The different areas of Disneyland California
Disneyland Park is divided into several areas which are called “lands” (countries or kingdoms). Each of them is linked to a specific theme. Originally, Disneyland California consisted of 5 lands, and three more have since been added.
A train, the Disneyland Railroad, goes all the way around the park and makes stops in each realm to allow visitors to move easily from one area to another.
Main Street, USA
Main Street, USA is the entry point to the park. This area is designed to recall the main streets of American cities in the first half of the 20th century, and in particular the small town in Missouri where Walt Disney grew up. It is the only kingdom where there are no real attractions, but where there are mainly shops, restaurants, exhibition venues and a cinema. Town Square, near the entrance, symbolizes the heart of the city, and all around is the Town Hall.
Adventureland
Adventureland is, as its name suggests, the kingdom of adventure, with a tropical and exotic atmosphere. Some attractions that have been around since the park opened are here, like Jungle Cruise, which is still popular, and Tarzan's Treehouse.
Frontier Land
Frontierland is an area themed around the conquest of the American West in pioneer times. You enter through a reproduction of a small mining town in the Wild West. Frontierland is home to the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, one of the park's roller coasters, but also the Mark Twain Riverboat, which allows you to take a short cruise on a dawn boat. This is also where Fantasmic takes place! the night show with fireworks which honors many classics such as Fantasia, The Jungle Book, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Dumbo or The Lion King.
Tomorrowland
This kingdom is looking to the future and to the great advances that the future holds for us. Tomorrowland is an area that has been around since the park opened and has been regularly upgraded. Among the most popular attractions of this land, you can discover the famous Space Mountain roller coaster, the Orbitron space shuttle carousel, the dynamic cinema film Star Tours: The Adventures Continue or Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.
Fantasyland
This area is home to the famous Sleeping Beauty Castle, probably Disneyland's most iconic site, which sits directly off Main Street. Fantasyland and the land of fairy tales where nothing is impossible. It is designed like a small traditional Bavarian village, and is home to It's a Small World, the world famous scenic cruise. There are also several rides for children such as Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Mad Tea Party, as well as the Fantasyland Theatre, one of the most beautiful performance halls in the park.
New Orleans Square
New Orleans Square was the first additional area to open after the park was established in 1966. It was one of the last projects Walt Disney worked on. Its atmosphere and decorations are directly inspired by New Orleans in Louisiana, and more particularly by Rue Bourbon in the old French square. There are several small streets lined with shops and restaurants, but also some big attractions.
This is where the Disney Gallery is located, a large shop and showroom where you can see many works of art (models, paintings, story boards, etc.), which were created during the development of Walt Disney Engineering projects.
Contrary to what one might think, the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, which much later inspired the hit film series, is not in Adventureland, but in New Orleans Square, as is Haunted Mansion, the mansion haunted by 999 ghosts.
Critter County
Critter County was inaugurated in 1972, it addresses the theme of the Rocky Mountains. This kingdom takes the place of the old Indian village, unlike other lands that exist in all Magic Kingdom parks, this area only exists in Disneyland California and Tokyo Disneyland. The star attraction is Splash Mountain, an aquatic attraction where visitors travel through the rapids of a river in a boat shaped like a tree trunk. Critter County is also home to Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes, and it's here that you can see The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh show.
Mickey's Toontown
This kingdom, which opened its doors in 1993, pays homage to Toonville, the town of the toons in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It's a place full of imagination and humour, with a large residential street where you can find the houses of Mickey, Minnie and Goofy, the treehouse of Tic et Tac, Donald's boat and the restaurant of Pluto's hot dogs.
Several scenic courses and roller coasters are also present, such as the Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin which offers a trip in Benny, Roger Rabbit's taxi, and Gadget's Go Coaster, the small roller coaster of the sidekick of Tic and Tac.
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge invites visitors to take a trip to Batuu, a planet located in a galaxy far, far away... This land, which has been open since 2019, includes the Millennium Falcon attractions: Smugglers Run (a dynamic cinema), as well as Stars Wars: Rise of the Resistance, one of the most modern attractions in the world, designed by the Walt Disney Imagineering teams.
Shows
There are many parades throughout the day and two night shows:
the Dreams Come True fireworks display at 9:25 p.m. and
the Fantasmic fireworks display at 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., located next to the Big Thunder Trail.
Disney California Adventure Park
This second park, located in the Disneyland Resort in California right next to the first, is smaller and newer. It focuses less on the great Disney classics and more on the universes and heroes of the additional licenses. Even if there are always attractions that will delight the youngest, it is home to a few more thrilling attractions.
At Adventure Park Disneyland, you can discover in particular:
Incredicoaster, the roller coaster of the superheroes of The Incredibles films.
Inside Out, for a journey into the world of Pixar's Vice-Versa film.
The Avengers Campus, a new area where you can team up with Marvel superheroes, visit Avengers headquarters, experience an adventure alongside Spider-Man, and help the Guardians of the Galaxy escape a dreadful trap.
Radiator Springs Racers, a race in the desert on board Cars vehicles.
Jessie's Critter Carousel, the cowgirl ride from Toy Story.
Golden Zephry, for a journey into space in a ship straight out of a science fiction film.
Grizzly River Run, the descent of a river aboard a large 8-seater buoy.
Games of Pixar Pier, a carbine shooter reminiscent of carnivals, but which propels players into the worlds of Pixar films.
Visit Disneyland in California: practical information
Opening hours and dates
The two parks of the complex are open every day of the year, except on exceptional occasions.
Disneyland Park is open from 8 a.m. to midnight
Disneyland California Adventure Park is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Note for tickets that have the Park Hopper option, that is to say that allow you to visit both parks during the same day, that the second park is accessible only from 1 p.m. its closing time.
For your purchases, Downtown Disney District, a shopping area located in the complex, but outside the parks, between Main Street and the Disneyland Hotel, is accessible from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m.
You can consult the official calendar to check the times of the parades and shows.
How do I get to Disneyland California?
Anaheim is located about a 45-minute drive from Los Angeles Airport (LAX). The Disneyland Resort Express shuttle constantly makes the connection between this airport and the hotel zone of the Disney complex and is paid for.
If you are driving from the south, take the Disneyland Drive exit, then on Ball Road, turn left towards the parking lot. If you are driving from the north, take the Katella Ave/Disney Way exit, then Disney Way and turn left toward Harbor Boulevard. Then turn left again to enter the parking lot.
Disneyland Park is located at 1313 South Harbor Boulevard and Disney California Adventure Park is located at 1620 South Disneyland Drive.
It is also possible to reach the parks by metro on the green line (Metro Green Line, line C), getting off at Norwalk Station, before continuing with the bus line 460, which goes to the entrance of the complex.
How long to visit Disneyland in California?
To enjoy at least all there is to see at Disneyland California Anaheim, you will need at least a full day, planning to arrive early in the morning and stay until closing time. It's the same thing for the Disney California Adventure park, so you will need to plan at least two days to discover the two parks of the Disneyland Resort.
To really have time to make the most of these experiences, you can even devote 3 or 4 days to them, without having time to get bored for a single second.
When should you go?
Disneyland Park is open all year round, but the least busy periods are the beginning of September and the beginning of the week in October, November, January and February.
Avoid the following periods:
Springbreak (spring break): from mid-March to mid-April,
the holidays of July and August,
and the end-of-year celebrations, namely: Halloween, Christmas and Thanksgiving.
Where to eat ?
The park's restaurants charge exorbitant prices, prefer a stroll to the "Downtown Disney District" where you can eat American, Italian or even Mexican for much less. It is a stone's throw from the two parks and you can also do some shopping in its many shops: Pandora, Sephora, LEGO® Store... You will even find a cinema there.
Otherwise, food is not prohibited in the park. There is even a picnic area that sits between the parking lot and the entrances to the parks. Do not plan anything too bulky like a cooler or tables!
The Disneyland App
Easy to use and free, the Disneyland® Park application is very useful for visiting the park. It allows you to:
consult waiting times (in real time),
locate attractions or Disney characters,
know the times of distribution of FastPasses, the rides that have them and where to collect them,
book a table in one of the restaurants in the park…
The application is also a good tool to inform you about the shows and attractions of the park and about the services available in Disneyland Resort. And this, whether you live in one of the park's hotels or not.
The Disneyland Park application also allows you to take MaxPasses (the same queuing system as FastPasses). Count 10 dollars/person/day.
The staff at the information desk near the entrance to Adventureland can also give you this information.
Additional tips
Tickets are non-refundable.
You can enter and exit the park as long as you keep your ticket and have it stamped for proof.
Please note that some attractions are subject to a minimum height.
The park is accessible to people with reduced mobility. You can rent wheelchairs, get an access card and help to get to the attractions more easily.
The history of Disneyland California
The idea to build the very first Disney theme park came during a time when the company was experiencing financial difficulties. Walt Disney used to take his two daughters to carnivals in Los Angeles, and he regretted that too few attractions allowed children and parents to have a good time together. He began to employ members of his company in 1948, and in 1952 he bought an orange plantation in the city of Anaheim. Work began in 1954 and the Disneyland park was inaugurated on July 17, 1955.
The opening ceremony is broadcast live on TV on ABC, the channel having participated in the financing of the park. For the occasion, big names from Hollywood and show business like Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Ronald Reagan are present.
Since its very first years, Disneyland California has not stopped developing with the arrival of new attractions, often particularly innovative and which have since become essential:
- Disneyland Monorail in 1959
- Pirates of the Caribbean in 1967
- The Main Street Electrical Parade in 1972
- Space Mountain in 1977
- Star Tours in 1987
- Splash Mountain in 1989
- Indiana Jones Adventure in 1995…
Today, Disneyland California covers an area of 34 hectares and includes some forty attractions, including four roller coasters and ten water attractions. Attendance at the park has practically not ceased to increase since its inauguration more than 65 years ago, more than 600 million visitors have visited Disneyland. Since 2010, the amusement park has welcomed an average of more than 15 million visitors per year.
In 2001, a second theme park opened its doors and since Disneyland California is part of a real leisure complex called Disneyland Resort, which also houses many hotels and restaurants. This second park is called Disney California Adventure, it occupies 30 hectares and has 35 different attractions. The original theme of this park was California, but since then it has evolved a lot to make room for all the major licenses owned by Disney such as Star Wars, Marvel and Pixar. It welcomes nearly 10 million visitors each year.
Where to sleep at Disneyland Resort?
If you plan to spend several days at Disneyland Resort but you don't know where to sleep in Los Angeles, you will have the choice between different offers that we will detail for you!
Disney hotels
These are 4 or 5 star establishments where the night costs a minimum of $300. These are the best placed in relation to the 2 parks because they allow you to take advantage of the Extra Magic Hour, i.e. access to the parks in the morning one hour before the official time:
- The Disneyland Hotel
- Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
- Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel
The Good Neighbor Hotel
The Good Neighbor Hotels are Disneyland California-approved hotels located outside the park but nearby. They are also listed on the official Disneyland California website.
Find accommodation on your own
Choose the establishment of your choice to take advantage of more attractive prices, even if this option will often require you to travel further from the 2 parks.
Want to learn more about California? I also show you 5 places to visit in California. Also find out what to do in Los Angeles itself, during your road trip.
