Here’s a confession – I’ve been to Disneyland Paris more times than I can count. But I’ve never been in summer. At least, not until a recent trip at the beginning of June. (Before anyone points it out I know that’s not technically in the Summer, but it’s in Meterological summer at least…)

Before now my experience of Disneyland Paris had mostly been in cold weather, or in mild Spring or Autumn weather. But on this trip we had some days that were very hot. And we learnt a few tips and tricks about navigating the parks in hot weather that we want to share – so if you have a summer Disneyland Paris trip, this blog is for you!

Please note this blog contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Tip 1 – The parks are not really built for very hot weather

I know that in the USA, Europe has a bit of a reputation for not being ‘into’ air conditioning (as I saw someone phrase it on Facebook recently). While that’s not exactly true, it is the case though that the Disneyland Paris parks are not built that well for very hot weather.

It should be said that many indoor locations in the parks do have air conditioning. So if you need to beat the heat, then you can head indoors. We particularly found some of the more dimly lit locations great for taking in some cooler temperatures, such as Phantom Manor or the Mysteries of the Nautilus (although walking into them from birght sunlight could make seeing where you were going a challenge!). But in France there are restrictions on how low air conditioning temperatures can be set, and as such stepping into these spaces are less likely to have the blissfully cool air conditioning that you might be used to in the USA.

It should also be said that Disneyland Paris has had to be built for a wide range of temperatures, and buildings are built more for cold or wet weather than hot weather! As such more attention has been on making sure queues and areas are covered from the elements as opposed to being able to be well air conditioned. So while you’ll find shade in many ride queues, you may not find them as cool as you hoped! (And some queues, especially extended ones, might not even have shade!)

So we’d recommend taking what you need to keep with you to keep it cool! Portable fans are very handy, and this example on Amazon also has an inbuilt charger you could use for your phone: https://amzn.to/4nbJ0pj. And don’t forget little ones in strollers / buggies either! We really like Ryobi products and have seen a lot of people using this one in the parks: https://amzn.to/44o6akR. A lot of people also swear by cooling towels such as this: https://amzn.to/449QQHc (this one also packs down very small which is handy for park days).

Tip 2 – It can (and quite probably will) still rain on your parade… literally

We live in Cornwall in the UK, and down here rain is known as ‘liquid sunshine’ because of how often it can appear – especially in the summer. The same could also be true of Disneyland Paris! Despite hot temperatures, rain can, and quite probably will, happen.

Of course Disneyland Paris has been built to cope with rain in a lot of ways. But there’s two reasons that make it more annoying in summer months, or when the weather is hotter. One of those reasons is that Disneyland Paris tends to hold a lot more outside entertainment in these months – and rain can lead to this being cancelled at the last minute. We experienced this with the Alice in Wonderland show in the Walt Disney Studios Park, where it wasn’t just cancelled last minute – but once the show had already started! The first musical number was performed, but the rain had got heavier and… the show was cancelled. This is also going to be the case with most of the acts that are part of Disney’s Music Festival this summer (read our previous blog for the full lowdown on the Festival). As such our tip would be not to spend a long time waiting for an outdoors show if there’s heavy rain – because there’s a strong likelihood it won’t go ahead.

The other problem is that when temperatures are warmer, then wearing waterproof coats can be a miserable experience because of how much warmer they can make you – plus there’s the annoyance of having to carry them around when the rain stops. There’s a couple of ways to try and mitigate this. One could be buying disposable ponchos like these: https://amzn.to/45wP5WZ, however we’d recommend that an umbrella could also be a great idea (and more environmentally friendly!). Preferably a small and portable umbrella like this: https://amzn.to/44aAGNQ. This umbrella also has the benefit of blocking UV rays and could provide some valuable shade. Speaking of which…

Tip 3 – In some parts of the parks, shade can be hard to come by…

I mentioned earlier that the Disneyland Paris parks weren’t particularly built for very hot weather. One of the areas where this is most apparent in the need for shade – or lack of it in many areas!

Many of the paths in the parks are quite wide – which makes sense, they need to cope with a lot of people. However that means that there isn’t space for trees, awnings or other items that could add some valuable shade. Even in parts of the park with a lot of foliage like Adventureland, the wide open nature of some of the main pathways means that there’s precious little shade around. In Fantasyland, Discoveryland and parts of Frontierland there’s not even much in the way of foliage – just big open pathways, baking in the sun! The same is true of many places in the Studios park, which is just generally lacking in greenery and shade.

I think part of the reason we noticed this so much this time is because of the Disney Music Festival – many of the shows are in very exposed areas, because obviously they want space for the watching crowd. But our first day at the festival ended up with some overheating, and some sunburn!

So our advice is plan to be out in the sun in the summer, and slather on the sunscreen as you would if you were spending the day at the beach, or outdoors in a hot climate. And things like UV umbrellas can also be great. We do ask though that if you’re watching something like a show and you have people behind you, please pop the umbrella down for the performance at least – otherwise you’ll be unpopular by blocking a lot of people’s view!

Tip 4 – Take advantage of quick-service restaurants at off-peak times to get out the heat…

The quick-service restaurants at Disneyland Paris are pretty hopping places at peak meal times. But in the middle of the afternoon they can be pretty quiet – and that can be one of the hottest parts of the day.

As such if you’d like to get out of the heat then why not duck into one of the quick-service restaurants for a break? Many of them sell small snacks, ice creams and cold drinks. This can also be a great tip if you have someone in your group feeling over-stimulated by crowds – it can be a welcome and much-needed break!

Tip 5 – Budget for spending money on cold drinks!

Dining in Disneyland Paris can be a lot of fun. But it’s no secret that it can also be very expensive! And that goes for drinks too. Which isn’t great when it’s hot and you need a refreshing beverage to cool you down.

Thankfully there are a lot of water fountains and taps around the parks, where you can fill up water bottles. As such you may want to take a reusuable water bottle with you! Collapsible ones can be very helpful like this: https://amzn.to/3T0x7oo. But in hot weather you might want to get something that will keep water colder for longer – the Stanley Water bottles like this are well reviewed, although not the cheapest: https://amzn.to/40h1PgT. If you’d like something to jazz up your water, then we recommend Bolero – they’re sachets of flavour powder that are caffeine free, sugar free and come in a wide range of flavours: https://amzn.to/3SWcOse. They can be a bit more convenient (and lighter) to carry round than the squeezy squash.

But I’m honestly not a fan of water or flavoured water! (Yes I’m weird.) And as such I bought quite a lot of soft drinks. Now they’re not the best thing to keep you hydrated I know, but they’re still better than not drinking anything in hot weather. But at over 4 euros a pop, the cost certainly can add up quickly!

As such if you’re someone who’s not the biggest fan of water, and you’re heading to Disneyland Paris in warmer weather, I recommend leaving more space in your food budget than you expect for drinks. It’s better to plan in advance than be taken by surprise!

Tip 6 – Park days can be very looooooong!

If you go to the Disney Parks in the USA, they tend to keep broadly similar opening hours year round. But that’s not the case in Disneyland Paris! In the winter park days are quite short, taking into account dipping temperatures, lower crowds and hours of daylight. In the summer of course there’s more people – and more sun! And that makes for longer park hours.

The night time spectacular, Tales of Magic, needs to take place when it’s dark to be effective. And because of longer summer days and it not getting dark until later, the park needs to stay open until it gets dark. On our recent visit the closing time of Disneyland Park was 10.40pm – and the opening time for those with Magic Hour was 8.30am. And being of an intrepid / insane persuasion (depending on your opinion), we decided to do a park open to close day – that’s over 14 hours in the park, plus the time it takes to get to the park in the mornings and back again in the evening. Overall we were away from our hotel well over 15 hours!

Now the good news is that there’s no shortage of things to do in the park to fill the day. But the bad news is that those long park days can really take it out of you, especially in the heat. We needed a decent lie in the day after! For families with little ones in tow I could see the day being just too long, and in those cases we’d recommend either coming into the park later on the day you plan to do the night-time show, or if that’s not possible planning in a midday break. This could be back at your hotel, at a table service restaurant, or even a show and quick service with planning. So make sure you plan for the longer day and later night – and be prepared for folks in your group to be hot, tired and cranky as a result! (All that being said, Tales of Magic is worth it. Check out our previous blog for tips on how to watch the show.)

Tip 7 – Wearing joint supports can be essential… and miserable!

A tip here for our differently-abled friends, or anyone who may need to wear joint supports. With the park days being so long, and a lot of time on your feet (even if you have the benefit of something like Priority Pass); if you need a back, ankle, knee or similar supports, chances are you’ll need them on your trip. Not only will they support your joint but they can provide valuable compression too.

But, joint supports by their nature have to be pretty snug, and are often not all that breathable. And as a result wearing them in the heat can be miserable! I’ve suffered through lack of breathable supports in hot weather many a time.

To mitigate this I wore for this trip breathable supports I knew that would work for me – a Bearhug ankle support you can find here: https://amzn.to/3HKrqZv and the Lumbowrap back support: https://amzn.to/44fLZo7. It’s thanks to these that I was able to do the parks. But even with them being great makes that I know are a lot better to wear in warmer weather than others I’ve tried, they still got pretty hot and sweaty by the end of a hot day! (Probably TMI there but hey ho).

So apart from getting the best breathable supports you know that work for you, my tip here would be to plan around having to wear them. If you can, bring spares, or consider giving them at least a light wash in your hotel room each evening. And maybe see if you can plan in some time where you can take them off for a little while, just to give your skin time to breathe!

Tip 8 – Stop and smell the roses. And all the other flowers too!

On long, hot days it’s essential to take breaks from the go, go, go of a Disney Parks day. But even if you just pause in the parks for a few minutes, you won’t be short of things to look at. At all times of year Disneyland Paris is gorgeous. But in the summer it is stunning! We were blown away by the amount of flowers, their beauty and their scents.

The landscaping really is gorgeous in the parks, and in the summer there is an abundance of flowers to look at. And that’s not just the parks either, around the hotels there is also nature, wildlife and flowers to enjoy. At Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne there’s even a nature walk, while at Sequoia Lodge there are wooded paths to explore and discover.

A side tip though – if you have any sensitivity to pollen, take some antihistamines. You’ll probably need them!

Tip 9 – If you need to cool down, Goofy’s your man!

This tip only really applies for this summer (unless the Music Festival makes a comeback in future years, which I honestly wouldn’t be mad about). For his show during the Music Festival, Goofy conducts the fountains around Sleeping Beauty Castle – and they shed a nice amount of spray to on to the entrance ramp to the castle from Main Street USA.

As such, if you need a cool down – seek out the Castle path during a show, and you might get a water spray! Just don’t try the path to the Dragon’s Lair off the Hub, as this is closed off during shows. That’s because if you stood here you wouldn’t just get sprayed – you’d get soaked!

Disneyland Paris is rather lacking in water features or water play areas that you find in some other Disney parks, because for a lot of the year they’d have to be turned off. So if you’d like a quck cool down this summer, Goofy could be your man!

So there you have it – our 9 tips from our recent trip to Disneyland Paris to help you manage the parks in hot weather. Anything you’d add? Let us know in the comments – and subscribe to receive future blogs in your inbox.