Understanding Marne-la-Vallée
Marne-la-Vallée is a new town east of Paris, spread across the departments of Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne. For visitors, its two great anchors are Disneyland Paris (Disneyland Park and Disney Adventure World) and the Val d'Europe area, with the town also home to major educational institutions such as ESIEE Paris and École des Ponts ParisTech. Because the town was planned as a collection of sectors and communes rather than a single dense centre, getting around is largely a matter of moving between hubs by train, bus or shuttle rather than strolling from sight to sight.
The rail network: RER A and Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy
The backbone of visitor transport is the RER A regional rail line, widely described as the easiest way to reach Disneyland Paris from central Paris. Its terminus in the area is Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy (Parcs Disneyland), the station that serves the parks.
- From central Paris: RER A stops include Charles de Gaulle–Étoile, Auber (Opéra), Châtelet–Les Halles, Paris Gare de Lyon and Nation, so you can board from many convenient points in the city.
- Connections: The RER A interchanges with numerous Metro lines (including 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 14), other train lines (B, D, E, J, L, R, U and TGV), tram lines T2 and T13, and bus routes including the 393, RoissyBus and TVM.
- Other rail stations in the area: Torcy, Val d'Europe and Bussy-Saint-Georges are also served by rail and appear as stops on regional and night services, making them useful access points depending on where you are staying.
For tickets, the RER A is a standard regional rail service, so ordinary RER tickets and passes apply; buy them at station machines or ticket windows.
Buses and shuttles
Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy also functions as a bus station (Gare routière), connecting to Disney hotels, partner hotels and regional and airport services. Beyond the local network, several visitor-oriented bus services are worth knowing:
- Disneyland Express shuttles from Paris: Dedicated day-trip shuttles with ticket bundles that include park entrance. Shuttle 1 runs Gare du Nord → Opéra → Châtelet → Disneyland Paris; Shuttle 2 departs from Rue Jean Ray, a short walk from the Eiffel Tower. Bundled adult prices are listed at €80.91 for bus plus a one-day, one-park ticket and €98.50 for one-day, two-park; child prices are €74.75 and €92.34 respectively, with children 0–2 free.
- Noctilien night buses: When trains and regular buses stop, night services keep the area connected. N130 runs from Gare de Lyon (Van Gogh–Rue de Bercy) to Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy Gare routière Nord via Torcy RER, Bussy-Saint-Georges and Val d'Europe. N138 runs from Gare de Lyon Van Gogh toward Gare de Coulommiers, calling at Gare de Torcy, Gare de Val d'Europe and Gare de MLV Chessy Sud. N141 runs from Gare de l'Est to Meaux, calling at Gare de Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy Nord – Parcs Disneyland. Note that some stops are direction-specific.
Taxis and ride-hailing
The rail, shuttle and night-bus services described above are the documented ways to move between the area's hubs and Paris.
Walking
Marne-la-Vallée is a sprawling new town of many communes rather than a compact walkable centre, so walking is best suited to getting around within individual hubs — for example between the Chessy station, the bus station and the parks, or within Val d'Europe — rather than between sectors.
Getting in from the airports
The Magical Shuttle provides direct airport connections to Disneyland Paris and the Chessy area:
- From Charles de Gaulle (CDG): Stops at Terminal 1 (Exit 32) and Terminal 2E–2F (Door 8), then Disney hotels (Newport Bay Club, Sequoia Lodge, Santa Fe, Cheyenne), Chessy Gare routière and the Disneyland Hotel.
- From Orly: Stops at Orly 4 (South Terminal, Gate 48a, Platform 3) and Orly 1-2-3 (West Terminal, Gate 15, Platform 15), then the same Disney hotels, Chessy Gare routière and the Disneyland Hotel.
- Fares (both airports): Adult €23 one way; child 3–12 €10 one way; under 3 free. Park entrance is not included.
Once at Chessy, the RER A and the bus station connect you onward to Paris and to other parts of Marne-la-Vallée. Downloadable maps and timetables for the RER A, Disneyland Express, Noctilien night buses and Magical Shuttle are available from the transport information pages referenced in the source, which is useful for planning connections in advance.
Practical tips
- Treat Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy as your main interchange: it is both the RER A terminus for the parks and the bus station for hotels and airport shuttles.
- If you are visiting from Paris for the day, compare the RER A with the Disneyland Express shuttle bundles, which include park tickets.
- If your plans run late, check the Noctilien N130, N138 and N141 routes, which serve Chessy, Torcy and Val d'Europe after regular services stop.
- Buy rail tickets at station machines or windows, and book airport shuttles with fares in mind (€23 adult one way from either airport).