DisneyLand Paris Railroad

Passing through the turnstiles one of the first attractions encountered, as with the other Magic Kingdom style parks, is the two storey 19th century styled Main Street Station of the DisneyLand Railroad, and with the path of the railroad circling the perimeter of the theme park it is a really good way to get a preliminary view of the overall park.

It's also a good way to get from one side of the park to the other, since there are stops at Discoveryland, Frontierland, and Fantasyland, before returning back to the Main Street Station.

The complete trip around the park takes 20 minutes in total, excluding time to wait for the train, and it provides an excellent way to familiarise oneself with the overall size and layout of the park, although the view of the park is deliberately restricted - an annoyance that becomes even more apparent at night.

Originally there were three different locomotives operating at Disneyland Paris, with a fourth being added in 1994. Each locomotive is a faithful reproduction of an original 1880's train, with a real steam engine, cow-catchers, bells and whistles.

W. F. Cody named after Buffalo Bill is the green train, which travels with carriages named Durango, Wichita and Cheyenne. G. Washington is the blue train, pulling Boston, Philiadelphia and Valley Forge. The third original locomotive is the C.K. Holliday.

As the trains pass around the park, they travel through the Grand Canyon Diorama - a feature that's only visible from the train, featuring animals and scenes from the Arizona canyon. Other attractions previewed in close-up during the trains course around the park include the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, and Videopolis.

The best time(s) to ride the railroad are first thing in the morning, and last thing at night, although if you plan to ride it first thing in the morning, it's important to remember that while you're on it other guests will be heading straight for the major attractions that generate queues quickly. Personally I prefer to take a mid-day railroad trip around the park after I've been walking round for a couple of hours. It does mean that you're likely to encounter longer queues to ride the train than first thing in the morning, but at least it gives a break from walking around all the time.

If you do plan to ride later in the day, head towards the Frontierland station to board from, because this is often the least busy of the four stations, with the lowest wait-time.