Main Street USA is the gateway to the Disneyland Park. On entering the park through the turnstiles beneath the Disneyland Hotel you will immediately see the Disneyland Railroad Main street Station. Walk under this and you are immediately transported to Main Street USA the first of five zones within the Disneyland Paris Park. Main Street whisks you back in time to a small town in 1900s America. You can stroll around and explore this town; take a ride on the Main Street cars or enjoy some ice cream or a cake from the many food outlets. For those with a passion for shopping this is the street for you where you can spend hours exploring the Victorian fronted shops.
Main Street is a great location for all the parades that Disney perform throughout the day. It is worth getting there early to find your prefered spot as people have been known to choose their spot an hour or two before the parade. Our personal recommendation would be to try to find a spot about 30 – 40 minutes before the start of the parade. This zone is mostly shops and food outlets but there are a few attractions worth mentioning.
Attractions:
City Hall – Visit here if you have any questions about your visit to the park. If you are registered disabled then stop here to register with the park and pick up your accessibility card which will allow you access to the rides via the exit of the ride instead of queuing in the main lines. You can also book dinner reservations here and the staff are usually very friendly and really helpful. Occasionally the queue can get quite long here so head here first if you need to.
Disneyland Railroad – Main Street Station – The Disneyland Railroad circles the entire park. There are 4 stations this train stops at. Originally conceived as a mass transport system to move guests around the park this attraction is really used as more of a gentle ride. The reality of this attraction is that it takes far too long to let people on and off and the queues for the train can be quite long. By the time you have queued for an hour you could have walked to the other side of the park. This attraction is great as a stand alone ride however. The trains are designed to appear like steam trains and the carriages are wooden in style. Disney really does do theming the best and the trains are another great example of this. My recommendation is to take the train on a full circle ride to see the park in a different way, or alternatively get on at Main Street and get off at the last station before in Discoveryland.
Gazebo – This is in the middle of Town Square and the very start of the Main Street. The castle is perfectly framed at the end of Main Street and the Gazebo offers a great place for that perfect photo. Occasionally there is streetmosphere active in this spot, with bands playing and occasionally character meets. Sometimes the characters are positioned next to or inside the Gazebo which means you can get a great photo with a character and the castle in the background. Obviously lots of people like to use this location so it can be quite busy and you may not get a picture without someone else in the background at busy times. However if you see it empty jump in and snap away!
Character Meets – There are two permanent character greet and meet spots in the town square area. One is in the left hand corner at Mickey’s house. Often this spot has Minnie waiting for you to say hello. The other spot is in the right hand corner, adjacent to Mickey’s house. This spot usually has either Goofy or Pluto. Lines for characters can get quite long so if you’re looking to get as many autographs as you can then make sure you’re there early. You can pick up a park guide at the entrance which lists all the characters that will be at each location throughout the day. Top Tip: If you are entering the park early and there is already a queue at the first two spots then continue down Main Street to the two meet and greet locations at the opposite end, usually these two spots have shorter queues first thing in the morning.
Horse-Drawn Streetcars and Main Street Vehicles – Main Street has vehicles and horse-drawn streetcars travel up and down Main Street. These vehicles are free to use so just talk to the cast members and they will let you on. The police transport vehicle is a great way to travel with kids. For animal lovers then keep an eye out for the horse drawn vehicles. During busy periods the vehicles will not run. If you are walking down the street listen out for the horns of vehicles coming behind you. Try not to get too distracted by the beautiful surroundings.
Dapper Dan’s Hair Cuts – Did you know you can get a trim while in the Disneyland Park? Dapper Dans’s is a traditional style barbers and for a fee you can get a traditional shave or a brand new haircut.
Dapper Dans is located in the Emporium shop, and can be accessed from outside on ‘Flower Street’, which is the crossroads approximately half way down Main Street.
Liberty Arcade and Discovery Arcade – Main Street is flanked either side by two covered Victorian arcades. These are great for several reasons. If it is raining they allow you some cover and on a cold day they do offer some warmth, provided by the gas lit lanterns. The arcades are probably one of the finest parts of the park, not only do they have the gas lit lanterns but also have tiled flooring. These arcades are wonderful to explore and well worth a visit. In the Liberty arcade you can witness the inauguration of the Statue of Liberty in New York and in the Discovery arcade you can view exhibitions on Victorian inventions. The Disneyland Paris park is the only Disney park to have arcades running parallel down Main Street.
Shopping:
There are many different shops along Main Street and within the Town Square. These shops offer an array of great quality goods from cups and plates to clothing, souvenirs and books. It would be extremely easy to spend a large amount of time looking through the various shops and if you can make the time to explore them properly you will be able to find some amazing items. Our personal favourites are the china shop which sells a range of cups and glasses and the clothing shop opposite which sells trendy t-shirts, hoodies and bags. For the Kids head to Disney & Co for a massive selection of plush toys or head to the Emporium for a wide selection of toys…. just make sure you take your credit card to keep the little ones happy and don’t forget to treat yourself… Disney is not just for kids.
Dining:
Walt’s Restaurant – Table Service – A Victorian style restaurant serving contemporary and sophisticated American cuisine with a European influence. This restaurant is dedicated to Walt and forms a tribute to his life and work.
Victoria’s Home Style Restaurant – Counter Service – Serves American cuisine. Sells open faced sandwiches and a selection of drinks.
Caseys Corner – Counter Service – An array of Hot Dogs, Chicken Nuggets, Chips and Desserts. Sports memorabilia adorns the walls in this great counter service restaurant.
The Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlour – Counter Service – A great place on hot day – this food outlet sells Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and a selection of drinks.
Market House Deli – Counter Service – An early 20th Century New York style Deli sandwich shop. The shop is decorated with tin cans and hanging sausages.
Boardwalk Candy Palace – Those with a sweet tooth should head straight here. Cake, Fudge, Candy, Biscuits…. if it has sugar is available here.
Coffee Grinder – A small serving hatch located next to the Market House Deli and accessible from inside the Discovery Arcade. This kiosk sells a selection of coffee, cold drinks and some snacks.
Cable Car Bakeshop – The Cookie Kitchen – This Victorian style bake shop is themed around the cable cars of San Francisco. Cool booths inside offer some great places to rest and grab a snack. The Cookie Kitchen is the name given to the outside serving hatch.
DLP Genie 