Marne-la-Vallée 3-day itinerary

Arrive at rope drop and beeline for Big Thunder Mountain. The runaway mine train coaster is the park's signature thrill. Then Pirates of the Caribbean in Adventureland, where the European version has unique touches including a pirate ship battle scene. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril is a short but intense looping coaster. Walk through Adventure Isle. Hidden caves and Skull Rock are fun exploration. Breakfast croissant at Cable Car Bake Shop (€5–8).

Explore Fantasyland. Sleeping Beauty Castle's interior has beautiful stained glass and a dragon animatronic in the dungeon below. Peter Pan's Flight has a permanent 45–60 minute queue but is worth it for the flying-over-London scene. Cross to Discoveryland for Hyperspace Mountain (Star Wars themed coaster in darkness) and Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast. Lunch at Au Chalet de la Marionnette: pizza and pasta from €12.

Watch Disney Stars on Parade, the daily float procession along Main Street, U.S.A. with music, dancers, and beloved characters. Stake your spot 20 minutes before. Then stay for Disney Illuminations. The fireworks, projections, and laser show on Sleeping Beauty Castle is genuinely breathtaking. After the show, exit through Disney Village for dinner at Vapiano (€12–18 pasta), or pick up crêpes from a Village kiosk (€5–8).

Head to Walt Disney Studios Park at opening and rush to Avengers Campus. Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure is an interactive dark ride where you flick webs at escaping spider-bots, addictive and re-rideable. Avengers Assemble: Flight Force is a high-speed indoor coaster through an Avengers battle. Meet Marvel characters: Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Black Widow appear throughout the campus. Grab a Marvel-themed snack at PYM Kitchen.

Ratatouille: L'Aventure Totalement Toquée shrinks you to rat-size in Gusteau's kitchen, a trackless dark ride unique to Paris. The Place de Rémy area is beautifully themed like a Parisian neighbourhood. Crush's Coaster is a spinning shell coaster. Expect 60–90 minute waits (no Premier Access available). The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror drops you 13 storeys. Lunch at Bistrot Chez Rémy (€25–35) for the best in-park dining.

Your park ticket includes both parks. Return to Disneyland Park in the evening for re-rides with shorter queues. Big Thunder Mountain and Hyperspace Mountain at night are even better. Catch the fireworks from Main Street. Dinner at Restaurant Hakuna Matata in Adventureland (€15–22) for a quick meal before the show. End the night with a walk down Main Street as the castle lights reflect on the ground.

Take the Transilien P train from Marne-la-Vallée to Provins (1 hour, €12), a UNESCO World Heritage medieval town with remarkably preserved 12th-century walls, towers, and underground tunnels. Walk the ramparts, visit the Tour César (€5) for panoramic views, and explore the underground passages (€5.50). The town hosts medieval jousting shows (Apr–Nov, €14) with knights in full armour, cheesy but entertaining.

Continue to Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte (€19, taxi from Provins or drive), the baroque masterpiece that inspired Versailles. The symmetrical gardens by André Le Nôtre are magnificent. The château's owner, Nicolas Fouquet, threw a party so lavish that Louis XIV had him arrested and built Versailles to surpass it. Candlelit evening visits (Saturdays, May–Oct) illuminate 2,000 candles throughout the gardens.

Return to Marne-la-Vallée for a final evening. Dinner at the Val d'Europe shopping centre, a massive mall 5 minutes from the parks with restaurants including Five Guys (€12–15), Hippopotamus steakhouse (€18–30), and Asian buffets (€15–20). Or splurge at one of the Disney hotels' restaurants. Inventions at Disneyland Hotel has character dining (€60–90 per person). Walk Disney Village one last time.