Disneyland Paris: travel by car

Depending on the distance from your home town to Disneyland Paris, it is a good idea to travel in your own car.
The advantages are obvious: You are independent and flexible when it comes to arrival and departure, for example, and you are not particularly restricted when it comes to luggage.

Right-hand traffic
An important note for travellers from Great Britain: right-hand traffic applies in France.This sounds obvious, but we would rather point it out again.

The highway in France
Disneyland Paris is located directly on the A4 motorway and even has its own exit, exit 14. The signs with the large Mickey Mouse are hard to miss.
You usually make good progress on the motorway, as there are only a few construction sites and only moderate traffic, but please do not forget that a speed limit of 130 km / h applies to all motorways in France!
The disadvantage of the motorway is the toll. On the routes to Disneyland Paris there are several toll stations where you have to pay for the respective section of the route. It is best to use your credit card, which you simply put in the machine and after a short moment the barrier opens in front of you and you can continue the journey.

The Route National - free alternative to the motorway
The Route National has the significant advantage over the motorway that it is free of charge, but here a speed limit of 110 km / h applies. In sections of the route in which the Route National is expanded, it represents a real alternative to the motorway. If it is only single-lane in each direction of travel, progress can be a patience due to the numerous towns and the slow trucks.
It is possible to use the Route National instead of the motorway from almost all directions, since they are often more or less parallel.

Speed limit in France
The maximum speed on the motorway is 130 km / h, on the Route National the speed is limited to 110 km / h, on country roads to 80 km / h. A speed limit of 50 km / h applies in urban areas.
The limit is lowered when it rains: only 110 km / h are allowed on motorways, 100 km / h on the National Route and 80 km / h on country roads.
Of course, you should still observe all traffic signs and stick to the limits specified there.

Gas stations near Disneyland
At the exit of the Hotel Santa Fe you will find an Esso petrol station that is open around the clock.
A little further away, at the large Val d'Europe shopping center there is a free petrol station, which often offers very cheap prices.
Of course there are rest stops with petrol stations along the highway.

Book a rental car
If the journey by car is too long for you, you can of course also book a rental car from a car rental company at the train station or airport in Paris and take this car to the resort. In this way, you can also enjoy all the advantages that a car offers you on site.
Herzt is the official partner of Disneyland. You can find a rental car station from this provider directly in the resort at Marne-la-Vallée / Chessy train station.

Safety vests
In France, you have to have a safety vest with the CE mark, it doesn't matter whether the safety vest is yellow or orange. Two reflective strips must be attached. There is a duty to wear if the car is left in the event of a breakdown or accident. This safety vest obligation applies not only to the driver, but to all passengers.

environmental badge
As in many European countries, there are environmental zones in France that can only be driven by a car that meets certain criteria. Evidence that the car meets the conditions is provided by a sticker/badge.
Since July 2017, all vehicles that want to enter one of the French environmental zones must have a valid Crit'Air vignette on the windshield. The badge is available in 6 levels, from 0-5 (5 being the worst category). In the city of Paris, only vehicles with badges 0-4 are now allowed. Other cities are following suit and there are more and more, sometimes even entire departments. If you violate the applicable regulations, you must expect driving bans and heavy fines.
dlp.info therefore recommends applying for the French environmental badge and affixing it in the car. On the official website of the Ministère de la Transition Ecologique et Solidaire, this is very straightforward and quick. The price is around € 5 including postage.
Here you can order the French Crit'Air environmental badge.
Attention! You have to order the badge before your trip, you cannot buy it on side at gas stations or supermarkets.