The Best Disneyland Paris Rides for Kids
In this post we’ve created a list of what we consider to be the best Disneyland Paris rides for kids based on years of visiting with our children. We’ve included some calmer family rides and some adrenaline inducing ones for little thrill seekers suitable for kids age 5 and up.
Best Disneyland Paris rides for kids
There is a huge range of rides for all ages at Disneyland Paris, in fact most kids aged 4+ will be able to go on pretty much everything.
With so many rides to experience at Disneyland Paris it can be hard to choose which ones to focus on, especially if you’re only there for a few days.
There are so many great things about visiting Disneyland, on top of all of the rides there are also shows, parades, shops, interactive walkthroughs and playgrounds to experience, only making it even more important to know which rides to focus on to make the most out of your visit.
This is where we can help! We’ve been to Disneyland Paris many times with our children at many different ages. It’s this first hand experience that we’ve used to build our list of the best Disneyland Paris rides for kids and our follow on post of the best toddler rides at Disneyland Paris.
What rides are in this post?
If there’s a ride that you want to jump to in the list below you can click on the name of the ride to be taken straight there, or keep scrolling to find out more about all of the best Disneyland Paris rides for kids in our list.
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Cars ROAD TRIP
- Ratatouille: The Adventure
- Phantom Manor
- HyperSpace Mountain
- Star Tours
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Avengers Assemble
- Crush’s Coaster
- Spider-Man W.E.B Adventure
- Other Disneyland Paris Rides for Kids
- Summary: Best Disneyland Paris Rides for Kids
Are you planning a trip to Disneyland Paris?
Planning a trip to Disneyland Paris can be overwhelming, especially for a first timer. If you’re at the start of your planning and soaking in as much Disney knowledge as possible you may be asking yourself “is Disneyland Paris worth it?”.
That’s why we’ve pulled together some of our most popular Disneyland Paris posts to help you plan your Disney trip. Whether you’re trying to visit two parks in one day or planning a longer stay at an onsite Disney hotel we can help you.
If you’re travelling with kids for the first time you’ll want to soak up all of the Disneyland Paris hints, tips and tricks. With all of the souvenirs, food and toys to buy it can be an expensive trip so you’ll find an entire post dedicated to visiting Disneyland Paris on a budget.
What are the best Disneyland Paris rides for kids?
Pirates of the Caribbean
What’s the ride about: the Pirates of Caribbean ride is a boat ride that takes you through a lagoon filled with pirates, explosive battles, treasure and a singing Jack Sparrow.
Where is it: you can find the ride in Adventureland
Who can ride: there is no height limit – anyone can ride.
Why it’s a top ride at Disneyland Paris: the Pirates of Caribbean ride is a family favourite for us and we rode it several times. The queue was never more than 15/20 minutes as the boats are quite large and constantly move. The themeing inside is amazing and kept both my six year old and two year old entertained. There are a couple of small drops which add to the fun as the ride is quite dark. The best part about this ride is that it takes so long to get round so you really get a lot of ride for your queuing time.
Cars ROAD TRIP
What’s the ride about: the Cars ROAD TRIP ride is a fun tour through the world of Lightning (Flash) McQueen, Luigi, Guido, and Mater. I won’t completely spoil the surprise but expect fire, explosions and you might get a little wet!
Where is it: you can find the ride in the Worlds of Pixar section of Walt Disney Studios Park
Who can ride: there is no height limit – anyone can ride.
Why it’s a top ride at Disneyland Paris: the Cars ride gives a different pace which is nice when you’ve got so many other rides that are fast with long queues. It’s quite a long ride with some excitement along the way.
Ratatouille: The Adventure
What’s the ride about: the Ratatouille ride takes you on a journey underneath the floorboards of Auguste Gusteau’s (Garrett) restaurant. Jump in one of the mouse cars and enjoy the ride as you whizz through different scenes from the Ratatouille movie, complete with giant food and 3d movie clips.
Where is it: you can find the ride in Walt Disney Studios Park
Who can ride: there is no height limit – anyone can ride.
Why it’s a top ride at Disneyland Paris: it’s just cool! The mouse cars you ride in aren’t on a track so all move independently. Also, the ride drops you off next to the floor to ceiling wimdows of the Ratatouille themed restaurant.
Phantom Manor
What’s the ride about: the Phantom Manor ride is set in a mansion that was once home to the residents of Thunder Mesa. Now it’s home to ghosts, ghouls and spirits that surprise you at every turn as you ride through the old house.
Where is it: you can find the ride in Frontierland
Who can ride: there is no height limit – anyone can ride.
Why it’s a top ride at Disneyland Paris: the Phantom Manor ride is a little spooky so if your kids are prone to nightmares or more sensitive to scary it may be best to avoid this one. The most impressive thing about this ride is the large ballroom scene full of dancing “ghosts”. Well worth giving this one a go for the short queue times.
Rider Beware: the part where you step into the car to go around the ride moves very quickly so when you step onto it make sure you’ve got your balance and you’re ready to step straight into the cart.
HyperSpace Mountain
What’s the ride about: the Hyperspace Mountain ride shoots you off into space to battle against the stars. You twist, turn and flip upside down in the dark as the battle happens around you.
Where is it: you can find the ride in Discoveryland
Who can ride: the height limit for the ride is 1.2 m
Why it’s a top ride at Disneyland Paris: the Hyperspace Mountain ride is one for thrill seekers! It’s got the ultimate rollercoaster fun factor because it’s fast with loads of twists, turns, loops and corkscrews – plus its pitch black.
Star Tours
What’s the ride about: the Star Tours is a simulation ride with a 3d screen as you join characters completing their missions across star systems and war torn worlds.
Where is it: you can find the ride in Discoveryland
Who can ride: the height limit for the ride is 1.02 metres
Why it’s a top ride at Disneyland Paris: the Star Tours ride has over 60 mission combinations so you’re unlikely to have the same experience twice during your visit.
Big Thunder Mountain
What’s the ride about: the Big Thunder Mountain ride is a rollercoaster where you race around the track in a speeding mining cart. Fly through the darkness as you go under the water before coming out the other side to run out of control around thunder mountain.
Where is it: you can find the ride in Frontierland
Who can ride: the height limit for the ride is 1.02 metres
Why it’s a top ride at Disneyland Paris: this ride was hands down our 6 year olds favourite ride and he had to go on it daily. You can also go on it at night when the park is open later which adds a whole new dimension of fun. The only negative I have to say about Big Thunder Mountain is that it does throw you around quite a lot as it goes round the corners.
Avengers Assemble
What’s the ride about: the Avengers Assemble ride shoots you into an epic battle between Captain Marvel and Iron Man. Make sure you put your head back because when the countdown ends you’re instantly propelled at fast speeds into the twists and turns.
Where is it: you can find the ride in Avengers Campus
Who can ride: the height limit for the ride is 1.2 m
Why it’s a top ride at Disneyland Paris: the Avengers Assemble ride is a top ride for all of the thrill seekers out there but not so good for the kids who aren’t so keen on fast rollercoasters. Once you’re on the ride you can watch the battle happen all around you as Iron Man and Captain America zoom around – if you can keep your eyes open it’s fun to watch! The theming before you get on the ride is great too with videos explaining the backstory to the ride in French and English.
Rider Beware – this roller coaster throws you all over the place and there aren’t pads on the headrest like Hyperspace Mountain so it can give you a sore head.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
What’s the ride about: the Tower of Terror ride is themed around a doomed elevator shaft in a haunted hotel. Hold onto your stomach as you shoot up and down before the doors open to a view across the top of the park.
Where is it: you can find the ride in Production Courtyard of the Walt Disney Studios Park
Who can ride: the height limit for the ride is 1.02 metres
Why it’s a top ride at Disneyland Paris: there’s nothing else like it at Disneyland Paris or any other theme park. Fun fact – you’re not falling but are actually being pulled up and pulled down by a special pulley system. Apparently just falling wasn’t fast enough for the Disney Imagineers!
Crush’s Coaster
What’s the ride about: on the Crush’s Coaster ride you’ll dive and swirl on the back of a turtle shell as you’re thrown into the deepest depths of the ocean after visiting the Great Barrier Reef
Where is it: you can find the ride in the Worlds of Pixar section of the Walt Disney Studios Park
Who can ride: the height limit for the ride is 1.07 metres
Why it’s a top ride at Disneyland Paris: it’s a fun ride that spins you around while zooming along the track. Like with most Disneyland Paris rides the pre-ride theming is pretty cool too. There’s a reason the queue is always so high for this one!
Spider-Man W.E.B Adventure
What’s the ride about: the Spider-Man W.E.B Adventure ride you get to use your hands as real life web slingers as you battle the spider bots in 3d.
Where is it: you can find the ride in the Marvel Avengers Campus in the Walt Disney Studios Park
Who can ride: there is no height limit – anyone can ride.
Why it’s a top ride at Disneyland Paris: this is a top ride because it’s just as fun as a standard shooting game you get at most theme parks but with the added cool factor of being able to (pretty accurately) shoot virtual webs from your hand.
Other Disneyland Paris rides for kids
The best thing about Disneyland Paris is that there are tons of rides for kids whether they’re a thrill sleeker who likes the fast adrenaline inducing rides or the calmer ones. I’ve included a list below of some of the other awesome rides that most kids aged 4+ can go on at Disneyland Paris. I didn’t include them in my top 8 either because they’re not as good as some others or the queue was always over 40 mins so when you have limited time in the parks it’s not worth the queue.
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril
- Les Voyages de Pinocchio
- Peter Pan
- Autopia
- RC Racer
- Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop
- Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
- Adventure Isle
- Alice’s Curious Labyrinth
- Animation Academy
- Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains
- Disneyland Railroad
- Le Passage Enchanté d’Aladdin
- Les Mystères du Nautilus
- Les Voyages de Pinocchio
- La Tanière du Dragon
- Peter Pan’s Flight
Summary: Best Disneyland Paris rides for kids
Our absolute favourite family friendly kids rides in the parks are Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain, Phantom Manor, and Hyper Space Mountain. I’d recommend focusing on these rides first if you only have one day at Disneyland Paris.
Ultimately there are tons for kids to do at Disneyland Paris. We’ve just covered the rides here but there are parks, shows and plenty of shopping to keep them busy.
