The 20 BEST Things About Disneyland Paris

If you plan ahead, you can buy tickets online starting at $53 for an adult ($45 for a child) for a weekday one-park, one-day ticket. Prices vary based on how busy the park will be and seasonality, but in general they are much cheaper than Disneyland in the States, where a one-day, one-park ticket will cost you $95 on a nonpeak day.

The castle at Disneyland Paris is a beautifully elegant and vastly different structure from Disneyland in Anaheim. Its design is inspired by illustrations from Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry and the Mont Saint-Michel monastery in Normandy. It also has a dragon underneath . . .

The coolest part of the castle is actually beneath it — in the dungeon. The Dragon's Lair is a walkthrough attraction under Sleeping Beauty's castle that features an audio-animatronic Dragon Maleficent. Creepy!

There are beautiful Disney character topiaries throughout the park during the springtime, like this cute Tinker Bell!

The five-star Victorian-inspired Disneyland Hotel blows the US hotels out of the water with its gorgeous design and surrounding gardens.

Fans of Alice in Wonderland will appreciate Alice's Curious Labyrinth, a hedge maze attraction that leads you to the Queen of Hearts' Castle, where you get an aerial view of Fantasyland.

You'll encounter the Cheshire Cat in the maze.

Here's the Queen of Hearts' Castle.

Here's the view from the top!

Speaking of Alice in Wonderland, the parade at Disneyland Paris incorporates some unique floats, including this amazing one of giant Alice in a house.

This may be an obvious one, but it still makes the park unique. The signs, music, and recorded instructions are in French, and the employees — many of whom come from all over the world — are at the very least bilingual, often speaking several languages. Enjoy the non-American-ness of it all.

Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains aka the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ride.

Crush's Coaster in Walt Disney Studios Park is a unique spinning roller-coaster ride, although similar to the Primeval Whirl at Disney World's Animal Kingdom, and a fan favorite.

The Frozen marketplace is a Frozen-themed area complete with shopping, food offerings, an Arendelle backdrop for photos, and the Royal Couturier for kids to get done up like the film's princesses.

Although similar to the other versions, Paris's Big Thunder Mountain takes you through an underwater tunnel to an island. And it's so pretty!

Pretty much everyone agrees that the best of the four versions of Pirates of the Caribbean is in Paris. Besides not having the movie characters added, it's in a different order and includes moments the other versions don't.

The Indiana Jones ride is completely different from the versions at the California park and Tokyo DisneySea. This is a straight-up roller coaster — it even goes upside down!

There's a huge beanstalk near the carousel in Fantasyland.

The Toy Story-themed land in Walt Disney Studios Park includes three attractions: RC Racer, Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop, and Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin. There's also a Toy Story Playland at Hong Kong Disneyland and one in the works at Disney World.

Phantom Manor is a darker, creepier (just look at it), and all-around different version of the Haunted Mansion attractions at Disneyland, Disney World, and Tokyo Disneyland. It also includes some Wild West ghost town scenes.

Be sure to enjoy some of the unique Disney treats at the Paris park like this pink doughnut.

Or stop and grab a bite to eat at Restaurant Hakuna Matata, which has surprisingly good food for a casual park restaurant. Plus, you get to pick a side — either Timon or Pumbaa — and the themed decor is so fun.

It's only fitting that there would be a ride based on the Pixar movie about the French dish "ratatouille" at Disneyland Paris. Ratatouille: The Adventure is a trackless 3D dark ride in Walt Disney Studios Park.

Space Mountain is much more intense and roller-coaster-like here than in the States. It's the fastest version from the five around the world, plus it's the only one to include inversions and to have part of the track outside the mountain itself when it shoots you through an open tunnel.

In general, it's more adult-friendly — alcohol is served in the park and there are more roller coasters — and less crowded than Disneyland in the US.