On the heels of my article about Mall at Millenia in Orlando, I thought I’d talk about Val d’Europe near Disneyland Paris.
It was built as part of a public–private partnership between The Walt Disney Company and the French state, based on a convention signed in 1987. Located at 14 Cours du Danube, 77711 Serris, France, it really is near Disneyland Paris, and very easy to get to!
If you have driven and want to go in your car, it will take you maybe 10 minutes at the most (with normal traffic). The same would therefore apply if you took an Uber (or similar). Parking is free, and there’s plenty of it.
Chessy-Marne La Vallée bus station is adjacent to the parks by Disney Village. Shuttles run to Val d’Europe every 30 minutes from 9 am until midnight. Local Transdev buses (lines 2233 or 2234) are cheaper but go around the resort and take longer, maybe around 20 minutes. The bus stop is usually located at the Gare de Marne-la-Vallée Chessy Sud station, just a short walk from the Disney Village area.
Quickest of all is to take the RER. Like the bus station, the RER Station is by Disney Village (it’s where you arrive if you take the Eurostar), and it’s only one stop, taking just 1 – 2 minutes!
There are three places to visit here:
- Val d’Europe is a large and more traditional shopping centre featuring over 150 shops, including the popular Primark (for a good Disney merch haul), and an awesome Auchan hypermarket.
- La Vallee Village is an open-air luxury outlet centre adjacent to the mall, offering designer brands at discounted prices.
- A Sea Life Aquarium
On the one hand, this is a tricky one for me. Some people like to take a trip to Paris during their stay at DLP (and I’d love to visit Paris one day), but that’s going to take a whole day from your stay, and that’s a lot of park time gone! So, I think a trip outside the parks may depend on the length of your stay. On both our trips, we have done 4 nights/5 days and I’m not saying I wouldn’t do a shorter trip but I’d prefer to have this as a minimum, so there is plenty of time, and you don’t feel the need to be rushing around like mad trying to fit everything in! We needed to pop to the pharmacy during our last trip (be warned, there isn’t one onsite) and went as it was opening, and so very quiet. I’ll admit I felt a bit miffed as I saw it taking park time, but actually, it was a great visit – we popped in a few stores as well as the pharmacy, got a Starbucks (other coffee shops are available), and went to the supermarket. We LOVED this. It allowed us to stock up on snacks for the rest of the trip (so really good for saving money, fresh fruit, and picky eaters). The place is HUGE and there is a vast amount of choice, including fresh food items. If you were celebrating a birthday, it would be a good place to grab a cake and drinks. In fact, if you like to purchase Duty Free items when you travel abroad, it would be cheaper to buy items like alcohol and chocolates here than at the Ferry Port or on the Ferry (NOT cheaper than the U.K.!). We bought a huge amount of groceries for just 40 Euros. I think it’s worth any party taking a short trip, even if it’s just to visit the supermarket, and this wouldn’t take too much out of your day if you went first thing, or later in the evening.
I haven’t visited the outlets or the Sea Life Centre, but both sound like they might be worth visiting. We are not huge shoppers overall, but even our kids (currently 9 and 15) like a little retail therapy from time to time! We also love Sea Life Centres, but there are plenty in the U.K. However, if you have smaller children, it might be a nice and more relaxing couple of hours to entertain them.
Tax-free shopping is available, and don’t forget to check out my article on Skip Tax to save you extra on all shopping purchases!
To check out the services, shops, and restaurants, visit https://val-d-europe-en.klepierre.fr/
DLP also has its own page on Val d’Europe too: https://www.disneylandparis.com/en-gb/shops/val-deurope-shopping-centre
Val d’Europe is open from 10 am until 8.30 pm, Monday to Saturday, and 10 am – 8 pm on Sundays. Restaurants stay open until Midnight. If you are there in the winter when the parks close earlier, it could be a good option for an evening.
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