Disneyland Paris is a magnet for the young and young-at-heart, who are powerless to resist its magical spell.
Where else in the world can the kids mingle with their favourite cartoon characters in such a spectacular setting?
Just 35 minutes from the centre of the French capital, 15.6 million eager visitors – including thousands of Maltese – joined Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and the gang in Disneyland Paris last year, making it is the most visited attraction of its kind in Europe.
Next month it will be celebrating its 20th anniversary with a spectacular programme of new shows, parades and night-time spectaculars to dazzle young and old alike.
Boasting no fewer than 52 attractions on a 55-hectare site, plus a seven-hotel complex, a campsite, a ranch, a golf course and gardens, Disneyland Paris is split into five worlds.
Frontierland is Wild West country. Here, guests will get the shivers in the haunted Phantom Manor, before stepping aboard the wildest train this side of the Mississippi on Big Thunder Mountain.
In Adventureland, Aladdin lights the way for guests who choose to brave a magic carpet ride through the mysterious Arabian nights, while there is whip-cracking fun and swashbuckling adventures to be had with Indiana Jones on the Temple of Peril rollercoaster and Captain Jack Sparrow in the Caribbean.
Fantasyland is a favourite with the tiny tots, who are invited to enter Sleeping Beauty’s castle. That’s not to say the adults won’t enjoy it too though; you can fly as a family over the lights of London on Peter Pan’s Flight, but don’t forget which direction is north in Alice’s Curious Labyrinth.
In Discoveryland, Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story needs the help of courageous visitors to help save the universe, while Space Mountain: Mission 2 and Star Tours will turn you into an astronaut and take you on a journey to the stars.
On Main Street, visitors are whisked from France to the US in the good ol’ days of 1900. Ride the Disneyland railroad or take or a leisurely ride in a horse-drawn streetcar and savour the sights.
For the older adventurers there are thrills, spills and shrills to be found in the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, which will chill the spine before shaking it, as visitors are plunged into the abyss.
The word famous Disney parades are usually a highlight for the whole family – where else in the world can the kids mingle with their favourite cartoon characters in such a spectacular setting?
And visitors should never go hungry before, during or after their-fun-packed days enjoying the attractions; eating options are varied, with 70 restaurants and bars at Disneyland Paris.