Want to Walk to a Theme Park From Your Disney Resort? Try These 7 Hotels!
Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up some mornings during your vacation and take a leisurely stroll to the Magic Kingdom? Or maybe you would love to be able to walk to Epcot or Hollywood Studios. Each of these parks has hotels within walking distance. There are seven hotels where guests can walk to and from at least one theme park.
Below, we’ll discuss which resorts offer easy access to the parks. These resorts fall under the deluxe category, offering more amenities and perks than you would find at a moderate or value resort. Technically, three resorts are not owned and operated by the Walt Disney World Resort. Those resorts are Disney’s Swan, Dolphin, and the Swan Reserve. However, they comprise part of the Epcot Resorts Area and are within walking distance of two parks. So, they are worth considering for your Disney vacation.
Disney Resorts Within Walking Distance of Parks
Here is a list of the seven resort hotels within walking distance of the theme parks.
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa (Walk to Magic Kingdom)
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort (Walk to Magic Kingdom)*
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort (Walk to Magic Kingdom)
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort (Walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios)
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort (Walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios)
- Disney’s Boardwalk Inn (Walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios)
- Swan and Dolphin Resorts (Walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios)
*At this time, you cannot walk from Disney’s Polynesian to the Magic Kingdom due to the construction of the new DVC Tower between the Polynesian and Grand Floridian.
You may have noticed that we didn’t mention Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Unfortunately, the Animal Kingdom Lodge is not within walking distance of a theme park. If you plan on spending considerable time at the Animal Kingdom or have any general interest, we still highly recommend considering this hotel.
We rank the Animal Kingdom Lodge as the best deluxe resort at Disney World due to its uniqueness and the animals in its backyard. It’s kind of hard to beat. In addition, it’s less than a 5-minute bus ride between the hotel and the park.
Hotels Within Walking Distance of Magic Kingdom
The following hotels are within walking distance of Magic Kingdom:
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa is located on the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon. Previously, you could not walk to a theme park from this resort. However, a few years back, a walking path opened between the Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom. This walkway is a game-changer. It’s approximately 0.70 of a mile and takes approximately 15 minutes at an average pace.
Therefore, you don’t have to rely on or wait on any other form of Disney transportation. You can leave your hotel in the morning and head directly to Magic Kingdom. Even better, if you leave after the fireworks in the evening, you can quickly escape the crowds. Although, you’ll likely want to hang out inside the park until some of those crowds thin out.
Afterward, you can go directly past the transportation lines and return to your resort. I don’t know about you, but as long as I can, I would rather walk back to my resort than stand in line for 30 minutes or more for transportation. The walkway provides a quick alternative for returning to the resort and an escape from the pressing crowds.
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
This same path makes walking to the Magic Kingdom an option for guests of Disney’s Polynesian. When you reach the Grand Floridian, you can continue on the path to the Polynesian. This walk usually takes us approximately 25 minutes.
However, going into 2024, this might not be an option due to construction between the Polynesian and Grand Floridian. While a construction path is in place between the resorts, we’ve noticed signs stating the walkway is closed occasionally. When the new DVC Tower is complete at the Polynesian, guests should be able to resume walking a convenient path between the resorts.
Disney’s Contemporary Resort (Includes Bay Lake Tower)
Disney’s Contemporary Resort guests and those of neighboring Bay Lake Tower can walk to the Magic Kingdom. These two hotels are within the closest proximity to Magic Kingdom Park.
The walkway to the Magic Kingdom from both resorts takes approximately 8-10 minutes. You’ll have to cross one public street on the way. Security for the Magic Kingdom sits on the walkway. Those heading to Magic Kingdom will stop to go through the scanner. This is a positive because you won’t have to go through the crowded security area when you get to the park.
Hotels within Walking Distance of Epcot and Hollywood Studios
Epcot and Hollywood Studios are within walking distance of each other. Guests staying in the resort area between the theme parks are privileged to be able to walk to both. The hotels within walking distance of Hollywood Studios and Epcot are:
- Disney’s Beach Club
- Disney’s Yacht Club
- Disney’s Boardwalk
- Swan and Dolphin Hotels
Disney’s Beach and Yacht Club
Disney’s Beach and Yacht Club are separate resorts connected by an outdoor walkway. These popular hotels are best known for their pool area, Stormalong Bay, which features a lazy river and sand-bottom pool.
These two resorts are the closest to Epcot, with the Beach Club being the shortest walk. However, the distance depends largely on your room assignment. During our recent stay at Disney’s Beach Club, it took us approximately five minutes to get from the resort to Epcot’s International Gateway.
Additionally, if you are staying at the Beach Club, you might have heard that the resort has a secret entrance. When you leave Epcot, past the bridge, you’ll run into the corner of the Beach Club. You’ll see a door at this first corner. Take this entrance and follow the hallway around. Eventually, you’ll make it to the resort’s lobby. If you’re staying at the resort, you’ll want to remember this backdoor entrance, especially in the event of inclement weather.
As for walking to Hollywood Studios from the Beach and Yacht Club, the Yacht Club is somewhat closer. The walk to Hollywood Studios from the resorts averages 15-20 minutes, depending on your starting point.
Tip: Boat transportation is an alternative for traveling to the resorts and theme parks within this area. Disney’s Friendship Boats service Epcot, the Epcot Resorts, and Hollywood Studios.
Swan and Dolphin
Marriott owns and operates the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin and the Swan Reserve. Guests of these resorts can walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. They also participate in Friendship Boats’ transportation that services the resorts in this area. However, they do not use Disney’s bus service. A complimentary shuttle service is provided to Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom.
A park hopper ticket upgrade allows you to enjoy the parks within walking distance at nighttime (or anytime you wish).
Disney’s Boardwalk Inn
Lastly, Disney’s Boardwalk sits across Crescent Lake from the Beach and Yacht Club. It is the shortest walk to Hollywood Studios, taking approximately 12 minutes. Again, you can take a boat when needed, but the boat will make a few stops on the way. However, the Boardwalk is the last stop on the way to Epcot. Most will walk to Epcot since it only takes 5-7 minutes.
Tips for the Hotels Within Walking Distance
When you stay in either the Magic Kingdom Resorts or Epcot Resorts area, you are exceptionally close to multiple forms of transportation, dining, and entertainment. So, I wanted to share a few tips and reminders for anyone considering these hotels.
Each hotel we mentioned is eligible for early theme park entry and extended evening hours benefits. So you can enter the parks 30 minutes early each morning. Additionally, you’ll have access to later hours in the parks on the nights extended hours are offered. You’ll likely want to check Disney’s extended hour schedule and plan to take advantage of this offering during your stay.
We also think having the park hopper ticket option is essential when you stay at one of these resorts. Part of the allure of staying here is casually walking to the parks and having dinner or watching the fireworks. So you might spend most of the day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Then, return to your resort, shower, have dinner, and visit the Magic Kingdom to see the evening fireworks performance.
Those who stay at Epcot will love being able to walk in and out of the International Gateway! It’s so simple. If you get tired, you can return to your room and recoup. When you feel rested, you can return to the park.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you enjoyed this overview of the hotels within walking distance of Disney World. For more information, you can browse our list of Walt Disney World Resorts. Or you might care to learn more about the resorts mentioned in this article:
Resort Reviews mentioned in this article:
What Do You Think?
Have you ever stayed at a Disney Resort within walking distance of a park? Do you consider walking to be an advantage? What are your thoughts? Which one would you pick and why? We’d love to hear from you. Fill out a comment below and share what you think.
