The Two Quickest Routes Between Epcot and Magic Kingdom

If you’re looking to park hop between Epcot and Magic Kingdom during your Walt Disney World vacation, you’ll want to consider where you’re at and where you’re going. That doesn’t sound clear upfront, but hang tight, and it will all make sense. Below, we’ll review the two quickest ways to travel between Epcot and Magic Kingdom and preview the transportation maps to help you get your bearings.

If you’re unaware of how transportation works at Magic Kingdom, you might like to look over the map below. I grabbed this screenshot and highlighted the monorail and ferry route between the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) and Magic Kingdom. If you’re taking the monorail from Epcot, you must take it to the TTC and then cross Seven Seas Lagoon to get to Magic Kingdom. When the Epcot monorail drops you off at the TTC, you can immediately board the Express Monorail to Magic Kingdom or take the Magic Kingdom Ferry.

When leaving Magic Kingdom, you can take the monorail or ferry to the TTC and board the Epcot Monorail. We’ll walk through these steps and considerations in more detail below. I’m not the best at creating maps, but I wanted to provide something that shows the process. I find that most guests do not realize there’s a transfer process when taking the monorails (either way) between the parks.

Epcot is unique because it has two entrances. This is why you’ll want to consider where you’re at and where you’re going. Below, on the map, we see that the monorail is near Epcot’s main entrance. In the bottom left-hand corner of the map, we see that Epcot’s International Gateway is near a walkway, boat dock, and Skyliner station. (For this article, we’ll scratch the Friendship boats and Skyliner because they won’t help us get between the parks any quicker.) However, we will take that walkway to Disney’s Beach Club to use their bus stop.

Taking the Monorail to Magic Kingdom from Epcot

Okay, now that we have an overall view of how transportation at Magic Kingdom and Epcot works, we’ll walk through the process of taking the monorail either way. If you’re at Epcot and want to visit Magic Kingdom, you’ll want to consider where you’re at in the park. If you’re in World Celebration, World Discovery, or World Nature, you’ll be closer to the monorail than the International Gateway. You’ll be about halfway between the two entrances if you’re in the World Showcase around Mexico, Norway, or China. Anywhere else in the World Showcase will be closer to the International Gateway entrance.

Below is the signage for the monorail at Epcot’s entrance. It’s a little misleading because if you’re reading it, you’ll likely think the monorail stops at the TTC, Magic Kingdom, and Magic Kingdom Resorts. But it only stops at the Transportation and Ticket Center. As discussed above, you must transfer at the TTC to get anywhere else.

You’ll take the ramp to the upper-level platform. An elevator is also available. You’ll have a good view of Spaceship Earth when you reach the top. In the picture below, we can see that the monorail from Magic Kingdom has just arrived. It will loop through the center of Epcot on a scenic ride through the park before it stops where we’re waiting.

Two fun facts about the monorail route between the Transportation and Ticket Center and Epcot are worth pointing out:

1. Guests get to enter the park via the monorail before they arrive. This is a scenic route that most guests enjoy. (You do not make the same loop when you leave Epcot.)
2. When you take the monorail between Epcot and Magic Kingdom, you remain inside a secure area (either way). Therefore, you do not have to walk through security again in either park.

Here is that same monorail after it’s looped through Epcot. It will stop and drop off guests from the TTC and allow us to board.

We’ll then take the 11-minute ride between Epcot and the Transportation and Ticket Center. When exiting the TTC, everyone must walk down the same ramp. Signage overhead indicates that we can go to Magic Kingdom’s parking lot (trams), transfer to Magic Kingdom, or transfer to the Magic Kingdom Resorts.

From there, you can walk up the neighboring ramp and take the express monorail to Magic Kingdom. This will be your fastest route. (Naturally, this means as long as everything is operating correctly. If the monorail appears to be down or you overhear someone saying it will be a couple of minutes because they’re adding or removing a monorail from the track, I would go directly to the ferry. Those things don’t happen all the time, but we have found over numerous visits that the ferry, while not the quickest, is always the most reliable.)

The resort hotel monorail is another option. However, it will stop at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian before it reaches Magic Kingdom, adding 10-15 minutes to your total trip time.

You can also take the ferryboat, which takes 10-15 minutes. We enjoy taking the Magic Kingdom Ferry when the weather is nice. We like to grab a bench on the second level and take in the views along the way. But the express monorail will typically be your quickest option.

Vice-Versa (Monorail from Magic Kingdom to Epcot)

You’ll follow the same steps in reverse order when taking the monorail from Magic Kingdom. That trip will look like this:

1. Exit Magic Kingdom
2. Take the monorail or ferry to the Transportation and Ticket Center (Important: If you take the express monorail to the TTC, you can walk across the platform to the Epcot monorail. You do not have to exit the platform and join the line for the Epcot Monorail. It’s a simple process.)
3. Take the monorail to Epcot. (This is the route where you’ll ride through Epcot before you arrive.)

Taking a Bus to Magic Kingdom from an Epcot Resort

Okay, suppose you’re in Epcot’s World Showcase (Canada, United Kingdom, France, Morocco, Japan, America, Italy, Germany). In that case, you will be closer to the International Gateway than Epcot’s main entrance. It will be much quicker for you to exit the International Gateway and walk directly to Disney’s Beach Club. We’ve timed it, and it’s an eight-minute walk. You cannot miss the Beach Club. It’s the first blue building on your right when you leave Epcot. You’ll take the walkway inside to the lobby when you reach the area shown in the picture below.

You’ll cross the lobby, exit the hotel’s front entrance, and walk down to the bus stop. Some signs will point out the way. If you’re unsure, ask one of the greeters in the lobby. They will point you in the right direction. For reference, when you walk out of the Beach Club’s front doors, you’ll see this walkway that leads to the bus stop. It will be on your left.

You can wait here and board a bus to Magic Kingdom. It takes approximately 15 minutes to reach Magic Kingdom from the Beach Club. The benefit of this route is that the bus will drop you off at Magic Kingdom’s entrance. So you don’t have to make any transfers. You’ll walk through security and then directly up to the ticket scanners at the park’s entrance.

Vice-Versa (Taking a Bus from Magic Kingdom to an Epcot Resort)

Suppose you’re at Magic Kingdom and have plans to go directly to an attraction, restaurant, etc., in Epcot’s World Showcase. In that case, it is much quicker to take a bus from Magic Kingdom to the Beach Club and then enter the park at the International Gateway. That looks like:

1. Exit Magic Kingdom.
2. Stay to the left and walk to Magic Kingdom’s bus stop.
3. Locate the bus stop for Disney’s Beach Club.
4. Exit the bus at the Beach Club (*It will stop at the Yacht Club first, so you can exit there if you like.)
5. Walk from the Beach or Yacht Club’s lobby to Epcot.
6. Enter Epcot at the International Gateway. (Depending on your destination, you’ll want to know whether to go to the right or left once inside the park.)

Example: If you’re at Magic Kingdom and have dinner reservations at 7:00 p.m. for Via Napoli in the Italy Pavilion at Epcot, you would want to take a bus from Magic Kingdom to the Beach Club. Then, you can enter Epcot at the International Gateway and take a right at the bridge toward the Italy Pavilion. This route will save you time and a lot of steps!

Final Thoughts

I hope this information and walkthrough are helpful in planning your park-hopping routes. I intentionally walk through these processes, take photos, and document the steps to help our readers.

Every time I exit the monorail at the TTC, guests remain, unaware that they need to exit and board another monorail to Magic Kingdom. A few look around, and someone always says, “This isn’t Magic Kingdom.” No, it’s not. But unless you want to ride back to Epcot, you’d be wise to exit and board the monorail that goes to Magic Kingdom.

Knowing these things ahead of your vacation will save you time and a lot of frustration. For more on transportation at Walt Disney World, you might enjoy:

• Taking the Monorail Between Grand Floridian and Epcot (Total Time)
• The Boat Route Between Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Magic Kingdom
• How to Get to Hoop Dee Doo Revue at Disney World
• How to Get to ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

You might also enjoy our Resorts Gal Routes series, which shares some of our favorite routes to popular Walt Disney World destinations.

In the Comments

Have you taken either of these routes between Epcot and Magic Kingdom? Let us know below in the comments.