Resorts Gal Routes: How to Get to Disney’s Boardwalk

Getting to Disney’s Boardwalk from Wilderness Lodge or Fort Wilderness

Option 1: Take a boat or bus from either resort to Magic Kingdom. Take a bus from Magic Kingdom to Disney’s Boardwalk.

Option 2: Take a bus from Wilderness Lodge or Fort Wilderness to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you can take the walking path or a Friendship Boat to Disney’s Boardwalk. (Again, you can take the Skyliner from Hollywood Studios to Epcot’s International Gateway and then walk or boat to the Boardwalk. But doing so would be more for fun than convenience.)

Getting to Disney’s Boardwalk from the Animal Kingdom Resorts Area

Resorts: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge (Jambo House and Kidani Village), Disney’s All-Star Resorts (Movies, Music, and Sports), Disney’s Coronado Springs

Primary Option: Take a bus from the resort to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Then, take the walking path or Friendship Boat to the Boardwalk. (An alternative is to take the Skyliner to the International Gateway and continue to the Boardwalk.)

Getting to Disney’s Boardwalk from the Disney Springs Resorts

Resorts: Disney’s Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter

Option 1: The most direct way is the one we’ve already discussed for the other resorts. Take a bus from the resort to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Then, take the walking path or Friendship Boat to the Boardwalk. (An alternative is to take the Skyliner to the International Gateway and continue to the Boardwalk.)

Option 2: Take a boat from any of the above-listed resorts to the Marketplace dock at Disney Springs. Walk from the Marketplace to Town Center and catch a bus from Disney Springs directly to the Boardwalk. (You might do this on a leisurely day when you’re not in a hurry to get anywhere. The walk from the Marketplace boat dock to the bus stop at Disney Springs takes approximately 15-20 minutes, depending on your familiarity. If you’re unfamiliar with Disney Springs, it could take longer.)

Getting to Disney’s Boardwalk from the Skyliner Resorts

Resorts: Disney’s Art of Animation, Pop Century, Caribbean Beach, and Riviera Resorts

Primary Option: Take the Disney Skyliner to Epcot’s International Gateway. You can take a Friendship Boat from the International Gateway to the Boardwalk (4 minutes travel time) or walk (8 minutes/0.35 miles).

Getting to Disney’s Boardwalk from the Epcot Resorts

Resorts: Disney’s Beach Club, Yacht Club, the Swan, Dolphin and Swan Reserve (Boardwalk)

Primary Option: Walk from your resort to the Boardwalk. The entire walk around the lake is 0.8 miles. Your walk will be less than that distance, depending on your starting point.

Option 2: If you don’t want to walk, take a Friendship Boat from the Swan and Dolphin or the Yacht Club (shared dock with Beach Club) to the Boardwalk.

Getting to Disney’s Boardwalk from a Theme Park

If you’re at Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you can take a bus directly from the park to the Boardwalk. Those at Epcot will want to exit at the International Gateway and then walk or boat to the Boardwalk. Again, if you’re at Hollywood Studios, you can boat or walk to the Boardwalk.

Other Ways to Get to the Boardwalk

If you have a car, you can drive to Disney’s Boardwalk. However, parking can vary. If you have a confirmed reservation, you will be allowed to park. If you’re a DVC member or staying at another Disney Resort, you should also be allowed to park. Anyone else may or may not be allowed to park. It used to be that anyone visiting specific venues at the Boardwalk could park there. However, it has been our experience that you could arrive and find a sign that says no parking available today. So we wouldn’t encourage trying to park there unless you have a dining reservation.

When visiting the Boardwalk, I almost always park at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with my annual pass and walk or take a boat to the resort. An annual pass covers parking charges, so taking the extra steps to get there is not a big deal. If you don’t want to incur parking charges, try parking at Disney Springs and take a bus directly to the Boardwalk. (The Orange Garage is the shortest walk to the bus stop, and the Lime Garage is another option.)

The Resorts Gal Spin

Disney’s Boardwalk is a fun place to visit, and accessing it is not as complicated as it might initially seem. Once you get a good idea of how transportation works and what options are available, it’s all smooth sailing from there. As for the Boardwalk, my spin is to visit in the late afternoon or evening when the venue begins to come to life. We have a separate guide with things to do at Disney’s Boardwalk that discusses this topic in more detail.