Inside the Disneyland Paris Castle (Photos and More!)
Last Updated on February 27, 2024 by Kelly
The castle at Disneyland Paris is truly one of the best Disney castles. There are 6 different Disney parks around the world, and each park has a castle as its centerpiece. The best part about the castle at Disneyland Paris is that you can walk inside this castle, explore a gallery of Sleeping Beauty’s story, and even walk underneath it to see a dragon’s lair.
The Disneyland Paris castle is located in France, which is a country filled with over 45,000 castles. The Disney architects knew they had to make the castle at Disneyland Paris extra special. The Disneyland Paris castle, known officially as Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant, is filled with stunning architectural details.
We recently visited the Disneyland Paris castle after it was updated for the Disneyland Paris 30th Anniversary Celebration. We think it’s worth traveling to Disneyland Paris just to see this castle! In this post, we’re sharing everything you need to know about the Disneyland Paris castle! We share photos, important details, and more.
About Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in Disneyland Paris
Sleeping Beauty’s Castle has three primary sections that you can walk through:
- Castle Gates: You can walk through the castle gates, which will take you into Fantasyland.
- La Galerie de la Belle au Bois Dormant: On the second floor, you will see a beautiful gallery filled with stained glass windows, elaborate books, and tapestries that tell the story of Sleeping Beauty.
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La Tanière du Dragon: If you dare to walk underneath the castle, you’ll see a large dragon chained to the rocks!
This post will cover all three areas of the castle. We’ll also discuss the castle’s construction, history, recent update, and more!
Accessibility to the Castle: There is an elevator that will take you to all three areas. We used the elevator ourselves to take our stroller up and down the different levels. It’s not a particularly large elevator, but we were able to fit 2 adults and a stroller inside it.
Quick Facts About the Castle
- Year Built: 1992
- Year Renovated: 2022
- Height: 167 feet (51 meters)
- Princess: Princess Aurora, also known Sleeping Beauty
- Color: The castle has 14 different shades of pink
- Design: French heritage
Exterior Design of the Castle
The castle in Disneyland Paris (Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant) is the most visited castle in all of Europe! As such, it’s exterior design definitely needed to impress. There’s a lot of castle competition in Europe! With collaboration from French craftspeople and suppliers, the Disney team definitely achieved its mission. The castle is a spectacular display of French heritage and Disney magic!
The castle’s architecture reflects a combination of elements of important French monuments. These include the stained glass windows from the cathedral Sainte-Chapelle, the castle shape from Mont Saint Michel, the twisted pillars in the church Saint-Séverin, the dome from Chambord Castle, and the tiled roofs from Hospices de Beaune.
The Disneyland Paris castle faces north, so that the sun never sets behind the castle. This ensures that guests will have perfect photos of the castle at all times of day. (It will never be backlit!)
The castle was painted a more prominent shade of pink (in contrast to the other Disney castles) to help provide a sharp contrast from France’s often grey skies.
Each tower has a turret that has a completely unique weather vane. Be sure to zoom in on your camera so that you can appreciate all the small details!
One of my favorite aspects of this castle is that on one of the towers, you can see golden snails decorating the edges of a turret. This is to pay homage to France’s culinary specialty: escargot!
Be sure to see our full guide to Disneyland Paris! We include our best tips and lots of photos from our recent trip!
Inside the Disneyland Paris Castle Gates
Once you walk through the Disneyland Paris castle gates, you’ll find the entrances of two shops. One of the shops is called La Boutique du Château. This shop has lots of Christmas ornaments and decorations. Another shop is called Merlin l’Enchanteur. When you enter this shop, you’ll see lots of crystal decorations, etched glass, and Disney figurines. We thought that it was pretty cool that there were shops located on the main floor of the castle!
30th Anniversary Refurbishment
The Disneyland Paris castle was recently renovated in preparation for Disneyland Paris’s 30th Anniversary in 2022. The refurbishment took a total of 12 months and over 50,000 hours!
The castle was re-painted in 14 shades of pink, over 41,000 gold leaves were applied, and 19,900 slate tiles were installed on the roof.
Tracy Eck, the Art Director for Disneyland Paris, supervised the refurbishment project. She worked alongside French experts to update the castle to really make it shine.
The renovation even received a special article highlighting its advancement in Architectural Digest.
See what hotel we stayed at when we visited Disneyland Paris!
| See our best tips for visiting Disneyland Paris! |
La Galerie de la Belle au Bois Dormant
On the second floor of the Disneyland Paris castle is La Galerie de la Belle au Bois Dormant. This is a special gallery that depicts the story of Sleeping Beauty via stained glass windows, books, and tapestries.
The first thing you’ll notice when you enter is the giant stained glass windows that show the celebration of Princess Aurora’s birth. The first stained glass window depicts Princess Aurora’s parents (King Stefan and Queen Leah), the second window depicts Princess Aurora’s cradle with the 3 fairies flying above her, and the third window depicts King Hubert and Prince Philip.
The stained glass windows were created by Paul Chapman, who is an expert in medieval stained glass techniques. He has an impressive resume, which includes his help in restoring the stained glass windows in Notre Dame.
As you walk past the stained glass windows, you’ll see several ornate books laid out on pedestals. The books also tell the story of Sleeping Beauty in French with beautiful calligraphy.
There’s also a beautiful tapestry of Sleeping Beauty asleep. I learned that this tapestry was inspired by the French classic “The Lady and the Unicorn” tapestry. The tapestry was made by expert weavers using traditional methods. Of course there is Disney magic involved, and if you wait, you’ll see twinkles of light dance upon the tapestry. Directly in front of the tapestry is a spinning wheel that actively spins.
The gallery is filled with lots of fun elements, including Maleficent’s raven, two sleeping knights, and another stained glass window that appears to have a double image. You’ll also notice that the columns that lead down to the first floor look like trees growing up from the earth. This is meant to resemble the period of time that Princess Aurora spent hiding from Maleficent in a cottage in the woods.
At the end of the gallery is a bronze statute of Princess Aurora dancing with Prince Philip. (I took a photo of my daughter and husband dancing right behind it. It made for a really cute photo if you want to try it out!) Visitors to the castle use this statue as sort of a wishing well, so you’ll see coins dropped beside it.
Also, be sure to check out all our posts about things to do and see in France!
La Tanière du Dragon
Perhaps my favorite part about the Disneyland Paris castle is La Tanière du Dragon…. the dragon’s lair! This is an element that is completely unique to Disneyland Paris. No other Disney castle has a dragon’s lair beneath it.
It’s easy to miss this part of the castle, so make sure you add it to your priority list! If you’re facing the castle from Main Street USA, you can find the entrance to the dragon’s lair if you walk along the path to the left of the castle. You’ll notice a small door cut into the castle with a sign outside that says “La Tanière du Dragon.” That’s the entrance to the lair.
When you enter, you’ll follow a dark path that leads to a giant animatronic dragon. The dragon is 79-feet-long and is one of Disney’s largest animatronics! The dragon appears to be sleeping, but tread lightly or you just might wake it up.
The design of the dragon was inspired by French depictions of dragons.
The dragon’s lair might be a little scary for younger children. Our 3-year-old was pretty happy to leave the lair! My husband and I thought the lair was an excellent addition to the castle. It was really cool to see smoke coming from the dragon as it lifted its head over a green lagoon.
| See our guide to the rides and attractions at Disneyland Paris. |
What You’l Find Outside the Disneyland Paris Castle
The gardens outside the castle were planed in geometric patterns to reflect classic French gardens.
One of my favorite aspects of this castle is the fact that there are multiple square trees that lead up to the castle. The square trees were inspired from the animated film Sleeping Beauty.
To the right of the castle, you’ll find a wishing well that pays tribute to Snow White.
When you exit the castle, you’ll find La Confiserie des Trois Fées. This store sells all different types of sweets, and it’s themed after the 3 fairies from Sleeping Beauty. When we visited this shop, we ordered cotton candy.
Finally, another unique aspect of the Disneyland Paris castle is the fact that there are fountains that provide a water show in front of the castle. The fountains shoot water high into the sky during parades and shows.
Disney Illuminations Show
Be sure to end your night in front of the castle for the Disney Illuminations show. You’ll find the best views of the show in Central Plaza.
The show consists of a water show, projected images, and lots of fireworks.
During the winter, the show is replaced by a holiday show.
Gardens of Wonder
Right in front of the Disneyland Paris castle, surrounding the Central Plaza, is the new Gardens of Wonder installment.
To celebrate Disneyland Paris’s 30th anniversary, 30 sculptures were added to mark the occasion.
The whimsical sculptures depict beloved characters in abstract forms. Each sculpture is located within a miniature garden that complements the theme. Many of the sculptures move and contain luminescent colors.
It’s fun to see these sculptures during the day and during the night! This attraction is unique to Disneyland Paris, so it was a special treat to see them in-person.
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Tip: When packing for a trip to Disneyland Paris, we recommend bringing your own sunscreen. We couldn’t find any at the parks when we visited!
Summary: Our Visit to the Disneyland Paris Castle
The Disneyland Paris castle, Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant, is one of Disney’s most spectacular castles. I’ve personally visited 3 of Disney’s castles, and the one in Paris is by far my favorite. I love that guests can walk to the second floor gallery and the dragon’s lair beneath the castle. I hope this post inspires you to visit the Disneyland Paris castle!
Disclaimer: We always strive for content accuracy. Since the time of publishing, travel-related information regarding pricing, schedules, and hours may have changed. Please look up such information directly from each vendor or institution for the most current information.
