The Ultimate Walking Guide to Walt Disney World (2024)

Not too long ago, I wrote a guide for Disney buses.

One of the comments that Walt Disney World fans mentioned the most was that they tried to avoid the buses.

Some wondered about the best strategy for skipping buses altogether.

Here’s a walking guide to Walt Disney World.

The Resorts within Walking Distance of Theme Parks

Let’s start with what matters most here. When you book at some official Disney resorts, you can skip the buses entirely at some parks.

For example, you’ll find Disney’s BoardWalk Inn and Disney’s Beach Club Resort close to the International Gateway at EPCOT.

That’s the rear entrance, the kind of secret door to the World Showcase.

You’d be surprised how many Disney fans have no idea this entrance even exists.

When guests stay at either of those resorts, they’re legitimately a five-minute walk from the International Gateway.

Similarly, Disney’s Contemporary Resort has always marketed itself as the only hotel within walking distance of Magic Kingdom.

When the Contemporary’s sibling, Bay Lake Tower, debuted, it somehow shortened the distance that much more.

I’m dead serious when I say that when I catch the Walk/Don’t Walk light at the right time, I can be at Magic Kingdom’s entrance in five minutes.

That stupid light can delay me by a couple of minutes, though, which is oddly frustrating.

During the pandemic, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa also added a walking path to Magic Kingdom. It’s only slightly longer than the Contemporary’s.

At the time of publication, that walkway isn’t available due to construction at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, though.

Once that path reopens, you can technically follow a walking path from any of these monorail resorts to Magic Kingdom!

By the way, I’m cheating by mentioning them. Still, Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, and Disney’s Caribbean Beach will reduce your walking as well.

Each of these hotels includes a Disney Skyliner station, which is an incredible amenity.

So, you can walk to the Disney Skyliner and then ride to the park. It’s not quite the same, but it’s definitely better than Disney buses.

The Resorts within Walking Distance of Unique Locations

We should mention two other resorts with excellent logistics.

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa covers the old Disney Institute campus. So, this place is pretty big.

However, some parts of the hotel grounds reside near the bridge to Disney Springs.

When you stay in these hotel buildings, you’re only a five-minute walk away from Disney Springs.

I’ve got friends who purchased an ownership interest in the Disney Vacation Club just so that they could always stay this close to Disney Springs. It’s that addictive for some.

Conversely, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort offers a similar amenity that isn’t quite as useful.

How many days do you expect to spend at Disney water parks during your vacation?

Even if the answer is just one, you’ll love Coronado Springs. It is legitimately just a 15-minute walk away from Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park.

Unlike Saratoga Springs, this walk requires a bit of excitement, as Disney doesn’t really encourage this one. But it’s still super-convenient if you don’t mind the crosswalk navigation on a busy road.

Navigating Disney’s Animal Kingdom

I have such a love/hate relationship with this park. It isn’t just spectacular, but it also embodies the spirit of Walt Disney.

The man himself dared to attempt the impossible and often succeeded. One of his few failings occurred when he couldn’t add live animals to Jungle Cruise.

The mere existence of Animal Kingdom reflects a Disney dream four decades in the making.

Having said that, building a series of natural habitats for various animal species comes with a downside.

You cannot very well place natural predators in close proximity to potential prey. Kids would NOT enjoy that Kilimanjaro Safaris ride.

So, Disney spaced out Animal Kingdom an almost incomprehensible amount.

For the love of all that you hold holy, wear comfortable shoes when you visit this park!

You will walk a ton, as it’s pretty much unavoidable. Since animals also prefer vegetation, this park gets hot as well.

That’s the explanation for the hate part of my love/hate. I loooove Animal Kingdom in theory and when I’m experiencing the attractions.

When I’m just walking here, I’m sweaty, hot, and grumpy. If you plan for this, you’ll likely enjoy the park much more than I do! Lowered expectations always help with anything.

By the way, you cannot walk from any of the resorts to this theme park. Yes, that’s even true of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Disney doesn’t want guests roaming around the sides of Animal Kingdom for fear of someone accidentally bumping into an animal. It probably wouldn’t be good for the human or the animal.

I’m afraid you must take a bus to reach this particular resort. There’s no getting around it.

Navigating Disney’s Hollywood Studios

You’ll enjoy the most comfortable walking conditions at Hollywood Studios.

Disney designed this park with an east/west traffic pattern. When Disney expanded with Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, it added more depth.

Still, you can walk from the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror to Toy Story Land in less than 15 minutes. You don’t even have to walk quickly to do it.

Reaching Galaxy’s Edge will take a few minutes longer, but we’re still talking about a 20-minute walk (at most) between the park’s farther points.

Note that you cannot walk to Hollywood Studios from any of the resorts. You’ll need a bus, boat, or the Disney Skyliner to get here.

Navigating EPCOT

I call this the “front and back” park in my best Ross Gellar voice.

This statement applies due to the unique structure of EPCOT. Imagineers planned this park in two sections.

The “front” of the park covers the former Future World, which is now World Discovery, World Nature, and World Celebration.

You’ll primarily go east/west when you’re walking through the former Future World attractions.

The north/south walking occurs when you head to the World Showcase. This 1.3-mile portion of the park encircles the World Showcase Lagoon.

You’ll walk past roughly a dozen pavilions as you roam this area, and you’ll love every second.

The shopping and dining here rival anything at Walt Disney World. Better yet, you can reach all of it by walking at a leisurely pace.

I would recommend taking breaks for meals, snacks, and shopping. On hot days, walking around the World Showcase can grow a bit uncomfortable.

Navigating Magic Kingdom

When Imagineers designed Magic Kingdom, they adopted the same successful approach from Disneyland Park.

All roads lead to Cinderella Castle, although some meander a bit more than others.

Walt Disney referred to the style as a hub with spokes, a reference to old-timey wagon cart wheels.

All the spokes connect to the center wheel. That same logic applies to everything from Adventureland and Frontierland to Tomorrowland.

As long as you keep walking the path, you’ll eventually reach Cinderella Castle.

Once you reach Casey’s Corner and The Plaza Restaurant, you can head in any direction. It’s a brilliant, efficient design.

Still, you should know some potential issues here. Specifically, you should avoid crisscrossing the park quickly.

For example, walking from Space Mountain to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad works as a strategy, but it’s not the best one.

Instead, you should choose an attraction between the two rides like Haunted Mansion. That way, you’ll divide the walk into two parts.

Once you enter Magic Kingdom, Main Street, U.S.A. works as the connector to the hub and spokes.

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Feature: Disney