Walking around Disneyland is one of the best feelings in the world. Just taking in the atmosphere, on your way to another adventure…there’s nothing like it. But sometimes, crowds or parades or laziness get in the way. Thankfully, I’ve got a few tried and true shortcuts I use to navigate the park, especially on busier days.
FRONTIERLAND TO FANTASYLAND
Going from the central section of Frontierland to the central section of Fantasyland can require tons of patience; you have to cross through two busy lands and the busiest spot in the park: Main Street’s central hub. But if you know where to go, you can take a quick shortcut and skip the hub altogether.
When leaving Frontierland, wander into Rancho del Zocalo. You’ll see a dark hallway in the back, a.k.a. the Hidden Path to the Fantasy Faire. Once you’re in the Fantasy Faire, follow the winding walkway to the left of the castle. You’ll follow another secret walkway: the Hidden Path to Fantasyland. You’ll end up right in the center of Fantasyland, skipping Main Street altogether.
TOMORROWLAND TO FANTASYLAND
Again, this shortcut avoids the central hub on Main Street. As you leave Tomorrowland, turn right before you actually land on Main Street, between the rock formations. You’ll be on a walkway next to the Pixie Hollow lagoon, with Main Street on your left. From here, turn down toward Snow White’s Grotto. Behind the well, you’ll spot an open archway leading right into Fantasyland.
Note: this shortcut won’t work if a princess is conducting a meet & greet at the grotto, unless you want to join the line to meet her. In this case, you’ll have to venture over to the hub and cross the castle drawbridge.
CARS LAND TO PACIFIC WHARF
Walking down the main drag in Cars Land is a must for all California Adventure visitors; the view of the mountain range amazes me every time. But walking in the other direction, headed back into other lands, can be a real pain. Guests snapping photos or hanging out on the street make for major traffic jams.
To skip the slow walk back out of Cars Land, turn left at Flo’s V8 Café. Follow the back walkway (with INCREDIBLE views), and you’ll arrive in Pacific Wharf, the perfect route to Pixar Pier, Paradise Gardens Park, or Grizzly Peak.
MAIN STREET SHOPS
No land gets as clogged as Main Street. If you’re trying to leave the park, it’s easy to feel like you’re swimming upstream as guests pour into Disneyland.
Thankfully, most of Main Street’s shops are completely connected, making for a quiet path to snake through instead of crowding onto the street. Start on the east side (the west side disconnects at Carnation Café, so it doesn’t work as well). At the halfway point, you have to hop across the street, since the Main Street Cinema breaks up the flow. Follow the shops all the way down, and you’ll be right by the exit.
Nice visuals. Can the TOMORROWLAND to FANTASYLAND path be “closed”? Hear like during early entry it may not be a good move to take a path like that as it may not be open.
Hi JR! Thanks so much. During early entry, you won’t need a cut through like this to avoid crowds as they are stopped before the hub on Main Street. But otherwise – as I mentioned in the post, if there’s a character meet & greet at the grotto the half by the castle will be closed as a pass-through. The rest of the time, it should be open!
Where can I find these great maps you use? Is there one of the whole park? I would sure like to know of a link to them.
These are screenshots from the official Disneyland app! You can customize the map to show attractions, dining, restaurants, bathrooms, shops…almost anything you can think of 🙂
Is there a way to get them via a computer link? It would be nice to view and print favorite sections.
You can access digital maps here: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/map/. I believe you can filter by attractions, dining, etc., similar to the app!
Holy moly, these tips are so great!!! I wish I would have read them before we went to Disneyland, but I’m definitely bookmarking them for next year. Thanks for sharing!