Disneyland Resort is in Anaheim, California. Its two theme parks face each other across an entrance plaza, with Downtown Disney and three Disney hotels nearby. Most of the resort is connected by walking paths.
Choose where to go
Disneyland Park
Walt Disney’s original park opened in 1955. Its nine lands include Main Street, U.S.A., Fantasyland and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Disney California Adventure
Cars Land, Avengers Campus and Pixar Pier are part of the second park, directly across the esplanade from Disneyland.
Downtown Disney
Restaurants, shops and live music outside the theme park gates. You can enter the district without a park ticket; parking and individual activities have their own charges.
Disneyland Resort hotels
The resort’s three Disney hotels are the Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Pixar Place Hotel. Pictured is the Grand Californian lobby.
Getting around
The esplanade is the open plaza between the two park entrances. Downtown Disney extends west toward the Disneyland Hotel. The Grand Californian borders Downtown Disney and California Adventure; Pixar Place Hotel is across Disneyland Drive.
The Disneyland Monorail connects Downtown Disney with Tomorrowland inside Disneyland Park. Boarding requires the appropriate park admission and reservation. It has no stop inside California Adventure. Check Monorail boarding information.
Theme park parking is at Mickey & Friends, Pixar Pals or the Toy Story lot. Downtown Disney uses the Simba Lot. Hotel parking is separate. Disney’s parking guide lists the current locations, rates and validation rules.
Tickets and park entry
Guests ages 3 and older currently need valid admission and a reservation for the same park and date. A hotel booking does not include park admission unless the package specifically includes tickets. With a Park Hopper ticket, reserve your starting park. Switching parks remains subject to availability.
Use the park reservation guide and daily park calendar when choosing dates. Refurbishments and entertainment schedules can affect what is available.
Earlier Disneyland Resort
The hotel’s Monorail stationDedication photograph · 1961
The Monorail reached the Disneyland Hotel in 1961, when Jack Wrather still owned the hotel. Disney bought the Wrather Corporation in 1988. Today the western Monorail stop serves Downtown Disney.
Building Downtown DisneyEarlier district layout
Downtown Disney opened on January 12, 2001, using parts of the former Disneyland parking lot and hotel grounds. California Adventure opened the following month, also on the old parking lot. This photograph shows an earlier Downtown Disney layout.
Sources
Checked November 9, 2026.
Park entry requirements · Resort parking · Disneyland Hotel history · California Adventure history
Show photo creditsHide photo credits
Andrew Krivsky / Limitless Park, 2018: Disneyland Park; Disney California Adventure.
Disney / Disneyland Resort: Downtown Disney.
Disney / Disneyland Resort: Disneyland Resort hotels.
The park photographs are from Andrew’s 2018 visit. Disney supplied the current district and hotel images. The Monorail dedication photo is from 1961; the historical Downtown Disney photo has no confirmed capture date. Images are cropped to fit their frames; history photos fade to grey when opened.
Disneyland Hotel Monorail dedication, 1961: Disney / D23.
Downtown Disney earlier layout — D23 archive: Disney / D23.
Disneyland Monorail sign: Andrew Krivsky / Limitless Park, 2014.
California Adventure’s gates: Andrew Krivsky / Limitless Park, 2018.
Section photographs are cropped to fit. Dated archive photographs illustrate the place, not its present operating status. Concept art depicts announced work and may change.