Hotels Within Walking Distance to Disney World Parks

There are a lot of different ways to get around Disney World, depending on which resort you’re staying at. If you’re on property at a Disney-owned resort, you’ll definitely have access to the free theme park buses, but guests at certain hotels will also have options like the Monorail and the Disney Skyliner.

But no matter how much fun it can be to let someone else do the driving (or flying) on your way to and from the parks, for many people, walking is the best way to get where they need to go.

While you can’t walk to every theme park, nor does each Disney Resort hotel have a walking path to the parks, there are a handful that are close enough allowing guests to avoid Disney transportation.

These include:

Disney’s Contemporary Resort & Bay Lake Tower: 0.5 miles from Magic Kingdom (10-15 minutes)
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort: 0.75 miles from Magic Kingdom (15-20 minutes)
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort: 1.25 miles from Magic Kingdom (25-30 minutes)
Disney’s Boardwalk Inn: 0.3 miles from Epcot (10 minutes); 0.75 miles from Hollywood Studios (15-20 minutes)
Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club: 0.3 miles from Epcot (10 minutes); 1.2 from Hollywood Studios (20-25 minutes)
Walt Disney World Swan, Dolphin, & Swan Reserve: 0.5 miles from Epcot (10-15 minutes); 0.8 miles from Hollywood Studios (15-20 minutes)

Not only can walking be a great way to sneak in those extra steps (as if you’ll need them during your Disney trip), but it can also be faster than other modes of transportation. During peak times at Disney, you can end up waiting a long time to board a bus, Monorail, or the Skyliner.

Only certain resorts are walkable to the theme parks, though, so if this is important to you, you’ll want to do your research before choosing where you want to stay on your vacation. Read on for our guide to resorts that are within walking distance to the Disney theme parks.

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Which resorts are walkable to Disney World theme parks?

Certain resorts are close enough to walk to parks including Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios — and given that this is a truly desirable quality in a resort, it’s no surprise that these are all Deluxe level accommodations.

Disney’s Contemporary Resort & Bay Lake Tower

Goofy and Pluto on the lawn of the Contemporary

Where you can walk: Magic Kingdom
Distance: 0.5 miles, between 10-15 minutes at a leisurely pace
Are there walkways? Yes. Leaving through the front of the main building of the Contemporary, walk past the theme park bus stops and follow the path through the parking lot and across the street. On your way, you’ll hit a security checkpoint before proceeding to the Magic Kingdom entrance.

walking distance from contemporary to magic kingdom

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort

Where you can walk: Magic Kingdom
Distance: 0.75 miles, between 15-20 minutes at a leisurely pace
Are there walkways? Yes. A walkway between the Grand Floridian and the Magic Kingdom opened relatively recently, and it can be a great way to beat post-fireworks crowds getting back to the resort. If you go out through Gasparilla Island Grill and head towards the boat landing, follow the path that will cross over the water.

walking distance from grand floridian to magic kingdom

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Where you can walk: Magic Kingdom
Distance: 1.25 miles, between 25-30 minutes at a leisurely pace.
Are there walkways? Yes. If you head towards the water, you’ll find a walking path. Follow the signs that point towards the Grand Floridian, and continue on to the Magic Kingdom from there. Note that due to construction of the new DVC tower at the Polynesian, there’s a detour path being used as of spring 2023 that may or may not change in the future — stay tuned!

walking distance from polynesian to magic kingdom

Disney’s Boardwalk Inn

Where you can walk: Hollywood Studios & Epcot
Distance: 0.3 miles, about 10 minutes to Epcot and 0.75 miles, between 15-20 minutes at a leisurely pace to Hollywood Studios
Are there walkways? Yes. All you have to do is exit through the back of the resort (facing the water) and follow the signs to either park. You’ll end up at the back entrance to Epcot (the International Gateway that leads into the World Showcase), and if you’re headed to Hollywood Studios, you’ll be at the regular front entrance.

walking distance from boardwalk to hollywood studios

walking distance from boardwalk to epcot

Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club

Where you can walk: Hollywood Studios & Epcot
Distance: 0.3 miles, about 10 minutes to Epcot and 1.2 miles, between 20-25 minutes at a leisurely pace to Hollywood Studios
Are there walkways? Yes. Exit through the back of the resort and follow the signs to either park.

walking distance from yacht and beach club to hollywood studios

walking distance from yacht and beach club to epcot

Walt Disney World Swan, Dolphin, & Swan Reserve

Where you can walk: Hollywood Studios & Epcot
Distance: 0.5 miles, between 10-15 minutes to Epcot, and 0.8 miles, between 15-20 minutes at a leisurely pace
Are there walkways? Yes. Exit through the back of the resort, walk towards the bridge, and follow the signs to your desired park.

walking distance from swan and dolphin to hollywood studios

walking distance from swan and dolphin to epcot

Which resorts are walkable to Disney Springs?

It can also be convenient to stay at a resort that is walkable to Disney Springs, especially if it’s appealing to you to have easy access to plenty of shopping and dining options when you’re not at the parks.

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort

The only Disney-owned resort in walking distance to Disney Springs is Saratoga Springs, and it’s just about a 15 minute walk to get there (and a pretty one).

walking from saratoga springs to disney springs

You’ll want to head towards the Congress Park bus stop, and follow the signs that point to Disney Springs. Once you cross over the bridge, you’ll find yourself in The Marketplace end of the shopping center.

Other Disney Springs Resort Hotels

There are also a few other hotels in the Disney Springs area that are within walking distance to the shopping, dining, and entertainment complex. All of these are about one mile or less to Disney Springs and can take anywhere between 10 to 20 minutes, depending on your pace.

Don’t worry, there is a sidewalk along Hotel Plaza Boulevard that will get you to and from these hotels and Disney Springs.

Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista

Distance: About a half-mile (around 10 minutes)

Wyndham Lake Buena Vista & Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista

Distance: About a half-mile (around 10 minutes)

walking from wyndham lake buena vista to disney springs

Holiday Inn Orlando Disney Springs

Distance: A half-mile (between 10-15 minutes)

walking from holiday inn orlando to disney springs

B Resort & Spa Lake Buena Vista

Distance: A little over a half-mile (around 15-20 minutes)

walking from b resort and spa to disney springs

Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace

Distance: A little over a half-mile (between 10-12 minutes)

DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando

Distance: Almost one mile (around 20 minutes or so)

walking from doubletree to disney springs

Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando Lake Buena Vista

Distance: A little under 1 mile (about 15-20 minutes)

walking from drury plaza to disney springs

Can you walk to Animal Kingdom from a resort?

Ironically enough, despite the fact that Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge has the park’s name in it, you cannot walk to Animal Kingdom from the hotel — nor are there any special transportation options.

To get there, you’ll have to drive or take a Disney resort bus. In fact, Animal Kingdom is the only park on Disney property that is totally isolated in this way.

walking from animal kingdom lodge to kidani village villas

However, if you’re staying in one part of Animal Kingdom Lodge, there are walking paths to the other. You can easily walk between Kidani Village and Jambo House, which can be fun to switch things up when it comes to pool areas and dining options (along with the different savannas).

Will picking a walkable resort make or break my trip?

Given how convenient Disney parks transportation can be, it’s not necessary to stay at a walkable resort.

While it’s definitely a perk — we love to have as many options as we can when it comes to getting from place to place — you probably won’t miss it too much, especially if your feet end up being pretty tired from all the walking you’re doing in the parks themselves!

That said, one of the great things about a Disney vacation is being able to customize your experience to what works for you. Some people truly do love the walkability factor. It really does come down to personal preference, but either way, you’re going to have a great trip.

Resorts that are within walking distance to Disney World theme parks