Share This!









I grew up in Maine, where the punchline to a popular joke was “You Can’t Get There From Here.” At Disney World, you can always get there, but you usually can’t get there from here if you’re walking.

Yes, I know, when you’re at Walt Disney World, you’ll be doing nothing but walking. Many folks have worn pedometers during their Disney vacations and they inevitably learn that walking 5, 7, 10 or more miles per day at Disney World is the norm rather than the exception. Repeat Disney guests understand that nearly all their walking will be done within their resort or within the theme parks; it’s nearly a mile to walk around the World Showcase at Epcot. However, new Disney visitors may be confused that walking between theme parks or between resorts is often not possible. “But the Grand Floridian is right next to the Magic Kingdom, of course I can walk there.” Um, no.

Most of the time, you won’t be walking from park to park or from resort to resort, because you can’t. Even if you had the inclination and energy to hoof it, there are few sidewalks or safe paths to travel. For example, the Wilderness Lodge and the Polynesian Resort are about 3/4 of a mile apart as the crow flies. Most healthy adults could walk this in 15 minutes or less. But while the distance is not odious, there are no safe walking paths, making the trip all but impossible on foot, particularly in the dark. Instead, if you want to go from the Wilderness Lodge to the Poly, you’ll have to drive or take a cab or, if you want to use Disney’s free transportation system, you’ll end up taking a boat to the Magic Kingdom or the Contemporary Resort and then transferring to the monorail for a ride to the Poly. What could be a quick trip to a nearby hotel for a celebratory lapu lapu, ends up being an annoying slog.

For guest who like to walk, and who want to plan their stay based on the number of places at Walt Disney World that are accessible on foot, here’s guide to the parks and resorts at Disney World, with a listing of places can be safely reached by walking. In all cases, distances are approximate, measured via Google Earth, starting and ending at the main ticket gate for theme parks and at the main check-in lobby for resorts. (For Epcot, walking distances are from the World Showcase gate.) At larger resorts, your distance to the end point may vary by up to half a mile depending on your room location.

ANIMAL KINGDOM

There are no other parks or resorts from which you can reach the Animal Kingdom on foot.

From DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

To EPCOT: There are paved, lighted walkways. Directly from DHS to EPCOT’s World Showcase entrance is approximately 1.25 miles, using the route that passes the BOARDWALK.

To the BOARDWALK Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From DHS to the BOARDWALK is approximately .8 miles.

To the DOLPHIN Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From DHS to the DOLPHIN is approximately .9 miles.

To the SWAN Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From DHS to the SWAN is approximately .8 miles.

To the YACHT CLUB Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From DHS to the YACHT CLUB is approximately 1 mile.

To the BEACH CLUB Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From DHS to the BEACH CLUB is approximately 1.1 miles.

From EPCOT

To DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS: There are paved, lighted walkways. Directly from EPCOT’s World Showcase entrance to DHS is approximately 1.25 miles, using the route that passes the BOARDWALK.

To the BOARDWALK Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From EPCOT to the BOARDWALK is approximately .3 miles.

To the DOLPHIN Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From EPCOT to the DOLPHIN is approximately .7 miles.

To the SWAN Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From EPCOT to the SWAN is approximately .7 miles.

To the YACHT CLUB Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From EPCOT to the YACHT CLUB is approximately .4 miles.

To the BEACH CLUB Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From EPCOT to the BEACH CLUB is approximately .3 miles.

From MAGIC KINGDOM

The Magic Kingdom is approximately .5 miles from the CONTEMPORARY RESORT on foot. There is a paved, lighted walkway for much of the route. Some of your route will be over a paved, lighted parking lot.

From DOWNTOWN DISNEY

The Downtown Disney Marketplace area is approximately .3 miles from the Congress Park section of SARATOGA SPRINGS Resort. The most distant area of the Carousel section of SARATOGA SPRINGS is approximately .75 miles from Downtown Disney West Side. There are paved walkways.

Downtown Disney West Side is approximately 1.5 miles from OLD KEY WEST Resort. There are pathways, but no lighting in sections. Guests are discouraged from walking at night.

From: ALL STAR MOVIES, ALL STAR MUSIC, and ALL STAR SPORTS Resorts

There are no theme parks or other resorts which can be reached from the ALL STAR Resorts on foot. The three All Star Resorts can all be walk to from each other. The farthest point at All Star Sports is approximately .75 miles from the farthest point at All Star Movies. There are walkways, but the some of the walk will likely be through parking lot areas.

From ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE

There are no theme parks or other resorts which can be reached from the ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE on foot. There are two sub-resorts within the Animal Kingdom Lodge: JAMBO HOUSE and KIDANI VILLAGE. There are different restaurants and shopping opportunities at the two sections. The walk between Jambo House and Kidani Village is approximately .3 miles.

From ART OF ANIMATION RESORT

There are no theme parks which can be reached from the Art of Animation on foot. You can walk to the POP CENTURY Resort, approximately .3 miles away, via paved, lighted walkway.

From BEACH CLUB RESORT and Villas

To DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS: There are paved, lighted walkways. Directly from the BEACH CLUB to DHS is approximately 1.1 miles, using the route that passes the YACHT CLUB.

To EPCOT: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the BEACH CLUB to the World Showcase entrance to EPCOT is approximately .3 miles.

To the BOARDWALK Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the BEACH CLUB to the BOARDWALK is approximately .4 miles.

To the DOLPHIN Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the BEACH CLUB to the DOLPHIN is approximately .5 miles.

To the SWAN Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the BEACH CLUB to the SWAN is approximately .5 miles.

To the YACHT CLUB Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From BEACH CLUB to the YACHT CLUB is approximately .1 miles.

From BOARDWALK RESORT and Villas

To DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS: There are paved, lighted walkways. Directly from the BOARDWALK to DHS is approximately .9 miles.

To EPCOT: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the BOARDWALK to the World Showcase entrance to EPCOT is approximately .3 miles.

To the DOLPHIN Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the BOARDWALK to the DOLPHIN is approximately .4 miles.

To the SWAN Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the BOARDWALK to the SWAN is approximately .4 miles.

To the YACHT CLUB Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From BOARDWALK to the YACHT CLUB is approximately .5 miles, using the route that passes the Swan/Dolphin.

To the BEACH CLUB Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the BOARDWALK to the BEACH CLUB is approximately .4 miles, using the route that passes Epcot.

From CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT

There are no theme parks or other resorts which can be reached from the CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT on foot. There are rooms at one end of Caribbean Beach which are as much as a .8 mile walk from other rooms at the same resort.

From CONTEMPORARY RESORT and Bay Lake Tower

The CONTEMPORARY RESORT is approximately .5 miles from the MAGIC KINGDOM on foot. There is a paved, lighted walkway for much of the route. Some of your route will be over a paved, lighted parking lot.

From CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

There are no theme parks or other resorts which can be reached from the CORONADO SPRINGS Resort on foot. There are rooms at one end of Coronado Springs which are as much as a .5 mile walk from other rooms at the same resort.

From DOLPHIN RESORT

To DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS: There are paved, lighted walkways. Directly from the DOLPHIN to DHS is approximately .8 miles.

To EPCOT: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the DOLPHIN to the World Showcase entrance to EPCOT is approximately .7 miles.

To the BOARDWALK Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the DOLPHIN to the BOARDWALK is approximately .4 miles.

To the SWAN Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the DOLPHIN to the SWAN is approximately .1 miles.

To the YACHT CLUB Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From DOLPHIN to the YACHT CLUB is approximately .4 miles, using the route that passes the Swan/Dolphin.

To the BEACH CLUB Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the DOLPHIN to the BEACH CLUB is approximately .5 miles.

From FORT WILDERNESS RESORT and Campground

There is a walking trail to the WILDERNESS LODGE. From the FORT WILDERNESS Marina, the WILDERNESS LODGE is approximately 1 mile away on foot. From the FORT WILDERNESS Front Gate, the WILDERNESS LODGE is approximately 2.4 miles on foot.

From GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT and Villas

There are no theme parks or from which you can reach the GRAND FLORIDIAN on foot. There is a walking trail to the POLYNESIAN RESORT, approximately .4 miles away on foot. From the Polynesian, you can reach the Transportation and Ticket Center monorail station.

From OLD KEY WEST RESORT

There are no theme parks from which you can reach OLD KEY WEST on foot.

Downtown Disney West Side is approximately 1.5 miles from OLD KEY WEST Resort on foot. There are pathways, but no lighting in sections. Guests are discouraged from walking at night.

SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT is approximately 1.25 miles from OLD KEY WEST Resort on foot. There are pathways, but no lighting in sections. Guests are discouraged from walking at night.

From POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT

There are no theme parks from which you can reach the POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT on foot. There is a walking path to the GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT, approximately .4 miles away on foot. You can also walk from the POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT to the TRANSPORTATION AND TICKET CENTER, approximately .1 miles away.

From POP CENTURY RESORT

There are no theme parks which can be reached from the Pop Century Resort on foot. You can walk to the ART OF ANIMATION Resort, approximately .3 miles away, via paved, lighted walkway.

PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER and PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE Resorts

There are no theme parks or other resorts which can be reached from the PORT ORLEANS RESORTS on foot. The two PORT ORLEANS RESORTS can be reached from each other. The check in area at FRENCH QUARTER is approximately .5 miles from the check in area at RIVERSIDE. The most distant rooms at FRENCH QUARTER are approximately .8 miles from the most distant rooms at RIVERSIDE. There are paved, lighted walkways.

From SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT

The DOWNTOWN DISNEY Marketplace area is approximately .3 miles from the Congress Park section of SARATOGA SPRINGS Resort. The most distant area of the Carousel section of SARATOGA SPRINGS is approximately .75 miles from DOWNTOWN DISNEY West Side. There are paved walkways.

SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT is approximately 1.25 miles from OLD KEY WEST Resort on foot. There are pathways, but no lighting in sections. Guests are discouraged from walking at night.

The center of the TREEHOUSE VILLAS section of SARATOGA SPRINGS is approximately .5 miles from the food court, on foot.

From SWAN RESORT

To DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS: There are paved, lighted walkways. Directly from the SWAN to DHS is approximately .8 miles.

To EPCOT: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the SWAN to the World Showcase entrance to EPCOT is approximately .7 miles.

To the BOARDWALK Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the SWAN to the BOARDWALK is approximately .4 miles.

To the DOLPHIN Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the SWAN to the DOLPHIN is approximately .1 miles.

To the YACHT CLUB Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From DOLPHIN to the YACHT CLUB is approximately .4 miles.

To the BEACH CLUB Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the SWAN to the BEACH CLUB is approximately .5 miles.

From WILDERNESS LODGE and Villas

There is a walking trail to FORT WILDERNESS. From the FORT WILDERNESS Marina, the WILDERNESS LODGE is approximately 1 mile away on foot. From the FORT WILDERNESS Front Gate, the WILDERNESS LODGE is approximately 2.4 miles on foot.

From YACHT CLUB RESORT

To DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS: There are paved, lighted walkways. Directly from the YACHT CLUB to DHS is approximately 1 miles.

To EPCOT: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the YACHT CLUB to the World Showcase entrance to EPCOT is approximately .4 miles.

To the BOARDWALK Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the YACHT CLUB to the BOARDWALK is approximately .5 miles, using the route that passes the Swan/Dolphin.

To the DOLPHIN Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the YACHT CLUB to the DOLPHIN is approximately .4 miles.

To the SWAN Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the SWAN to the YACHT CLUB is approximately .4 miles.

To the BEACH CLUB Resort: There are paved, lighted walkways. From the YACHT CLUB to the BEACH CLUB is approximately .1 miles.

Of course if you can’t get there from here on foot, there’s always the extensive system of monorails, buses, and boats. Or a car. What’s your preferred method of transportation at Disney World? Where do you like to walk? Let us know in the comments below.

EDITED correct error about walking between the Grand Floridian and Polynesian.