Disney Springs to Magic Kingdom & Other Parks: How to Get There
To get from Disney Springs to any Disney theme park (or back), here’s a quick list. Keep reading to get more options and detail.
Note: The difference between walking to/from Saratoga Springs and taking a bus depends greatly on where you plan to be in Disney Springs. They are on opposite sides of the area and will change your walking time dramatically. The boat dock is near the Saratoga exit.
2026 Update: As of June 28, 2026, Disney restricts buses and boats leaving Disney Springs for Disney Resort hotels to Disney Resort hotel guests and guests with a valid resort dining or experience reservation. This does not affect transportation from the theme parks to a resort and then to Disney Springs.
Disney Springs to the Parks: Routes at a Glance
Free Disney transportation options in both directions. Click a route for full directions.
| Route | Recommended free route | Scenic option |
|---|---|---|
| From Disney Springs to the Parks- Buses and Boats available to eligible Guests | ||
| Disney Springs → Magic Kingdom | Bus to Contemporary → walk to Magic Kingdom. | Bus to Grand Floridian → Resort Monorail to Magic Kingdom. |
| Disney Springs → EPCOT | Bus to Beach Club → walk to EPCOT’s International Gateway. | Bus to Riviera → Skyliner to EPCOT’s International Gateway. |
| Disney Springs → Hollywood Studios | Bus to BoardWalk → walk to Hollywood Studios. | Bus to Riviera → Skyliner to Caribbean Beach → transfer to the Hollywood Studios Skyliner. |
| Disney Springs → Animal Kingdom | Walk to Saratoga Springs’ Congress Park bus stop → bus to Animal Kingdom. | Boat to Port Orleans French Quarter → bus to Animal Kingdom. |
| From the Parks to Disney Springs | ||
| Magic Kingdom → Disney Springs | Walk to Contemporary → bus to Disney Springs. | Resort Monorail to Contemporary → bus to Disney Springs. |
| EPCOT → Disney Springs | Exit at International Gateway → walk to Beach Club → bus to Disney Springs. | Skyliner from International Gateway to Riviera → bus to Disney Springs. |
| Hollywood Studios → Disney Springs | Walk to BoardWalk → bus to Disney Springs. | Skyliner to Caribbean Beach → transfer to the Riviera Skyliner → bus to Disney Springs. |
| Animal Kingdom → Disney Springs | Bus to Saratoga Springs → get off at Congress Park → walk to Disney Springs. | Bus to Port Orleans French Quarter → boat to Disney Springs. |
Disney Springs bus and boat boarding restrictions apply; see the eligibility note above. Wait times and operating hours vary.
A view of Disney Springs from the Port Orleans ferry
Disney Springs Transportation
Disney World has a robust system of free transportation that will take you all over the Walt Disney World property. It will take you by bus, by monorail, by Skyliner, and by foot. However, Disney does not provide direct transportation between the theme parks and Disney Springs.
My suspicion is that this is to prevent people from taking up the free parking spots at Disney Springs and taking buses to the parks. Parking for the parks at Disney Springs would make parking at Disney Springs even more difficult and deny Disney theme park parking revenue from offsite guests.
So, in order to go from one park to Disney Springs by boat or bus, you first need to get to a resort. Then, you can use one of the transportation options at that resort to get to Disney Springs. Then you can build your minifigure at the Disney Springs Lego Store. If you don’t know what Disney Springs is, go check out my description of Disney World here.
To and From Disney Springs by Car
Before we start though, if you have a car, it’s easiest to get between Disney Parks and Disney Springs with said car. The parking is free at Disney Springs, and if you paid for parking at the parks, that parking pass is good for the rest of the day at any theme park if you want to go back and forth or park hop. The only park where taking a car may not be faster is Magic Kingdom. If you drive to Magic Kingdom, you have to trek to the Transportation and Ticket Center and take the monorail or ferry to Magic Kingdom (and do the same on the way back). The buses go straight to the entrance, so you avoid a lot of walking and an extra transfer if you don’t use a car.
To and From Disney Springs by Rideshare
You can also use rideshare to get to and from the Disney theme parks to Disney Springs. Rideshare will usually be faster than the Disney transportation because of loading times and the direct route to Disney Springs, as long as you don’t have to wait a long time for the car. Your choices are regular Uber/Lyft/some other service and the Minnie Van. The Minnie Van is an official Disney service provided by Lyft (and will be much more expensive than other options). However, at Magic Kingdom, only the Minnie Van picks up at the entrance, while the other options pick up at the Transportation and Ticket Center. When leaving Magic Kingdom, another option for Magic Kingdom rideshare is to walk to the Contemporary Resort and get picked up there. You can’t get dropped off at Contemporary unless you have a reservation or room there.
Now, onto how to use Disney transportation to get between the parks and Disney Springs.
Jump to Section:
How to Get from Disney Springs to Magic Kingdom
How to Get from Magic Kingdom to Disney Springs
How to Get from Epcot to Disney Springs
How to Get from Disney Springs to Epcot
How to Get from Hollywood Studios to Disney Springs
How to Get from Disney Springs to Hollywood Studios
How to Get from Animal Kingdom to Disney Springs and back
How to Get from Disney Springs to Magic Kingdom
For guests eligible to take a Disney resort bus, you can get from Disney Springs to Magic Kingdom by bus and walking, bus and monorail, two buses, or boat and bus. If you want to walk to Magic Kingdom, first take a bus to the Contemporary Resort and walk to the entrance of Magic Kingdom—about half a mile. Don’t take the monorail from Contemporary because it will make several stops before getting back to Magic Kingdom.
To get from Disney Springs to Magic Kingdom via monorail, you first want to take a bus to the Grand Floridian, then take the monorail to Magic Kingdom. This is because on the resort monorail loop, the Grand Floridian is the last stop before Magic Kingdom. You can take a bus to any of the monorail resorts (Contemporary, Grand Floridian, or Polynesian), but Grand Floridian is the shortest route. That being said, if it’s a really busy day, you might have better luck boarding at Polynesian due to crowds.
Second Dad to the Right vigilantly parenting on the monorail.
Going from Disney Springs also gives you a walking then bus option (or two bus option) as well. You can walk from Disney Springs to Saratoga Springs, then take a bus from the Congress Park stop to Magic Kingdom.
There are scenic routes as well. If you want to take your precious time and see some beautiful sights, take a boat to Port Orleans French Quarter (Riverside is longer), Old Key West, or Saratoga Springs, and then take a bus. Or, take a bus to the Wilderness Lodge, and take the boat to Magic Kingdom.
A view of Saratoga Springs and the Disney Springs dock from the Disney Springs boat. It’s a shorter walk from Disney Springs to Saratoga than the boat ride.
How to Get from Magic Kingdom to Disney Springs
The bus station at Magic Kingdom.
There are a couple different fast options here. If you don’t mind walking, head out of the Magic Kingdom entrance and turn left to find the walking path to the Contemporary Resort. Then take a bus to Disney Springs. It’s about a half mile walk between the two, so that’s 10 minutes if you’re shambling or 2 minutes if you’re an Olympic runner with a top-of-the-line jogging stroller. You can also walk to Grand Floridian if you’d rather. It’s a little farther, but you don’t have to cross a busy intersection like you will going to the Contemporary Resort.
Here’s a “hidden” Mickey on the sidewalk from Magic Kingdom to Contemporary.
Second, for someone who doesn’t want to walk, take the monorail to the Contemporary Resort. It’s the first stop from Magic Kingdom on the resort loop. Then, take the bus to Disney Springs. Waiting and riding time will likely be longer than walking, and you will have to descend several floors of the Contemporary Resort back to the bus stop outside (there’s an elevator). But, at least you won’t be in danger of melting to the sidewalk in the Florida heat. That being said, you will have to walk out of Contemporary to the bus stop. Unfortunately, the monorail does not go to Disney Springs.
Third, if you’re not in a hurry and prefer a more scenic route, here are a few options. You can take a boat from Magic Kingdom to Wilderness Lodge and take the bus from there. Or, you could take a bus to Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, or Port Orleans French Quarter (Riverside will be longer) and take the boat to Disney Springs. French Quarter only has one bus stop, so that’s a possible advantage over the other resorts. You can also walk from Saratoga Springs, but it’s a long bus ride (4 stops inside Saratoga Springs) to the Congress Park bus stop before you can walk.
If you get on the Wilderness boat at just the right time, you can see the fireworks.
How to Get from Epcot to Disney Springs
To get from EPCOT to Disney Springs, you have a few different fast and fun options. And where you are in EPCOT matters a lot. You can only walk, take a boat, or take the Skyliner out of the back entrance, the International Gateway between the France and UK pavilions. You can only take a bus from the front entrance of EPCOT near Spaceship Earth.
The Skyliner station at the International Gateway: the back entrance of EPCOT.
A fast way to Disney Springs from EPCOT if you are near the International Gateway (between France and United Kingdom) is to take the Skyliner or walk to a resort, then take a bus. If you want to take the Skyliner, get off at Riviera, then take the bus to Disney Springs. If you feel like walking, the closest resort to EPCOT is Beach Club. Head there, then take a bus to Disney Springs. There’s also a boat that will take you to Boardwalk, Beach and Yacht Club, and the Swan and Dolphin.
An easy way if you are near the front entrance of EPCOT is to go from Epcot to Port Orleans French Quarter, then take a bus to Disney Springs. Since POFQ only has one bus stop, you don’t have to worry about going to several stops before waiting for a bus to Disney Springs. All of the resorts near EPCOT have limited bus access to EPCOT because they want you to walk or take the Skyliner, so you most likely won’t be able to take a bus from EPCOT to them.
A bus!
If you want a scenic route, take the Skyliner to any resort and then head to Disney Springs by bus, or take a bus from the front entrance to Saratoga, Port Orleans, or Old Key West and take a boat to Disney Springs. Or you can walk from the Saratoga’s Congress Park stop. You can also leave EPCOT and walk to Boardwalk.
How to Get from Disney Springs to Epcot
To get from Disney Springs to Epcot, there are a few different choices.
For eligible Disney Springs bus riders, one of the simplest routes is to take a bus to Beach Club and walk to EPCOT's International Gateway. If you'd rather ride the Skyliner, take the bus to Riviera and ride the Skyliner to EPCOT. If you take the Skyliner or walk to EPCOT, it’s important to remember that you will enter through the back entrance (International Gateway) between the France and United Kingdom pavilions. We like to stop by France for a crepe before doing anything else.
To get there by bus only, take the bus to Port Orleans French Quarter (which is close by and only has one bus stop), then take the bus to EPCOT. You will enter through the front entrance of EPCOT. Don’t go to any of the resorts near EPCOT by bus if you don’t want to walk or ride the Skyliner. Bus access from those resorts is limited.
An awkward smile from my kids at the Port Orleans French Quarter lobby
You can also walk to Saratoga Springs, then take the EPCOT bus from the Congress Park stop to EPCOT. This is a relatively good choice because there’s only one stop before EPCOT.
Finally, you can take a boat to one of the Disney Springs resorts (either Port Orleans resort, Old Key West, or Saratoga Springs), and then take a bus to EPCOT. Unlike with buses, Port Orleans French Quarter will not be the fastest. Saratoga Springs is a shorter boat ride, and it drops off at the Springs (Saratoga bus stop), which is the last bus before heading to the parks. However, since there are five bus stops at Saratoga, the bus might be full. Therefore, it might be safer to go to POFQ.
How to Get from Hollywood Studios to Disney Springs
This is the only entrance to Hollywood Studios, so buses, walking, and Skyliner all start here.
To get from Hollywood Studios to Disney Springs, you have a few different options.
The most fun option is to take the Skyliner. Get on the Skyliner at Hollywood Studios and take it to Caribbean Beach. Then walk over to the Jamaica bus stop and take a bus to Disney Springs. You’ll stop once at Aruba and then on to your destination. Since there are several bus stops prior to Jamaica at Caribbean Beach, it’s possible that the buses will be full. If you’re nervous about this, particularly if you’re traveling with a large stroller and kids, take a second Skyliner to Riviera. Then you can take a bus to Disney Springs. Riviera only has one bus stop, which makes transferring straightforward. Also, since it’s a deluxe, I have experienced high bus frequency.
Since resorts near Hollywood Studios prefer you take the Skyliner, walk, or boat, an easy way is to take a bus from Hollywood Studios to Port Orleans French Quarter. POFQ is close to Disney Springs and only has one bus stop, so it should streamline the transition process. You can also catch a boat from Port Orleans, Saratoga Springs, or Old Key West if you take a bus there. Here’s a detailed article about the boat between Port Orleans and Disney Springs.
The Skyliner station at Hollywood Studios.
The final two choices are taking a boat or walking. You can take a boat or walk to the Boardwalk, Beach Club, or Yacht Club in order to take a bus to Disney Springs. From Hollywood Studios, the Boardwalk Inn is the closest by foot and Beach and Yacht Club are the fastest by boat.
Part of the Hollywood Studios/Epcot walking path near Beach Club
How to Get from Disney Springs to Hollywood Studios
To get from Disney Springs to Hollywood Studios, you will have to travel by two buses, a boat and a bus, a bus and a boat, or a bus and a Skyliner—or a bus and walking.
To get to Hollywood Studios by Skyliner, take a bus to Caribbean Beach Resort or Riviera, and then take the Skyliner to Hollywood. If you go to Caribbean, you only have one Skyliner trip, but you will have multiple bus stops before you get to the Skyliner. If you go to Riviera, you will have to transfer Skyliners at Caribbean Beach, but there’s only one bus stop. I recommend this option because my family would much rather be on the Skyliner than on a bus, especially if we have a stroller.
I’m smiling because I love the Skyliner.
To take two buses, if you’re an eligible bus rider, you can take a bus from Disney Springs to any resort that’s not a Epcot/Hollywood Studios resort (because they want you to take the bus or Skyliner) and then take a bus to Hollywood Studios. A good choice is Port Orleans French Quarter because it only has one bus stop, so you won’t have to circle around before heading to Hollywood Studios. The one to Saratoga Springs is also a good option because it drops off at the last stop before heading to the parks. Just switch buses and head out. The risk here is that the bus may be full from the other stops.
You can also take a boat to Port Orleans French Quarter (or Riverside, Saratoga Springs, or Old Key West) and then take a bus to Hollywood Studios. The boats are slower though, so only take this route if you want the view or experience. The Saratoga boat is actually the shortest ride and drops off at the last bus stop before Hollywood Studios, but again, it may be full.
The Disney Springs boat dock.
Another option is walking from Disney Springs to Saratoga Springs then taking a bus from the Congress Park stop to the Springs stop then on to Hollywood Studios. This is the best option if you’re not eligible for a Disney Springs bus or boat.
Finally, you can walk to Hollywood Studios. Several resorts are within walking distance to Hollywood Studios and have dedicated walking paths. They are Boardwalk, Yacht Club, and Beach Club. To get from Disney Springs, take a bus to one of those resorts and walk the rest of the way. Boardwalk is closest if you’re walking.
How to Get from Animal Kingdom to Disney Springs and back
The Entrance to Animal Kingdom (Photo Cred: Michael Lehet https://flic.kr/p/CfM8A)
To get from Animal Kingdom to Disney Springs, take a bus to Saratoga Springs, get off at the Congress Park stop, and walk to Disney Springs.
Or take a bus to Port Orleans French Quarter, then take a bus or a boat to Disney Springs. There aren’t a lot of options better than that here. You can technically go to any resort and then take a bus to Disney Springs, but POFQ has only one bus stop, so it’s a straightforward option.
To get from Disney Springs back to Animal Kingdom, follow the opposite path. Walk to Congress station at Saratoga Springs and take a bus. Or take a bus or boat to POFQ, and then take a bus to Animal Kingdom.
I’m waiting for Animal Kingdom to have cooler transportation options like hot air balloon or underground train, but for now, it’s all buses (or your car).
Other Places You May Want to Get to in Disney World
That’s a pretty exhaustive list on how to get from the parks to Disney Springs. Another frequently asked transportation question is how to get from each park to a different park. You may also want to get to Boardwalk from Disney Springs. Here’s the difference between Boardwalk and Disney Springs.
Quick Answers
Is there a bus from Disney Springs to Magic Kingdom?
No, you’ll have to take a bus to a resort, then on to the park. However, you need to be a resort guest or have an eligible reservation for a resort restaurant or experience to use a bus from Disney Springs. If you’re not, take rideshare or walk to Saratoga Springs and take a bus.
Are there buses from Disney Springs to the parks?
Disney buses do not go directly from Disney Springs to the theme parks. You’ll need to take a bus to a resort (if you’re a resort guest or have an eligible reservation), or walk to Saratoga Springs to take a bus if not. You can also use Uber/Lyft.
Can you walk from Disney Springs to Magic Kingdom?
No, it’s several miles down multi-lane highways that aren’t designed for pedestrian travel.
Does the monorail or Skyliner go to Disney Springs?
No, the monorail and Skyliner go between certain resorts and theme parks. You’ll have to take a bus from one of the resorts to get to Disney Springs.
How long does it take to get from Disney Springs to Magic Kingdom?
Allow one hour if you’re using Disney transportation, but that is greatly dependent on your route and waiting times for buses and such. Rideshare is not as advantageous for Magic Kingdom as it is to other parks because you’ll need to get to the Transportation and Ticket Center to use. The fastest way is Minnie Van, which will drop you off (or pick you up) at the entrance of Magic Kingdom.
Can you park at Disney Springs and take transportation to a park?
Not directly, as this article teaches. You’ll have to take a bus to a resort (if you’re a resort guest or have an eligible dining or experience reservation), then transfer to a park bus. If you’re not eligible for the bus, you can walk to Saratoga Springs and take a bus, or take rideshare.
Can you take a boat between Disney Springs and Magic Kingdom?
No. Disney Springs' Sassagoula boats travel to Port Orleans, Old Key West, and Saratoga Springs. Magic Kingdom's water transportation operates on a separate system serving Magic Kingdom-area resorts and the Transportation and Ticket Center.
Stroller Rules for Disney Transportation
Taking the Bus- fold up your stroller.
Taking a Boat- Be prepared to fold up stroller (Disney’s posted policy), but on larger boats, sometimes you can just park them.
Taking the Skyliner- Fold up a double stroller. Leave open a single stroller.
Taking the Monorail- Leave it open and push it on.
If you’re wondering how to get from the Disney World Parks to Disney Springs and back, Mickey didn’t make it easy for you. So, if you want to get from Disney Springs to Magic Kingdom, or Epcot to Disney Springs, this guide will tell you the best and quickest routes by boat, bus, Skyliner, foot, and all of the above.