One of the questions I get asked a lot is how to get to Epcot from Magic Kingdom. And should we Park Hop?
And it is a question almost exclusively asked by people who have never visited Walt Disney World and who don’t quite realize what an enormous area all the theme parks and hotels cover!
Disney World is huge and it can take quite a bit of time to travel from one park to another.
The distance from Epcot to Magic Kingdom is approximately 4 miles.
To drive from the Epcot parking lot to the Magic Kingdom Parking lot in around 15 minutes depending on traffic.
However, there are many more interesting ways to get from Epcot to Magic Kingdom.
You can take the Disney monorail and the bus if you want the quickest way.
If you want to explore Disney transportation even more you could be very creative and even take a boat or the Skyliner.
These certainly aren’t the easiest ways to travel between Magic Kingdom and Epcot, but they will introduce you to all the aspects of the Disney World transportation system.
Why Should You Travel from Epcot to Magic Kingdom?
This is another common question.
Should you get a Disney Park Hopper ticket? What even is a Park Hopper?
The standard multi-day Disney World ticket allows you to visit one theme park in one day.
If you want to move from park to park, or Park Hop as it is known, you have to buy a Park Hopper Ticket.
Here are the amounts which you will be charged for a Park Hopper. Note that this is in addition to the cost of your Disney World ticket.
- $65 per ticket for 1-day tickets
- $75 per ticket for 2 to 3-day tickets
- $85 per ticket for 4 to 10-day tickets
As you can see, the cost of a Park Hopper really doe make a difference. If you are only visiting the parks for 1 Day a $109 one-day ticket becomes $174 with a Park Hopper.
Walt Disney World is one of those vacation spots where you can either go blind with no expectations or plan every second of the entire trip.
I have been visiting Disney World now for almost three decades. I have done minimal planning, gone on planning overdrive, and every variation in between.
I know I have the advantage that this isn’t just one visit for me. For plenty of others, it is their one chance at the Most Magical Place on Earth.
This means that you really do have to plan your trip to Disney World.
And think carefully about whether or not you want a Park Hopper ticket.
Disney Park Hopping can mean that you see a lot more of the parks. It can also mean that you are exhausted.
However, it can mean that you get more hours in the parks and so better bang for your buck.
Why would you want to Park Hop from Epcot to Magic Kingdom?
A lot of this will have to do with park hours. Epcot closes at 10 pm every day right now. Magic Kingdom may be open for another couple of hours on top of that until midnight.
Also, you may visit Epcot and decide that you do not want to spend the whole day there. In that case, it may be a good decision to finish the day off in Magic Kingdom.
Park Hopping is now only allowed after 2 pm. You have to have a reservation for the park where you want to start off.
Once you have entered that park, and 2 pm has passed, you can enter another park, provided you have a Disney Park Hopper ticket.
When you have decided that you really do want to park hop from Epcot to Magic Kingdom you need to decide which route option you are going to take.
There are several different methods of how to get from Epcot to Magic Kingdom!
Park Hopping From Epcot to Magic Kingdom
One of the great pleasures of an extended stay at Walt Disney World is the opportunity to bounce around from resort to resort or from park to park.
The Walt Disney World transportation makes every park or resort-hopping experience unique.
From EPCOT to Hollywood Studios and back you have a variety of options that include Disney Skyliner and water travel.
It is very easy to hop on the Skyliner at Epcot and travel in comfort to Hollywood Studios.
However, the Skyliner does not go directly from Epcot to Magic Kingdom. Indeed, the Skyliner does not connect to Magic Kingdom.
Even without the convenience of the Skyliner, park-hopping between EPCOT and the Magic Kingdom is one of the best park hopper combinations you can take advantage of.
This is because of the convenience and speed provided by the Walt Disney World monorail system.
Though Disney is often admonished for the age of their monorail fleet and the occasional malfunctions in recent years, the mode of transportation remains reliable and even favorable compared to other options.
If you want to easily get to Magic Kingdom from Epcot all you have to do is exit the park at the Future World entrance – the one nearest to Spaceship Earth.
Then get on the monorail which takes you to the Transport and Ticket Center.
From the TTC you will have to either take another monorail, or the boat which gets you to the entrance to Magic Kingdom.
The monorail runs along two lines from the WDW Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC).
The first line loops around the Seven Seas Lagoon and stops at the Contemporary, Polynesian Village, and Grand Floridian resorts before taking guests to the landing in front of Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom.
Besides the Magic Kingdom Ferry, it’s the only way for guests to get to the Magic Kingdom from the TTC.
The Epcot monorail line also originates at the TTC, so park hoppers from Magic Kingdom and guests at Magic Kingdom area resorts can travel to Epcot by connecting to this line at the TTC.
Related: How to Get to Disney Springs from Disney Magic Kingdom
Should I Park Hop from Epcot to Magic Kingdom?
Given that the Monorail takes you more easily from EPCOT to Magic Kingdom and back, the question is not how to get from Epcot to Magic Kingdom, but when.
Or even if you should go from one park to the other.
There are definite advantages to planning which park to start at and when to hop from one to the other.
Epcot now seems to have settled into its new opening hours of 10 am until 10 pm.
The opening times of Magic Kingdom vary though. Always check, but more often than not, Magic Kingdom closes earlier than Epcot.
Magic Kingdom usually also opens earlier.
Based on getting more park time out of your park hopper pass you should start your day in Magic Kingdom and end in EPCOT rather than EPCOT to Magic Kingdom.
Other Considerations…
While we all like getting more bang for our buck, there is actually more to the theme park experience and park hopping than lengthening your park day.
In fact, much of the time you gain is actually spent in transit anyway.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t leverage park hours to your benefit, but there are other aspects of the theme park experience to consider.
For example, the new nighttime show at Epcot may not be the ideal way for you to cap off your night while the new Magic Kingdom spectacular Enchantment could offer more entertainment value.
In that event, you should start your day at Epcot and then head to Magic Kingdom. It’s worth noting that there are extended evening hours currently offered at both parks for guests at select resorts including Deluxe Disney resorts.
Another important fact to keep in mind is that these two parks are both too large and intricate to complete in half a day.
That means that in order to get the full impact of Epcot and Magic Kingdom, you’ll need to book an additional day for each one.
If you plan to take two days to hop between these parks, split them both in half.
Divide Magic Kingdom up East and West and Epcot into North and South. Then you can experience more from each section of the two parks without tedious repetition.
Other Walt Disney World Transportation at Epcot
EPCOT offers a smorgasbord of transportation options compared with other Walt Disney World theme parks.
The Skyliner transports guests from several Disney resorts to EPCOT and Disney Hollywood Studios (DHS).
Boats travel the waterway from Crescent Lake on EPCOT’s west gate to the Disney Hollywood Studios landing.
For these reasons and the much smaller size of Hollywood Studios, the two neighboring parks make a good park-hopping pair themselves.
As a matter of fact, DHS originated as a concept for an EPCOT pavilion.
To get from Epcot to Magic Kingdom though the only free alternative to the monorail is the Disney bus transportation.
If you don’t do this and use a rideshare app or a taxi instead, make sure you have them take you to the Contemporary and not Magic Kingdom.
Otherwise, you will be dropped off at the TTC and not the main gate!
The only way to get to the main gate of Magic Kingdom is to walk from one of the Disney monorail resorts or to arrive by boat or monorail.
Do you Park Hop from Epcot to Magic Kingdom?
More Disney World Guides
Planning a Disney World vacation can be overwhelming. But it really doesn’t have to be if you have an expert guide!
Here are lots of articles to help you get the most out of your Disney World trip.
Want to know more about Disney World Hotels?
- Which Disney World Monorail Hotel is Best?
- Pop Century v Art of Animation Resort
- Best Place to Stay in Disney World 2021
- Which Disney World Hotel is Best for Toddlers?
There are some amazing places to eat in Disney World. Here are some places to start:
- Best Sushi in Walt Disney World
- Best Disney Epcot Restaurants for Families
- Which is the Best Disney Springs Breakfast?
Guides to the theme park rides: