The newest Disney Resort on property is Disney’s Riviera Resort is located just behind EPCOT and is very close to Hollywood Studios. Which often leads to people wondering if they can walk from Riviera Resort to either EPCOT or Hollywood Studios. I think this is a fair question as many of the resorts located in the same area have walking paths to either park. But you will not find those walking paths at Riviera Resort.
It is NOT possible to walk from Disney’s Riviera Resort to either EPCOT or Hollywood Studios. Instead, you should use the Disney Skyliner gondolas to get to these two parks, as busses to either park are very limited from Riviera Resort.
Despite being so close to the parks, due to the infrastructure of the area, it is just not possible to walk to either park from Riviera Resort. Basically, where Riviera is situated you’d have to cross a major roadway and a creek (with no bridge). And then if you were able to do that, you’d still be behind EPCOT outside of a Cast Member only area. And then you’d have to walk around to the International Gateway entrance over 20 mins walk away.
So clearly, the Skyliner gondola system at Riviera Resort is a much better way to travel to the theme parks instead. And it is definitely much faster than walking would have been anyways. In this article I have laid out all of the information about the transportation options to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios from Riviera Resort. As well as the one location you CAN walk to from Riviera Resort.
Walking to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios is NOT possible from Disney’s Riviera Resort
Disney’s Riviera Resort is located very close to EPCOT. I mean, if you could walk out of the back of the Germany pavilion and cross the street, you would basically be at Riviera. But obviously that is not allowed.
Despite being so close, there is no way to walk to the International Gateway entrance at EPCOT from Riviera Resort. It is also impossible to walk from Riviera Resort to Hollywood Studios. There are no walking paths to either location, and it honestly would take too long to be worth it.
If you haven’t booked your trip yet and want something walkable to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios, you will need to stay at a Boardwalk Area Resort instead. Those being Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, Disney’s Boardwalk Resort, and Marriott’s Swan and Dolphin Hotels.
If you’re already booked at Riviera Resort though, don’t worry. I think the Skyliner really is a great way to travel. Give it a try once and I think you might be surprised how convenient (and therefore enjoyable) it is. I’ve listed some of the advantages of the Skyliner below, plus other transportation options.
Transportation Options to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios from Riviera Resort
There are two main options from Disney’s Riviera Resort to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios. Either the Disney Skyliner gondolas, or the standard Disney bus. However, bus service is VERY limited from the Riviera Resort to either of these two parks. This is because most guests will use the Skyliner instead of the bus, which I recommend doing as well.
Using the Disney Skyliner as Transportation from Riviera Resort to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios
So not being able to walk means that you’ll be using the Disney Skyliner to get to these parks from Riviera Resort. With that in mind, there are a couple things that would be helpful for you to know.
EPCOT
- Travel Time on the Skyliner: About 5 minutes
- From Riviera Resort, there are no stops or transfers when travelling to EPCOT. Just hop on at Riviera and get off at the next stop!
- Drop Off Point: The International Gateway at EPCOT
- Rather than the main EPCOT entrance, taking the Skyliner to EPCOT means that you will be using the “back” entrance at the International Gateway. This means you’ll enter directly into World Showcase between France and the UK. Keep this in mind when planning your park itinerary for the day.
Hollywood Studios
- Travel Time on the Skyliner: About 10 minutes (including transfer)
- If you board the Skyliner at the main Riviera Resort station heading for Hollywood Studios, you will need to transfer at the next stop, at Caribbean Beach Resort. Once you change lines at Caribbean Beach Resort, Hollywood Studios will be the next stop.
- Drop Off Point: Hollywood Studios main entrance
- At Hollywood Studios, the Skyliner ends right at the main entrance. Using the Skyliner actually gets you closer to the front gates than using the bus would. Which is a nice bonus too!
From my experience, the Skyliner does not run on a set schedule. However, it is most definitely open in time for you to get to the park early for rope drop. You can check the exact times of operation at the resort when you are there.
How to Get From Riviera Resort to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios if the Skyliner is Down
Even though you can not walk from Riviera Resort to the theme parks, on the off chance that the Skyliner is not operating, you still have transportation options to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios.
Disney Bus Service
You may remember the infamous incident on the Skyliner shortly after opening in October 2019, where passengers were stranded for several hours. Which also then resulted in the Skyliner being down (closed) for several days and then ran on a limited schedule. My advice is not to worry about issues like this with the Skyliner. Ever since then, there have been no major issues or downtime with the Skyliner.
If there does happen to be downtime and the Skyliner is closed. You will still be able to get a Disney bus to Riviera Resort. And if the Skyliner is down, Disney will increase bus service to make sure you aren’t waiting too long. (This is because when the Skyliner is open, bus service to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios to/from Riviera Resort is drastically reduced).
Minnie Van, Taxi, or Rideshare
Of course, outside of the standard Disney transportation options, you can always get a taxi or a rideshare (like Lyft or Uber) to/from Riviera Resort to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios. A Minnie Van is also an option provided by Disney employees, and booked through the Lyft app. The advantage to the Minnie Van option is that they can sometimes get you a better drop off location than a taxi. Minnie Vans can also provide car seats as needed.
There is Only One Place You Can Walk To From Disney’s Riviera Resort – Which is to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort Nextdoor
So even though you can not walk to any theme park from Disney’s Rivera Resort, there is still one place you CAN walk to. That is Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort which is located right next door to Riviera. This is the only location that you can walk to from Riviera Resort.
However, being able to walk to Caribbean Beach Resort from Riviera Resort, is not necessarily the most valuable thing. That is unless you are doing the Skyliner Bar Crawl. I can not really see why you would want to walk from Riviera Resort to Caribbean Beach otherwise. To see why walking between Caribbean Beach Resort and Riviera Resort works well for the Skyliner Bar Crawl, you can check out my full step-by-step Skyliner Bar Crawl article.
Resorts That Are Walkable to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios
If you are still deciding which resort to stay at for your Disney trip and want something walkable to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios, try one of these resorts instead.
- Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts
- Disney’s Boardwalk Resort
- Marriott’s Swan and Dolphin Hotel
All of these resorts are just a short 15 minute walk or less from the resort itself to the gates of EPCOT or Hollywood Studios.
