The Walking Path Between Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter (With Photos & Distance)

One of the benefits of staying at either of Disney’s Port Orleans Resorts is that you can walk between them. That means if you’re staying at Port Orleans Riverside, you can take a morning stroll to the French Quarter and enjoy Mickey-shaped beignets for breakfast. Or, if you’re at the French Quarter, you might enjoy walking to Riverside to have dinner at Boatwright’s Dining Hall, the only table service between the two resorts.

Whether for exercise, to get somewhere, or pure leisure, there are numerous reasons you might take the walking path between the resorts. Below, we’ll preview the route, discuss the distance, and check out a few photos of the scenery along the way. However, it’s important to note that the boat and bus are alternatives to the walking path when traveling between the resorts. While you can take the walking path anytime, you will be subject to hours of transportation for the bus and boat.

For our route, we’ll start at Port Orleans Riverside’s boat dock and continue to the French Quarter’s dock. Riverside’s boat dock sits directly behind the resort’s lobby. Once we reach the French Quarter’s boat dock, we’ll take a hard right by the pool and follow the path to the lobby. The walkway between the hotels is straightforward. It follows the path of the river. The distance between the boat docks is 0.51 miles, which takes approximately 12 minutes at an average pace. Here is where we mapped the route.

We make this walk pretty regularly. The path weaves in and out of the sun, but you’ll find a decent amount of shade later in the day, especially on the French Quarter side of the resort.

A few benches are placed along the route. Now and then, you’ll see a rearview mirror. I assume the mirrors are for the horse and carriage drivers who service this same route in the evenings.

You’ll see a few signs along the path that ensure you’re going in the right direction. While this is not a long walk, you might feel a little unsure if you’ve never taken it or are unfamiliar with the sister resort’s layouts.

At the end of Riverside, you’ll pass under a road that services the resorts.

Here is a photo looking back toward Riverside.

Looking ahead, we begin to see the pretty colors of the buildings that make Port Orleans French Quarter so charming.

Looking back, we see how far we’ve come. Riverside is beyond the bridge in the distance.

We’ve made it to the boat dock at Port Orleans French Quarter. From here, you can explore the resort as you like. It’s only a short walk to the lobby, where you’ll find dining and shopping. You might also like to explore the entire resort’s grounds. The French Quarter comprises seven buildings plus the lobby area. We enjoy touring the grounds. You’ll find pretty lawns and fountains spread among the buildings. Our photo tour of Port Orleans French Quarter highlights some of our favorite spots.

When it’s time to return, you’ll walk back toward the river and take the path back to Riverside. Now, exploring Riverside is an entirely different story. The resort is divided into two sections: Magnolia Bend and Alligator Bayou. If you want to learn more, you might enjoy our Port Orleans Riverside photo tour.

We hope you found this overview of the walking path between Disney’s Port Orleans Resorts helpful. If you would like to know more about either resort, try our guides:

• The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside
• The Resorts Gal Guide to Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort

For more on transportation at these resorts, you might like the following:

• Port Orleans Riverside Transportation Guide
• Our Overview of the Bus Schedule at Port Orleans Riverside
• Port Orleans French Quarter Transportation Guide
• Our Overview of the Bus Schedule at Port Orleans French Quarter

You might also like our entire guide that offers a list of walking paths at Disney World.

More Planning

At Resorts Gal, we specialize in helping you plan the perfect Disney World vacation. Start with our Disney World Resorts Guide for an overview of every resort hotel, or explore our Disney World Dining Guide and Disney World Transportation Guide to plan where to eat and how to get around. If you plan to meet characters in the parks, we have an updated list of Disney World Characters. It includes every available character meet-and-greet in the parks and where to find rare characters throughout the year. Our Disney Parks Guide provides a complete overview of all four theme parks and water parks.

For big-picture planning, visit our Disney World Planning Guide and Disney World Budgeting Guide. You can also browse the latest news on our blog. Once you’ve explored these guides, consider taking our free planning course to tie it all together.