I just got back from a trip to France, including a solo trip to DLP (4 nights/5 days). I do have to say that park is just absolutely gorgeous and so intricate. Just things like the drink carts or shops or restaurants are so well themed. As I was going thru my pictures I realized one day I spent 11 hours at
Disneyland but only went on 3 rides, yet I wandered everywhere and had a great time. Areas like Adventure Isle are great to explore with plenty of caves and paths to get lost in.
For attractions, while they had some identical to the US parks, they also had some ones that were so much better. Some favorite rides were:
Big Thunder - so fun! They don’t have Tom Sawyer Island, instead the coaster goes underneath the rivers, then goes all around the island before coming back. Definitely is faster and longer than the US versions.
Hyperspace Mountain-their version of Space Mountain which goes upside down and has corkscrews; sort of similar to Hollywood Studio’s Rock n Roller Coaster, but with Star Wars projections.
Pirates of the Caribbean-they added a scene and rearranged others which changes the whole flow of the ride, for the better.
Phantom Manor-unfortunately I didn’t get to ride this because it was down for refurb.
Miscellaneous Fantasyland rides-some identical, some just similar to DLR or WDW. But I liked small world, Casey jr, and storybook canal boats.
The parade is nice, and you don’t usually have to wait a long time to get a good view.
For the studios, Crush’s coaster definitely rivaled Big Thunder for one of my favorite rides. Unfortunately it gets a long line quickly and doesn’t have Fastpass, so I didn’t get to ride it as much as I’d like. They also have Ratatouille (I was disappointed), Tower of Terror (same as DLR’s before the guardians change), Rock n Roller Coaster (super intense-too much for me), plus a variety of other missable rides. But they also have some great stage shows. Overall, if you are considering a 1-day trip, I’d skip Studios altogether and focus on exploring Disneyland.
1-day 1-Park tickets can actually be very cheap, sometimes as little as $60. The train goes right to the parks from Paris.
I would say, go ahead and do it! It truly is gorgeous, and even if you don’t do as many rides, it can be great to wander around-you don’t even need to be a huge Disney fan to appreciate it. I’d also recommend checking out Disney Tourist Blog. They have 1-day touring plans for Disneyland Paris, which balances going on rides with also soaking up the ambiance.