Introduction to Disneyland Paris

32km (20 miles) E of Paris

After provoking some of the most enthusiastic and controversial reactions in recent French history, the multimillion-dollar Disneyland Paris opened in 1992. It's one of the world's most lavish theme parks, conceived on a scale rivaling that of Versailles. European journalists initially accused it of everything from cultural imperialism to the death knell of French culture.

But after goodly amounts of public relations and financial juggling, "Disneyland Paris" has become France's number-one tourist attraction, with 50 million visitors annually. It surpasses the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre in the number of visitors and accounts for 4% of the French tourism industry's foreign currency sales. About 40% of the visitors are French, half from Paris. Disneyland Paris looks, tastes, and feels like the ones in California and Florida -- except for the expensive cheeseburgers "avec pommes frites."

Situated on a 2,000-hectare (4,942-acre) site (about one-fifth the size of Paris) in the suburb of Marne-la-Vallée, the park incorporates the most successful elements of its Disney predecessors and European flair.

In terms of the other Disney parks (excluding Tokyo), Disneyland Paris definitely lies in the middle, with top honors going to Florida. The California Disneyland emerges as a distant third. The park in Florida is larger than the Paris property, with a greater number of attractions and rides. But Disneyland Paris does a decent job of re-creating the Magic Kingdom. In 2002, the Paris park added Walt Disney Studios, focusing on the role of movies in popular culture.

Take 1 day for the highlights, 2 days for more depth.