Parc Astérix is a theme park in France based on the comic book series Asterix by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny. There are approximately 2.3 million visitors to Parc Astérix each year, making it France's second largest theme park, after Disneyland Paris, which attracts approximately 14 million visitors each year. It is especially renowned in France for its large variety of roller coasters; it has begun incorporating rides and themes from historic cultures like the Gauls, the Romans, Ancient Greece and recently Ancient Egypt, but always in the visual style of the societies. It is situated approximately 35 km (22 mi) north of Paris, 32 km (20 mi) from Disneyland Paris and 20 km (12 mi) from the historic Château de Chantilly, in the commune of Plailly, in the department of Oise. Opened in 1989, the park is operated by Compagnie des Alpes.
