A guide to the Statue of Liberty in Paris

This is my guide to the famous Statue of Liberty in Paris and the other three replicas around the city.

The Statue of Liberty in Paris is one of the most famous statues in the city, overlooking the river Seine. It is a replica of the original in New York City, and there are three other replicas around the French capital.

Paris is where Lady Liberty was conceived, designed and built, so it’s probably appropriate that it ended up with its own version – or four – of the Statue of Liberty.

In this article I’ll show you where to find the best-known Statue of Liberty in Paris, on the river Seine within sight of the Eiffel Tower. I’ll also show you where to get the best photographs of it, with the Eiffel Tower behind it. 

I will also point you in the direction of the other Paris Statues of Liberty and the replica of the Statue of Liberty flame which is another well-known Paris landmark.

Fun Facts about The Statue of Liberty In Paris

• The original Statue of Liberty, located on Liberty Island in New York City Harbour, was a gift from the French people to the United States in 1880, commemorating the centenary of US independence in 1776
• The idea of the gift of a large statue was suggested by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi in 1871, just after France had suffered a heavy defeat in the Franco-Prussian War
• Bartholdi was particularly concerned with liberty after the recent rule of absolute monarch Napoleon III. His hometown, Colmar, had also been ceded to Germany in the aftermath of the War along with the rest of Alsace-Lorraine
• The figure is modelled on the Roman goddess Libertas, and is also known as Liberty Lighting The World, or Liberty Enlightening The World
• In 1889, three years after the original Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New York, a smaller replica was donated to France to mark the centenary of the French Revolution, and also the common republican ideal of liberty shared by both nations

Statue of Liberty Paris – Pont de Grenelle

You could follow the directions below for the best view of the Statue of Liberty in Paris, or if you would just prefer to see the statue, you could go to either of the Javel stations and walk upriver (less than ten minutes).

Alternatively you could catch the Metro line 6 to Bir-Hakeim or the RER line C to Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel station and walk to the Pont de Grenelle from there. Bus 70 also stops at either end of the island.

Once you reach the Pont de Grenelle, bear in mind that you need to be on the north side of the bridge (closest to the Eiffel Tower). Here you follow a walkway off the bridge onto the Ile aux Cygnes and then head down the steps either side towards the shore. Then turn right.

It’s only a 2-3 minute walk along the river to the most famous Statue of Liberty in France, passing an outdoor fitness camp and boxing school under the arch of the bridge en route.  The Statue is at the southern end of the island.

It is perhaps fitting that the best view of the Statue of Liberty in Paris should also include the Eiffel Tower, as the creator of the latter also had a hand in the construction of the Statue of Liberty.

Before Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel became famous for the most popular Paris icon of all, he designed the interior iron framework of the Statue, which included two spiral staircases.

This original Paris Statue of Liberty replica stands two bridges downstream from the Eiffel Tower, but the best vantage point is from the next (third) bridge downstream, the Pont Mirabeau. Together with Lady Liberty, this is one of the best Eiffel Tower views along the River Seine.

Take the Metro line 10 to Javel Andre Citroen or the RER C line station of the same name, then walk towards the Pont Mirabeau and the view upstream to the most famous Statue of Liberty in Paris and the Eiffel Tower soon begins to develop.

If you’re planning to photograph the two great icons together, you’ll need to zoom in a fair way. Some of the frames I’ve included were shot on a 250 mm focal length, which is as far as many zoom lenses extend.

The classic Eiffel Tower Statue of Liberty shots can be done from around halfway across the Pont Mirabeau, and towards the western (16^th arrondissement) side of the Seine. From there it’s around a ten-minute walk to the Statue.     

See Also: 32 Of The Most Famous Landmarks In France

In 1900, Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi donated a 1/16 size cast (2.7 metres high) of the Statue of Liberty to the Musée du Luxembourg, and this was eventually moved the short distance to the Jardins du Luxembourg Gardens five years later.

This was eventually removed to the Musée d’Orsay in 2014. It occupies a prominent position in the Gallery of Sculptures in the vast entry hall of the former station, and is clearly visible on the right from the viewpoint just inside the entrance.

After the removal of the Orsay’s Statue of Liberty replica, a copy of the replica was cast to replace it in the Jardins du Luxembourg.

It stands on the west side of the Luxembourg Gardens, close to one of the entrances on rue Guynemer. It is also very close to the charming wooden Jardin du Luxembourg carousel, one of the oldest carousels in Paris, dating from the 1870s.

The fourth Statue of Liberty in Paris can be found in the hugely impressive Musée des Arts et Métiers (Museum of Arts and Crafts, though it’s mostly about science and invention) in the fascinating Marais district.

A fifth Parisian Statue of Liberty adorned the exterior courtyard of the Museum for many years. However, this was removed in 2021 and is now in the garden of the French Embassy in Washington, DC.

You can also see a full-size gold-leaf replica of the flame of the Statue of Liberty close to the Pont de l’Alma, one of the busiest bridges in Paris.

It was given to France in 1989, a gift to the country from readers of the International Herald Tribune, in recognition of the strong friendship between France and the US. It was also given in recognition of the French contribution to the recent restoration of the Statue in New York.

It is very close to the Pont de l’Alma underpass where Diana, Princess of Wales died in a car crash in August 1997. Since then it has become an unofficial memorial to her, and flowers and other tokens are left at the flame around the time of the anniversary each year.

Getting there:  Metro to Alma-Marceau (line 9), and buses 42, 63, 80 and 92 all take you within a two-minute walk of the Flame on Place de l’Alma.

There’s a chance you may encounter another French Statue of Liberty around the country, as there are several replicas.

One of the largest, at 12 metres in height, is in Colmar, Bartholdi’s hometown, and the Musee Bartholdi there contains models of the Statue at different stages of progress.

There is also a terracotta model of the Statue in the Musee des Beaux Arts in Lyon, and a small replica in Bordeaux.