Just because the Statue of Liberty in New York City is so prominent, it doesn’t mean that it’s the only one you should see? Did you know that there are more than a hundred of replicas of the Statue of Liberty all over the world? Yes, even in Singapore. But the really cool thing is that even in France, they have it! Yes, we all know the history here: France gave the United States the Statue of Liberty in 1886, and apparently, the Americans, with their very generous spirit, gifted the French with a similar one, but a smaller version in 1889. So, why queue in the top touristy places like the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe; Notre-Dame Cathedral or even the Louvre. Instead, try visiting the southern area of Paris, maybe somewhere in the very middle of the river Seine – meet up with lady Liberty, oui?

Fun fact: The Statue of Liberty was designed by a French sculptor named Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and was then constructed by THE Gustave Eiffel himself, yes, THE man who made the Eiffel Tower! Merci! Although apparently, there are five lady liberty replicas in Paris, the grandest of them is in the heart of Paris. Just like the lady liberty in NYC, the one in Paris, is situated in a little man-made island called Île aux Cygnes. It is a smaller version, and it actually faces west, towards its 'big sister' beyond the oceans. It’s just just off the Grenelle Bridge, and quite accessible to tourists and locals.

The surrounding area looks like a park of some sort, with a couple of benches and several work-out areas. It’s along the Siene river, so it’s pretty dramatic to just stop and stare at lady liberty, while enjoying the Parisian city vibes. If you are lucky, you can even see the Eiffel Tower a bit blurred from the overall background, but still quite noticeable. It’s definitely one of those areas in Paris that’s relatively still hidden compared to the likes of Pont de Bir-Hakeim (hello Inception movie?) which is a few blocks from the area.

Ending up walking around this vicinity by accident, because the intention was really to find a shortcut to the Pont de Bir-Hakeim. Nevertheless, since the nearby mall Beaugrenelle is closeby, and the Parc André Citroën also is walkable (and worth the visit!) – deciding to stop by the Statue of Liberty, Pont de Grenelle is worthy of being included in your itinerary if you’re looking for a less touristy, more random yet still culturally relevant place to visit. Best part is, it’s free – no need to ride a ferry, or pay expensive tickets like the ones you’ll spend in NYC!

Directions: 15th district - Access on Pont Bir-Hakeim and Pont de Grenelle

Metro: Bir-Hakeim on Line 6

The Panthéon Neighborhood in Paris, France

Even with the sudden sad rain pour in Paris, the striking building in the Latin Quarter made a good impression to everyone around. Located in the 5th arrondissement on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, while walking towards the Panthéon, you can notice that it’s quite unique compared to the rest of its nearby areas. The lightness and brightness of the Gothic cathedral makes it actually guise like an ancient historical place that you’ll generally find in Rome, instead of Paris.

While walking towards this famous “Temple of the Nation”, I remember that all I could think of is a BAD idea of buying another entrance ticket, only to stay here for a few short hours – was not a huge fan of it, maybe because it was raining, or maybe because I had one too many museums that day... but good thing that it was one of those days when I did not decide to skip on seeing this place. GOOD idea. Pantheon Paris is such a welcome surprise!

If you are a follower of Antoine De San Exupery, you have to visit the Pantheon. No this isn’t a post about this famous Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger,comte de Saint-Exupéry, author of the book The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince), but it’s sort of a highlight, because inside the Pantheon, Paris, you’ll find a national homage to Antoine de Saint Exupéry.

Amongst the burials and impressive architecture, I was rather surprised to see how the French people gave tribute to their literary icon, a massive painting pops out quite distinctively amongst the rest equally amazing masterpieces. The halls around the area were rather noisy with the clicks and flicks of our cameras. Good thing that the other visitors in the area were also participating in this camera concert we were doing! As how Antoine would say, “what is essential is invisible to the naked eye”, and here we are taking photos of everything we thought was essential!

The Pantheon in Paris, and its surrounding areas is one of the few places that I believe you need to spend at least a whole day to enjoy. Much like the Louvre Museum, it’s packed with so many monumental and neoclassical architectural wonders, it makes you want to live in the past and see how it looked like before. The collections of art, sculptures, tombs, and historical artifacts are so abundant, I couldn’t quite grasp the fact that well-known French figures like Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, Alexandre Dumas, and the likes are there, in their crypt form. You can enjoy so much history and fine views of the Parisian city from the colonnade of the Pantheon’s dome.

Entrance Fees

€9 / €7 (concessions)

€3 extra to access the upper parts of the Panthéon (April-October)

Reservations for group tours in French on weekday mornings

e-mail: reservations.pantheon@monuments-nationaux.fr

Free admission

First Sunday of the month from 1 November to 31 March. Free for those under 26 from countries within the European Union, as well as primary and secondary teachers. Free for disabled visitors and an accompanying person, as well as job seekers and those receiving French state benefits. Free for young people and children under 18s

Opening times

Open every day. From 1 April to 30 September: 10am-6:30pm. From 1 October to 31 March: 10am-6pm.