Statue of Liberty Tour Tickets

Updated: 10 marzo 2024

With about 3.4 million visitors a year, the Statue of Liberty is one of America's most popular tourist attractions.

It is well worth visiting it if you want to experience the powerful sense of freedom and hope that Lady Liberty represents.

This post compares several ways you can tour the Statue of Liberty including options with pedestal access and tours of Ellis Island.


OVERVIEW

There are several tour options for both the Statue of Liberty National Monument and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration.

The most basic option is the free audio guide and U.S. Park Ranger public talks included with your ticket to the Statue of Liberty.

Find out more about the many ticket options for the Statue of Liberty.

New York Walking Tours

For an enhanced experience, you can take a private small group tour with a professional guide that also includes priority access to the ferry and island.

For a unique experience, consider a hard hat tour of the abandoned hospital complex on Ellis Island. Read more below.


PARK RANGER TALKS

Ellis Island Park Ranger Tours

Park Rangers and volunteers provide English-language guided tours throughout the day on both Liberty and Ellis Islands.

These tours last between 30-45 minutes and are included in the cost of your ticket. Tours generally depart every hour.

While it's great that the tours are free, the downside is that there is no cap on the number of guests, so groups can get quite large in the peak visitor season.

If you want a small group tour, then a private tour is a better option.


AUDIO TOURS

Also included in your ticket is an audio tour automatically included with every ticket purchase.

Audio tours are available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian, Hindi, Portuguese, Arabic and Spanish.

Audio tours can be picked up and dropped off on both islands right next to the ferry landings.

Alternatively, you can take advantage of our free, GPS-led audio tour of both Liberty and Ellis Islands. Here's an audio sample.


STATUE OF LIBERTY AND ELLIS ISLAND PRIVATE TOURS 

There are a handful of tour companies that offer guided tours of Liberty and Ellis Island, which include your ticket for round-trip ferry service. Some even include pedestal access.

Statue of Liberty tours take between 2-3 hours. They are very highly rated and fairly priced with tickets ranging from $50-$70 on average. 

Read more below.

One way to see the Statue of Liberty but not visit the island, you can take a sightseeing cruise that gets you up close to Lady Liberty.

These cruises travel along the Hudson River down to Liberty Island, and pass by historical monuments like the Brooklyn Bridge, and others.

Read our post on Statue of Liberty cruises to see which one interests you.  

If you are planning on purchasing one of the discount tourist attraction passes such as the New York CityPass or New York Pass, keep in mind that they also include several boat cruises.

Be sure to read our post which compares the different discount tourist passes.


Take Walks

This tour company offers small Statue of Liberty tours with early access boarding to avoid crowds.

This tour also visits Battery Park and Castle Clinton, which is where the ferry departs.

Whether you're looking for a tour that just covers the Statue of Liberty or something a bit more, this company offers great New York City walking tours.

Express Statue Tour

  • $56/Adults, Students | $53/Children
  • Winter Availability: Fri & Sat at 1 pm
  • Summer Availability: Mon, Thur - Sat at 12 pm
  • Duration: 3 hours
  • Includes Statue of Liberty Ferry Tickets.
  • Includes Early Access Statue of Liberty.
  • Does not include pedestal access.

First Ferry Access Statue of Liberty Tour

  • $69/Adults, Students | $64/Children
  • Availability: Daily at 9 am
  • Duration: 4 hours
  • Includes Statue of Liberty Ferry Tickets.
  • Does not include pedestal access.
  • NOTE: As of March 2024, they no longer have first ferry access.

Statue of Liberty, One World Observatory & 9/11 Tour

  • $124/Adults, Students | $105/Children
  • Winter Availability: Thur - Mon at 9 am
  • Spring/Summer Availability: Daily at 8:30 am
  • Duration: 8 - 8 ½ hours
  • Includes Statue of Liberty Ferry Tickets.
  • Includes Statue of Liberty Pedestal Tickets.
  • Includes Priority One World Observatory Tickets.
  • Not currently available as of March 2024.

Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Museum & Memorial Tour

  • $115/Adults, Students | $92/Children
  • Winter Availability: Thur - Mon at 9 am
  • Spring/Summer Availability: Daily at 8:30 am
  • Duration: 8 - 8 ½ hours
  • Includes Statue of Liberty Ferry Tickets.
  • Includes Statue of Liberty Pedestal Tickets.
  • Includes Priority 9/11 Museum Tickets.
  • Includes 9/11 Memorial Tour.
  • Not currently available as of March 2024.

See all of their NYC tours.


New York Tour 1

This company is one of the most trustworthy tour services in the Big Apple. Its Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Tour is especially well-received.

With an average rating of between 4.5 out of 5 stars on Get Your Guide (see the reviews), it’s clear that each of these tour packages below is worth the money for an enriched experience.

New York Tour 1 also has a combo tour to both Lady Liberty and the 9/11 Memorial. They also offer walks in Midtown and Lower Manhattan with a visit to Top of the Rock.


Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Tour

A highly rated 5-hour guided tour includes pedestal access.

Your guide is with you for 3 1/2 hours and then you may roam the island to explore even more, visit the Statue of Liberty museum and the gift shop.

  • $79 for Adults | $75 for Children | Infants free
  • Includes pedestal access
  • Duration: 5 hours
  • Daily 8:30 am, 9:30 am & 12:30pm

Statue of Liberty + Ellis Island Express Tour

If you're looking for something a bit quicker, this 3-hour express tour will take you to Lady Liberty and Ellis Island, but it does not include access to the pedestal.

These are priority tickets that will get you to the landmark and back in a relatively short amount of time.

  • $69/Adult | $65/ Child
  • Reserved-time ferry tickets to avoid crowds
  • Duration: 3 hours (2 hours guided)
  • Multiple times daily
  • Does not include pedestal access

9/11 Memorial Tour + the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

This tour differs from the tour listed above, in that it includes a guided walking tour of Ground Zero, the 9/11 Memorial, One World Trade Center, and then a self-guided tour (with skip-the-line privileges) of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

This ticket also includes a Wall Street Tour!

  • $49 - Adult | $39 - Child
  • Does not include pedestal access.
  • Duration: 3-5 hours (2 hours narrated tour included)
  • Daily @9 am

NOTE: This tour isn't currently available as of March 2024.


HARD HAT TOURS

The unique Hard Hat tours visits to the large, abandoned hospital complex on Ellis Island.

You must wear a hard hat on the tour as you will be walking through buildings and tunnels that are in the condition they were left in for decades.

Proceeds from ticket sales go to the restoration and maintenance of the hospital complex.  

Tickets are $55 plus the cost of the ferry. Find out more and purchase tickets from Statue City Cruises.


BEFORE YOU GO:

The Statue of Liberty is open to the public year-round, every day of the week except federal holidays.

We recommend visiting on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Avoid the weekends as there will be many more visitors.

You should get to the ferry as early as possible. The first ferry departs at 8:30 am in the high season and 9:00 am in the low season.

You can go inside of the Statue of Liberty to the pedestal and/or the crown provided you buy tickets that include access to these.

General Admission tickets do not include such access. Read more about ticket options

How much time you will need to visit the Statue of Liberty depends on if you go during peak season or low season and if you have pedestal and crown tickets. 

If you are not going to the pedestal or the top of the crown, you can expect to spend 4-5 hours total. This includes passing through security, round-trip ferry rides, and visiting both Liberty and Ellis Island.

If climbing to the top, It takes around 15-20 minutes to get to the top of the crown and back, depending on your pace of stair-climbing.

Get even more information about planning your trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.


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About The Author

Stephen Pickhardt

Stephen is the CEO of Free Tours by Foot and has overseen the transformation of a local walking tour company into a global tour community and traveler’s advice platform. He has personally led thousands of group tours in the US and Europe, and is an expert in trip planning and sightseeing, with a focus on budget travelers. Stephen has been published and featured in dozens of publications including The Wall Street Journal, BBC, Yahoo, Washington.org, and more.
Updated: marzo 10th, 2024
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