Getting to the Statue of Liberty

Where does the Statue of Liberty ferry leave from?

From two places: Castle Clinton in The Battery, Manhattan (1 Battery Place, New York, NY 10004), and Liberty State Park in Jersey City (1 Audrey Zapp Drive, Jersey City, NJ 07305). Both are Statue City Cruises docks with their own security screening.

Castle Clinton is the round stone fort at the water's edge of The Battery; the authorized ticket office is inside it and the screening tents stand beside it. In New Jersey the ticket office is in the historic Central Railroad of New Jersey terminal at Liberty State Park, with the ferry about 300 yards from the security tent. The National Park Service strongly recommends buying in advance from the authorized office, because many aggressive, unauthorized sellers work the streets near The Battery; anyone selling tickets on the sidewalk is not the official office. For what the ticket includes, see the tickets guide.

How do I get to The Battery by subway or bus?

Take the 4 or 5 train to Bowling Green, the R (or W) to Whitehall Street, or the 1 to South Ferry; buses M5, M15 and M20 stop at South Ferry. Each is a short walk from Castle Clinton.

The subway stations ring The Battery, and Castle Clinton is at the park's waterfront. The National Park Service lists the 4 and 5 at Bowling Green, the R at Whitehall Street and the 1 at South Ferry; the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation adds that the W (Broadway Line) also serves Whitehall Street. Whitehall Street and South Ferry also serve the free Staten Island Ferry terminal, so follow signs for The Battery or Castle Clinton, not the Staten Island Ferry, when you come up to street level.

How do I get to the ferry from New Jersey?

Drive the New Jersey Turnpike Extension to exit 14B and follow the signs for Liberty State Park and the ferry, where parking is available for a fee, or take the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to the Liberty State Park station, about a 1-mile walk from the ferry.

The National Park Service gives the driving route (Turnpike Extension, exit 14B, signs to Liberty State Park and the ferry) and notes the light rail station roughly a mile away; from the security tent it is about 300 yards to boarding. The Liberty State Park schedule is published as its own PDF on the Statue City Cruises schedule page and differs from the Battery Park schedule, so check the New Jersey times directly rather than assuming they match Manhattan's. The official ferry listing on GetYourGuide offers both departure points at checkout, and the ferry from New Jersey makes the same loop, Liberty Island then Ellis Island, with both museums included whichever side you start from.

How early should I arrive for security?

Arrive before the time on your ticket: the National Park Service states that the time listed on the ferry ticket is the time to join the queue for security screening, not the sailing time. All visitors pass through airport-like screening.

There are two screening facilities, one at The Battery and one at Liberty State Park. Items the Park Service prohibits on the ferry and the islands include all weapons, drones, anything over three feet by three feet, suitcases and other large parcels, identity-concealing masks, markers and audio amplification devices; the official ferry listing adds glass and large bags and notes that prohibited items are confiscated by the U.S. Park Police. There are no lockers at the Battery Park screening tents, only at the monument entrance on Liberty Island, so leave luggage at your hotel. On a guided tour the meeting time builds in the walk to the tents; the Walks listing notes that only its earliest booking gets the first ferry. For what the screening means for the pedestal and crown, see the crown tickets guide.

The official ferry ticket is the one the National Park Service recommends buying in advance; the listing offers reserve now, pay later and departures from both docks.

Statue City Cruises: Official Statue of Liberty Tickets · About 5 hours · Self-guided

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Is the Staten Island Ferry free, and does it stop at the statue?

Yes, it is free, and no, it does not stop: the Staten Island Ferry runs 24 hours a day between Whitehall Terminal and St. George and passes the statue at a distance without landing.

The City of New York runs the Staten Island Ferry as a free service, every 15 minutes at rush hour and every 20 to 30 minutes otherwise, carrying about 22 million passengers a year. It leaves from Whitehall Terminal, a few minutes' walk from Castle Clinton, with a distant view of the statue from the deck. What it cannot do is land on Liberty Island: only Statue City Cruises does that. The same is true of the Governors Island ferry from the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street and of the sightseeing boats from the Seaport. For the statue from the water for free with no plan to land, the Staten Island Ferry is the answer; to stand under her, it is not a substitute for the ticket.

Where do the guided tours meet?

Each listing names its own spot in or near The Battery: ExperienceFirst outside the north entrance of Castle Clinton, City Wonders and Babylon at The Immigrants statue in Battery Park, and Walks at 1 Bowling Green.

The guided tours sold on GetYourGuide ride the Statue City Cruises ferry with a guide, so they meet within a few minutes' walk of the Castle Clinton screening tents. The Immigrants statue is a bronze group by Luis Sanguino in Battery Park; the City Wonders listing places it south of Castle Clinton and the Babylon listing southeast of it. The pass-by cruises meet elsewhere: the Circle Line express and sunset cruises at Pier 16, South Street Seaport (89 South Street), the Clipper City schooner at Pier 17 at The Seaport (its listing says to allow 20 minutes to find the dock), and the helicopter at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, Pier 6 on the East River, with check-in 45 minutes before the flight.

Can I drive to the Statue of Liberty and park?

In Manhattan there is no designated parking; privately operated lots lie along West Street and South Street beneath the FDR Drive. In New Jersey, Liberty State Park has parking for a fee, which makes it the simpler choice by car.

The National Park Service is direct about Manhattan: designated parking is not available at The Battery, and the private lots along West Street and South Street are the nearest option. Drivers have an easier time at Liberty State Park, reached from exit 14B on the New Jersey Turnpike Extension, where parking is available for a fee and the ferry is about 300 yards from the security tent. Which dock you choose does not change the ticket: both include Liberty Island, Ellis Island and the two museums. The guided listings do not solve parking either: ExperienceFirst and Babylon list hotel pickup as not included, and the Walks listing names hotel pickup under Includes while its Important information contradicts that list on crown and pedestal access, so check the option at checkout.

What are the ferry hours and when is the last boat?

The ferry runs every day except Thanksgiving and December 25, with departures from The Battery through the morning and afternoon and later return boats from the islands; hours are shorter in winter and shortest on December 24. Check the operator's schedule page for current times.

Statue City Cruises publishes separate schedule PDFs for Battery Park weekdays, Battery Park weekends and Liberty State Park, re-issued several times a year with a note that the schedule is subject to change, so this guide gives the shape rather than the times. The pattern: first departures from The Battery in the morning, last departures in mid-afternoon, and last boats back from Liberty Island and Ellis Island in the early evening, with the Ellis Island boat leaving later than the Liberty Island boat. Last entry to the monument varies from 1:30 pm on Christmas Eve to 5 pm in peak summer. To see both islands, be on a ferry before 1 pm; the operator says entry after 2 pm does not leave enough time for both. The ferry runs rain or shine in most weather and posts alerts for severe conditions. What to do once you land on Ellis Island is in the Ellis Island guide.

The Babylon small-group tour lists 3 hours with ferry tickets and pre-reserved entrance included, meeting at The Immigrants statue a short walk from the subway.

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, 8 Guest Max · 3 hours · Minimum 2

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