Statue of Liberty tickets explained

Do you need a ticket to see the Statue of Liberty?

You need a ferry ticket, not an entrance ticket. The National Park Service does not charge a fee to visit Liberty Island or Ellis Island, but the only way to reach them is the Statue City Cruises ferry.

The National Park Service puts it plainly: it charges no entrance fee for the museums on Liberty Island and Ellis Island, but a ticket for ferry transportation by Statue City Cruises is required to visit the islands. The same page names Statue City Cruises as the only NPS-authorized ferry provider. Ranger tours are free and the audio tour is included with the ferry ticket.

Seeing the statue from a distance costs nothing. The Staten Island Ferry, a free city service between Whitehall Terminal and St. George, passes the statue without stopping, and the view from The Battery or the harbor promenades is open to anyone. The ticket question only arises when you want to stand on the island.

What is included in a Statue of Liberty ticket?

General admission includes round-trip ferry transportation from New York or New Jersey, access to Liberty Island and Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty Museum, the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration and self-guided audio tours in 12 languages.

Statue City Cruises lists those inclusions for its General Admission ticket and states that general admission does not include access inside the monument. The Statue of Liberty Museum, opened in May 2019, holds the original 1886 torch in its Inspiration Gallery and a replica of the 1903 Emma Lazarus plaque, and entry is covered by the ferry ticket. On Ellis Island the ferry ticket covers the National Museum of Immigration in the restored Main Building.

The official Statue City Cruises ferry ticket on GetYourGuide is this product. The listing states that it includes the round-trip ferry, both islands, audio tours on both islands, the Statue of Liberty Museum, the Ellis Island museum and genealogical research access, and that crown and pedestal access vary by ticket option. Per the listing, children aged 0 to 3 travel free, visitors under 17 must be with an adult aged 25 or over.

Pedestal or crown: what is the difference?

Pedestal Reserve adds the 215-step climb (or elevator) to the pedestal observation deck and Fort Wood. Crown Reserve adds a further 162 steps up a spiral staircase to the crown, with no elevator and strict limits on numbers and items.

The pedestal is the granite base designed by Richard Morris Hunt, sitting inside the star-shaped walls of Fort Wood. The National Park Service counts 215 steps, about ten stories, to the top, and there is an elevator for those who cannot use the stairs. Queues for the pedestal can run an hour or more in summer, on weekends and on holidays. Bags, backpacks, food, drinks and strollers are not permitted inside the monument; lockers at the monument entrance can be rented for two hours.

The crown is a different proposition. It sits 162 steps above the top of the pedestal and 377 above the ground, reached by a narrow spiral stair with no elevator. Only about 500 visitors a day are admitted, tickets are limited to four per order, and each person may visit once in any six-month period. The full rules are in the crown tickets guide.

Which GetYourGuide listings actually land on Liberty Island?

The official ferry ticket and the guided tours that include ferry tickets land; the Circle Line cruises, the sunset cruise, the schooner sail and the helicopter flight do not.

Statue City Cruises describes itself as the only authorized provider with access to the grounds of Liberty Island and Ellis Island, and its own slogan is "Others circle the Statue. We take you there." Any listing that lands on the island is using that ferry. Guided tours add a guide who meets you in The Battery, takes you through security and onto the boat, and leads you around the grounds and Ellis Island.

Is a guided tour worth it if guides cannot go inside?

It depends on what you want from the day. The ExperienceFirst listing says its guides are not allowed inside the pedestal, crown or museum, so a guided tour there buys commentary on the grounds and Ellis Island, help with the ferry and security, and the company of a group, not access.

The ExperienceFirst guided tour states this directly: guides may not enter the pedestal, crown or museum interiors. The listing offers a 2-hour Express or a 4-hour option, includes round-trip ferry tickets, a guided tour of Liberty Island and, on the 4-hour option, a guided Ellis Island tour, and lists crown and pedestal access as not included. It meets outside the north entrance of Castle Clinton, where the guide wears an orange hat, and the listing says it is not wheelchair accessible.

The City Wonders guided tour runs 4 hours with headsets and, unusually, lists Statue of Liberty crown and pedestal access under Includes; the listing says it is not suitable for wheelchair users or people with back problems and that the tour ends on Ellis Island. The Walks guided tour is harder to read: its Includes list names crown and pedestal access while its Important information says the tour does not include them, so check the option you are buying at checkout. The Babylon small-group tour caps the group at 8, needs a minimum of 2 participants and states that the guide is not inside the statue. If you mainly want the pedestal or crown and are happy with the audio tour, the official ticket on its own does the job.

The City Wonders guided tour is the one listing here that places crown and pedestal access under Includes alongside the guide, return ferry and headsets, so read the option carefully and book early if the crown is the goal.

Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Guided Tour (City Wonders) · 4 hours · Headsets

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How far ahead should I book?

Book the crown as early as you can: the operator says crown tickets sell out around 90 days ahead and often months in advance. Pedestal access is also limited and reserved. General admission is easier, but the ferry schedule still sets your day.

The National Park Service says crown access is by advance reservation only, with a maximum of four tickets per order. The operator notes that only around 500 visitors a day enter the crown. Pedestal Reserve tickets are limited too, and the pedestal queue can exceed an hour at peak times even with a ticket.

Timing within the day matters as much as the date. The National Park Service recommends being on a ferry before 1 pm to see both islands with ample time, and the operator says entry after 2 pm will not leave enough time for both. The official listing suggests allowing 4 to 6 hours. Ferry hours are shorter in winter and very short on 24 December, and the schedule changes several times a year, so check the operator's current timetable rather than relying on a printed time. Refunds are available for cancellations made at least 24 hours before departure.

Can I buy tickets on the day at Castle Clinton?

Yes, the authorized ticket office is inside Castle Clinton in The Battery, with another at the railroad terminal in Liberty State Park. The National Park Service strongly recommends buying in advance and warns about unauthorized sellers outside.

The National Park Service describes many aggressive, unauthorized ticket sellers around The Battery who misrepresent what they sell and overcharge, and notes that numerous third-party vendors sell tickets for boats that do not land on the islands. Its advice is to buy in advance from Statue City Cruises or at the office inside Castle Clinton. Anyone selling on the sidewalk is not official, and a "Statue of Liberty cruise" that does not say it lands on Liberty Island is a harbor cruise.

Once you have a ticket, remember that the time printed on it is the time to join the security screening queue, not the boarding time. Every passenger passes through airport-style screening at The Battery or Liberty State Park before boarding. For subway lines, buses and the New Jersey departure, see how to get to the Statue of Liberty.

What can I not bring?

Weapons, drones, large packages and luggage, items over three feet in any direction, identity-concealing masks, markers and audio amplifiers are banned from the ferry and islands. Inside the monument, backpacks of any kind, strollers, tripods and large umbrellas are also prohibited.

• On the ferry and islands: no weapons including firearms, no drones, nothing over three feet long or wide, no suitcases, carry-on luggage or large parcels, no masks or costumes that conceal identity, no markers, no audio amplification devices.
• Inside the pedestal and crown: no backpack-style bags, including drawstring bags and backpack purses, no strollers, no tripods, no large non-folding umbrellas. Strollers are fine on the ferry and the grounds.
• Up to the crown: water in a plastic bottle, a phone, a camera and medicine are the only items allowed.
• Lockers: available at the monument entrance for two-hour rental, not at the security screening facilities in Battery Park.

The official listing adds that luggage and large bags, drones, glass and unaccompanied minors are not allowed, that prohibited items are confiscated by the U.S. Park Police and that you should bring a passport or ID. Travelling with children? The Statue of Liberty with kids guide covers strollers, the crown height rule and where to eat.

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