How to Visit Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
No visit to New York is complete without seeing Statue of Liberty. There are several ways how to visit one of the world's most famous statues and Ellis Island, and in this post, we will outline how to buy tickets, and whether it is better to travel independently, with a tour or only to take a ferry passing around the statue.
Do you want to tick off visiting the Statue of Liberty from your list of must-visit attractions when in New York?
So did we, but to our surprise, finding accurate information about ways of transport and tickets were harder to get than we had expected (or at least not that straightforward we thought it would be), despite the fact that the Statue of Liberty is visited by more than 4 million people yearly.
Honestly, we cannot imagine traveling to New York and not to visit the Lady and Ellis Island, although we could have viewed it from the mainland from a distance, and although this attraction is so notoriously known that we'd seen pictures of the statue from every angle possible before our actual visit.
One of the reasons is that the Statue of Liberty is not only a large sculpture, a symbol of technical masterpieces from the late 19th century, but it is also a symbol of hope and freedom, symbol of new beginnings and dreams.
In other words, for us, the Statue of Liberty was together with the Empire State Building, Times Square, Brooklyn Bridge, and Central Park, the most-sought attraction in New York.
A BRIEF HISTORY AND FACTS ABOUT THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
The island where the Statue of Liberty stands has had many names from time immemorial such as Bedloes Island or the Island of Hope, but today the island is officially known as Liberty Island - sometimes the best ideas are the simplest ones, right?
The statue was a gift from French intellectuals and anti-slavery activists who were driven to provide the USA with a symbol of liberty and rights, commodities still short in supply for many people at that time.
A French sculptor Frederic Bartholdi designed the sculpture and famous Gustave Eiffel, whose Eiffel Tower in Paris is nowadays another one of the most visited attractions in the world, contributed as well.
The full name of the Statue of Liberty is Liberty Enlightening the World, and the statue measures 93 meters and weights 204 tonnes.
The creators found inspiration for the statue of a woman in Roman liberty goddess who holds a torch in her right hand above her head and carries a book with date 1776 (American Declaration of Independence) in her left hand.
The opening ceremony of the Statue of Liberty was held in 1886 (conveniently to mark 100 years of American Independence), and since then, millions of people are driven to spot the symbol of a new era in the USA.
We must emphasize here that in the early 20th century the statue had an even deeper meaning for hundreds of thousands of people than it has for tourists (including us) today.
The Statue of Liberty was the first thing immigrants saw from boats when arriving in the USA, and it meant that the long and tiring journey is over.
But it did not mean that from now on they can live better lives, because their first steps led to Ellis Island, where they had to pass a series of examinations, both medical and psychological, to be finally admitted entering the country.
When they did not pass the test, they had to embark the boat and return to their home country.
IS STATUE OF LIBERTY FREE TO VISIT?
When looking for information on how to visit the Statue of Liberty, we were, of course, excited to read that this landmark is free of charge, but we soon found out it is not entirely true.
Yes, visiting Liberty Island and Ellis Island is technically free of charge, but as names suggest, we are talking about islands here, and you need to take a ferry to get there, which costs money.
The other option is honestly free, but you won't be stepping on the islands but only stay on a boat passing by.
We recommend this option only for travelers on a strict budget or for people who are not that interested in visiting the Statue of Liberty but still want to have a closer look.
This possibility means you need to take a free Staten Island ferry which runs every half an hour (24/7) from The Whitehall Terminal between Lower Manhattan and Staten Island.
Return journey should take you an hour or an hour and a half when you opt to get back to Manhattan straight away.
While this ferry is free, do not forget that the main purpose of this transportation is to get people from Manhattan to Staten Island, not to provide its passengers with solely the best views of the Statue of Liberty.
HOW TO VISIT STATUE OF LIBERTY
Visiting the Statue of Liberty is quite easy, but you need to know a couple of things.
First, when you want to step on Liberty Island and Ellis Island, you need to take a ferry from either Manhattan and New Jersey (we recommend to make your reservation in advance).
Ferries run approximately every 15 to 20 minutes with a scheduled route Manhattan (New Jersey) - Liberty Island - Ellis Island - Manhattan (New Jersey).
We never had to wait more than 10 minutes for the ferry, so no worries.
Second, you can visit both islands independently, but if you prefer guided tours, you can find a large number of travel agents in New York who can help you out, only make sure they don't offer only a boat ride around the Statue of Liberty without stopping on the islands.
You can also find a many tours to the Statue of Liberty.
This Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Tour is popular.
WHERE TO BUY TICKETS
Officially, The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World is a National Monument, and employees of National Park Service take care of it therefore, the visit is theoretically free of charge, but you need to pay the ferry ticket to get on Liberty Island which cost $18.50 for an adult.
The only authorized company running ferries to Liberty Island with permission to land is Statue Cruises.
You can easily purchase tickets online, and either decide to pick the tickets up on site before ferry departure, or you can print them out at home (but you still need to go to the booth at Castle Clinton fort and get original tickets).
If you prefer to visit Statue of Liberty with a local guide, you can book your the skip-the-line tickets together with the tour in advance, and don't need to worry about booking tickets at all.
When in New York, the chances are that you will want to visit more attractions, so it is worthwhile to purchase New York City Pass.
It includes 6 New York attractions, including the Statue of Liberty, and we used the pass to the maximum.
When you have the pass, you only need to present your ticket at Castle Clinton ticket windows in exchange for the ferry ticket (you cannot make a reservation for any time slot, so we recommend to show up early).
The pass includes only tickets for the ferry to Liberty Island and Ellis Island.
In case you want to visit either the crown or the pedestal you need to buy a ticket with Statue Cruises, but in that case, you can use your pass for Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises instead.
WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR TICKET
When we arrived at Castle Clinton in Battery Park with tickets for the specific time for the ferry in a pocket, we were at first quite confused (not only because we had troubles to find connections in NYC metro and arrived a bit late), because the queue of people waiting for tickets was ridiculously long.
Do not get intimidated.
Once the gate opened, the staff told us the ticket booth number where we should have picked up official tickets, and the line moved surprisingly fast.
Do not get to the queue before your pre-reserved time slot (go there only when you have City Pass without assigned time). When we had tickets, we went to another line and waited for the security screen.
The whole process took approximately 30 minutes before we stepped on the boat to Liberty Island.
Also, we were a bit nervous because our ticket said that the reservation was for 8 AM and we were running a bit late, but a staff member calmed us down because the 8 AM time means it is the earliest we could get to security (the first ferry leaves Battery Park at 8:30 AM).
We think it is the best to turn out at Battery Park about 30 minutes before the time you have stated on your ticket.
WHEN ON THE FERRY
Do you know the saying that sometimes the destination can be the journey?
Arriving closer to Liberty Island and seeing the Lady up close for the first time can be a very emotional moment.
To get the best views (and photos), once you get on the ferry, go to the top deck and find an empty spot on the right side of the boat.
CRUISE DEPARTURE POINTS
Cruises to the Statue of Liberty usually depart from two official points and depending on the way you booked your tickets, you can either choose your departure point, or it will be assigned to you.
The most popular place from where you can get to Liberty Island is Battery Park in New York in Lower Manhattan.
It is easily accessible by metro (get off either at World Trade Center, Wall Street or at the closest station to Battery Park, Bowling Green), and usually the most convenient for tourists staying in the city center of New York.
Another access point is from New Jersey, and this option is better for people traveling by car or with a tour as there is a public parking lot.
WHAT TO DO ON THE LIBERTY ISLAND
When you disembark on Liberty Island, there are several things you can do.
When you have a ticket for either crown or pedestal, it is better to get there as soon as possible, because you will have to again wait in a line and go through another security check (you should get two tickets at a ticket booth on Manhattan or in New Jersey - one for the ferry, and one for the access to the statue - here at the base of the sculpture, you should get a wristband in exchange for the ticket).
When on the island, you can, of course, walk around the Lady to see her from every angle possible, and admire how large the statue is.
When you have enough time, don't miss a free, about an hour long ranger walk around the island.
Ask at the information center for the next available session as we think it is much more interesting to learn about the island and its history from a knowledgeable person than listen to the audio guide.
The audio guide is included in the ferry ticket, so do not forget to pick it up at the white booth on your right after you enter Liberty Island.
After admiring the New York's skyline, head to the museum where is an exposition explaining the way from the idea of constructing the Statue of Liberty to the final product we can see today.
HOW LONG IN ADVANCE YOU NEED TO BOOK THE TICKETS
New York is one of the most sought-after destinations, so you won't make a mistake when you secure your tickets, not only for the Statue of Liberty well in advance.
Generally, closer to the summer season (May to September) you travel, earlier you should book your tickets.
When you want to book only a ferry ticket, under normal circumstances you should not have a problem to make a reservation three or four days before your travel dates, although most popular morning slots can be already fully booked.
Note that when visiting New York on weekends or during national holidays, the attraction is busier, and we would have booked tickets at least one week before the actual visit.
When it comes to booking tickets to crown or pedestal, it is a different story because of daily limits. Tickets serve on first come first serve basis, but you cannot buy them on the same day at the ticket booth, the only way is to book them online.
We recommend reserving the pedestal ticket at least a month in advance, and the even more limited crown access at least three months in advance.
Even when visiting offseason, you should know that crown tickets are not available on the day while the pedestal tickets are highly likely to be unavailable on the day (but miracles can happen).
HOW TO VISIT THE PEDESTAL AND THE CROWN
For some people, the visit to the Statue of Liberty would not have been complete without getting inside the structure.
Although according to our opinion, views from inside the statue are not that spectacular, it is for sure unique experience and hadn't we booked our trip to New York last-minute, we would have for sure tried to get inside.
To ensure you will have access to the crown, you need to book your ticket well in advance as the limit of visitors is only 240 people daily.
When reserving the crown ticket, we recommend you to do so (as well as the pedestal booking) with the authorized ferry company Statue Cruises to avoid disappointment.
Surprisingly, you don't need to pay much more for the privilege to visit the crown it cost only an additional $3 ($21.50 total), but you must pay attention for requirements.
First, make sure you are fit enough to climb 162 narrow steps from pedestal to the crown as there is no elevator access.
Everyone, including children and elderly, must be able to get to the top on own, without any help, so obviously, the crown is not wheelchair accessible.
All visitors to the crown of the Statue of Liberty must show at the ticket booth before entering Liberty Island valid ID (except for minors) without exception.
You can buy only four tickets for the crown at one session, only once in six months.
Around 1000 people are allowed every day to access the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. In order to get there, you need to either conquer 215 steps or take a very slow elevator.
This ticket cost the same as the classic ferry ticket, so when you have time and tickets are available for your travel dates, we would have opted for this alternative.
For both, the crown and the pedestal, strict rules apply, and you cannot take any personal items with you, including food and drinks, so you need to use lockers on site for 25 cents.
Travel Insurance
We never leave home without travel insurance that was designed to cover our expenses if something goes wrong during the trip.
Travel insurance protects against theft, flight delays, injury, illness, cancellations, and much more.
World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers to cover their trip essentials, including sports and adventure activities.
SafetyWing is affordable travel insurance for backpackers, long-term travelers, and digital nomads.
Travel smarter and safer!
HOW MUCH TIME DO I NEED
When you decide to enjoy the iconic structure of the USA up close, and you booked your tickets to either pedestal or the crown, the average visit, when you also spend some time in the museum on Liberty Island and in the museum on Ellis Island, is between five or six hours.
Generally, visiting the Statue of Liberty is a half-day thing, and you should include enough time not to rush your itinerary.
As we are not that organized and planned our travels to New York last-minute, we were not able to purchase pedestal or crown tickets as in late May they were already sold out, and the whole experience took us four hours.
ELLIS ISLAND
When buying tickets or tour for the Statue of Liberty, the permission also include access to Ellis Island, but we think there is a reason why to stop by at Ellis Island other than it is for free.
As we mentioned before, even though the Statue of Liberty was for many immigrants the symbol of hope, Ellis Island was actually the place where their American Dream could either begin or end before it even had started.
That's why the nickname, Island of Hope or Island of Tears. Between years 1892 and 1924 Ellis Island was the main gateway to the USA.
That's why nowadays Ellis Island has an interesting museum dedicated to immigration, to immigrant's fate and hardships back in the days.
It shows how the process of immigration worked in the past, but there is also one wing of the museum focused on a modern phenomenon of immigration.
WHERE TO STAY IN NEW YORK
New York is a city with no shortage of accommodation, but it is not always easy to find a reasonably priced hotel in a good location.
Be prepared to pay a bit more than usual as this is one of the top world's destinations, and we recommend you to book your room as soon as you know your travel dates.
Budget | Pod 51 - We won't lie to you - it is almost impossible to find a budget-friendly accommodation which is not a hole with terrible reviews. This hostel is well-located and well-rated, features modern and clean facilities and excellent rooftop.
Mid-range | RIU Plaza New York Times Square - The extraordinary location only a few meters away from Times Square, great breakfast, helpful staff, and comfortable rooms makes from this hotel one of the best accommodation options when in the city.
Luxury | The Plaza - The most iconic hotel in New York City lies close to Central Park and 5th Avenue and if you are looking for a splendid place to stay with a touch of luxury, look no further.
Alternatively, search for your accommodation via Hostelworld.
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
