Statue of Liberty Tickets: How to Get There (and Go Free)

Want to know how to see the Statue of Liberty for free? Here I'll tell you how to get to the Statue, how to climb up to the crown, and also how to see it for free from the Staten Island Ferry 😱.

This monument is one of the most important sights in New York, both for what it represents and for the movie-worthy views of Manhattan you'll get from the ferry and from the island.

Before I get into all the details, here's a quick rundown of the most important information for visiting the Statue of Liberty:

👀 You can see the Statue of Liberty for free from up close, and I'll explain how a bit further down.

⛴️ If you want to visit Liberty Island, you have to pay for the official ferry ride. There's no other way.

🆓 If you have a New York tourist discount pass, the ferry ride to Liberty Island is already included, so you'll save money!

🗽 To go up to the observation point in the Statue of Liberty's crown, you need to buy your tickets way in advance. There are very few spots and they sell out fast!

🏫 The ferry to the Statue includes the trip to Ellis Island, the old immigration station. Today it's the National Museum of Immigration, a must-see for understanding how modern New York was built.

Now let me walk you through the details for getting to the Statue of Liberty step by step and what to do on Liberty Island.

Where is the Statue of Liberty?

This New York icon sits on a small island at the southern tip of Manhattan, across from Governors Island and Red Hook in Brooklyn.

We always associate the Statue of Liberty with New York, but did you know it sits in New Jersey's territorial waters?

Take a look at that detail on the island map. In the piece on the Ellis Island immigration station I explain why.

How do you get to the Statue of Liberty?

As I mentioned, the only way to get to Liberty Island is on the official Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Ferry (Statue City Cruises). No other boat is allowed to carry tourists there.

Here are the details for riding the Statue of Liberty Ferry:

Where do you catch the ferry to the Statue of Liberty?

Statue City Cruises, the official ferry operator, has two departure terminals, one in Manhattan and the other in Jersey City:

⛴️ The Manhattan Ferry Terminal is in Battery Park, the park at the southern tip of Manhattan (Bowling Green station, subway lines 4 or 5).

⛴️ The New Jersey Ferry Terminal is at Liberty State Park in Jersey City (one of the best viewpoints of Manhattan!). Check out how to get to New Jersey from Manhattan.

You can board at Battery Park and then come back to the Liberty State Park Terminal, or the other way around. It makes for a great outing!

How much do tickets to the Statue cost?

Tickets to visit the Statue of Liberty are included when you buy your ferry fare. There are 4 ticket types:

🚢 General Admission: Round-trip ferry ride to Liberty Island and Ellis Island, plus admission to the museums:

💵 Ages 13 to 61: US$ 24.50 | 62+: US$ 18 | Ages 4 to 12: US$ 12

🗽 Pedestal Reserve: Everything above, plus access to the statue's pedestal.

💵 Ages 13 to 61: US$ 24.80 | 62+: US$ 18.30 | Ages 4 to 12: US$ 12.30

👑 Crown Reserve: everything above, plus access to the statue's crown

💵 Ages 13 to 61: US$ 24.80 | 62+: US$ 18.30 | Ages 4 to 12: US$ 12.30

⛑️ «Hard Hat» Tour: Round-trip ferry ride to Liberty Island and Ellis Island, plus a guided walk through the abandoned Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital buildings.

💵 Ages 13+: US$ 74.50 | 62+: US$ 68

All tickets to visit the Statue of Liberty must be purchased on the ferry operator's official website.

Below I go into more detail about what each ticket type includes:

1) General Admission:

It lets you explore Liberty Island and Ellis Island freely, and includes admission to the Statue of Liberty Museum and the National Museum of Immigration.

Ideally, go with plenty of time so you can visit both museums. They're genuinely interesting and packed with historical information about the making of modern New York.

For starters, the terrace of the Statue of Liberty Museum gives you a sweeping view of Liberty Island with Manhattan in the background. I'd recommend starting your visit there.

Inside the Statue of Liberty Museum you can explore three galleries devoted to the history of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.

There you'll learn the details of how the monument was built and see full-size replicas of the face, the foot and the torch, among other objects.

As for the National Museum of Immigration on Ellis Island, in my view it's so important that I gave it its own page, where you'll find every detail you need for the visit.

2) Pedestal Reserve:

The pedestal ticket obviously gets you into the Statue's pedestal, on top of everything included with General Admission.

The Statue was built on top of the old structure of Fort Wood, a military fort built in 1807 to defend New York Harbor.

The structure has several levels, and the higher you go, the better the views. It's worth reserving your ticket early so you can explore the base of the Statue!

3) Crown Reserve:

This is the ticket that lets you go up to the observation area in the Statue's crown, and it's the most sought-after and one of the first to sell out. You have to buy it well in advance.

It's the dream of everyone traveling to New York for the first time, and I can't stress this enough: the only way to get it is by booking months ahead, since there are even fewer spots than for the pedestal.

If you look closely, this ticket only costs a few cents more than General Admission. That's because the Statue is a nonprofit national historic monument. Preserving it is the reason there are so few spots.

With this ticket you can explore the whole island, the museum, the pedestal, visit Ellis Island and, of course, see New York from the crown of one of the most famous monuments in the world!

If you're planning to climb up to the Statue's crown, keep the following in mind:

🪜 You have to climb 162 very narrow steps to reach the crown. There's no elevator.

👧👦 Only children taller than 107 cm are allowed up, and they have to be able to climb the stairs on their own. You can't carry little ones in your arms.

4) «Hard Hat» Tour

This 90-minute guided tour takes you through the abandoned buildings of the Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital.

It's an experience that gives you a firsthand, well-documented look at what the thousands of people who entered the United States through this station went through.

In the piece on Ellis Island I share my experience on the Hard Hat Tour. Spoiler: this tour is by far one of the most powerful things I've done on my trips to New York.

This ticket also includes general admission to Liberty Island and Ellis Island (it does not include access to the pedestal or the crown).

Where do you buy tickets for the Statue of Liberty?

To lock in the date and time you want, the best move is to buy your tickets online.

You can also buy them at the ticket booths inside Castle Clinton, in Battery Park, an old military fort that once protected New York Harbor.

If you're departing from New Jersey, you can buy them inside another historic building: the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, in Liberty State Park.

But I'll say it again: DON'T BUY your tickets the same day. In high season the lines are enormous and you won't get tickets for the pedestal or for climbing up to the statue's crown.

How long does it take to see the Statue of Liberty?

An average visit to the Statue of Liberty, including the lines and the security checks (airport style, just like at New York's airports), takes at least half a day.

If you also visit Ellis Island (and I recommend you do!), or take the Hard Hat Tour of the Ellis Island Hospital, you'll need the whole day.

What's the best time of day to go to the Statue of Liberty?

If you want to walk the whole island, take in the views at your own pace, go through the Statue of Liberty Museum and also visit Ellis Island and the Immigration Museum, book the earliest tickets you can.

Statue of Liberty hours

You can visit the Statue of Liberty every day of the year between 9 am and 5 pm.

The monument closes only 2 days a year: Thanksgiving and December 25.

How to see the Statue of Liberty for free

You can see the Statue of Liberty for free from the Staten Island Ferry, out to Staten Island. Those are the big orange boats you've seen crossing New York Harbor in hundreds of movies and TV shows.

Remember Melanie Griffith commuting every day on the ferry from Staten Island to Wall Street in the famous '80s movie Working Girl? 😉 Let the river run 🎶🎵

The ride is free and passes close enough to the island for good photos of the statue, plus you get the Manhattan skyline, 24 hours a day!

Where do you catch the free ferry to see the statue?

The Staten Island Ferry leaves every half hour from the Whitehall Terminal, a modern terminal steps from the Liberty Island dock in Battery Park. You can easily walk over.

The easiest way in is Bowling Green station on the 4 or 5, or South Ferry station on the 1.

To board those huge Staten Island ferries, just wait for the doors to open and off you go. Don't stress, there's room for everyone.

Once you're on, try to grab a good spot along the outer decks and keep your camera ready.

Getting back to Manhattan

Once on Staten Island you have to get off at the St. George Terminal and walk into the boarding area for the Manhattan-bound ferry.

If you have time, check out some of the attractions on Staten Island. There are some unexpected spots, like the Chinese Scholar's Garden and New York viewpoints with gorgeous views of Manhattan right near the ferry terminal.

If shopping in New York is on your list, take the chance to visit Empire Outlets (55 Richmond Terrace), a mall with only a handful of stores but solid discounts, steps from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.

Saving money with tourist discount passes

New York's tourist discount passes include General Admission to the Statue of Liberty (round-trip ferry, access to Liberty Island, Ellis Island and the museums). Here are the ones I recommend:

🗽 New York CityPASS: for visiting 5 major New York attractions, including the statue, and saving 40% off ticket prices.

⛴️ Go City Pass: for visiting lots of attractions without any pressure and saving up to 40% on admission.

🍎 New York Pass: an «all-inclusive» tourist pass with access to more than 100 attractions. If you want to see a lot in a short time, this one's for you!

If you want to go inside the pedestal or up to the crown viewpoint of the Statue of Liberty, you'll need to book a Pedestal Reserve or Crown Reserve ticket several months ahead on the Statue City Cruises website.

How do you use a discount pass to get to the Statue of Liberty?

To visit Liberty Island with your tourist pass, once you've bought the pass follow the instructions to redeem your e-tickets on the official site for the Liberty Island ferries.

Do this well in advance so you can lock in the ferry day and time that works best for you, especially if you're traveling during New York's high season months (July, August and December, for example).

It's essential to do this before getting in line for the ferry. Without those tickets you can't board.

If you'd rather enjoy New York without the crowds, find out which are the best months to travel to New York.

Seeing the Statue of Liberty from a boat

If you're happy photographing and seeing the statue from a distance, you can do it on several boat trips that sail close by.

I already told you about the free Staten Island Ferry. Now let's talk about other cruise and sailboat trips:

Boat tour around Manhattan

This boat tour of Manhattan's harbor -the Circle Line Cruise– passes close to the statue and also gives you the Manhattan skyline and a close-up look at the Brooklyn Bridge, among other sights.

Historic tall ship at the South Street Seaport Museum

If you're visiting New York in summer, you can sail aboard the historic schooner Pioneer from the South Street Seaport Museum.

Along the way you'll help the crew hoist the sails and pass close to the Statue of Liberty, with the sound of the wind, the gulls calling and the hum of the city in the background.

No engine at all, just like the old days of New York Harbor's sailors. This is another of the best experiences I've ever had in New York. Highly recommended!

History of the Statue of Liberty

This statue, 46.5 meters tall and weighing more than 225 tons, was a gift from France to the United States in 1886 to mark 100 years of American independence.

There are plenty of fascinating stories behind the building of Liberty Enlightening the World, its full name, and you'll discover them when you visit the Statue of Liberty Museum.

Designed by Gustave Eiffel

One of the most interesting facts is that the internal steel structure was designed by engineer Gustave Eiffel, the very same man behind the tower in Paris (you'll notice how much the inner framework resembles the Eiffel Tower).

A symbol of liberty

From the moment it was unveiled, the Statue of Liberty became the symbol of the United States. She was the first thing immigrants saw as their ships pulled into New York Harbor.

Its goal of becoming the icon of freedom for all peoples has been more than met. Did you know it's one of the most photographed places in the United States?

Origins of the Statue of Liberty

If you visit the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, you'll be surprised to come across the statue on the memorial to Giovanni Battista Niccolini, an Italian poet and national hero.

The resemblance between that monument's statue, Pio Fedi's Liberty of Poetry, and the Statue of Liberty is unmistakable.

In fact, it's considered the forerunner of its New York cousin.

Frequently asked questions about visiting the Statue of Liberty