Plan Your Visit

The Statue of Liberty against the Manhattan skyline.

NPS Photo

 

Planning Ahead For Your Visit

Visiting Liberty Island is one of the most rewarding experiences of any trip to New York City. However, visitors who wish to enter the museum, pedestal, or crown must secure reservations. For over a decade, the National Park Service has implemented a reservation system. This is very different from the way past generations once accessed the Statue of Liberty. The National Park Service strongly recommends making advanced ticket reservations. Reservations secured far enough in advance allow visitors to select their desired level of access, and also eliminates the need to wait in line to purchase tickets. Crown tickets are available by advanced reservation only.

What Are My Ticket Options?

Visitors arrive by ferry service. All ferry tickets include access to Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. To visit both islands in one day, the National Park Service recommends an early ferry departure. Tickets are purchased through Statue Cruises, the official ferry service provider. Ferries provide transportation to both Liberty Island and Ellis Island. One ferry ticket provides access to both islands. Purchasing tickets through vendors other than Statue Cruises may result in unnecessary additional charges. For more information, visit our Fees and Passes page.

• Grounds Only: This ticket is our most widely available ticket. It gives general public access to the island, and it is the only ticket that is distributed when reservations are full. Grounds only tickets do not get you access inside the monument or to any level of the pedestal.
• Pedestal Ticket: Tickets are limited. Advance reservations are recommended. Pedestal tickets allow visitors to access up to the top of the pedestal, which includes lower pedestal levels and the museum. A limited number of pedestal tickets are available each morning at the ticket office locations, but these are often distributed before the first ferry departure.
• Crown Ticket: Tickets are limited and advance reservations are required. Crown tickets allow visitors to access the crown, pedestal, and the museum. During summer and holiday seasons, crown tickets are often reserved up to six (6) months in advance.