Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Tour: All Options
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
Hear the stories of immigrants who passed through Ellis Island and learn about the creation and symbolism of the Statue of Liberty.
On this guided tour, your expert New Yorker will get your reserve-line ferry tickets and ride with you to Liberty Island and afterward, if you select our Comprehensive Tour, to Ellis Island for a tour of the landmarks around the island, such as the wall of honour. Once the tour ends, the exploration doesn't stop there as you can continue inside the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration to explore its multiple floors at your own pace. An audio guide is included to help. You’ll also have time to visit the Statue of Liberty Museum as your guide prepares you for what you’ll see inside.
Our Liberty Express option offers a 2 hour guided tour across the water, and on Liberty Island, where you'll learn all about the Statue of Liberty and our expert guide will also give you facts and tips if you wanted to visit the museum on your own after the tour.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of the tour. The tour departs promptly and if late, you will NOT be able to catch up and will miss the tour. There are no refunds for missing the tour.
Please note the earliest time tour will have the least wait. Later tours will encounter longer wait times.
The guided portion of the tour is approximately either 0.5, 2 or 4 hours.
Food available for purchase on the ferry, at the Statue of Liberty, and on Ellis Island
Operates in all weather conditions. Please dress appropriately.
Security screening will take place prior to entering the ferry. Visitors to the park are required to undergo airport-style security screening.
Photographs are permitted, but tripods and monopods are prohibited.
Children 3 and under free with paid adult ticket.
Guides are wearing orange hats AND/OR blue shirts or jackets.
Pedestal and crown access are not included in your tour. Guided tours are not allowed in the pedestal or crown at the Statue of Liberty
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
History of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from an expert New Yorker
Comprehensive Tour only - Guided tour of Ellis Island including the American Immigrant Wall of Honor
Guided tour of Liberty Island
Roundtrip reserve-line ferry tickets with stunning views of the NYC skyline
Visit the Statue of Liberty Museum - learn how this sculpture became such an icon - self-guided
Comprehensive Tour only - Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, audio guide included
Gratuities
Lockers for large items on Liberty Island (available for $0.25)
Crown and Pedestal (base) access at the Statue of Liberty, entry not included
Statue of Liberty Museum & Ellis Island National Museum are not guided as tour guides not permitted
What To Expect
Castle Clinton National Monument
This sandstone fort is our meeting point, but it’s also a national monument.
Statue of Liberty
Tour Liberty Island with your guide. See the statue up-close and visit the Statue of Liberty Museum. This is also a great opportunity for photos of the NYC skyline.
Options
Comprehensive 4 Hour Tour
Express 2-Hour Tour
Reviews
11,876 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Better just buy a ferry ticket...
Vladyslav K,
Jun 21, 2025
- Viator
1.00The price doesn’t match the tour. The tour is advertised from $68 per person, while a regular ferry ticket costs $25. The rest of the cost likely covers the guide's and the company's services. There are no complaints about the guide – he was very friendly and told interesting stories. Here’s what’s included in the stated time: you meet with the group and the guide, then head to the ferry and wait in the general line. After standing in line, you wait for the ferry to fill up. Then comes a short ferry ride. You disembark along with the crowd. After that, you spend a lot of time with the guide outdoors, possibly under the sun. During this time, the guide shares various stories and helps take photos for everyone in the group. After this, you get some free time. However, the free time is too short – we had only 30 or 40 minutes. In that time, you need to squeeze in taking photos, visiting the souvenir shop, using the restroom, going to the museum, grabbing a snack – there are many activities on Liberty Island. Then, you take the ferry to the second island (again, wait in line, board, disembark). There's another long talk from the guide. After that, the guided part ends, and you can stay on the second island as long as you like. There aren’t many activities there, and the only way back is to return to the original starting point.
Great Tour...Ferries were a nightmare.
Christine S,
Jun 20, 2025
- Viator
5.00Chris was an amazing tour guide. He was attentive, full of knowledge, and fun. I would love to have him as a tour guide again. The ferry rides were a nightmare. There is no organization to the lines to get on and off the ferries. Three full ferries and and went while we waited in line at Ellis Island to return to New York. We barely made it on the 4th ferry after waiting in line for 2 hours. There are no shade canopies, so you wait in the full sun and rain. So people's tempers quickly escalated. People were yelling at eachother, and we didn't feel safe mixed into the crowd. People were moving the barriers to cut in line while others pushed people out of the way to get infront of them. The one park ranger did nothing to help the situation, instead he just said the immigrants coming to Ellis Island had it worse than us and so we should be patient. I would strongly recommend people wanting to take this tour to leave from New Jersey. There was no line to get on and off the ferries going to and from Jersey.
Longer than 4 Hours
Andrea B,
Jun 20, 2025
- Viator
3.00This experience is LONG. It says 9-1 but I am currently waiting in line at 2:40 for a ferry back to New York. We have been waiting for a long time as the ferries are full when they come to Ellis island so there is a huge mob of people waiting to board and we’ve seen a ferry come and go while we wait because there isn’t enough space. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable but insisted we take full tour group photos about 4 times. No one wants a photo of a random group of people and we humored the requests but it got a bit ridiculous. I would have planned my day differently if I had known I’d spend hours waiting for ferries in the hot sun. Hoping we will get to board the next one that comes in 25 minutes. They need more ferries.
Viator a great app
Ronda O,
Jun 20, 2025
- Viator
5.00Viator is a great app to use for any site seeing and tours in any state or country. Very easy to use
It was very interesting...
Farnaz T,
Jun 20, 2025
- Viator
5.00It was very interesting to learn about the statue of liberty and it's very long history. Along with this you get to learn a lot.
Related Experiences
Operated by ExperienceFirst