Statue of Liberty
The first thing millions of immigrants saw of America, and you can climb up into her crown.
Photo: Don Ramey Logan · CC BY 4.0
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island guide: official ferry tickets, crown and pedestal access, the museum, best views and how to avoid lines in New York Harbor.
A gift from the people of France, the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in 1886 in New York Harbor. The sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi designed her, and Gustave Eiffel, of the Eiffel Tower, built the iron skeleton inside. Her copper skin was once shiny brown; it turned green as it weathered.
Ferries leave from Battery Park in Manhattan and Liberty State Park in New Jersey. Pedestal tickets let you go up inside the base, and crown tickets, limited and sold out months in advance, take you up a narrow spiral staircase into the crown. The Statue of Liberty Museum on the island keeps the original torch.
The same ferry stops at Ellis Island, where about 12 million immigrants entered the United States between 1892 and 1954. Its National Museum of Immigration is moving, and you can search passenger records for your own ancestors.
Don’t miss
- 1The view from the crown, if you get tickets
- 2The original torch in the Statue of Liberty Museum
- 3The Great Hall at Ellis Island
- 4The skyline of Lower Manhattan from the ferry
Insider tips
- Buy tickets only from Statue City Cruises, the official operator; street sellers are not official.
- Book crown tickets as early as possible, often months ahead.
- On a budget? The free Staten Island Ferry passes close to the statue.
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