Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: Tickets, Crown Access and Scams
Nobody has climbed to the Statue of Liberty's torch since 1916. That July, German saboteurs blew up a munitions depot on Black Tom Island, a few hundred meters away in New Jersey, and the blast sent shrapnel into Lady Liberty's arm. The ladder to the torch was closed for good. Today the highest point you can reach is the crown, and getting there takes more planning than almost anything else in New York: tickets cost only 30 cents more than the basic ferry, yet they disappear months in advance.
This guide covers what each ticket actually gets you, how to avoid the hustlers in Battery Park, how long the trip takes, and the free alternative if you only want the photo. One more reason to go this year: on October 28, 2026, the statue turns 140.
Only One Company Sells Real Tickets
Liberty Island and Ellis Island are federal land managed by the National Park Service, and only one ferry is allowed to dock there: Statue City Cruises. Every legitimate ticket, whether you buy it on their website, at the Castle Clinton box office in Battery Park or through a reseller, ends up as a seat on their boats.
Boats leave from two points:
- Battery Park, Manhattan: tickets and pickup at Castle Clinton, the round stone fort inside the park. Security screening is nearby; follow the signs, since construction in the park has moved the dock in recent years.
- Liberty State Park, Jersey City: quieter lines, but service there is usually suspended for a few weeks in winter.
The first boats leave around 9:00 a.m. and run every 20 to 30 minutes. The last departures are in the mid-afternoon and change by season, so check the timetable on the official site for your date.
Ticket Prices for 2026
The National Park Service lists these prices (page updated March 2026):
| Ticket | Adult (13+) | Senior (62+) | Child (4-12) |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Admission (ferry + both islands) | $26.00 | $23.00 | $17.00 |
| Pedestal Reserve | $26.30 | $23.30 | $17.30 |
| Crown Reserve | $26.30 | $23.30 | $17.30 |
| Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour | +$55 | +$55 | Not allowed |
Children under 4 ride free. Every ticket includes the round-trip ferry, the Statue of Liberty Museum on Liberty Island (where the original 1886 torch is displayed), the National Museum of Immigration on Ellis Island and the audio guide. Ranger talks are free.
Pedestal vs Crown: Which One Is Worth It?
General Admission lets you walk around Liberty Island and see the statue from the grounds. For many people that is enough: the best photos are from the lawn and the ferry anyway.
Pedestal gets you inside the monument and up to the observation deck at the top of the stone base, about 47 meters above the ground. You look straight up at the copper folds of the robe and out over the harbor to Lower Manhattan. There is an elevator, so it is the right choice for families, older travelers or anyone with bad knees. Pedestal tickets usually sell out a few weeks ahead in summer, less in winter.
Crown is the bucket-list option, and it comes with rules:
- Book early. Crown tickets sell out months in advance, often three to four months for April to September. In winter you sometimes find gaps a few weeks out.
- 377 steps in total, including a 162-step spiral staircase from the pedestal to the crown. No elevator past the pedestal. It is narrow, hot in summer and not for anyone claustrophobic.
- Minimum height 42 inches (107 cm).
- Names are printed on the ticket and cannot be changed. Bring a photo ID that matches.
- Limits: up to four Crown tickets per household or card, one reservation every six months.
- Pickup in person at the Castle Clinton box office before security. The cardholder must be there, and every visitor gets a wristband.
- Ten minutes inside the crown. The view through the 25 small windows is narrow, so think of it as the experience of being inside the statue rather than a panorama.
- Travel light: only a phone, camera, medicine and a clear water bottle go up. Everything else goes in lockers on Liberty Island (they take quarters; there are no lockers at Battery Park).
Airport-Style Security
Everyone goes through airport-style screening before boarding: belts off, bags on the belt, metal detectors. Pedestal and Crown visitors are screened a second time on Liberty Island. Knives, glass, alcohol, drones and pepper spray are confiscated and not returned. In summer the line at Battery Park can take an hour or more, so take one of the first boats of the day and arrive 30 to 45 minutes before your time.
The Battery Park Scam
The National Park Service itself warns about "aggressive, unauthorized ticket sellers" around The Battery. They wear lanyards, sometimes vests that look official, and pitch you "Statue of Liberty tickets" or a "skip-the-line tour". What they usually sell is a harbor cruise that sails past the statue but never lands on Liberty Island, or tickets marked up well above the official price.
How to avoid it:
- Buy online on the Statue City Cruises site before you go.
- If you buy on the spot, only do it inside Castle Clinton, the only authorized box office.
- Ignore anyone who approaches you on the path from the Bowling Green or South Ferry subway stations.
How Long It Takes
Plan four to five hours for both islands, plus the security line. The ferry goes Battery Park, Liberty Island, Ellis Island, Battery Park, and you can stay as long as you want at each stop, as long as you catch a return boat.
- Liberty Island: 1.5 to 2 hours with the pedestal or crown and the museum.
- Ellis Island: 1.5 to 2 hours. About 12 million immigrants passed through here between 1892 and 1954. The Great Hall, where officers examined arrivals in minutes, is the heart of the museum. If your relatives came through New York, you can search passenger records there.
If you are short on time, many people get off at Liberty, skip Ellis and regret it later. Do it the other way round only if immigration history is the reason you came.
The Free Alternative: Staten Island Ferry
If you just want to see the statue up close, the Staten Island Ferry is free, runs 24 hours a day and leaves from Whitehall Terminal, a five-minute walk from Battery Park. The crossing takes about 25 minutes and sails past Liberty Island. Stand on the right side of the boat going to Staten Island for the best view. You do not land on the island and you will not go inside, but you get the classic photo plus the Lower Manhattan skyline, without a ticket or a security line.
Practical Tips
- Best time: first boat of the day, Tuesday to Thursday. Avoid holiday weekends.
- Food: options on the islands are limited and pricey. Eat before or after in the Financial District.
- Weather: the harbor is windy. Bring a layer even in spring.
- Getting there: subway 1 to South Ferry, 4/5 to Bowling Green or R/W to Whitehall Street.
Explore New York with Trevurs
The ferry ride is half the story. Trevurs has two free self-guided audio tours that tell the rest: "The Statue of Liberty: France's Gift That Took Twenty-One Years to Arrive", about how a French sculptor's idea almost died for lack of money, and "Ellis Island: the Door Twelve Million People Walked Through", which follows the route immigrants took through the Great Hall. Back in Manhattan, "Wall Street: the Week in 1929 When Money Dragged the World Down" starts a few blocks from the dock. All of them are free and work offline, so you do not need signal in the middle of the harbor.
