Tourists take photos of New York City from Liberty Island
The easiest ticket to get to Statue of Liberty National Monument is a General Admission ticket, which gives visitors access to the grounds of Liberty Island. You do not get to enter the Statue of Liberty itself, but it’s still a neat experience to be on the same island as the iconic monument. There are information panels at various locations that discuss the Statue’s history, and you can take a 45-minute Ranger-guided tour of the island that departs at the top of every hour from the flagpole (it’s a small island, so you can’t miss it). No reservations or tickets are required for the tour, so just show up if interested. As with all tickets to the park, General Admission also includes ferry service to Ellis Island.
Ranger conducts a tour of Liberty Island
To learn more about Statue of Liberty National Monument, be sure to pick up an Acoustiguide audio tour device on both Liberty and Ellis islands. This is a hand-held electronic device that you can listen to as you wander around the park (pick up and return the device at a booth on each island). When you see an exhibit with a number on it, punch in that number and listen to a narration that pertains to what you are looking at. If you do get an Acoustiguide, I highly recommend that you bring your own corded headphones so you don’t have to hold the device to your ear like a telephone. Doing this hinders you from taking photos, not to mention that it’s tough bending your elbow for long periods of time…at least when you are old. Acoustiguides are available in Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish. There are also audio tours designed for children ages six to ten that are available in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. In addition, there are separate Acoustiguides with descriptive audio for those who cannot see well and a video device with a sign language interpreter for those who cannot hear.
Everyone wants a photo of the Statue of Liberty, and the best shots of the full structure are taken from the ferry as it approaches Liberty Island. Regardless of whether you depart from Battery Park or Liberty State Park, get as close to the starboard railing as possible because this is the side of the boat that will be facing the statue when landing at Liberty Island. If you can’t do this on the upper deck, get to a lower deck. The higher elevation won’t matter at all when it comes to getting a quality photo.
Photo of the Statue of Liberty taken from the ferry
You can also get some unique views of the Statue of Liberty from the island.
Photo of the Statue of Liberty taken from Liberty Island
There is a café on Liberty Island that sells sandwiches, burgers, pizza, and other typical lunchtime fare. Visitors can also bring their own food and non-alcoholic beverages in a small handbag or standard-size backpack. No coolers are allowed.
Crown Café on Liberty Island
For most people, one to two hours should be plenty of time to spend on Liberty Island, particularly if you arrive just as a Ranger-guided tour is starting (assuming you want to attend a tour) and you aren’t venturing inside the statue to the pedestal or crown (which requires a different type of ticket). Ferries to Ellis Island and back to Battery Park arrive every 20 minutes. Ferries back to Liberty State Park come approximately every 40 minutes. The ferry schedule is posted at the dock.
With a few exceptions, use of any photograph on the National Park Planner website requires a paid Royalty Free Editorial Use License or Commercial Use License. See the Photo Usage page for details.
Last updated on November 19, 2021
