Plan Your Visit

Ellis Island's Great Hall once had lines of immigrants speaking several different languages as they awaited processing. In 1986, it was carefully restored to look as it did a century ago.

NPS Photo

Planning Ahead For Your Visit

Visiting EllisIsland is one of the most rewarding experiences of any trip to New York City. However, visitors who wish to visit the islands must secure tickets through Statue City Cruises, the ONLY AUTHORIZED ticket seller for Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island. This is very different from how past generations once accessed the islands. The National Park Service strongly recommends making advanced ticket purchases. Tickets secured far enough in advance allow visitors to select their desired level of access and eliminates the need to wait in line to purchase tickets at the Battery (NYC) or Liberty State Park (NJ).

What Are My Ticket Options?

Visitors arrive by ferry service. All ferry tickets include access to the Statue of Liberty Museum and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. Pedestal and crown access require advance purchase as these tickets are limited based on safety and security standards.

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

• General Admission: This ticket is our most widely available ticket. Visitors will have access to both islands, including entry to both the Statue of Liberty Museum and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. This is the only ticket available when crown and pedestal reservations are sold out. General Admission tickets do not include access inside the statue or pedestal.
• Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour: A 90-minute guided tour of the Hospital Complex on the south side of Ellis Island provided by our park partner Save Ellis Island Inc.

Liberty Island

• Pedestal Ticket: Tickets are limited. Pedestal tickets allow visitors to access up to the top of the pedestal, which includes lower pedestal levels. These are purchased online only through Statue City Cruises.
• Crown Ticket: Tickets are limited. Crown tickets allow visitors to access the crown of the statue, which includes a walk up 162 steps from the feet of the statue to the crown. There is no elevator access to the crown. These are purchased online only through Statue City Cruises.

The time listed on the ferry ticket is the time you need to get on the queue for the security screening facility either at the Battery (NYC) or Liberty State Park (NJ). It is not a reservation for a ferry departure.

It is recommended that you include ample time and maintain a flexible schedule to include boarding the ferry and security screening. Wait time can be an hour or more during peak times and seasons, including summer, weekends, and holidays.