By Nora Lindqvist · Updated · Affiliate links, explained in my disclosure
Statue City Cruises
NYC Statue City Cruises: Official Statue of Liberty Tickets
4.6 (21,151) · from $32.50
Statue of Liberty tickets start at $27 for a sunset cruise that sails past, and $32.50 for the official Statue City Cruises ferry ticket that lets you land on Liberty Island. That official ticket is also the most reviewed option, rated 4.59 from 21,151 reviews. The statue measures 93 m from the ground to the torch, per Wikipedia. I’d go on the earliest ferry for the grounds, or take the evening cruise for the light.
| Tour | From | Rating | Length | Free cancellation | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYC Statue City Cruises: Official Statue of Liberty Tickets | $32.50 | ★ 4.6 (21,151) | 5 hours | Yes | Check availability |
| NYC Ultimate Sightseeing Cruise with Statue of Liberty | $39 | ★ 4.6 (7,936) | 2.5 hours | Yes | Check availability |
| NYC: Statue of Liberty Express Skip-the-Box-Office Cruise | $29 | ★ 4.6 (5,847) | 50 minutes | Yes | Check availability |
| NYC: Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Guided Tour | $59 | ★ 4.6 (2,968) | 2 - 4 hours | Yes | Check availability |
| NYC: Statue of Liberty Sunset Cruise Ticket | $27 | ★ 4.6 (2,888) | 1.5 hours | Yes | Check availability |
| NYC: Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Guided Tour with Ferry | $49 | ★ 4.3 (1,815) | 4 hours | Yes | Check availability |
| NYC: Statue of Liberty Express Cruise – Freedom Liberty Tour | $27.94 | ★ 4.4 (655) | 75 minutes | Yes | Check availability |
| NYC: Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Guided Tour with Ferry | $59 | ★ 4.6 (270) | 2 - 4 hours | Yes | Check availability |
I compared all eight Statue of Liberty tickets and tours on GetYourGuide, so you can see the Statue of Liberty tickets side by side. One is the official ferry ticket with crown and pedestal options, three are guided island visits, and four are cruises where you stay on the water. Every price, rating and inclusion comes from the listings, checked October 2026, in US dollars. Links open GetYourGuide in a new tab, and I earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.
The Statue of Liberty is a copper statue on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, a gift from the people of France, dedicated in 1886. Unlike a skyscraper, you can’t simply ride an elevator to the top: you reach the viewpoints by ferry, and your ticket decides how high you go. These are the numbers behind the Statue of Liberty tickets on this page.
The Statue of Liberty is only accessible via ferry.
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Viewpoints | Pedestal and crown, each needing the right ticket, per the National Park Service |
| Address | Liberty Island, New York, NY 10004, per Google Maps |
| Opening hours | 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM every day, per Google Maps |
| Statue of Liberty Museum | 9:15 AM to 4:30 PM, per Google Maps |
| Google Maps rating | 4.7 from 112,747 reviews |
| Time to allow | 1.5 hours for a cruise, about 5 hours for the official Liberty and Ellis Island ticket |
Hours, ferry times and closures change, so check the National Park Service site for the day you plan to go.
Everything about Statue of Liberty tickets comes down to how close you get. The cheapest Statue of Liberty tickets never leave the water, and only one listing names the pedestal and the crown. Here is how the eight products sort, using only what each listing says.
| Level | What you get | Products on this page |
|---|---|---|
| Cruise only | Views from the water, no landing | Circle Line Ultimate ($39), Circle Line Express ($29), Circle Line Sunset ($27), Big City Freedom Liberty ($27.94) |
| Grounds | Ferry, Liberty Island, museum, Ellis Island | Amigo Tours USA ($49), ExperienceFirst ($59), Walks ($59) |
| Pedestal | Inside the base, higher view over the harbour | Statue City Cruises ($32.50), as an option |
| Crown | The top, reached on stairs, by reservation | Statue City Cruises ($32.50), as an option |
Be careful with the middle rows when you compare Statue of Liberty tickets. The Walks and ExperienceFirst listings both mention crown and pedestal in their inclusion lists, yet their exclusion lists say crown and pedestal access is not included. When a listing contradicts itself I trust the exclusion, so I treat those two as grounds-only. The Amigo listing is clear: pedestal and crown are not included. Only the official Statue City Cruises listing names the crown and pedestal as inclusions, and the National Park Service says that crown tickets are available by reservation, usually 3-4 months in advance.
If you want to stand on Liberty Island, start here. The Statue City Cruises ticket is the one I’d call the default among Statue of Liberty entry tickets, because the listing describes the company as the only official and authorized ferry service. It includes the round-trip ferry, Liberty Island, Ellis Island, audio tours of both, the Statue of Liberty Museum and the Ellis Island immigration museum. Access to the crown and to the pedestal appear in the inclusions, and which one you get depends on the option you select.
At $32.50 these Statue of Liberty tickets are cheaper than every guided tour and carries the largest review count by far. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before. The listing says to expect about five hours, because the route runs from the Battery Park or Liberty State Park departure to the statue, then on to Ellis Island and back. If you want the pedestal or the crown, choose that option when you book, and do it early.
Statue City Cruises
My pick: My default for a first visit: $32.50, 4.59 stars from 21,151 reviews, the official ferry, and the only listing here with pedestal and crown options.
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$32.50
People searching for an observation deck here usually mean the pedestal or the crown, and I cover those in the sections below. This card is for a different kind of view. The Circle Line Ultimate Sightseeing Cruise doesn’t land at all: it circles Manhattan in 2.5 hours and passes the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Chrysler Building. The listing mentions a spacious outdoor viewing deck on the boat, which is the nearest thing to an observation deck among this page’s cruises.
Of all the Statue of Liberty tickets here, this one costs $39 and is rated 4.6 from 7,936 reviews. Guests meet at Pier 83 and should arrive 45 minutes before departure, and hotel pickup and drop-off is listed. I’d pick it if you want the statue as one stop on a broad tour of the island, not as the main event.
Circle Line Sightseeing
My pick: A 2.5-hour loop around Manhattan with a pass by the statue for $39; no landing, so it is a views ticket.
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$39
The Circle Line Express is the quick option among skip-the-line Statue of Liberty tickets. It leaves from Pier 16 at South Street Seaport, passes the Brooklyn Bridge and One World Trade Center, then pauses several times around the statue so everyone can photograph it. The whole cruise takes 50 minutes and costs $29, rated 4.62 from 5,847 reviews. The listing mentions a Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island visit in its inclusions, but its own description only talks about sailing past, so I’d read this as a water view and check before booking if landing matters to you.
The skip-the-box-office part means you show a voucher instead of queuing to buy. One reviewer wanted more time at the photo stops, which fits a 50-minute schedule. Free cancellation is allowed up to 24 hours before.
Circle Line
My pick: The shortest way to see her up close: 50 minutes from Pier 16 for $29, and the boat pauses for photos.
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$29
The main NYC ticket page is for people who want a guide on the island. The Walks tour costs $59, takes 2 to 4 hours, and is run as a private or shared walk depending on the option. It meets at 1 Bowling Green, near Castle Clinton, and the stops are Liberty Island, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. The inclusions are pre-reserved tickets to Liberty Island with exterior access and to Ellis Island, plus an official audio guide on Ellis Island.
Rated 4.6 from 2,968 reviews, it is the better-reviewed of the two $59 Statue of Liberty tickets with a guide. Remember the access note above: the listing contradicts itself on the crown and pedestal, and the exclusions say they are not included, so this is a grounds ticket. That is fine if what you want is the story told by a person, but it isn’t the way to climb. The price gap to the official ticket is $26.50, which pays for the guide.
Walks - US
My pick: A guided walk from Battery Park for $59 with Liberty and Ellis Island tickets; exterior access, not the crown.
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$59
Searches for the height come from visitors deciding how far up they will go with their Statue of Liberty tickets. Wikipedia puts the statue at 93 m from the ground to the torch. The lookouts you can actually reach are lower: the pedestal sits at the base, and the crown is near the top of the figure, so the view from there is a statue-top view of the harbour, not a skyscraper-height one.
For the grounds and the story behind the figure, the Amigo Tours USA guided tour is $49, takes about four hours and includes the ferry, the Statue of Liberty Museum and the Immigration Museum. The listing says the guide may not be able to enter the sites with you, and it clearly excludes pedestal and crown access. Its rating is 4.26 from 1,815 reviews, the lowest of the products here, so I’d choose it for the hotel pickup and the guide rather than for the rating. Free cancellation is allowed up to 3 days before, the longest window among these Statue of Liberty tickets.
Amigo Tours USA
My pick: A 4-hour guided visit with ferry and both museums for $49; the weakest rating here at 4.26, and no pedestal or crown.
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$49
The statue was not always green. It is clad in copper, and the green you see today is a natural patina that formed on the metal over the years, a change Wikipedia covers in its article on the monument. Visitors who ask about the original colour are often planning a closer look, and the grounds are where that happens: you can walk around the base and look up at the surface.
Among Statue of Liberty tickets with a guide, the ExperienceFirst tour is the one I’d give a curious person. It costs $59, is rated 4.6 from 270 reviews, and a local guide takes you on the reserve-line ferry and around Liberty Island, with the 2-hour Express option staying on the island and the 4-hour option adding Ellis Island. It meets at Castle Clinton, and the guide wears an orange hat. Guides can’t lead inside the museums, so expect tips instead of commentary indoors. As with the Walks tour, the exclusions say pedestal and crown access are not included.
ExperienceFirst
My pick: A guided Liberty Island visit for $59 with reserve-line ferry tickets; 2-hour Express or 4-hour with Ellis Island, no crown.
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$59
If your search is about price, the lowest on my list is the Circle Line Sunset Cruise at $27. It is a 90-minute evening sail from Pier 16 past the Brooklyn Bridge and One World Trade Center, out to the statue and back, with an audio guide in nine languages. It is rated 4.6 from 2,888 reviews, and one reviewer said they were off Liberty Island just in time to see the torch lit at sunset.
The catch is the same as with the other cruises: the listing’s own description is about sailing around the statue, not landing. So the cheapest Statue of Liberty tickets get you the picture and the sunset, not the island. The queue gets long quickly, according to one reviewer, so I’d arrive early. If you need to land, the official $32.50 ticket is only $5.50 more.
Night tourCircle Line
My pick: The cheapest ticket at $27 for a 90-minute sunset sail; a water view, not a landing.
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$27
The National Park Service gives no step count for the pedestal, and for the crown it says visitors must be able to walk approximately 10 floors of stairs. That is the honest answer, and I won’t invent a number. If the stairs worry you, the pedestal is the lower viewpoint, and the grounds need no climb at all. The torch is closed to everyone: the park service says it is reached by a narrow 40 foot ladder and has never been open to the public.
The practical point for Statue of Liberty tickets is the reservation. The park service says crown tickets are usually available 3-4 months in advance, and lockers are provided for visitors entering with pedestal or crown tickets. Large coolers will not pass security screening. Book the official ticket early and pick the crown option at checkout, because a standard ferry ticket with no option selected is just the grounds.
I didn’t find a discount code or coupon that beats the listed prices, and I won’t suggest a promo that I haven’t seen. The sensible saving is to skip the guide and book the $32.50 official ticket, or go down to a $27 cruise if you only want the view. Group totals add up quickly, so use the calculator below to see the cost for your party and the booking link.
Calculator
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from per person, before any child or group discount
Prices are the lowest per-person prices on GetYourGuide when I last checked; the final price depends on the date, time slot and age.
The one card here is the Big City Tourism Freedom Liberty Express Cruise. It is a leftover in my ranking, not the best match for a discount search. It costs $27.94 for 75 minutes and leaves from Pier 78 on the Hudson at 12th Avenue, with a free shuttle to the Empire State Building, Times Square and other sights. The listing says plainly that there is no disembarkation, so you do not land on Liberty Island. It is rated 4.39 from 655 reviews, the thinnest record among the Statue of Liberty tickets I’d consider. I’d only pick it for the shuttle and the Hudson side of the harbour.
Big City Tourism
My pick: A 75-minute Hudson cruise for $27.94 with a free city shuttle; no landing on Liberty Island.
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$27.94
Before you buy Statue of Liberty tickets, note that Google Maps lists the monument as open from 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM every day, and the Statue of Liberty Museum from 9:15 AM to 4:30 PM. The ferry timetable and any closures are the real limit, because you can only arrive by ferry. Check the park service pages for current status, and look for the crown and pedestal availability on your date before booking Statue of Liberty tickets.
If you want a view after dark, the listed hours end at 6:30 PM, so the evening cruise is the way to see the figure at dusk. The Circle Line Sunset Cruise above is the one I’d book. Wrap up warm even in summer, as the open decks catch the wind on the water.
The guided options among Statue of Liberty tickets come down to three types, and the cards above cover each: the guided island visits at $49 to $59, the Circle Line cruises at $27 to $39, and the Big City express cruise. For most visitors who want Statue of Liberty tickets that include the island, I’d skip the tours and buy the official ticket, which is cheaper and has the most reviews. Tours earn their price when you want the history explained or hotel pickup, and every dollar above $32.50 pays for that guide or transfer.
If you have limited time, a 50-minute or 90-minute cruise shows you the statue from the water without the five-hour commitment of the full ferry ticket. If you have a whole morning, the official ticket with Ellis Island is a better use of the same Statue of Liberty tickets. Families with young children may prefer a cruise, since the island involves queues, security and walking.
Cloud cover decides how good the photos are, so it matters when you book Statue of Liberty tickets. In the 2025 weather data from Open-Meteo, the clearest months at the island are August and October, both with 41% average cloud cover. The cloudiest is May at 74%, followed by April at 70%. Sunset runs from 16:29 in December to 20:29 in June.
| Month | Sunset (New York time) | Cloud cover | Sunshine a day | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16:53 | 53% | 7.4 h | 7 |
| Feb | 17:31 | 69% | 6.9 h | 9 |
| Mar | 19:03 | 54% | 8.8 h | 7 |
| Apr | 19:35 | 70% | 8.2 h | 10 |
| May | 20:06 | 74% | 8.4 h | 16 |
| Jun | 20:29 | 65% | 9.9 h | 12 |
| Jul | 20:25 | 55% | 12 h | 15 |
| Augclearest | 19:53 | 41% | 11.1 h | 6 |
| Sepclearest | 19:04 | 52% | 9.6 h | 8 |
| Octclearest | 18:15 | 41% | 8.4 h | 9 |
| Nov | 16:37 | 57% | 6.7 h | 10 |
| Dec | 16:29 | 64% | 5.9 h | 8 |
Pick a date, and the planner below shows the sunset and the entry time I’d book.
Sunset planner
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book this entry time (50 min before sunset)
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sunset, New York time
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typical cloud cover that week
Sunset and cloud cover for the same dates in 2025 at the deck (Open-Meteo historical weather (ERA5), 2025); sunset moves by about a minute between years.
For the grounds I’d take the first ferry of the day, since the island closes in the early evening and the lines build from late morning. For a sunset sail, arrive 45 to 60 minutes before sunset, because reviewers warn that the queue at Pier 16 grows fast. October is my favourite window on this data: cloud cover is at its lowest, and sunset is around 18:15, which is a comfortable hour.
On a clear day the horizon is a long way off. The calculator below uses the deck height to show how far you can see.
Calculator
91 m · 299 ft
km
to the horizon ( miles)
km
with typical atmospheric refraction
Geometric horizon d ≈ 3.57 × √h (km, h in metres); refraction adds about 8%. Haze and clouds usually limit the real view first. Formula: Distance to the horizon.
Distances below are straight-line from the statue, computed from the Google Maps coordinates.
History museum
4.7 · 977 Google reviews
Liberty Island, New York, NY 10004, United States
Scenic spot
4.9 · 120 Google reviews
1 Audrey Zapp Dr, Jersey City, NJ 07305, United States
Tourist attraction
4.6 · 80,744 Google reviews
New York, NY 10004, United States
Historical landmark
4.8 · 31,356 Google reviews
285 Fulton St, New York, NY 10007, United States
Open in Google Maps
Bridge
4.8 · 94,197 Google reviews
New York, NY 10038, United States
Open in Google Maps
Observation deck
4.6 · 34,092 Google reviews
30 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001, United States
Observation deck
4.7 · 130,587 Google reviews
20 W 34th St., New York, NY 10001, United States
The Statue of Liberty Museum is only 0.23 km (0.15 miles) from the statue, on the same island. A public skyline viewpoint in Jersey City is 2.32 km (1.44 miles) away, and The Battery, where the ferry leaves from, is 2.89 km (1.80 miles) off. One World Trade Center is 3.70 km (2.30 miles) north-east, and the Brooklyn Bridge is 4.43 km (2.75 miles). Edge NYC is 8.02 km (4.98 miles) away and the Empire State Building is 8.24 km (5.12 miles). Times Square, at 9.12 km (5.66 miles), is the farthest landmark in this set.
Statue of Liberty tickets don’t buy a tower view, so the monument competes with the city’s skyscraper decks for the same day. Ratings and review counts are from Google Maps, and distances are straight-line from the Statue of Liberty.
| Deck | Google rating | Reviews | Distance | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statue of Liberty | 4.7 | 112,747 | the statue itself | Ferry plus ticket |
| One World Observatory | 4.7 | 26,435 | 3.74 km (2.32 mi) | Paid |
| Edge NYC | 4.6 | 34,092 | 8.02 km (4.98 mi) | Paid |
| Empire State Building | 4.7 | 130,587 | 8.24 km (5.12 mi) | Paid |
| SUMMIT One Vanderbilt | 4.7 | 37,523 | 8.98 km (5.58 mi) | Paid |
| Top of the Rock | 4.7 | 93,042 | 9.53 km (5.92 mi) | Paid |
The Statue of Liberty has the second-most reviews here, behind only the Empire State Building. The big difference is that you look at a monument from a harbour viewpoint, instead of looking down on a skyline. I’d pair Statue of Liberty tickets with One World Observatory, which is the closest deck and shows the harbour from above.
The official Statue City Cruises ticket is $32.50 on GetYourGuide and includes the ferry, Liberty Island and Ellis Island, rated 4.59 from 21,151 reviews. Guided tours with a ferry cost $49 to $59. Cruises that only sail past the statue run $27 to $39. Prices are in US dollars and can change by date and option.
The Statue City Cruises listing offers free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. The same 24-hour rule appears on most other tickets on this page, while the Amigo Tours USA guided tour allows cancellation up to 3 days ahead. Check the policy for your chosen date and option before paying.
The National Park Service says large coolers will not be allowed through security screening, and the Statue City Cruises listing excludes luggage or large bags, drones and glass objects. There are lockers for visitors with pedestal or crown tickets. For the full prohibited list, check the park service website before you travel.
I couldn't find a purse rule in my data. What I can say is that large bags and luggage are excluded on the official ticket, and the park service offers lockers to pedestal and crown ticket holders. A small purse is the safest choice, but confirm the current rules with the park service before your visit.
According to the National Park Service, the torch is reached by a narrow 40 foot ladder and has never been open to the public. The highest point you can reach is the crown, which needs a separate reservation. Crown tickets are usually released three to four months ahead, so plan early if you want that view.
The statue was a gift from the people of France, according to Wikipedia. It stands on Liberty Island, which the National Park Service describes as federal property administered by the park service, so today it is part of the United States. You visit it as a national monument, reached only by ferry.
The National Park Service says crown visitors must be able to walk approximately 10 floors of stairs. Crown tickets are available by reservation, usually 3 to 4 months in advance. If stairs are a problem, the pedestal gives you a lower but still elevated view, and the grounds need no climb at all.