New York · RedAwning

Statue of LibertyBartholdi's 305-foot copper colossus on Liberty Island — Bedloe's Star Fort pedestal, 354 steps to the crown, ferry from Battery Park

France's 1886 gift to the United States — a 151-foot copper figure mounted on a 154-foot Richard Morris Hunt pedestal atop the Fort Wood star, 1.6 nautical miles southwest of Battery Park. Designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi with Gustave Eiffel's iron armature, the statue is reachable only by Statue City Cruises ferry, which also stops at Ellis Island. Crown access requires a separate timed ticket reserved months in advance.

Hours today8:30 AM – 4:00 PMTuesday hours
TicketsFrom $25.5Reserve Ticket — Adult
LocationNew York, New YorkLiberty Island
Official sitenps.govPlan your visit

1886Dedicated
305 ftTotal height
354Steps to crown
~3.5MAnnual visitors

The Statue of Liberty was conceived by French historian Édouard de Laboulaye in 1865 as a monument to the abolition of slavery and the centennial of American independence. Sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi spent fifteen years modeling the figure, and Gustave Eiffel — three years before he raised his Paris tower — designed the wrought-iron pylon and asymmetrical secondary skeleton that lets the 31-ton copper skin flex three inches in the wind. The statue was assembled in Paris, dismantled into 350 pieces packed in 214 crates, shipped on the French frigate Isère, and re-erected on Bedloe's Island (renamed Liberty Island in 1956). President Grover Cleveland dedicated it on October 28, 1886.

From the ferry dock you walk a curved waterfront path past the Statue of Liberty Museum (opened 2019, free with admission) and the original 1886 torch displayed in the lobby. The Fort Wood pedestal — an eleven-pointed granite star built into a pre-Civil-War coastal fortification — rises 154 feet to a viewing terrace; from there, ticketed Crown visitors climb a double-helix spiral of 162 steel steps inside the body. The Crown windows look out across New York Harbor toward Brooklyn Bridge, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and the Lower Manhattan skyline. Most visitors pair the trip with Ellis Island next door, where the 1900 Main Building is now the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration.

Plan five to seven hours door-to-door from Manhattan. Allow ninety minutes minimum for the round-trip ferry and security screening alone. Crown tickets must be booked through Statue City Cruises months in advance and require climbing 354 narrow stairs in two stages — there is no elevator above the pedestal. Pedestal access is far easier to book within a month. Battery Park departures are the iconic option; Liberty State Park (Jersey City) sees a fraction of the demand and the parking is cheaper. Bring a passport-eligible photo ID for security; backpacks must fit in a small ferry-terminal locker.

The Crown — 354 Steps Up
The 25-window observation chamber inside Liberty's diadem, reached by a double-helix steel staircase Eiffel designed in 1885. Each window is two square feet; capacity is 240 visitors per day across timed slots. The climb runs from the lobby to the pedestal terrace by elevator, then 162 narrow spiral steps inside the statue's body — no air conditioning, no return option once you commit.
Statue of Liberty Museum
Opened May 2019 on the island just past the security pavilion, the 26,000-square-foot Diller Scofidio + Renfro building displays the 1886 original copper-and-gold-leaf torch (replaced in 1986), an immersive Bartholdi workshop projection, and the original full-scale clay foot. Admission is included with every ferry ticket; no separate reservation needed.
Fort Wood Pedestal & Star Plaza
The 154-foot Richard Morris Hunt pedestal rises from the eleven-pointed granite star of Fort Wood, a coastal battery completed in 1811. The pedestal observation level (215 feet up) is reachable by elevator and offers the closest legal view of Liberty's underside — Eiffel's iron skeleton, the rivet pattern, and Bartholdi's signature on the inside of the foot.
Ellis Island Pairing
Every ferry ticket also covers a stop at Ellis Island, the 1892–1954 immigration station that processed 12 million arrivals. The 1900 Main Building Registry Room — the Great Hall — has been restored to its 1918 appearance; the American Family Immigration History Center (extra fee) lets you search the digitized passenger manifests by name.
Statue City Cruises Ferry
The only authorized ferry — operates from Battery Park's Castle Clinton (lower Manhattan) and Liberty State Park (Jersey City). Boats depart every 20–25 minutes, 9:00 AM to ~3:30 PM, with extended hours April–October. The ride is 15 minutes from Manhattan, 8 minutes from Jersey City, and includes a slow turn around Liberty Island that is the single best photo opportunity of the trip — outdoor decks fill 30 minutes before departure.
Hard Hat Tour
A monument-restoration tour limited to 6 visitors per day, 13+ only, $79 in addition to the ferry. Park rangers escort you behind public barriers to the 1886 cast-iron stairwell originals, the chain-and-pulley elevator shaft, and the back of the gold-leafed torch flame. Tickets release exactly 30 days ahead at midnight ET and are typically gone within 90 seconds.
Self-Guided Audio Tour
Available in 12 languages on Statue City Cruises devices handed out at the ferry terminal — narrated by park rangers and historians at 28 numbered stops across both islands. Rangers also offer free in-person 30-minute Liberty Island walking tours daily from the flag plaza, posted at the visitor information kiosk.
Battery Park Approach & Manhattan Skyline Photo
Battery Park itself — the southernmost tip of Manhattan, 25 acres, 1.6 miles from Liberty Island — is free to enter and offers the closest free view of the statue from shore. Castle Clinton (1811) is the National Park Service ticket office. The departing ferry's first 90 seconds frame the entire Lower Manhattan skyline from One World Trade to the Brooklyn Bridge over your stern.

Open hours

Closed Christmas Day. Ferries run from Battery Park (Manhattan) and Liberty State Park (Jersey City) every 20–25 minutes during operating hours; first ferry ~9:00 AM, last departure to islands typically 3:30 PM. Hours extended to 5:00 PM in summer.

Monday8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
TuesdayToday8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Wednesday8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Thursday8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Friday8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Saturday8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Sunday8:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Note · Crown reservations require their own scheduled time slot booked weeks to months ahead via Statue City Cruises. Last ferry back to Manhattan typically 6:15 PM (later in summer).

Ticket pricing

Per-person admission. Buy in advance to skip the gate line.

Reserve Ticket — Adult$25.5Round-trip ferry, Liberty Island, Ellis Island access
Reserve Ticket — Child (4–12)$16Children 3 and under ride free
Reserve Ticket — Senior (62+)$18Same access as adult ticket
Pedestal Reserve$25.5Pedestal-level access, no extra fee — must reserve early
Crown Reserve$25.5354-step climb to the crown — book 3+ months out
Hard Hat Reserve$79Behind-scenes monument tour — 13+ only, very limited

All visits require a Statue City Cruises ferry ticket — there is no other way to reach the island. Tickets sell out daily in summer; reserve 30+ days ahead for general admission, 90+ days for Crown access. Battery Park departures (lower Manhattan) are the most popular; Liberty State Park (Jersey City) often has same-week availability when Manhattan is sold out. Security screening at the ferry terminal is airport-grade.

Reserve ferry tickets

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