Can you climb the stairs inside the Statue of Liberty?
After visiting the Pedestal and the Statue of Liberty Museum, the climb to the Crown is up a narrow spiral staircase of more than 300 steps (the equivalent of 27 floors) that crosses the entire body of the Statue of Liberty.
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How do you get up to the crown of the Statue of Liberty? For Statue of Liberty crown access, guests must climb 393 steps on foot—162 of them narrow and steep, inside the statue, through tight spaces. Between its feet and its crown, the statue is not wheelchair-accessible.
Visiting Liberty Island is one of the most rewarding experiences of any trip to New York City. However, visitors who wish to enter the pedestal and visit the crown must secure reservations through Statue City Cruises, the ONLY AUTHORIZED ticket seller for Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island.
You can take an elevator to the pedestal level of the Statue, but beyond that, there are just steps. Depending on your pace, it will take about 15-20 minutes to climb to the top of the crown and back, but you might want to spend some time on the pedestal level before or after your ascent.
Start the climb: The climb is 393 steps which is about like climbing a 27-story tall building. Adults and kids in our group all did just fine but if you have someone who is not in good physical condition, they may want to sit this one out. The first 200+ steps will take you up the pedestal to the feet of the statue.
Each ticket provides a different level of access to the landmark. If you want to go inside the Statue of Liberty, you must buy a Pedestal Access or Crown Access ticket. General Admission tickets do not get you access inside the statue.
Since the statue is not air conditioned, interior temperatures can be 20 degrees higher than the outside. On hot days visitors should drink water at least 30 minutes prior to the climb. There are no rest rooms inside the statue itself.
It's worth the visit but you have to be fit to climb up those 315 steps, in a tiny staircase at the end. Just be aware of the security: they do not allow you to take anything with you except your tickets and your camera, if you go to the crown.
There's also a very narrow staircase leading up to the torch; once you ascend those stairs, you're brought to a wrap-around observatory just under the 24-carat-gold covered flame. But it's closed to visitors.
Pedestal AccessThose with reservations to the pedestal, the stone base that the Statue of Liberty sits on top of, must secure the following items in a locker: ALL FOOD & DRINKS (except water in a clear plastic bottle) ALL BACKPACK-STYLE BAGS (including over-sized bags, drawstring bags, and backpack purses) Strollers.
Luckily, for the Statue of Liberty, there are quite a few options. Seeing Lady Liberty for free does mean only getting to take a photo of her. There's no free option for visiting Liberty Island and physically going inside the statue.
Visitors climb 354 steps to reach the crown and 192 steps in order to reach the top of the pedestal. There are 25 windows in the crown which symbolize 25 gemstones found on the earth. The seven rays of the Statue's crown represent the seven seas and continents of the world.
Visitors to Liberty Island can tour the grounds and, with appropriate advanced tickets, visit the Statue's pedestal and crown. Visitors can also explore the Statue of Liberty Museum.
Inevitably weekends are busier than mid-week, but it really is all relative and there is truly no quiet time to visit the statue. Our recommendation is to catch the first ferry departures Tuesday–Thursday if you really want to beat the crowds and get inside the museums ahead of anybody else.
Without proper planning, many people end their visit much later than expected, so make sure to leave plenty of time to see everything without feeling rushed. At a minimum, you should budget two hours for the Statue of Liberty and an additional hour if you plan to visit Ellis Island as well.
Water fountains are located in the lobby of the Statue of Liberty near the restrooms. Speaking of restrooms, the lobby facilities are the only ones located inside as well. So plan accordingly before you climb!
With 31 tons of copper and 125 tons of steel, the scrap value of the Statue of Liberty comes in at $227,610, far below two of the most expensive statues in the world. But that's what happens when you use millions worth of gold and bronze.