What is the easiest way to get to the Statue of Liberty?

Visitors arrive and depart Liberty Island and Ellis Island, located in New York Harbor, via ferries operated by Statue City Cruises. These ferries leave from two locations: The Battery, at the southern tip of Manhattan in New York City, and Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey.



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Visitors arrive by ferry service. All ferry tickets include access to the Statue of Liberty Museum and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration.

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Staten Island Ferry The Staten Island Ferry is a free transportation service provided between Manhattan and Staten Island. Each boat is quite large, carrying over 4,000 people. But the route across New York harbor takes you directly in front of the statue.

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STATEN ISLAND FERRY Still, without a doubt, this is the best view of the Statue of Liberty you can get for free. In fact, riding the Staten Island Ferry is one of the very best things you can do for free in NYC.

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Staten Island Ferry Since the service is completely free, this is a great option for viewing the Statue of Liberty up close. The ferry route brings you directly across New York Harbor and right by the statue and Ellis Island. Pros: Of all the free options, the ferry has the best and closest view of the statue.

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When visiting the Statue of Liberty be prepared for a long day. Queues to the ferry can take anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours. The Statue of Liberty and museum take approximately 90 minutes to see and Ellis Island is another one hour to 90 minutes.

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STATEN ISLAND FERRY Still, without a doubt, this is the best view of the Statue of Liberty you can get for free. In fact, riding the Staten Island Ferry is one of the very best things you can do for free in NYC.

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Make sure to keep your visit to the statue shorter, so it's closer to 2 1/2 hours, and you can save some time for Ellis Island. To see all of Ellis Island would take a few hours. But if you're in a rush and don't want to skip it, I'd say 1 hour to see the highlights.

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It takes around 20 minutes to walk to the top of the Statue of Liberty. You can take an elevator to the pedestal level of the Statue but the walk up to the crown itself will take you at least 15 minutes.

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As a tour guide, a question I hear a lot is: “Is it worth it to see Ellis Island?” For those who have no familial connection or relation to the people who passed through, its importance and influence can often be overlooked. Which is why I am here to tell you that it is absolutely, 100% worth it.

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Route Information The trip is about 25 minutes. The Ferry ride is free. All passengers are required to comply with applicable U.S. Coast Guard Security Regulations regardless of which level they board from. The Staten Island Ferry does not carry cars.

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The Ferry operates between the St. George Terminal on Staten Island and the Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan. The trip is about 25 minutes. The Ferry ride is free.

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You don't need a ticket to enter the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, but you do need a ticket to ride the ferry to get there. Here's a very important part: the vendor authorized to sell tickets to Liberty and Ellis Islands is City Experiences.

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The absolute best time of day to see the statue is first thing in the morning. In the summer, the first ferry leaves at 8:30 and you should definitely try and be on it. Security will usually open around 8:15 so it's best to be in line before then.

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I don't think people realize just how steep and tight the stairway up is! The statue museum is amazing and it was just surreal to see it up close! The views from the ferry are better... but it is so worth it to plan ahead and book tickets to climb to the crown at least once in your life!

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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.

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A trip up to the crown includes walking up a double-helix spiral staircase. The Statue's Crown can only be accessed by climbing 162 stairs. There is no elevator service to the Crown. The climb is strenuous.

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NYC DOT operates the Staten Island Ferry, providing free service between Staten Island and Lower Manhattan every day of the week, year-round.

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Visitors arrive and depart Liberty Island and Ellis Island, located in New York Harbor, via ferries operated by Statue City Cruises. These ferries leave from two locations: The Battery, at the southern tip of Manhattan in New York City, and Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey.

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ARE BATHROOMS LOCATED ON THE FERRIES, ELLIS ISLAND, AND LIBERTY ISLAND? Yes, bathrooms are located on our ferries, Ellis Island and Liberty Island bathrooms are wheelchair accessible.

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Once arriving in St. George terminal, the ferry docks and all passengers have to exit the ferry. So you can't stay on it. If you want to take a full round-trip, walk through the terminal to the departure gates on the Staten Island side, and you can board the next ferry back to Manhattan.

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