This 5.5-hour New York city tour offers a great overview. Afterwards you are perfectly prepared for the further tour on your own.
Go on a journey through time in New York and learn how "Nieuw Amsterdam" became New York City: today's financial stronghold of the world
Experience with your partner an exciting helicopter flight over New York. Marvel at the famous sights from a bird's eye view
Take a boat cruise to Liberty and Ellis Island. Visit Liberty Island and get access to the Ellis Island National Immigration Museum.
No trip to New York would be complete without visiting and getting to know one of the most important monuments in the world: the Statue of Liberty.
Marvel at the Statue of Liberty up close and personal and experience an exciting audio-guided ferry ride to Ellis Island, with a fantastic view over New York
Give me your tired, your poor, your hunted photographs...
Visit two New York Freedom Monuments with just one ticket
Discover three world-famous New York landmarks with just one ticket
Get closer to the Statue of Liberty on a ferry ride with a guide / audio guide
The Statue of Liberty is the most famous landmark of New York, if not of the whole USA. It is considered a tourist magnet all year round. The waiting times in front of the ticket counters at the ferry port are often very long and waiting times of up to two hours can occur. It is best to take the first ferry in the early morning, then the rush is not too big. Rainy days and foggy days are not suitable for a boat trip to the Statue of Liberty. Choose a day with clear visibility for your visit.
Those who do not only want to visit Liberty Island but also "Lady Liberty" should plan their visit to the Statue of Liberty in time and reserve tickets. Tickets for the interior of the Statue of Liberty and the crown are limited and often booked out before the first ferry leaves. The coveted tickets, which entitle the holder to visit the crown, are often sold out six months in advance during the summer holidays. We therefore recommend booking your visit to Liberty Island well in advance. A boat tour is also possible at short notice. To avoid waiting times you should book your ticket online or use a discount pass like the New York CityPass use.
The good news is that the entrance to Liberty Island is generally free. The bad one: Without tickets for a ferry you will not get to Liberty Island. Ticket prices vary between simple boat tours, the ferry trip including a guided tour on Liberty Island, as well as a visit to Liberty Island including a visit to the first platform of the Statue of Liberty and tickets for the Crown. To save waiting times it is recommended to book the desired ticket in advance. Tickets including audio guide start at 22,00€.
For Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty you do not necessarily need a guided tour. Tours on your own are possible as well as the accompaniment of an audio guide. English speaking tours start every half hour at the Info-Point on the island. Of course you can visit Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty without a guide. For those who are really interested in the historical island and the huge statue, a guided tour offers real added value!
Plan at least three hours for the visit of Liberty Island. If you have tickets for the interior tour of the Statue of Liberty, you should expect an additional hour for the tour. Please note that you will have to go through a safety check before taking the ferry. Additional waiting time may occur here. If you want to make a detour to nearby Ellis Island, it's best to take a whole day.
The Statue of Liberty is located on a small, uninhabited island in New York Harbor: Liberty Island. You can only be reached via the ferry connection. The piers are located at Liberty State Park in New Jersey or Battery Park in Lower Manhattan. The ferries depart at regular intervals (every 40 minutes) from 8.30 in the morning. The last trip to the Statue of Liberty starts at 15.30 hrs from September to May, and from May to September at 17.15 hrs.
If you only want to go around the Statue of Liberty by boat, there are many boat stops along the Hudson River in Midtown, Downtown and Battery Park. The quickest way to get to the piers is to take one of the many underground connections or a taxi.
The Statue of Liberty, in English: Lady Liberty, actually bears the official name "Liberty Enlightening the World". The Great Lady is located on a small, uninhabited island in New York Harbor and was inaugurated on October 28, 1886. In 1924 it became an integral part of the "Statue of Libtery National Monument" to which the not far away island "Ellis Island" also belongs. Discover five exciting facts about the Statue of Liberty:
The French politician Édouard René de Laboulaye is said to have said the following sentence at a dinner in 1865: "If a monument is to be erected in the United States to commemorate their independence, then I think it is only natural if it is created by united forces - a joint effort of our two nations The sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, who was also present, was so inspired by this statement that he began planning and realising Lady Liberty and she was inaugurated in New York in 1886, as a gift from the French nation.
With a total height of around 93 meters, the Statue of Liberty was the tallest statue in the world until 1959 and still today it occupies 13th place on the official ranking list. The Statue of Liberty in New York can also be described as the heaviest lady in the USA, as it weighs around 204 tons. It is made of 27 tons of copper and 113 tons of steel.
The "great lady" represents "Libertas", the Roman goddess of freedom, wrapped in a classical garment. In her right hand she holds a torch to light the way for those arriving, in her left she carries a so-called "Tabula ansata" on which the date of the American Declaration of Independence is written. At her feet lie broken chains, which stand as a symbol for the release from the chains and for freedom.
Even today there is still a heated debate about where the Statue of Liberty is looking. Some claim it looks to Europe and symbolizes the connection between the "new" and the "old" world. If you follow her gaze on an online map, Lady Liberty looks geographically to Africa. Many people think she would simply look into the harbour to greet the arrivals. A thrilling puzzle.
One of the most significant inscriptions on the Statue of Liberty is undoubtedly an excerpt from Emma Lazarus's poem of 1883, which is intended to greet people arriving at the port of New York, the so-called Golden Gate, and represents the dream of a new better world in freedom and equality.