See the Statue of Liberty Like a Pro
How you choose to see the Statue of Liberty depends on how much time and money you want to invest in this activity. Here are my recommendations ranked from the fastest and cheapest to more time and money.
Free / About an Hour
Take the Staten Island Ferry. The ferry is free. You can grab a bite, check out the outlet mall, or simply circle back and directly hop back on. The views from the ferry are fantastic. You should try to board early and get a spot on the starboard (right) side of the ferry on the rail. Watch or rewatch Career Girl before visiting and have Carole King ready to accompany you as you take this iconic ride.
Cheap / Can be done in an hour (but I recommend two)
Take a trip to Governor’s Island! This is a little oasis of tranquility, just a short ferry ride from Manhattan. It offers excellent views of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Statue of Liberty. The island is pretty small and very easy to get around. There are bikes and pedaled quads you can rent, but a walk around the perimeter should take about 30 minutes (or an hour with stops). The west side of the island had great views of the Statue. There are quite a few things to see and do. You could probably get off, check out the views, and be back on the ferry in about an hour. It would be worth an extra hour to explore the island. Or plan a few hours and try out any of the food vendors and restaurants, find a hammock to relax in, or explore the old fort building exteriors. This would be a perfect mid-trip excursion for a bit more relaxation if you have more than a couple of days. The ferry ride is $4 round trip and takes about 15 minutes each way departing both ferry docks every 30 minutes.
A bit more but worth it / Budget at least four hours (less if you plan to skip Ellis Island)
It took me a few years to finally venture onto the official website and now I wonder what took me so long. You can reserve and purchase ferry tickets through the National Park's official Statue of Liberty website. The$31.50 ferry ticket is an all-day pass that gets you to Liberty Island, Ellis Island, and Liberty State Park (NJ). The sites are free with an added cost and reservation if you want Crown access at the Statue of Liberty. I recommend buying tickets for 9a and getting to the ferry at Battery Park at about 8:30a. This will get you to Liberty Island on the first ferry giving you a solid 30 minutes before the crowds start to build. It does get crowded pretty quickly. They have a cafe, food cards, gift shops, and a museum on Liberty Island to explore. The cafe had a decent selection of food for a reasonable price, however, the quality was nothing to write home about.
The ferry docks in front of the main building at Ellis Island giving you access to the museum and the iconic Registration Room. The museum covers the history of immigration to America through the ages, the use of Ellis Island and immigrant processing, and the history of the island and its buildings. They also have gift shops and a cafe. The cafe was the same menu as Liberty Island.
Liberty State Park is a good add-on for the price of the ticket but the day will be getting pretty long to add that on. Worth it if you have the time and energy.
https://www.statueoflibertytickets.com/
Private Company Tour
I visited NYC almost two years before moving here. We were on a mission to see the Statue of Liberty and took a subway downtown intent on finding our way there. We were stopped by a “very helpful woman” as we came out of the subway who took us to a guy who sold us tickets to a boat tour. We were then loaded into a bus and over to Pier 34. I don’t recall who the tour company was. It appears the prices online today are approximately $30 each. I don’t know if the tour company we ended up with were reputable. But I do know that I still recommend taking the Staten Island Ferry if they one thing you want to do is see the Statue of Liberty. I highly recommend NYC Ferries as a way to see the city from the water. A ticket costs $4 and is good for two hours. You don’t get the commentary, but the views are the same. I am including a link to a reputable tour company if you are interested in a guided tour by boat.
Pros
- The tour went up the East River to the Upper East Side and included commentary
Cons
- The boat was very crowded and hard to get pictures (you may have a better experience with a more reputable operator)
https://www.circleline.com/sightseeing-cruises/statue-of-liberty/
