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Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: Immigrant Stories Tour
4.8
12.1k Ratings
New York
Discover the captivating stories of immigrants on a Statue of Liberty tour with ExperienceFirst. Explore Ellis Island and learn about the history of these iconic landmarks.
Discover the captivating stories of immigrants on a Statue of Liberty tour with ExperienceFirst. Explore Ellis Island and learn about the history of these iconic landmarks.
Duration:
5 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Castle Clinton National Monument - This sandstone fort is our meeting point, but it’s also a national monument.
- Statue of Liberty - Tour Liberty Island with your guide. See the statue up-close and visit the Statue of Liberty Museum. This is also a great opportunity for photos of the NYC skyline.
- Statue of Liberty Museum - If you choose…
- Castle Clinton National Monument - This sandstone fort is our meeting point, but it’s also a national monument.
- Statue of Liberty - Tour Liberty Island with your guide. See the statue up-close and visit the Statue of Liberty Museum. This is also a great opportunity for photos of the NYC skyline.
- Statue of Liberty Museum - If you choose our Comprehensive 4 Hour tour, you will have time visit the museum on your own (guides not permitted inside the museum) before continuing your tour to Ellis Island.
If you choose our Express Tour, the tour ends at Liberty Island so you can stay as little or as long as you like in the museum.
Our guides are not permitted to enter the museum so this part will be self-guided.
- Ellis Island - Choose our 4 Hour Comprehensive tour and take a tour of Ellis Island as your guide points out sights like the American Immigrant Wall of Honor.
Not included with Express Tour.
- Ellis Island Immigration Museum - Choose our Comprehensive 4 Hour tour and discover the stories of the millions of immigrants who came through here from 1892-1954. Explore this museum at your own pace with your included audio guide before returning to Battery Park at your leisure. Guides are not permitted into the museum so this part is self-guided but our guides will give you facts and tips before you enter to get the most out of your visit.
What's Included
- History of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from an expert New Yorker
- Guided tour of Ellis Island including the American Immigrant Wall of Honor
- Guided tour of Liberty Island
- Roundtrip reserve-line ferry tickets with stunning views of the NYC skyline
- Visit the Statue of Liberty Museum - self-guided
- Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, audio guide included
- History of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from an expert New Yorker
- Guided tour of Ellis Island including the American Immigrant Wall of Honor
- Guided tour of Liberty Island
- Roundtrip reserve-line ferry tickets with stunning views of the NYC skyline
- Visit the Statue of Liberty Museum - self-guided
- Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, audio guide included
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Lockers for large items on Liberty Island (available for $0.25)
- Crown and Pedestal (base) access at the Statue of Liberty, entry not included
- Statue of Liberty Museum & Ellis Island National Museum are not guided as tour guides not permitted
- Gratuities
- Lockers for large items on Liberty Island (available for $0.25)
- Crown and Pedestal (base) access at the Statue of Liberty, entry not included
- Statue of Liberty Museum & Ellis Island National Museum are not guided as tour guides not permitted
Additional Information
Hear the stories of immigrants who passed through Ellis Island and learn about the creation and symbolism of the Statue of Liberty.
On this guided tour, your expert New Yorker will get your reserve-line ferry tickets and ride with you to Liberty Island and afterward, if you select our Comprehensive Tour, to Ellis Island for a tour of the landmarks…
Hear the stories of immigrants who passed through Ellis Island and learn about the creation and symbolism of the Statue of Liberty.
On this guided tour, your expert New Yorker will get your reserve-line ferry tickets and ride with you to Liberty Island and afterward, if you select our Comprehensive Tour, to Ellis Island for a tour of the landmarks around the island, such as the wall of honour. Once the tour ends, the exploration doesn’t stop there as you can continue inside the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration to explore its multiple floors at your own pace. An audio guide is included to help. You’ll also have time to visit the Statue of Liberty Museum as your guide prepares you for what you’ll see inside.
Our Liberty Express option offers a 2 hour guided tour across the water, and on Liberty Island, where you’ll learn all about the Statue of Liberty and our expert guide will also give you facts and tips if you wanted to visit the museum on your own after the tour.
- Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of the tour. The tour departs promptly and if late, you will NOT be able to catch up and will miss the tour. There are no refunds for missing the tour.
- Please note the earliest time tour will have the least wait. Later tours will encounter longer wait times.
- The guided portion of the tour is approximately either 0.5, 2 or 4 hours.
- Food available for purchase on the ferry, at the Statue of Liberty, and on Ellis Island
- Operates in all weather conditions. Please dress appropriately.
- Security screening will take place prior to entering the ferry. Visitors to the park are required to undergo airport-style security screening.
- Photographs are permitted, but tripods and monopods are prohibited.
- Children 3 and under free with paid adult ticket.
- Guides are wearing orange hats AND/OR blue shirts or jackets.
- Pedestal and crown access are not included in your tour. Guided tours are not allowed in the pedestal or crown at the Statue of Liberty
Location
Castle Clinton National Monument
Meet your guide on the steps outside of Castle Clinton's North Entrance. Castle Clinton is inside Battery Park on the southern tip of Manhattan.
Your guide will have your entry tickets. Just show up and tell the guide your name. They will be wearing an orange hat and/or a blue jacket/shirt.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(12097 Ratings)
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Lillian_r
Feb 7, 2025
Come for the statue, stay for Séan. - We had a wonderful time because of our guide Séan. He was such a magical story teller, that we felt like we were really part of the process of creating the Statue of Liberty! It was a cold, rainy day, but it didn’t bother us one bit. Séan made sure to keep us on track and keep us warm and dry throughout our tour. It wouldn’t have been the same without him.
Review provided by Viator
Benedict_b
Jan 16, 2025
Outstanding Activity......thoroughly recommend. - We had a wonderful guide in Owen Thompson who was extremely knowledgeable and very engaging. Would throughly recommend this activity to anyone visiting New York, great historical context and amazing views of Manhattan.
Review provided by Viator
David_b
Jan 9, 2025
Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island - The tour guide was excellent. He did a wonderful job of guiding us through the history of the Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island. I would highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Advtrtrvlr
Dec 30, 2024
Great information and enthusiasm - We did the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island tour with our tour guide was Charlie. He very knowledgeable about the history of both Liberty Island at Ellis Island. I did not realize that there was so much that I was not aware of. I would highly suggest this tour and you would be lucky to get Charlie as your guide.
If you have the time I would plan to spend an entire day at Liberty Island and Ellis Island. There is a great deal of information on both islands to read about the history. There is also an area on Ellis Island, where you can see if some of the immigrants from 1890 to 1920 potentially maybe your relatives.
Great tour and great guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Laura_b
Dec 28, 2024
We had Jason as our tour... - We had Jason as our tour guide. He had a great combo of historical info on the sights and some ideas for travelers to get the most of their trip to NYC. Would definitely recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Traveler36388766569
Dec 9, 2024
A superb trip - Anthony is a legend who brought the trip to life.
Despite visiting Manhattan various times, I’ve never done this trip - I wish I had done this years ago.
Very informative trip, seeing some important historical sites - 10/10 from us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carolyn_c
Nov 28, 2024
Emily was great - I really enjoyed Emily's story about her family.
She also helped us take piictures of the statue of Liberty. They turned out great
ELLIS ISLAND was wonderful. I had enough time to search for my granfather's name. Emily was very knowledgeable. Waiting for the ferry was memorable. She had warned us but it was at least an hour.... Met some nice people.
Review provided by Viator
Don_r
Nov 8, 2024
A truly outstanding experience - A very memorable tour. Ken was great! I didn’t have the Statue or Ellis Island on my bucket list before, but added it because it was such an impactful experience.
Review provided by Viator
616allis
Apr 19, 2025
Beware of Unscrupulous Operators - Beware of Unscrupulous Operators
The boat tour and Liberty and Ellis Islands are well worth doing. We purchased tickets online from what we are told are the only operators, Statue Cruises.
On the walk up to the boat at Battery Park you have to run the gauntlet of what we presume are agents for the operators or other boat tours. We were not sure. We were sent texts saying Statue Cruises are the only operators to go to the Islands. So we confidently ignored others despite them being in red and black jackets with writing on saying they were an authorised person.
We went to walk around them and were physically stopped and shouted at. A woman layed hands on my daughter and shouted we were not allowed in the park very aggressively. As a mum, this is a red flag and I explained we had tickets and it is difficult to know where to go and what to do with so many people offering boat rides. She eventually let us pass. It was an unpleasant experience and totally out of order to physically stop us from passing through a public park. Especially choosing to lay hands on a young woman. This was the only bad thing to happen to us in NY. But it changed the mood of the day. This really needs to change and was completely out of order. These operators should not be allowed to behave in an intimidating manner towards tourists. It needs regulating and or policing to keep people safe. Don’t let them ruin your day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sherri_l
Nov 30, 2024
Waste of time to take a tour,do it on your own time! - Tour would have been better without your guide Kenneth. I know more about his personal life and family background than I learned about lady liberty. He took up a lot of our time by making us stop and wait to listen to more of his family stories. We ended up leaving the tour and going to museum ourself and then went to Ellis island. Complete waste of time to book a tour. Better off doing it on your own.
Review provided by Viator
