Statue of Liberty

The Crown Sells Out Months in Advance and the Torch Has Been Closed Since 1916

The Statue of Liberty is 93 metres from ground to torch tip. The copper skin that gives it its green colour was originally the colour of a penny. The torch has been closed to visitors since an explosion damaged the arm during World War I in 1916. These three facts – the height, the oxidation, and the century-long torch closure – are more interesting than anything the typical introduction usually says about it.

The statue stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, accessible only by ferry. It was a gift from France to the United States, conceived by French political thinker Edouard de Laboulaye, designed by sculptor Frederic Bartholdi, and engineered with an iron skeleton by Gustave Eiffel, who built the internal structure before the more famous tower that bears his name. The statue arrived from France in 214 crates in 1885 and has stood on its pedestal – built with public funds after a newspaper campaign by Joseph Pulitzer – since 1886.

Ticket Categories

Tickets are managed by Statue Cruises, the official concessionaire. Three main options exist:

Basic ferry tickets (around USD 24 for adults) cover the round trip and access to Liberty Island and Ellis Island. You can walk around the base of the statue and view it at close range. Most people who arrive without advance booking have this option.

Pedestal access tickets include entry into the pedestal and museum up to the observation deck at the statue’s feet, 154 steps above ground. These sell out days to weeks in advance. The views over the harbour and Manhattan are good.

Crown access is the most limited category. Only 10 people per trip can ascend the 354 steps to the crown’s observation windows – not the torch, which remains closed. Crown tickets sell out three to four months in advance. The climb involves a very narrow double-helix staircase and is not suitable for those with claustrophobia or mobility restrictions. Book at statuecruises.com as far ahead as possible.

Ellis Island

Ellis Island is included with all ferry tickets and is, in most respects, the more affecting of the two stops. The main building processed approximately 12 million immigrants between 1892 and 1954. The Great Hall, where immigrants waited for medical and legal inspections, is restored to its 1918 appearance; the Registry Room retains its herringbone tile floor and the Guastavino-tiled arched ceiling installed in 1918 to replace the original tin one that had cracked from overcrowding.

Standing in the Registry Room and reading through the inspection process – the chalk marks on clothing for suspected illness, the medical screenings, the legal questioning that could result in immediate deportation after a voyage of weeks – is more affecting than visitors typically expect from a building described as a museum. The Wall of Honor outside has the names of more than 700,000 individuals whose families have paid for their inscription. You can search for family names at the kiosk terminals inside.

Getting There and Nearby

Ferries depart from Battery Park (Whitehall Terminal) at the southern tip of Manhattan and from Liberty State Park in Jersey City. Arrive at least 30 minutes before your departure for security screening. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum is ten minutes’ walk north from Battery Park. Fraunces Tavern on Pearl Street, where George Washington gave his farewell address to his officers in 1783, operates as a working tavern and small museum – the most authentically old space in lower Manhattan.