Good news for anyone visiting NYC from July – the Statue of Liberty reopens to visitors on July 4th this year. No news yet, however, on when Ellis Island will open. It’s also a good excuse for those of us who visited just after Sandy hit to come again.
All three of the main New York tourist passes include the ferry across to Liberty Island, but there is a catch. The passes only include the ferry across to the island – to gain access to the monument pedestal you need a timed ticket and there are only a limited number of those available each day. Crown tickets are even rarer and have to be booked months in advance on the Statue Cruises website.
If you plan to visit the monument or want crown tickets then my recommendation is to order them directly from Status Cruises, the sooner the better. They’re not too expensive – even crown tickets are only $20 – and it will save you the time and possible disappointment of queueing on the day and not getting the tickets that you want. If you just plan to visit the island then you’re good to go with any of the passes, and you can purchase an audio tour separately when you’re there.
