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Ellis Island

Ellis Island Tours

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Statue of Liberty

Statue of Liberty Tours

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Early Access: First on the Island Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island

Badge of ExcellenceNew York, United States
Likely to Sell Out

From $69.00

Select Date and Travelers

Reserve Now & Pay Later
Secure your spot while staying flexible
Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance.
New York City Tours
All New York City Tours
Audio Guides
Kid-Friendly
Likely To Sell Out
  • 4 hours (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Sail across the waters of New York’s harbor as part of the only tour group allowed on the first ferry of the day to Liberty Island. Learn the history of Lady Liberty and explore the Statue of Liberty Museum on this well-timed tour. Then, head to Ellis Island to discover the stories of the millions of immigrants who journeyed through this historic site.
  • Be the first tour group of the day on Liberty Island (early morning tour only)
  • Discover artifacts at the Statue of Liberty Museum.
  • Visit Ellis Island with personal time to explore.
  • Listen to the award-winning audio guide at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.
  • Two of New York’s top attractions in one trip.

What's Included

  • First Guaranteed Access (8:30am departure only summer/9am departure only winter)
  • Local English-speaking guide
  • Expertly guided walking tour
  • Pre-reserved ticket to Statue of Liberty Island (exterior access)
  • Pre-reserved ticket to Ellis Island (includes Ellis Island museum)
  • Official audio guide on Ellis Island
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel Pick up and Drop off
  • Statue of Liberty Crown and Pedestal
  • Lockers are $2.00

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

  • Pier A Harbor House
    22 Battery Pl, New York, NY 10004, USA

    22 Battery Place (Pier A Harbor House). Meet at the front entrance of Pier A Harbor House. Pier A Harbor House is to the right of the Statue of Liberty ferry and Castle Clinton. Your guide will be holding a Walks sign.

End point

  • Ellis Island
    Ellis Island, United States

    Ellis Island (Guest can choose to stay on Ellis Island and return on their own or take the ferry back to Battery Park with Guide.)

What To Expect

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • This tour is conducted in English only.
  • This is a walking tour. While there are stops along the way, guests should be able to walk at a moderate pace without difficulty.
  • You are required to go through airport-style security on this tour. No luggage, weapons, or food (except for water in a clear container) is allowed. Confiscated items will not be returned.
  • Please Note: only the earliest booking time has access to the first ferry
  • Due to circumstances beyond our control, sites may occasionally close. We make every effort to stay as close to the advertised itinerary as possible but substitutions/omissions may be necessary.
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Infants must sit on laps
  • Upon arrival at Liberty Island bags and backpacks must be stored in a locker..
  • This tour does not include access to the Statue of Liberty's Crown.
  • The tour meeting time is 15 minutes prior to the tour start time. No refunds or re-bookings can be provided for late arrivals or no-shows after tour commencement or departure.
  • Tips/gratuities (for your guide) are always appreciated.
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

about cancellations.

Traveler Photos

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Traveler Tips

Early Access - You will avoid hours of standing in queues2.
Do respect the fact, it's up to the guide to make it good.
Reviews
4.5
984 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 984 reviews
NYC
Rosario_H, Jan 2023
Cherie was fantastic! Explained us everything and always made us feel cared for!! Great experience!!
Awesome Tour
Alyssa_E, Jan 2023
Rob was an awesome tour guide and very knowledgeable! One of the highlights of our trip and made the experience that much better.
Our guide Sara was...
Robert_D, Dec 2022
Our guide Sara was excellent. Very enthusiastic, loves her job. Would recommend even if you have been before
Early Access….. not so much. :(
Stephanie_H, Dec 2022
I am so Thankful we took the time to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I was disappointed that the “early access to the the S of L was anything but! Upon arriving at the required 15 minutes prior, because “ if you are not there, the tour will leave with out you.” we met the coordinator and was told that our guide would be there shortly. We waited and waited. There was suppose to be 5 guides and only 4 showed up. Our group grew in size and we were delayed! By the time we finally got going… 3 boats had already left for the S of L and were not returning for more passengers. The tour guide we had was very knowledgeable so A+ for that. We did not need to pay for the “early access” because we “missed the boat” Had we not been with the Tour we would have arrived early.
Response from Host, Jan 2023
Dear Stephanie, Thank you for providing your feedback. I am so sorry to hear that on your tour date, one of our guides did not arrive, impacting your tour. For this Statue tour, we aim to be the first group on the Island and I'm sorry to hear this did not occur on your tour date. Unfortunately, some things are out of our control impacting our tours. I hope you will give us another chance in the future. Please feel to reach out to me at feedback@walks.org providing your tour information and I'd be happy to talk with you. Warm regards, Iryna
FRAUDULENT! They stole all our money, didn’t show up for the tour!
kristinmaddie, Dec 2022
Whatever you do……DO NOT BOOK this your! They are fraudulent! We had a big party of 9 and the tour guide NEVER met us at the designated time. When I repeatedly tried to contact someone they didn’t respond for hours and refused to reimburse us and took zero accountability! We were stuck with 3 little kids who were extremely bummed and truly ruined their experience, bc tickets for the morning to the statue were sold out till 12 and we had other plans. I have never encountered this with a tour operator with Viator before, but I truly hope no one else goes through what we did. Do NOT gamble with your time and money in NYC with this your!
Response from Host, Jan 2023
Hello Kristinm , Thank you for providing your feedback. I have checked our system and we do not have any bookings for 9 people on any of our Statue tours for the end of December. I would love to help figure out what occurred on the day of your tour and figure out who is responsible. Would you kindly reach out to me at feedback@walks.org? Best, Iryna
Stature Of Liberty Experience
Jacqueline_R, Dec 2022
We arrived very early at 7:30, only to be informed that due to the weather we were not departing until 10:30. We were assigned our Tourist Guide Katherine, who was very knowledgeable about the Stature of Liberty, in which she shared with us. She was really good & made our experience a very pleasant one, even though we got off to slow start. She took advantage of the wait time by going ahead with sharing with us a lot information in which helped made wait time not seemed so long. Once we made on the island, it was more than we expected. Amazing experience.
Response from Host, Jan 2023
Hi Jacqueline, Thank you for your honest feedback! I am glad to hear that Katherine helped to make your wait time seem shorter. Kind regards, Iryna
Best guided tour!
Natalie_S, Dec 2022
Our guide, Rob, was so informative and delivery engaged everyone, great sights, tips to explore and make the best of your time while really understanding the history and significance of the statue
Amazing Tour
Ann_S, Dec 2022
Amazing day. Allison Rose was an extraordinary guide and made it fun and informative. Highly recommend!!!
Scam
Tom_T, Dec 2022
Could not access tickets. Cost me $136.00 for nothing!!! Feel scammed … would not recommend your service to anyone
Response from Host, Dec 2022
Hello Tom, I'm very sorry to hear that you were unable to join our tour. I would love to discuss with you directly the information you received to ensure all of the voucher information was correct for you. Please reach out to me at feedback@walks.org and I will be more than happy to assist you. Kind Regards, Iryna
Fabulously informative
Lisa_H, Dec 2022
We had Alvaro, who was fabulous. He gave very clear instructions on where we needed to be and brought the whole experience to life. We would highly recommend this tour.
Brilliant experience!
Caroline_C, Dec 2022
Absolutely brilliant experience. Our tour guide Cherie was amazing! Very knowledgeable and made the experience in my opinion. Everything was perfectly planned. Would definitely recommend the early access visit.
2 travelers found this review helpful
Learning about the origins of the current America
Jorge_A, Dec 2022
Alvaro was one of the best tour guides we have ever been with. He was not only knowledgeable but also a passionate and fun storyteller. One of the best tours we have been at. Very impactful locations, tons of valuable information, and outstanding views.
Ellis Island and statue of Liberty tour
denise_l, Dec 2022
It was good information but it was held outside because it couldn’t be done in the museums and it was very cold. We were all too cold to even be able to pay attention.
It’s a tour.
Aimee_M, Dec 2022
Just being there was the experience. But honestly could have lived without the tour guide. —- slowed you down, we waited for the group to gather after the boat docked waiting for one group, while everyone else from boat went on to explore. It was ver cold, snow flurries and we just stood around listen to our guide. Probably would have been more enjoyable had it not been so cold or waiting for inconsiderate other groups with us.
rob was awesome
james_b, Dec 2022
rob was very fun and professional tour guide . loads of good information and personal connection to the history of ellis island to make the experience more real . definitely should book an on island experience than a boat drive by.
Fantastic
Natasha_C, Dec 2022
Amazing trip a must do while in NYC! We had Cherie as our guide and she was friendly, organised and so knowledgeable, we really learned a lot. Can’t recommend enough.
Great tour guide Rob
Deya_K, Dec 2022
Rob was a great tour guide! He was very knowledgeable of the history behind the Statue of Liberty and Ellis island.
The guide made the whole...
Diane_M, Dec 2022
The guide made the whole experience so much better. She added so much additional information that we would not have gotten had we not done the tour.
Christian is great!
Susan_C, Dec 2022
Christian was very knowledgeable & clearly passionate about the tour. We thought he made the tour better!
Great Experience
Lisa_C, Dec 2022
Being in the first group was definitely worth it as wait times were less. Our guide, Christian, was very knowledgeable, friendly, and fun.
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Product code: 7167P6

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