Destinations New York

How to Get to the Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty is the icon of USA and everyone usually wants to visit this place.I was absolutely excited to explore it from a real experience! Without seeing the Statue of Liberty when I was in New York , I wouldn’t exist.:) 

The statue is built on a small island, next to the Ellis Island. It is visible from a Battery Park. However, you will notice it as a very tiny object far away as you can see on my photo.

You might also wonder how much does it cost to see the statue from the detail and whether to take a tour. I am going to show you my personal experience and tips how to get there without paying excessive money.


The best way to see the Statue of Liberty

I visited the Statue of Liberty during a winter time. I would say that it is generally less crowded in compare to spring or summer (if we don’t talk about Christmas and New Years Eve time). 

Although it was very cold and freezing, the queue wasn’t small. The easiest and cheapest way how to get to the Battery Park is by public transport – subway South Ferry Station. You don’t have to book your ticket in advance (I travelled in February). 

Just go to the ticket office and buy a ticket for $18.50. Then when you ready you will line up for the boat to get to the island. The time I was there the waiting line was quite long but it was’t too slow. 

Once you get inside the terminal, there is a security check which looks like at the airport – put your stuff into basket and remove all of your jackets. You can keep a bottle of water.

The ferry has 3 floors. The top level has a completely open area so if you travel during winter time you might probably freeze. There are two bars where can you purchase hot dogs, pretzels, muffins, cookies or coffee, hot chocolate etc. for obviously higher price than buying somewhere else. 

The first stop is on the island with the Statue. You can buy a ticket to go to the top of the statue. However, there might not be enough time to check the surroundings and go also up. 

If you arrive there in the afternoon, the last ferry to the Ellis Island which is the next stop goes around 4.30pm. Therefore, be sure you don’t miss it out. From the first island you can see a beautiful skyline of Manhattan. 

On Ellis Island there is also a skyline view, museum and cafe but don’t expect much from the cafe – just a basic coffee and burgers or frozen drink.


Useful tips

Don’t buy a tour in the city for the Statue of Liberty trip

You can easily catch a ferry from Battery park, it goes every 20 minutes, price is $18.50. The Statue is barely to see from the Battery Park by itself. 

You have to catch a ferry to see it in a real size.:-) There is a free ferry also but it doesn’t go to the islands so you might see the statue just from a far distance. 

 

On your way back, check the Charging Bull 

 

This famous statue symbolises financial power and everyone just wants to take a photo with him. For those who don’t know the legend, it is believed that touching the Bull’s balls will bring you prosperity in life. 

It reminds me that after I have been there, I was invited the same day on some local party with a nice glass of wine. It was near Stock Market. 

 

After touching the balls continue to the Financial Centre and visit One World Trade Centre. If you finish your trip early enough, you can check the Le District with fresh and healthy food. After that, head to One World Trade Centre observatory for the sunset. 

The Le District is an amazing food corner with variety of healthy salads, coffee, cakes and few fancy places to have a wine and meal. I highly recommend this place. I just loved that as it was exactly my style.

 

 

Visit One World Trade Centre observatory for the sunset and stay until dark

Theoretically, if you start your trip early in the morning, you can see all – the Statue of Liberty, the Charging Bull, Financial centre, Le District and One World Centre observatory in one day. 

However, if you are a person who don’t like to rush too much and want to fully enjoy your time, consider visiting One World Trade Centre separately. You can also just skip it and visit another skyscraper in NYC. 

There are few different observatories in NYC but in here I can say I enjoyed the beautiful river view with the bridge and the view of the Statue of Liberty.  

I haven’t been to other skyscrapers but I would say that the view would not be as beautiful as everything will be very far from you. 

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3 Comments

  1. Great ?? post! I’m sure it will help the traveler to get around NYC.

  2. I can’t believe when I was in New York I didn’t go to see the statue of liberty. I will when I go back though!

  3. Lovely site! I am loving it!! Will come back again. I am bookmarking your feeds also.

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