Before the Crowds Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Tour

Next, it's time to explore Ellis Island—where millions passed through on their way to start a new life in the US. As you explore the island and fascinating Immigration Museum, you'll discover the emotional stories of some of brave people who risked it all for a shot at a better future in America. Your tour ends back in Manhattan, with return ferry tickets included.

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Tour Description

Your 3-hour guided tour includes:

• Early morning start with fewer crowds

• Skip-the-line round-trip ferry tickets

• Statue of Liberty admission tickets

• Guided tour of the Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island

• Admission to the Statue of Liberty Museum and Exhibit

• Audio-guide tour of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum

• A passionate New York tour guide

• Maximum group size of 20

Ride the Liberty Island Ferry

After meeting in Battery Park in Manhattan, your guide will help you bypass the line to catch an early ferry to Liberty Island before the peak tourist crowds arrive. As you sail across the bay, your guide can point out some of the iconic buildings that make up the New York skyline, and you'll hear some of the background of the world-famous monument you're about to see close up.

See the Statue of Liberty Up Close

One of the United States' most important and recognizable landmarks, Lady Liberty looks proudly over the bay and attracts millions of visitors every year. Arriving earlier in the morning usually gives you a more peaceful experience than at peak times.

Once copper in color before oxidization turned it that familiar shade of green, the 151-foot statue was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel. Yes, that name does sound familiar, it's the same architect who designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the French Government to the US as a representation of freedom after the abolition of slavery in the US in the 1860s.

Reportedly in 1865, the famous French abolitionist Édouard René de Laboulaye told Bartholdi: "If a monument should rise in the United States, as a memorial to their independence, I should think it only natural if it were built by united effort—a common work of both our nations."

Inaugurated 20 years later in 1886, the Statue of Liberty stands as a symbol of not only freedom and liberty but the friendship between France and the United States. Hear the full story from your guide, take a look around the excellent museum and exhibit, and get those treasured photos next to a true US icon!

Discover the History of Ellis Island

After leaving Liberty Island, you'll make the short journey to nearby Ellis Island for the next part of your tour. Until its closure in 1954, Ellis Island was the primary entrance into America from Europe, and over 12 million people entered the US through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954. You'll follow their first moments in America, from the first sight of the flame from a top Lady Liberty to the processing they undertook once they disembarked from weeks long sea voyages.

Each hopeful migrant would be processed, medically examined, and if all went well, granted entrance into the United States of America. In the museum, your guide will take you through the journey that millions took as they disembarked the ship that they had been on for weeks. You will see the Baggage Room, Registry Room, and Medical Examination Areas that each passenger went through. Imagine walking these halls where perhaps even your own ancestors once walked.

You will also see the the areas that determined whether Ellis Island was the "Isle of Hope" or the "Isle of Tears" as those who did not pass the examinations could be detained in the dormitories for weeks. With your guide you will be immersed in this emotional experience of hope, tragedy, and new beginnings.

After taking in the history of Ellis Island, you'll use your return ferry ticket to head back to Manhattan where you'll have the afternoon to enjoy more of the Big Apple.