Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours before departure.
Duration
Allow 4 to 5 hours, including the 90-minute Hard Hat Tour.
City Guide
New York audio tours and tips. Download them in the app to listen offline.
About this tour
Go behind the scenes on Ellis Island. The 90-minute Hard Hat Tour, led by a Save Ellis Island guide, takes a small group through the unrestored hospital complex on the south side of the island, closed to regular visitors.
Your official Statue City Cruises ticket also includes the ferry, Liberty Island and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. The City Guide covers the rest at your own pace.
What’s included
Included
- Official Statue City Cruises Hard Hat Tour ticket
- Round-trip ferry from Battery Park
- Guided Hard Hat Tour of the Ellis Island hospital complex
- Liberty Island and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration
- Le Way Go City Guide: New York audio tours, places and tips. Download tours in the app to listen offline
Not included
- Access inside the Statue of Liberty monument (pedestal or crown)
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup
Your day, step by step
- Join the security line at Castle Clinton in Battery Park at your ticket time, then board the next ferry.
- Take the ferry to Ellis Island and meet your Hard Hat Tour group. The ferry stops at Liberty Island first: get off there only if you have time before your tour.
- After the tour, explore the Museum of Immigration with the City Guide.
- Ride the ferry back to Battery Park whenever you are ready.
Meeting point
Statue City Cruises security screening and ferry departures at Castle Clinton in The Battery (Battery Park), Lower Manhattan. The ticket office is inside Castle Clinton. Your ticket time is when you join the security line. Subway: 1 to South Ferry, 4 or 5 to Bowling Green, R (or W on weekdays) to Whitehall St. Open in Google Maps
Know before you go
- Ages 13 and up only. Children cannot join this tour.
- Wear closed-toe shoes.
- Groups are small, so departures sell out early.
- Your ticket time is your security check-in time, not the ferry departure. Arrive at least 30 minutes before your ticket time: lines can take more than an hour at busy times.
- Suitcases, carry-on luggage and large parcels are not allowed on the ferries or the islands, and there is no storage at Battery Park.
- Early Bird tours: security check-in at 9:00 AM, tour starts at 10:30 AM. Stay on the ferry past Liberty Island: the next stop is Ellis Island.
Your Le Way Go City Guide
Every tour comes with the Le Way Go City Guide, your app for New York. We email you a private link 10 days before your tour (right away if you book later), and it is in your ticket email too. It opens in your phone’s browser, and in the Le Way Go app for iPhone and Android, coming soon to the App Store and Google Play. In the app, download the audio tours you want before you go and they play offline on the ferry and the islands.
- Audio tour of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
- More audio tours across New York
- Top places to visit and where to eat
- Map with what’s near you
- 1 to 3 day itineraries
Questions
When do I get my tickets?
Your booking is confirmed right away. We send your official ticket 24 hours before departure, or right away if you book less than 24 hours ahead.
Can I cancel?
Yes. Cancel for free up to 24 hours before your departure for a full refund. After that, tickets cannot be refunded.
Is the Crown included?
No. Crown tickets are issued in each visitor’s name and sold only by Statue City Cruises.
What is in the Le Way Go City Guide?
A New York city guide with audio tours, top places to visit, where to eat, a map of what’s near you and 1 to 3 day itineraries. In the app, the audio tours you download play offline; the browser version needs an internet connection.