If you go to New York you absolutely cannot miss going to Liberty Island. You can get there in less than twenty minutes by ferry from Battery Park. To enter the crown we got the vouchers on the Statue Cruises website ($25 per person) a couple of months before, and it's the only thing in my opinion that needs to be booked well before leaving. The vouchers must be exchanged by showing your passport (because they are nominative) at the Clinton Castle ticket office, where they also give you the bracelet with which to enter the Crown of the Statue of Liberty (which you then have to throw in the bin in front of the security guy once you get off). Then the checks take place (airport style) and we proceed to boarding. It is absolutely worth seeing it up close, taking photos from below, entering from the pedestal and reaching the crown (even if the view from up there is certainly not the best you will see), but it was so exciting. Getting up to the pedestal doesn't make much sense in my opinion, either you go all the way up or you don't get in at all. Bring a packed lunch, there is plenty of room to eat in peace. I also recommend a quick visit to the museum, where the statue's original torch is kept. From the museum terrace you can enjoy a beautiful view of the statue and the New York harbor.

The Statue of Liberty is impressive, but it’s smaller than I expected. However, Liberty Island itself is larger than I imagined and definitely worth exploring. The island can get pretty hot, so be prepared. There’s a small museum on the island with interesting exhibits about the statue's history and significance. I recommend the pedestrian ticket over the general admission—it’s only a $0.30 difference and offers more flexibility. If you want to visit the crown, remember those tickets sell out months in advance, so plan ahead. Also, be sure to buy your tickets directly from the official website or on-site kiosks—avoid third-party sellers

The Statue of Liberty is one of the most famous landmarks in the world – and even though she’s already 131 years old, Lady Liberty still looks fabulous. There’s more to do on Liberty Island than walk around and look at the statue. The island also includes the 26,000-square-foot Statue of Liberty Museum that visitors can explore for no additional fee. A trip on top of the pedestal (also for no additional charge), the 360° balcony offers you wonderful views of New York Harbor, Ellis Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan, New Jersey, and the Brooklyn Bridge. (make a reservation in advance). Note: you can't carry water bottles or bags to the pedestal, rent a locker for just 25 cents for your stuff. There are almost 200 steps to the top, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes. You’ll also have to go through a second security tent, leaving all book bags and food/drink in lockers. (but hey there is an elevator too to reach the pedestal) Don’t miss the museum! It has a history of the construction of Lady Liberty and seeing the original torch, inspiration for the statue, replicas of the face and feet, etc. The visitor center is also inside the museum. Special tip: View the Statue of Liberty For Free: If your intention is just to view the Statue of Liberty up close without paying anything, then the Staten Ferry is your option. It’s a free ferry service for New Yorkers that can be fairly crowded

This is a must-see place when it comes to New York City. You can catch a ferry to reach here either from Battery Park New York or from Jersey City Liberty State Park. If you are visiting just the liberty statue and Ellis Island, I would recommend catching a ferry from Liberty State Park. The parking is easy and you get less crowd from that side. If you plan to do the entire New York, then Battery Park will be a good option. However, the parking rates are very high. The tickets can be purchased ahead of time or at the counter and watch out for a lot of people selling their tickets for a different ferry, don't fall for tricks. One thing to notice is if you are getting to the counter at around 2:00 p.m. then you can see only one island. Once you purchase the tickets, you go to the ferry onboarding, and based on the season, the lines could get longer. The ferry ride as such is wonderful, and you can get close-up views of the statue when you are in the ferry. Liberty Island is well maintained, and you can get nice pictures of the statue, the skyline of New York City, and beautiful views of the water. If you prefer the pedestal or crown access, you have to plan ahead and book the tickets in advance. There is always a park ranger on duty who gives an overview of the island if you are interested in knowing that history. There are restrooms well maintained. There are cafes to grab some quick bites. This is definitely one of the places I have visited more than 10 times, and I still love to go here.

Before purchasing your tickets, check out the U.S. Park and recreations website. There, I learned that the only official tour/ferry operator was with Statue City Cruises, which also offered the most reasonably priced options. Allow at least 30 min before departure time to arrive. Our tickets were for 11AM and we arrived at 10:50, fighting the huge security lines to get on the ferry. Ended up missing the 11AM and took the next one. The boats are extremely crowded and we opted for seating on the first floor deck for the short ferry ride. The ride back to Manhattan had a 45 min line to get back.

Plan at least 3 months before you go! To get the full experience and get one of the few tickets available to go up the spiral staircase (162 steps) to the top of the Statue of Liberty and reach the Crown. Its only $22.30 and is easy to book online - only one provider - no agencies or tours involved - 'Statue City Cruises' who run the only boats to the islands. Book your ticket online, get an e-mail confirmation for your chosen date, and then take it to the cruise ticket office for your 'Crown visitor' wristband. Then on to the next of the boats (about every 20 minutes) first to Liberty Island, and then when you're ready, catch another boat (one ticket covers the whole thing) to Ellis island. You don't need a tour guide - better doing the whole thing on your own timetable. The museums on both island are excellent with as much detail or not, as you wish. Also, the regular tours on each island with a ranger are free and interesting. You need a long half day at least. Ellis island is intriguing and very well exhibited to give you the feel of being an immigrant in the 1920s and extra tours are available if you have the time, e.g. hard hat tour in the hospital area (extra for that). I happily gave it a full day - very different experiences on each island.

We booked the Crown Experience and were not disappointed. Nobody was interested in the time we booked, but that was beside the point. You have to lock your backpack in a locker, then go through security and then you can move freely inside the statue (up to the pedestal). You can either take the lift up (waiting time) or walk to the platform (190+ steps). There is a great view from the top. To get to the Crown you have to climb a narrow spiral staircase and you should be fit and not afraid of heights. At the top the Crown is surprisingly small and the view is spoiled by the fogged-up windows. But it is an experience. The tickets must be booked in advance as they are limited and in high demand.

If visiting NYC for the first time, I highly recommend seeing Lady Liberty. It is one of those sights everyone should see at least once. I recommend getting the crown or podium tickets in advance. Those ticket holders get some priority over general admission and those tickets are much money cost-wise. We booked for first thing at 9am, which I’m glad we did for the day got pretty warm. We got in line for the ferry around 8:45am and recommend getting there earlier if possible.

If you are specifically interested in reaching the crown of the Statue of Liberty, it is imperative to reserve your crown tickets early (usually several months in advance). The time listed on your crown reservation indicates when you can enter the security screening line at Battery Park. Basically on the day of your visit, you will go to Castle Clinton first to pick up your tickets and wristbands. (They will check IDs there before they will issue you the tickets.) Then you will walk over to the security screening line. This resembles an airport security screening line (except they don’t make you remove your shoes or restrict water bottles). They do make you take off belts, watches, and jackets though. Then you will board the ferry which takes you to Liberty Island. At Liberty Island, you will need to store most of your belongings in a locker before you can ascend to the crown. The lockers are situated outside near the base of the Statue of Liberty. Lockers are available in 3 different sizes. You will need to insert one quarter to use a locker. (You will get your quarter back later.) There is a change machine in case you forget to bring quarters. They won’t permit bags or backpacks inside the crown. You can bring cellphones. You have to present your tickets in order to join yet another security line to enter the Statue of Liberty. This security screening line has the same exact rigamarole as the previous security screening line. After clearing this security line, you can finally enter the Statue of Liberty. There are restrooms and a small museum on the second floor. You can either walk the 215 steps to the pedestal, or you can take the escalator to the pedestal . Once you reach the pedestal, there is a separate interior entrance where you will show your wristband in order to climb 162 steps to the crown. These steps to the crown are different from the steps to the pedestal. They are in the form of a dimly-lit, narrow, slightly claustrophobic, spiral staircase. There is no elevator to the crown. Be sure that you are in good shape to climb these steps. I witnessed a few folks who were really struggling. Once you reach the top, you will only have a few minutes to admire the view through the windows and take photos before you descend. The landing at the top is surprisingly small, and it can only accommodate a few people at a time. You will probably get better photos of the view from the pedestal instead of the crown.

This was my second time visiting the statue, first time taking my teens. It's a iconic and fun trip, especially given the price which is much cheaper than any other attraction in NYC. The sensation approaching the statue by boat is "inspiring". Nice views from base and pedestal and the free audio tour was a nice inclusion. There are some well done exhibits and a short history film included. We went on a cloudy, wet day in late March and it was still busy but did not detract from our experience. With a pedestal reserve ticket, we were able to join a shorter line (line up, security and wait for ferry was ~40 minutes). Non-reserve line was huge and was probably and hour! Ferry was full but still lots of room to move. We only had to wait for 1 ferry each way (they depart every ~20 min) On a busy summer day, wait times and crowds can be a night mare (like my first visit).