Booking choice: The official Statue City Cruises ferry ticket, About 5 hours, Self-guided. Book this Compare the options below
Standing inside the head of the Statue of Liberty, looking out through the 25 small windows of the crown, is the one part of a visit that cannot be improvised. The crown is reached by advance reservation only, the daily number is small, and the rules on height, group size and what you may carry are stricter than anywhere else on the island. The reward is a view from 377 steps up through a space most visitors never see.
This guide covers how many steps there are, how to get a Crown Reserve ticket, who can climb, what you can bring, what you see at the top, whether the pedestal is a good alternative, when the crown was closed and reopened, and why the torch is off limits. For the basics of the ferry ticket that every crown ticket is built on, start with the Statue of Liberty tickets guide.
The quick answer
Reaching the crown means climbing approximately 377 stairs from the base of the monument, including a 162-step spiral staircase from the pedestal, with no elevator beyond the pedestal. Crown Reserve tickets are sold through Statue City Cruises by advance reservation only, with a maximum of four per order, one visit per person in any six-month period and roughly 500 admissions a day. Children must be at least 42 inches (1.1 m) tall and cannot be carried, every member of the party including children under four needs a crown ticket, and the only items allowed up are water in a plastic bottle, a phone, a camera and medicine.
How many steps are there to the crown of the Statue of Liberty?
Approximately 377 steps from the base of the monument to the crown platform, of which 162 are the spiral staircase from the top of the pedestal. There is no elevator to the crown.
Statue City Cruises states that reaching the crown requires climbing approximately 377 stairs from the base, including a 162-step spiral staircase from the pedestal to the crown. The National Park Service gives the same figures: 162 steps from the top of the pedestal (the 6P level) to the crown platform, and 377 above the ground. Each step is nine inches high and eight inches long, and the stair is narrow enough that the Park Service warns anyone six feet or taller to watch their head on the way up and down.
The pedestal section below can be done by elevator, which reaches the pedestal lobby, the Fort Wood level by ranger request and the top of the pedestal. From there the only way on is the stairs. Restrooms are in the lobby only, so use them before you start the climb.
How do I get Statue of Liberty crown tickets?
Reserve a Crown Reserve ticket from Statue City Cruises as far ahead as possible. The operator says crown tickets sell out around 90 days in advance and often months ahead, and the National Park Service says crown access is by advance reservation only.
The crown is an option on the standard ferry ticket, so a Crown Reserve ticket also covers the round-trip ferry, Liberty Island, Ellis Island, both museums, the audio tour and the pedestal. A maximum of four crown tickets is allowed per order, the operator limits four per household or credit card holder, and one ticket per person is allowed in any six-month period. Only about 500 visitors are permitted to enter the crown each day. Each ticket holder except minors must present a photo ID to pick up crown tickets.
On GetYourGuide, the official Statue City Cruises ferry ticket listing states that crown access and pedestal access vary by ticket option, so select the crown option when it is offered. The City Wonders guided tour lists Statue of Liberty crown and pedestal access under Includes alongside the guide and headsets; since guides are not allowed inside the monument, the crown climb itself is unguided.
The direct route: the official Statue City Cruises ticket is the ferry the crown ticket is built on, with crown and pedestal options that vary by ticket option, as listed.
Book thisWho can climb to the crown?
Anyone at least 42 inches (1.1 m) tall who can manage 377 steps on a narrow stair. There is no minimum age, children cannot be carried, minors must be accompanied, and the National Park Service advises against the climb for people with heart, respiratory, mobility or balance conditions.
- Height: children must be at least 42 inches, or 1.1 meters, tall. There is no minimum age, only the height rule, and children cannot be carried up.
- Tickets for everyone: every member of a party must have a crown ticket and wristband, including children under the age of four.
- Supervision: all minors must be accompanied by an adult, and one adult is required for every four children.
- Health: the National Park Service recommends that visitors have no condition that would impair the climb and lists heart conditions, respiratory conditions, mobility impairment, claustrophobia, acrophobia and vertigo.
- Tall visitors: if you are six feet or taller, watch your head on the stair.
Because there is no elevator above the pedestal, the crown is stairs only. Families weighing up the height rule against a child's age will find more in the Statue of Liberty with kids guide.
What can I bring up to the crown?
Water in a plastic bottle, a phone, a camera and medicine. Nothing else is allowed up, and bags of any backpack style are banned from the whole monument.
The National Park Service is explicit: water in a plastic bottle, a phone, a camera and medicine are the only items you are allowed to carry to the crown. The monument-wide rules also prohibit backpack-style bags including drawstring bags and backpack purses, strollers, tripods and large non-folding umbrellas, and the operator adds that bags, backpacks, food, drinks and strollers are not permitted inside the monument.
Lockers are available at the entrance to the monument, rentable for two hours, roughly 12 by 12 by 18 inches, and there are no lockers at the security screening facilities in Battery Park, so plan to carry little from the start. Everything else you bring to the island goes through airport-style screening before the ferry; the full list of prohibited items is in the tickets guide.
What do you see from the crown of the Statue of Liberty?
A view through the 25 windows of the crown toward the harbor, plus the inside of the statue itself: the copper skin and Eiffel's framework seen from within.
The crown has 25 windows and seven rays. The National Park Service describes the rays as a radiant halo, or aureole, representing light, since the figure is based on the Roman goddess Libertas; the often-repeated idea that they stand for seven seas and seven continents is not the official explanation. The statue faces southeast toward the harbor entrance, not toward France, so the crown windows look out over the water rather than back at Manhattan.
The copper skin is only 3/32 of an inch thick, and the structure can sway up to 3 inches in wind, with the torch moving up to 6 inches. Inside, the climb passes through the framework designed by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel that holds that thin skin in place. From the crown platform the head rises above you; the chin-to-cranium measurement is 17 feet 3 inches.
The City Wonders guided tour pairs a 4-hour guided day with crown and pedestal access listed under Includes, which suits visitors who want commentary on the grounds and Ellis Island as well as the climb.
Book thisIs the pedestal a good alternative to the crown?
Yes, for most visitors. The Pedestal Reserve option gives an open-air observation balcony, Fort Wood and an elevator for those who cannot use the 215 steps, with far more tickets available than the crown.
The pedestal observation deck is reached by 215 steps, about ten stories, or by an elevator that reaches the lobby, the Fort Wood level by ranger request and the top of the pedestal. The lift takes two assisted visitors at a time, and wheelchairs are not permitted out onto the historic balcony itself. The pedestal sits within the walls of Fort Wood, the star-shaped fort begun in 1808, which the Pedestal Reserve ticket also opens up.
Pedestal access is limited and requires a reserved ticket, and queues can be an hour or more in summer, on weekends and on holidays. The old museum inside the pedestal is gone: its contents, including the original torch, moved to the Statue of Liberty Museum in 2019, so the pedestal interior today is the Fort Wood level and the observation balcony.
| Pedestal | Crown | |
|---|---|---|
| Steps from the ground | 215 | 377 |
| Elevator | Yes, two assisted visitors at a time | No |
| Minimum height | Not stated | 42 in / 1.1 m |
| Daily limit | Limited, not stated | About 500 |
| Per order | Not stated | Maximum 4 |
| Repeat visits | Not stated | One per person per six months |
| Items allowed inside | No backpacks, strollers, tripods, food or drink | Water, phone, camera, medicine only |
When was the crown closed and reopened?
The crown closed after the attacks of 11 September 2001 and reopened on 4 July 2009 with raised handrails and rangers stationed inside. It closed again in spring 2020 and reopened on 11 October 2022.
After 2001 the National Park Service judged the risk of reopening the crown too high, and the closure lasted almost eight years. The 2009 reopening came with raised handrails on the spiral stair and rangers inside the statue. The pandemic brought a second closure from spring 2020 until 11 October 2022.
Those closures are one reason the crown feels scarce today: the daily number is held to about 500, and the one-visit-per-six-months rule spreads the places around. If the crown is sold out for your dates, the pedestal is the next height, and the ferry ticket still covers both museums and Ellis Island.
The whole day, not just the climb: the official ferry ticket covers Liberty Island, Ellis Island, both museums and the audio tour, with the crown as an option when available.
Book thisCan I visit the torch of the Statue of Liberty?
No. The torch has been closed to visitors since the Black Tom explosion of 30 July 1916, and the torch on the statue today is a 1986 replacement. The original is displayed in the Statue of Liberty Museum.
The Black Tom explosion of 1916 ended public access to the torch, and it has never reopened. During the restoration for the 1986 centennial the original was removed and a new torch was installed, with a copper flame covered in gold leaf that is lit at night. The 1886 original now stands in the Inspiration Gallery of the Statue of Liberty Museum, which opened in May 2019 and is included with the ferry ticket.
So the crown is the highest point a visitor can reach, 377 steps above the ground. If a climb is not for you, a harbor cruise gives the exterior from the water without landing; the cruise vs ferry guide explains the difference.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance do Statue of Liberty crown tickets sell out?
The operator says crown tickets sell out around 90 days in advance and often months ahead. Only about 500 visitors a day are admitted, with a maximum of four tickets per order.
Is there an elevator to the crown?
No. An elevator serves the pedestal, but the final 162 steps from the top of the pedestal to the crown are a spiral stair only.
How tall does a child have to be for the crown?
At least 42 inches, or 1.1 meters. There is no minimum age, children cannot be carried, and every member of the party, including children under four, needs a crown ticket.
Can I take a bag up to the crown?
No. Only water in a plastic bottle, a phone, a camera and medicine may be carried up. Lockers at the monument entrance can be rented for two hours.
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Choose your ticket
Each listing states free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Details come from the listing and can change.
Statue City Cruises: Official Statue of Liberty Tickets
- Round-trip ferry from Battery Park (NYC) or Liberty State Park (NJ), as listed
- Liberty Island, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty Museum and the National Museum of Immigration
- Self-guided audio tours on both islands in 12 languages; wheelchair accessible
Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Guided Tour (City Wonders)
Both islands with a guide and headsets; the listing names crown and pedestal access under Includes
