Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island: Guided Tour with Photo Shoot

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Duration3h 30m

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Two Islands, One Guide With Family Stories From Ellis Island

You board a ferry at Battery Park with a guide whose family came through Ellis Island, visit the Statue of Liberty with a professional photographer, then spend time on Ellis Island exploring the immigration station and family history. The tour includes expert narration grounded in real family stories, a custom photo shoot, and time to move at your own pace on both islands. Book with buffer time if you want to research genealogy or eat on the island.

3h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

Depart from Battery Park
Visit Liberty Island
Tour Ellis Island
Enjoy custom photo shoot

The Experience

The ferry pulls away from Battery Park and the skyline shrinks behind you. Ahead, the Statue rises—copper-green, familiar from a thousand images, but different when it's actually there, getting closer. Your guide boards with you, and within the first few minutes you realize this isn't a script recitation. These guides have grandparents, aunts, cousins who came through Ellis Island. They know the place because their families lived it. The tour covers both Liberty Island and Ellis Island, but it's the personal layer—the names, the routes through immigration, the details about what it meant to arrive—that makes the difference between seeing the monument and understanding why it mattered.

Liberty Island comes first. You get time to move around, to stand where the light hits the statue differently depending on the hour, to read the names on the pedestal. A professional photographer travels with the group, so there's someone actually framing shots instead of you holding your phone at arm's length and hoping. After that, the ferry crosses to Ellis Island, where most people want to spend real time—either walking the halls of the immigration station or tracing their own family's arrival records if they have them. The guide doesn't rush this part. They know some travelers are here for the history, some are here because their great-grandmother passed through that building, and both matter equally. The tour leaves from Battery Park, which is accessible by subway and on foot from lower Manhattan, so getting there doesn't eat your morning.

Bring comfortable shoes and dress for the weather—you're outside on the water, and the wind changes things. The tour operates rain or shine, so plan accordingly. If you're thinking about lunch or spending extra time on Ellis Island digging into family records, the company recommends leaving a gap between this tour and whatever comes next. It's not a quick checkbox experience. You can reach them at 845-551-9184 or Info@YEStoursNYC.com if you want to ask about timing, accessibility, or anything else before you book.

What’s included

Your day includes ferry pickup from Battery Park, guided access to both Liberty Island and Ellis Island, entry to both islands, a professional photographer who travels with the group for a custom photo shoot, and a local guide with family connections to Ellis Island immigration history. You'll have time to explore the Statue, walk the immigration station, and if you wish, research family records on Ellis Island before returning to Battery Park.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by YES Tours NYC

Is this one for you?Choose this tour if you want expert narration grounded in real family stories rather than generic facts, and if you're willing to spend the day on two islands instead of rushing through one. The small-group format and professional photographer are what make the experience feel personal instead of crowded.