As home to two of NYC’s most important sites – the Statue of Liberty & the 9/11 Memorial and Museum – Lower Manhattan is high on the priority list of most visitors. Get the most from your time in the Big Apple on our full-day, Complete Lower Manhattan Tour, a combination of our 9/11 Tour and our Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island tour (but at a lower price), with expert local guides and small groups of only 20 people or fewer.
Our day starts early, at Battery Park. With priority boarding you’ll be one of the first people aboard one of the first boats to Liberty Island. Snag the best seats for a stunning ride across the water and get to know your guide a little. Once docked, they’ll lead you on a tour of the island and on to the great lady of NYC – the Statue of Liberty. During your guided tour, you’ll enjoy special access to the statue pedestal, allowing you to get closer to the statue than general access visitors. All the better to admire her beauty!
It’s back aboard the ferry then for the short ride to Ellis Island. Here you’ll be particularly grateful for your expert guide as they lead you through the immigration process undergone by 12 million new arrivals. Walk the Stairs of Separation and get a feel for how it must have felt for lovers and families as they awaited their fate – and the start of a new life in land of the free.
Your guide will walk you through the fantastic exhibits of the Ellis Island Museum, answering any questions you may have. This is where the first part of your tour ends, and with 2.5 – 3 hours before the next leg of our Lower Manhattan journey, you have plenty of time to spare. Spend a little while more on Ellis Island if you like, before hopping on the ferry back to Battery Park (included in the price) and getting lunch on your way to the meeting point for our afternoon activity – a complete One World Observatory & World Trade Centre Tour.
Standing tall and proud on the site of the 9/11 attacks, One World Tower is a testament to a city that was knocked down and got back up again. Get to the heart of that terrible tragedy and learn how NYC rebuilt itself bigger, better and stronger on our guided tour.
You’ll start out at St. Paul’s Chapel with a more personal insight into the drama that unfolded here. This was where families and friends came to pray, offer support and await news in the immediate aftermath of the attacks; as testified by the hand-drawn cards and memorials, personal memorabilia and photographs that still hang here.
On next to some sites you may have missed visiting on your own. With a local guide leading the way, you’ll see special spots away from the major landmarks. One such site is the American Express 11 Tears Memorial; a strikingly personal tribute to the 11 AmEx employees that lost their lives on September 11. Plus the beautiful Winter Garden, destroyed in the attack and now restored to its former glory.
At the 9/11 Memorial too, your guide will make your visit that bit more special. Together you’ll see the Twin Reflecting Pools, built in the footprints of the World Trade Centre and engraved with the names of every victim. Learn the little nuances that make it more touching; like how staff place a single rose in the name of each victim on their birthday. Visit the Fireman’s Memorial to pay tribute to those brave men and women who worked around the clock after the attacks. See the Survivor’s Tree, a single tree which miraculously survived the attacks and was nursed back to health by New Yorkers, as a symbol of their enduring strength.
The highlight of your tour comes at the end with a visit to the brand new One World Observatory. With pre-reserved tickets your visit is guaranteed to go ahead regardless of the how large the crowds are. There’s not much explanation needed here so your guide will leave you for an independent visit.
Inside the lobby you’ll find videos about the production of this incredible structure - said to be the strongest in the world - and of the men and women who built it. Then board a ‘skypod’ to travel through time AND space. Created in association with Universal Studios, the special ‘skypod’ elevators are covered inside in LCD screens, on which you’ll watch the changing face of New York from the 1600s to today while ascending 102 floors in just 42 seconds. Disembark at the top of One World Tower for incredible panoramic views over NYC. What better way to end a day of looking back with a glance into the future.
Inclusions:
Fully guided Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Museum tour
Pedestal Tickets for Statue of Liberty
All ferry tickets between Battery Park, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
Priority ferry boarding from Battery Park – Statue of Liberty
Guaranteed, pre-reserved entrance to One World Observatory
Small groups of 20 people or fewer
Exclusions:
Statue of Liberty Crown
Gratuities
Hotel pick-up/drop-off
Food/Beverages
Transfers between tours
Sites Visited:
Statue of Liberty Museum and Pedestal
Ellis Island Museum
Castle Clinton National Monument
Pier A Harbor House (from exterior)
American Merchant Mariner’s Memorial
The Sphere
New York Korean War Veterans Memorial
One World Observatory (Observatory is non-guided)
St Paul's Chapel
Survivor Tree
Winter Garden
Fireman's Memorial
One World Trade Center
American Express Eleven Tears Memorial
Brookfield Place (formerly known as World Financial Center)
9/11 Memorial Pools
*Please note that from March 1, 2018, we are no longer including the following sites on our afternoon walking tour due to a slight itinerary change.
Please note, this tour is in English only.
