Guided tour

NYC: 9/11 Memorial Tour and Optional Observatory Ticket

Activity provider: 911 Ground Zero Tour
Guided tour

NYC: 9/11 Memorial Tour and Optional Observatory Ticket

Activity provider: 911 Ground Zero Tour

From US$ 39 per person

This guided walking tour takes you through the former World Trade Center site. Visit Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial, with an optional ticket to One World Observatory.

About this activity

Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
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Duration 1.5 - 2.5 hours
Check availability to see starting times.
Live tour guide
English
Wheelchair accessible
Private group available

Experience

Highlights
  • Take a tour of Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial with a New Yorker who has personal connections to the events of 9/11
  • Hear stories of tragedy and heroism and get a deeper understanding of what occurred
  • Visit the One World Observatory for views hundreds of feet above the New York skyline
Full description
These special 90-minute tours of the 9/11 Memorial are guided by New Yorkers who have a personal connection to that tragic day. Hear their personal stories and the touching recounts of tragedy and heroism of many other everyday citizens. The tour begins at St. Paul's Chapel, the oldest public building in New York City in continuous use. This church miraculously survived the falling buildings and debris from the 9/11 attacks despite it being only a block away. It became a makeshift rescue center during the aftermath and its iron fence became a bulletin board where family members posted notices of their missing loved ones. Today, with the mementos received from people around the world, the church serves as a tribute site. You’ll hear about the heroic emergency responders at the Firefighter's 9/11 Memorial Wall, and see Engine and Ladder Company 10/10, the fire station at Ground Zero. Enter the 9/11 Memorial, where you can pay your respects to those who lost their lives in the World Trade Center. See the Reflecting Absence Memorial, the largest manmade waterfall inside the 9/11 Memorial, symbolizing the vast void left by the tragedy. Learn how the names of the nearly 3,000 victims were placed around the waterfall next to their friends, family members, and colleagues. See the new One World Trade Center rise from the ground in this beautiful 8-acre green city oasis. As the tour portion ends, your guide will give you your optional timed admission tickets for the One World Observatory if the option is selected. Step onto a panoramic observation deck that is a marvel of engineering and architecture. The program begins in the lobby of the One World Trade Center with Voices, a film dedicated to the men and women of the World Trade Towers and the new One World Trade Center. You will then take the Sky Pod elevator and rise 1,250 feet above ground in 60 seconds. The Observation Deck begins on the 102nd floor with the See Forever Theater and moves down to the 100th floor, where the main observation deck is located. Immersive LED displays, interactive touch screen videos, and dining options mean there's plenty to do, but the true draw is the view, from hundreds of feet above the skyline stretching across all of Manhattan.
Includes
  • Access to the 9/11 Memorial and guided tour
  • Entry to the One World Observatory (if option selected)
  • Tour concierge present at the meeting point, for an easier check-in process
  • 9/11 Museum tickets
  • Tips

Select participants and date

Participants

Date

Meeting point

Meeting point may vary depending on the option booked.

Important information

What to bring

  • Comfortable shoes
  • Weather-appropriate clothing

Know before you go

  • One World Observatory tickets are issued for a specific date and time and cannot be used at any other time. The date will be the same date as the selected tour date. Typically the entry time for the 10:30 tour will be at 12:30. The 14:00 tour will typically have an entry time of 16:00. The actual entry time may vary based on availability. If there is no availability, you will be notified to either select another date or another tour, or will receive a refund of your purchase amount
  • A large portion of the tour is outdoors, so please dress accordingly and be prepared for the weather
  • You can always reschedule the tour portion to a different day without penalty. In the rare case of downpours or untenable weather conditions, the supplier will cancel the tour and offers refunds. However, One World Observatory and 9/11 Museum tickets cannot be rescheduled since they are date/time specific
  • During high season the wait at One World Observatory security can be up to 20 minutes
Customer reviews

Overall rating

4.8 /5

based on 742 reviews

Review summary

  • Guide
    4.8/5
  • Value for money
    4.5/5
  • Service
    4.8/5
  • Organization
    4.7/5

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Star rating:

Julie shared her personal experience of what occurred on 9/11, a vivid picture of the terrible destruction contrasted with the courage and kindness of so many. She included some history of the surrounding structures and information about new structures that have been built since 9/11. This tour was a very memorable experience.

December 27, 2021

Our guide Helene was perfect. Luckily and because of the Covid19, we were alone with her and it was a fascinating moment for her knowledge and her way of narrating these tragic events. Perfectly bilingual since Franco-American we had no communication problem. Very friendly and very professional. I highly recommend this outing.

March 13, 2020

This is the most amazing tour I’ve ever been on. Seeing and hearing first hand what the people of New York City went through during 911 was packed with such emotion. I highly suggest this tour. As emotional as it was, going into the Freedom Tower Observatory was so incredible

January 1, 2020

Product ID: 57882