Ground Zero, Lower Manhattan
The best way to visit the 9/11 Memorial in NYC
The two memorial pools, the museum below, guided Ground Zero tours and the One World Observatory next door: here is how to plan a respectful visit, with honest advice on which tickets you need, confusing ticket options and bag rules and security.
See our 6 picks
The 9/11 Memorial in NYC is free and open every day from 8 am to 8 pm. The museum below needs a timed ticket, from €22 on GetYourGuide.
Plan 45 to 90 minutes for the museum. It is closed most Tuesdays. All six tickets and tours below have free cancellation, and GetYourGuide shows prices in your own currency.
Our 6 picks for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum
One is the museum's own timed ticket. The other five are guided walks of the memorial, most with a museum option.
-
from €22 per person Our top pick 1 hour 4.8 (35,327) reviews on GetYourGuide
9/11 Memorial & Museum timed ticket
A timed-entry ticket to the 9/11 Museum and its current exhibitions. It is sold by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum itself. No guide is included.
Best for Most visitors
Check availability: 9/11 Memorial & Museum timed ticket on GetYourGuide -
from €26 per person 1.5–2.5 hours 4.7 (1,668) reviews on GetYourGuide
Ground Zero tour with a museum option
A guided walk of Ground Zero and the memorial pools. The guide has a personal connection to 9/11. You can add museum entry or a docent-led museum tour.
Best for Visitors who want the history with a guide
Check availability: Ground Zero tour with a museum option on GetYourGuide -
from €26 per person 1.5–2.5 hours 4.8 (847) reviews on GetYourGuide
Memorial tour with an observatory option
A guided walk of the 9/11 Memorial with a first-hand account from your guide. You can add the One World Observatory. Museum tickets are not included.
Best for Groups who want a private walk
Check availability: Memorial tour with an observatory option on GetYourGuide -
from €26 per person 1.5–4.5 hours 4.7 (1,378) reviews on GetYourGuide
Memorial tour with museum and One World options
A guided walk of the memorial and a visit to the One World Trade Center lobby. You can add the museum, a docent-led museum tour or the observatory.
Best for Visitors who want everything in one booking
Check availability: Memorial tour with museum and One World options on GetYourGuide -
from €25 per person 1.5–5 hours 4.7 (663) reviews on GetYourGuide
Memorial tour with museum and One World access
A guided walk of Ground Zero, St. Paul's Chapel, the pools and the Survivor Tree. It starts at Warren St and Broadway. Museum and observatory entry are options.
Best for Visitors staying near City Hall
Check availability: Memorial tour with museum and One World access on GetYourGuide -
from €21 per person 1 h 30 min 4.6 (97) reviews on GetYourGuide
1.5-hour memorial and Ground Zero tour
A guided walk past the FDNY memorial at Engine 10/Ladder 10, the pools and the Survivor Tree. Museum entry is an option, but the guide does not go in.
Best for Visitors short on time
Check availability: 1.5-hour memorial and Ground Zero tour on GetYourGuide
9/11 Memorial tickets and tours compared
| Tour | From | Duration | Museum included? | Who it suits | Why we picked it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/11 Memorial & Museum timed ticket | €22 per person | 1 hour | Yes, timed entry | Most visitors | The museum's own ticket, rated 4.8 from 35,327 reviews. |
| Ground Zero tour with a museum option | €26 per person | 1.5–2.5 hours | Optional | Visitors who want the history with a guide | Personal stories from a local guide, in a group of up to 15. |
| Memorial tour with an observatory option | €26 per person | 1.5–2.5 hours | No | Groups who want a private walk | A private option, and the observatory as an add-on. |
| Memorial tour with museum and One World options | €26 per person | 1.5–4.5 hours | Optional | Visitors who want everything in one booking | The most options in one ticket, with a private group available. |
| Memorial tour with museum and One World access | €25 per person | 1.5–5 hours | Optional | Visitors staying near City Hall | A different start point, with up to 20 in the group. |
| 1.5-hour memorial and Ground Zero tour | €21 per person | 1 h 30 min | Optional | Visitors short on time | The shortest guided tour here, at 1.5 hours. |
9/11 Memorial & Museum timed ticket
€22 per person1 hour 4.8 (35,327)
Details
- Museum included?
- Yes, timed entry
- Who it suits
- Most visitors
- Why we picked it
- The museum's own ticket, rated 4.8 from 35,327 reviews.
Ground Zero tour with a museum option
€26 per person1.5–2.5 hours 4.7 (1,668)
Details
- Museum included?
- Optional
- Who it suits
- Visitors who want the history with a guide
- Why we picked it
- Personal stories from a local guide, in a group of up to 15.
Memorial tour with an observatory option
€26 per person1.5–2.5 hours 4.8 (847)
Details
- Museum included?
- No
- Who it suits
- Groups who want a private walk
- Why we picked it
- A private option, and the observatory as an add-on.
Memorial tour with museum and One World options
€26 per person1.5–4.5 hours 4.7 (1,378)
Details
- Museum included?
- Optional
- Who it suits
- Visitors who want everything in one booking
- Why we picked it
- The most options in one ticket, with a private group available.
Memorial tour with museum and One World access
€25 per person1.5–5 hours 4.7 (663)
Details
- Museum included?
- Optional
- Who it suits
- Visitors staying near City Hall
- Why we picked it
- A different start point, with up to 20 in the group.
1.5-hour memorial and Ground Zero tour
€21 per person1 h 30 min 4.6 (97)
Details
- Museum included?
- Optional
- Who it suits
- Visitors short on time
- Why we picked it
- The shortest guided tour here, at 1.5 hours.
- Group size is stated for 3 tours only: Ground Zero tour with a museum option, up to 15; Memorial tour with museum and One World access, up to 20; 1.5-hour memorial and Ground Zero tour, up to 20.
- None of the 6 includes hotel pickup: you meet on site.
- All 6 offer free cancellation.
- Group options: private option for 2 tours (Memorial tour with an observatory option and Memorial tour with museum and One World options).
- Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 24 October 2026. Prices are "from" prices in euros and can change; the booking page shows the live price.
9/11 Museum tickets: timed entry
The memorial is free, but the museum needs a timed ticket. Buy it in advance and arrive at your time.
The museum's ticket store lists $36 for adults on the official site. Seniors 65+, U.S. college students and teens 13 to 17 pay $30. Children 6 and under are free, but they still need a timed ticket.
The museum ticket on GetYourGuide is sold by the museum itself. It covers the current exhibitions, but not a guide or the audio guide.
Free and lower-price entry
Free tickets are released online on Mondays; check the official page for the times. On the first Sunday of each month, entry is free from 4 to 7 pm for people who live, work or study in the New York area, with ID.
SNAP/EBT cardholders get in free at the box office, up to 4 per card.
What you can bring
No bag larger than 19 × 17 × 8 inches is allowed onto the memorial. All museum visitors go through metal detectors.
Photos for your own use are fine, unless a sign says no. These are not allowed:
- Outside food and drink, glass bottles and alcohol
- Animals, except service animals
- Bikes, scooters and other wheeled toys
- Smoking and weapons
Guided 9/11 Memorial and Ground Zero tours
A guided tour adds the story of the day and the people. Most guides here have a personal connection to 9/11, say the listings.
Most tours walk the memorial outside. The museum is an add-on on four of them. Check which option you pick, because the guide may not go into the museum.
Three tours meet at 185 Greenwich St. One meets at Warren St and Broadway, and one at 55 Church St.
Memorial and museum hours
The memorial pools are open every day from 8 am to 8 pm. The museum opens 9 am to 7 pm, Wednesday to Monday and on select Tuesdays. Last museum entry is 5:30 pm.
Holiday hours vary. Plan 45 to 90 minutes inside the museum.
Visiting the memorial in the evening
The memorial stays open until 8 pm, after the museum closes. An evening visit to the pools is free and needs no ticket.
Where the pools and the museum are
The memorial and museum are at 180 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10007. The two pools sit in the footprints of the Twin Towers. The museum is below the memorial plaza.
The museum café is on the atrium terrace, open 9 am to 6 pm.
9/11 Memorial facts
The memorial honors the nearly 3,000 people killed on September 11, 2001, and February 26, 1993.
You may leave a tribute in front of the pools or on the parapets, up to 19 × 17 × 8 inches. Nothing may be thrown or put into the pools.
Things to do near the 9/11 Memorial
The One World Observatory is next to the memorial. Three of the tours above can add a ticket for it.
The Statue of Liberty ferry leaves from Battery Park, also in Lower Manhattan. See our Statue of Liberty tours for tickets.
For a different kind of museum day, the American Museum of Natural History is on the Upper West Side.
Tips for visiting the 9/11 Memorial
Book the museum ahead
Museum tickets are timed. Buy yours before you go and arrive at your time.
Avoid Tuesdays for the museum
The museum is closed most Tuesdays. The memorial outside is open every day.
Travel light
Bags larger than 19 × 17 × 8 inches are not allowed onto the memorial. Leave large bags at your hotel.
Check what your tour includes
Most guided tours walk the memorial only. The museum is an option on four of them.
9/11 Memorial: questions and answers
Is the 9/11 Memorial free?
How do I get to the 9/11 Memorial?
How do I get 9/11 Museum tickets, and can I buy them at the door?
How much are tickets to the 9/11 Museum?
More 9/11 Memorial tours, live
More options with live prices and availability, straight from GetYourGuide.
Live prices from GetYourGuide load here.
Browse all on GetYourGuideLive prices are not showing right now.
See all of these tours with today's prices on GetYourGuide.
Browse all on GetYourGuideMore to do in New York
Sources (5), facts checked on 24 October 2026
Written by the Things to Do in NYC editorial team.