New York Private 9/11 Ground Zero Tour
What your day looks like
Visiting Ground Zero is emotional but also inspiring as you hear about the stories of heroism on the ground and the spirit of rebirth in the aftermath of 9/11. This walking tour, led by a New Yorker with a personal connection to the events of September 11th, takes you through the history and landmarks of Ground Zero. We begin at St. Paul’s Chapel, a beautiful church that’s one of the oldest churches in NYC, built-in 1766. You’ll learn how the church served the community in the wake of 9/11 and how it miraculously survived the debris from the crashes a mere block away. From there, you’ll walk with your guide to the 9/11 Memorial, where you’ll learn about the symbolic places in the memorial plaza, including the Survivor Tree and Reflecting Absence, the largest man-made waterfalls on the continent. You can enhance your visit with our optional upgrades. Visiting the 9/11 Museum is a great follow-up to touring the memorial. Your guide will prepare you for your self-guided tour and provide a skip-the-line ticket. The museum includes artifacts and first-person stories relating to September 11th. We recommend spending a couple of hours in the museum, though you’re welcome to stay for as long as it’s open. Our second optional upgrade is for the observatory at the One World Trade Center. The new World Trade Center is a tribute that honors the lives lost in the attacks and celebrates New York City’s resilience. Your self-guided visit begins in the lobby with “Voices,” a film dedicated to the men and women of the World Trade Towers and the new One World Trade Center. Afterward, take the SkyPod elevator to the top of Freedom Tower. There, you can experience both the See Forever Theater and the 360-degree, 1,250-foot observation deck of the One World Observatory, which showcases breathtaking views of Manhattan.
The experience, in brief
- 90minute guided tour of Ground Zero.
- Timed ticket for the 9/11 Museum.
- Admission to the One World Observatory at Freedom Tower.
The journey, in full
St. Paul’s Chapel: A historic church one block from the 9/11 attacks that miraculously survived the falling debris 9/11 Memorial: Where you can pay your respects to those who lost their lives on 9/11 at the World Trade Center Oculus: The grand entrance to the One World Trade Center as seen from Ground Zero 9/11 Museum (optional upgrade): A self-guided tour through collections of media, memorabilia, and more One World Observatory (optional upgrade): The 360-degree observation deck at the One World Trade Center AKA Freedom Tower
Your day, step by step
New York City
Sightseeing at 9/11 Memorial site.
New York City
Sightseeing at 9/11 Tribute Center.
New York City
City/Town Tour.
New York City
Sightseeing at One World Observatory.
New York City
Sightseeing at Ground Zero, Ny, Ny.
What to know before booking
Included
Professional, local guide with a personal connection to the events of 9/11 Guided visit to the 9/11 Memorial and Ground Zero Skip-the-line tickets for the 9/11 Museum (optional upgrade) Admission to the One World Observatory (optional upgrade)
Meeting & Pickup
We meet inside the Oculus, a mall and transportation hub at Ground Zero. Go to Level C2. Your guide will be wearing an orange hat and standing by the L'Arte del Gelato stand.
Languages Offered
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Planning Notes
Hotel pickup offered: No Confirmation: Automatic
What travelers are saying
Our tour went so well! Our guide, Russell, was terrific and was very passionate about making sure we had a memorable experience. He shared some of his personal stories from Sept. 11, 2001, which made it seem very real and gave us an idea of what New Yorkers were going through on that day. He did a terrific job. He didn't rush us, we took our time to be sure we got to experience everything. I think the way we did it was good, with the private guide for the memorial and then the self-guided tours for the museum and One World Observatory. We did buy the fast passes, but there were really no lines, so we didn't need the fast passes, but there's no way to know when we purchased them that we wouldn't need them. All in all it was a great day. We would give our tour a 10 out of 10 for sure! Thank you for your help. It was a confusing process and Louiza at Well Traveled Texan helped make sense out of it for us.