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Private All Access 9/11 Ground Zero including Tour, Museum and Observatory

Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
New York City, USA
  • 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
  • Group discounts
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Explore Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum on this half-day private tour. The experience begins with an in-depth walking tour of Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial. Listen to personal experiences and other little-known stories about the events from your New Yorker guide. Later, enjoy timed entry to the 9/11 Museum and One World Observatory, where you’ll explore at your own pace.
  • Enjoy the personalized experience of a private tour in NYC
  • Gain a deeper understanding of the events of 9/11
  • Save time with timed entry to the 9/11 Museum
  • Choose a start time that suits your sightseeing schedule

What's Included

  • Narrated walking tour
  • Private guide with a personal connection to 9/11
  • Timed entry to the 9/11 Museum
  • 9/11 Museum Entry (self-guided)
  • One World Observatory Entry (self-guided)
  • Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • L'Arte del Gelato
    185 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10007, USA

    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.

End point

  • 9/11 Memorial Pools
    180 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10007, USA

    The tour will end at the 911 Memorial. The guests will have skip the line entry to the 911 Museum. They will then have 2 hours in the museum to explore on their own and timed tickets for the One World Observatory after that.

Itinerary

1

St. Paul's Chapel

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

2

The Oculus

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

3

The National 9/11 Memorial & Museum

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

4

One World Observatory

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Most travelers can participate
  • There is airport-style security screening at both the 9/11 Museum and One World Observatory. All bags are subject to search.
  • This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

5.0
based on 62 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
We perform checks on reviews

From Solemn Silence to Scenic Stops — A Meaningful Expanded Journey

Jeffery_B, Jul 2025
Very personable and concise trip. Lots of intimate tips we used after the tour was over which ended up being an expanded adventure in itself. Jimmy was great. Enjoyed his company.

Jim made our tour memorable

Jeff_S, Apr 2025
Jim Quinn gave us an amazing and memorable 9/11 tour. He catered the tour to our interests and shared his personal experiences of that day. His knowledge about the people involved in that day was amazing. Will absolutely recommend a tour from Jim to any friends and family visiting NYC.

Buy advance tickets to the individual sites

CL_F, Sep 2023
I know this was a tragedy. I watched it via media starting immediately after. It was heart wrenching. Probably followed every article, movie, book etc on the day since. We were older, we knew. Why we chose 911 Memorial & Museum. We felt our guide was lovely, but miscalculated. Millenials & younger would have benefited more from the "Ground Zero" segment of this tour. We wanted to be "seeing" & exploring, not sitting & being talked to about events we'd so closely followed. We wasn't in New York at that time, but like all or most adult Americans then, our hearts & minds 100% were! (every minute of it). I'd suggest the guides find out if those buying the tour have a need for 911 education. At the very least, talk while showing sites at all times. Meeting place: Although it was the church fence that became a Memorial, would have been nice to permit a quick tour of it as well. We were denied that upon asking. Would have paid any fees... The Museum, Memorial & One World Observatory were self guided. This tour only supplied the admission tickets. Unless you somehow know nothing about "ground zero", I would recommend advance purchasing tickets to the 911 Museum & One World Observatory. The 911 Memorial is right together with those two & no tickets needed for it. This tour spends their entire time on ground zero, then hands you the tickets you could have bought yourself, and leaves! Again, the girl was lovely, the tour just isn't what we would have wanted.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Thanks for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that your experience was not as you expected. We always do our best to set the expectation of our guests on our tours including the coverage of it or the itinerary. As stated on the website that this tour includes a 90-minute guided tour of the Memorial which are all done outdoors. We also have listed out when making the booking that the visit to the Museum and One World Observatory are self-guided as they have their own set of guides inside so group tours are not allowed. Due to longer lines and tickets being sold out in the museum and observatory, the benefit of purchasing with us is we offer skip the line tickets. We're sorry for any misunderstanding. If you wish to discuss the matter further, we encourage you to write to us at: info@exp1.com. Best wishes, The ExperienceFirst team

Deeply Moving Experience Enhanced by a Personal Tour

Susan_M, Sep 2023
Our guide was perfect! Very attentive and considerate of our needs--inability to walk quickly or hear well. His knowledge and expertise were amazing!!! We are so glad we chose a private tour!

Geweldige ervaring!

Petra_W, Nov 2023
Wij hebben de tour als een absolute meerwaarde ervaren! Local Alice was top! Ze was ontzettend goed op de hoogte van alle gebeurtenissen en ze wist ons persoonlijke verhalen te vertellen. Dit maakte de ervaring heel echt. Een echte aanrader 👌

From $335.15

per person

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

Book ahead!
On average, this is booked 118 days in advance.

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Private All Access 9/11 Ground Zero including Tour, Museum and Observatory
4 hours 30 minutes
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