National September 11 Memorial & Museum
#2of 10 places to visit in New York CityNew York City, New York State, United States
Also known as 9/11 Memorial · Ground Zero · 9/11 Memorial & Museum
Quick answer
Opening hours: Memorial plaza: daily 08:00-20:00. Entry: $33. Allow 2.5 hrs. Best time: 09:00 opening.
Updated · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 4 min read
- Opening hours
- Memorial plaza: daily 08:00-20:00
- Closed Tuesday (except select dates)
- Entry fee
- $33
- Ticket from
- Time needed
- 2.5 hrs
- Best time of day
- 09:00 opening
- Best months
- Apr – May, Sep – Oct
- Address
- 180 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10007
About National September 11 Memorial & Museum
The National September 11 Memorial occupies the footprints of the original Twin Towers with two recessed reflecting pools, each roughly 4,000 square metres, ringed by bronze parapets inscribed with the names of nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993 attacks. Water falls 9 metres down each pool's sides into a smaller void at the center, a design by architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker selected from an international competition that drew more than 5,200 entries. The underground museum, opened in 2014, descends 21 metres to bedrock level, incorporating the original slurry wall that held back the Hudson River during and after the towers' collapse.
Best time of day: 09:00 opening. On a weekday. The museum's underground galleries are narrow in places and morning entry avoids the after-lunch crowd surge that builds through early afternoon.
National September 11 Memorial & Museum timings
- Opening hours
- Memorial plaza: daily 08:00-20:00
- Museum: Wednesday-Monday 09:00-19:00, last admission 60 minutes before closing
- Closed on
- Tuesday (except select dates)
Good to know: Select Tuesdays are open around anniversaries and holiday periods; check the museum's special-hours page before a Tuesday visit.
Opening hours compiled from 911memorial.org and public records, last updated . They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides
National September 11 Memorial & Museum ticket price
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Standard ticket | $33 |
| Concession (student / senior) | $27 |
| Children | $21 |
Outdoor Memorial plaza is free and open to the public 08:00-20:00 daily. Museum admission is $33.00 for adults, $27.00 for youth 13-17 and seniors 65+, $21.00 for children 7-12, free under 7, as of 2026. Free Admission Mondays tickets release online each Monday at 07:00 ET, first-come first-served; free admission also applies to FDNY/NYPD/PAPD personnel, active and retired military, and 9/11 family members with ID. Verify current pricing at 911memorial.org before visiting.
Prices compiled from 911memorial.org and public records, last updated . They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides
Best time to visit National September 11 Memorial & Museum
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Very busy
09:00 - 10:30
Opening WindowBest time to go
Shortest security lines of the day; the underground historical exhibition is walkable without queuing between galleries.
Quiet10:30 - 14:00
Midday Peak
School groups and tour parties concentrate in this window; the In Memoriam room and Foundation Hall can feel crowded.
Very busy14:00 - 17:00
Afternoon
Crowds ease as morning groups depart; a workable time for visitors who want to move through galleries at their own pace.
Moderate17:00 - 19:00
Late Session
Last two hours before museum close see the thinnest crowds; the outdoor Memorial plaza is also quieter and better lit for evening photography of the pools.
Quiet
History of National September 11 Memorial & Museum
Two hijacked commercial aircraft struck the World Trade Center's North and South Towers on the morning of September 11, 2001; both towers collapsed within two hours, and a third hijacked aircraft struck the Pentagon while a fourth crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania after passengers confronted the hijackers. The attacks killed 2,977 people at the four sites, including 2,753 at the World Trade Center, and remain the deadliest terrorist attack in modern history.
Design of the memorial site began with the 2003 international competition that selected Michael Arad and Peter Walker's 'Reflecting Absence' proposal from over 5,200 submissions; construction proceeded alongside the rebuilding of the surrounding World Trade Center complex, including One World Trade Center, completed in 2014 at 541 metres. The Memorial opened to the public on the tenth anniversary, September 11, 2011, and the Museum followed on May 21, 2014, built around surviving structural fragments including the slurry wall, the Vesey Street 'survivors' stairs,' and box-column remnants of the original towers' steel facade.
Rules & etiquette at National September 11 Memorial & Museum
Airport-style security screening, including bag checks and metal detectors, applies to museum entry; large luggage and bags over roughly 46 x 41 x 20 cm are not permitted and there is no on-site storage, so arrive without large bags. Photography is permitted throughout the memorial plaza and most museum galleries, but is restricted in the In Memoriam exhibition, a space displaying photographs of each victim, out of respect for grieving families who may be present.
The underground galleries include recorded emergency phone calls, graphic imagery, and personal effects recovered from the site; a content advisory is posted at the entrance to the most intense sections, and a quieter reflection room is available near the historical exhibition for visitors who need a break. Loud conversation, food, and drink are not permitted inside the museum galleries.
Tips for visiting National September 11 Memorial & Museum
- 1
Free Admission Monday tickets are released online each Monday at 07:00 ET on a first-come, first-served basis and typically claim out within minutes; set an alarm if budget is a concern rather than showing up in person. The museum pavilion's angled steel-and-glass structure, designed by Snøhetta, is worth a slow look from outside before entering - its facade panels were salvaged from the original tridents that once framed the towers' base.
- 2
Pair a visit with the free Oculus transit hub next door, Santiago Calatrava's white-ribbed train station connecting to the PATH system, and the nearby St. Paul's Chapel, which served as a relief center for recovery workers in 2001 and holds a small free exhibit on that role. Budget at least two hours for the museum alone; the underground historical exhibition is dense and most visitors move through it slower than expected.
How to reach National September 11 Memorial & Museum
180 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10007Directions in Google Maps
From World Trade Center subway/PATH station
0.2 km · 3 min
$2.90 subway (OMNY/MetroCard); $3.00 PATH from New Jersey
From Fulton Street subway complex
0.5 km · 6-8 min walk
$2.90 (OMNY/MetroCard)
From Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
22 km · 40-55 min combined
$8.25 AirTrain + $3.00 PATH
Nearest airport
From Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
approximately 22 km, 35-50 minutes by road or AirTrain plus PATH train.
Nearest station
From World Trade Center (subway lines E, and PATH; also Fulton Street complex serving A, C, J, Z, 2, 3, 4, 5)
all within a 5-minute walk.
National September 11 Memorial & Museum FAQs
Is the 9/11 Memorial free?
Yes, the outdoor Memorial plaza with the two reflecting pools is free and open daily 08:00-20:00. Only the underground Museum charges admission, $33.00 for adults as of 2026, with Free Admission Mondays released online each week.
How do you get Free Admission Monday tickets to the 9/11 Museum?
Tickets release online at 911memorial.org each Monday at 07:00 ET on a first-come, first-served basis. They are limited in number and commonly claimed within minutes, so book as close to release time as possible.
Is the 9/11 Museum appropriate for children?
It depends on age and sensitivity - the underground galleries include graphic imagery, recorded emergency calls, and personal artifacts that many visitors find intense. The museum posts content advisories at the entrance to the most difficult sections; families with young children may want to preview the exhibition guide first.
What day is the 9/11 Museum closed?
Tuesdays, with select exceptions around anniversaries and holidays, as of 2026. The outdoor Memorial plaza has no closed days and remains open 08:00-20:00 year-round.
Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated . How we rank and check places
