The National September 11 Memorial and Museum occupies the eight-acre plaza where the Twin Towers stood. The memorial pools, set in the towers' footprints, are open to all for free. The museum below the plaza tells the story in detail and needs a timed ticket.
Two one-acre voids in the footprints of the North and South towers, edged by bronze parapets inscribed with the 2,983 names of those killed in 2001 and in the 1993 bombing.
Below the plaza, around the exposed slurry wall and the Last Column, with the Historical Exhibition on the day itself and the Memorial Exhibition remembering the victims.
The swamp white oaks, the Survivor Tree that was recovered from the rubble and replanted, and the Oculus transit hall next door.
The memorial plaza is free and open daily. Museum admission is a timed ticket, with a limited number of free tickets on Monday evenings, reserved online in advance. One World Observatory is a separate attraction and ticket. Confirm prices and hours on 911memorial.org.
You can walk the free plaza in 20 to 30 minutes. The museum is a longer, heavier experience that most people spend two hours or more in.
Timed tickets sell out on busy days, and the free Monday evening tickets go quickly when released. Buy through the official memorial site.
The memorial runs its own guided tours, and licensed walking tours of the wider Financial District put the site in the context of the neighbourhood's recovery.
Is the 9/11 Memorial free?
Yes. The outdoor memorial with the reflecting pools is free and open every day. Only the museum charges admission.
How do I get free museum tickets?
A limited number are released for Monday evenings and must be reserved online in advance on 911memorial.org. They are not available at the door.
How long should I allow?
About half an hour for the plaza, and two to three hours if you go into the museum. It is an emotionally demanding visit.
Is this the same as One World Observatory?
No. The observatory at the top of One World Trade Center is a separate attraction with its own ticket.
The National September 11 Memorial and Museum commemorates the 2,977 people killed in the attacks of September 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the six killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
The memorial, designed by Michael Arad and Peter Walker, opened on the tenth anniversary in 2011; the museum opened in 2014. Both are run by the non-profit 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
Book the museum ahead.
