The 9/11 Memorial & Museum stands on the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan and honours the people killed in the attacks of September 11, 2001, and in the World Trade Center bombing of February 26, 1993. The outdoor 9/11 Memorial is free and open to everyone. The museum below ground is ticketed and tells the story of the attacks, the recovery and the lives of those who died. This guide covers how to get there by subway, how tickets work and what to expect on a visit, which many people find emotionally demanding.
About the 9/11 Memorial
The memorial, called Reflecting Absence, was designed by Michael Arad and the landscape architect Peter Walker. It opened on the tenth anniversary of the attacks in 2011. Its centre is two large square pools set in the footprints of the original Twin Towers, with water falling down all four sides into a smaller void at the centre of each pool. The names of the victims are cut into bronze panels around the edges. They are arranged according to where people were and who they were with, so that colleagues, friends and family members are placed near one another.
The plaza around the pools is planted with hundreds of swamp white oak trees. Look for the Survivor Tree, a Callery pear that was found badly damaged in the rubble, nursed back to health and replanted on the site. Staff place white roses on names on the victims' birthdays.
Getting to the 9/11 Memorial by subway
The station listed here is Fulton St, part of the Fulton Center transit hub, served by the 2, 3, 4, 5, A, C, J and Z trains. From Fulton Center, walk west along Fulton Street for a few minutes and you will reach the memorial plaza. Underground passageways also link Fulton Center to the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, known as the Oculus, so in bad weather you can walk most of the way under cover.
Other nearby options include WTC Cortlandt on the 1, which opens right beside the site, World Trade Center on the E, and Cortlandt St on the R and W. PATH trains from New Jersey arrive at the Oculus.
9/11 Memorial & Museum tickets
The outdoor memorial does not need a ticket. The museum uses timed-entry tickets, and booking online ahead of time is the best way to get the entry time you want, especially in summer and on weekends. Tickets, current prices, any free or discounted admission programmes and opening hours are all listed on the official website, 911memorial.org. Guided tours of the memorial and museum are also offered there.
There is airport-style security at the museum entrance, so avoid bringing large bags.
What you will see in the museum
The museum sits below the memorial pools, at the bedrock level of the original towers. Some of its main spaces are:
- Foundation Hall: a vast space framed by part of the original slurry wall, which held back the Hudson River, and the Last Column, a steel beam covered with messages and tributes from recovery workers.
- The Survivors' Stairs: a staircase that many people used to escape from the World Trade Center complex on the day of the attacks.
- The historical exhibition: a detailed account of the day itself, the events leading up to it and the aftermath, using recordings, photographs and objects.
- In Memoriam: a gallery with portraits of the people who were killed, with profiles you can explore.
Some exhibits contain distressing images and audio, and they are placed in clearly signed areas that can be skipped. Photography is not allowed in parts of the museum. Parents should consider whether the content is suitable for younger children.
Best time to visit and how long to spend
The memorial plaza is calm in the early morning and in the evening, when the pools are lit. The museum is busiest in the middle of the day, especially in summer and during school holidays, so an early entry time usually means fewer people. Allow 30 minutes to an hour for the memorial plaza and around two to three hours for the museum. Many visitors need a quiet break afterwards; the open space along the Hudson River at Brookfield Place is a short walk west.
On September 11 each year, the memorial holds a commemoration ceremony for victims' families, and public access to the plaza is limited for part of the day. In the evening, the Tribute in Light sends two beams of light into the sky from nearby.
Nearby on the same subway stop
- The Oculus: Santiago Calatrava's white-ribbed transit hub and shopping centre beside the memorial.
- One World Observatory: the ticketed observation floors near the top of One World Trade Center.
- St. Paul's Chapel: Manhattan's oldest surviving church building, which served as a relief centre for recovery workers in 2001.
- Liberty Park and St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church: an elevated park overlooking the memorial, with the rebuilt church that was destroyed in the attacks.
For food, coffee and more near Fulton Street, open the 9/11 Memorial & Museum on Around the Metro, or browse the New York subway map.