Bucket list experience:
A mile-and-a-half offshore in the San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz – or ‘The Rock’ as its residents affectionately dubbed it – was one of America’s highest-security prisons until it shut down in 1963 (the razor-sharp cliffs and frigid waters were enough to deter most escape plans).
Nowadays, visitors can hop on the ferry at Perry 33 and tour the accommodations once occupied by Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly. Luckily, overnight visitors are no longer accepted.
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Destination Guide >The only way to reach the Rock is by catching Alcatraz Cruise’s Alcatraz Ferry at Pier 33. During high season, ferries leave almost every half-hour between 9am and 7pm.
Alcatraz tickets often sell out, and booking ahead is essential.
Different tours are available depending on your desired departure time, and ticket prices include both the ferry roundtrip and guided tour. Tours (2.5 hours including return journey) include a ranger tour and a 45-minute audio presentation. It’s also possible to do a longer 5.5 hour tour combining visits to Alcatraz and Angel Island, where guests are taken on a one-hour narrated tram tour.
Tours run all year round, daily. During high season, ferries leave almost every half-hour between 9am and 7pm.
Night tours, leaving pre-dusk, are the most comprehensive, and have a decidedly spooky feel. As a bonus, you can enjoy the lovely sight of the sun setting over San Francisco.
Early Bird and Day Tours use audio tour, and are less intimate and interesting than the guided Night Tours. Early Bird Tours are the least crowded, departing 8.45am.
Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity
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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
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The city’s iconic grand dame hotel, perched enviably atop Nob Hill, with easy access to cable cars, Union Square, and Fisherman’s Wharf.
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San Francisco, California, United States of America (USA)[4.3 miles]
Artsy, eclectic, and one-of-a-kind, the great value Hotel Triton stands in prime location between three distinct (and walkable) neighbourhoods: Chinatown, the Financial District, and Union Square.
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San Francisco, California, United States of America (USA)[4.3 miles]
Affordable, funky hotel that’s centrally-located, featuring rooms and public spaces designed by provocative, contemporary artists.
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San Francisco, California, United States of America (USA)[4.5 miles]
An exquisite right three-story boutique property in the heart of the beautiful Presidio Park, next to the Golden Gate Bridge.
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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
California, United States of America (USA)
Beautiful bayside city with home-grown authenticity, charmingly unique neighbourhoods and excellent locally-driven food.
Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
San Francisco, California, United States of America (USA)[2.1 miles]
A hub for tourists, Fisherman’s Wharf is best known for its seafood, mainstream attractions, buskers, and sea lions who bed down on the docks of Pier 39.
Best for ages: 4+ | Free
San Francisco, California, United States of America (USA)[2.7 miles]
With spectacular scenery, a breathtaking Bridge, barking sea lions, and rich maritime history, the largest estuary in the U.S. already stands-out as a fine place for a sail.
Best for ages: 8+ | £50 | 1.5-3 hours
San Francisco, California, United States of America (USA)[2.8 miles]
Marketers call Lombard the world’s crookedest street. True or not, the block-long lane hits eight hairpin turns – built to slow people as they drive the steep-steep street – as it snakes down Russian Hill. Instead of driving it (and sitting in traffic), you’ll have more fun walking it.
Best for ages: 6+ | Free
San Francisco, California, United States of America (USA)[4 miles]
One of the world’s best Chinese New Year celebrations, held in the oldest Chinatown in North America. The highlight is the Chinese New Year parade, complete with a 28-foot-long golden dragon.
Best for ages: 6+ | Free | 2.5 weeks
Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..
San Francisco, California, United States of America (USA)[2 miles]
This 20th-century museum at Fisherman’s Wharf is stocked with over 300 mechanical (i.e. pre-electronic) carnival and arcade games, like arm wrestling machines and mechanical fortune tellers a la Tom Hanks in Big. Good old fashioned, nostalgic fund for kids and big kids. Open daily.
Best for ages: 6+ | Free
San Francisco, California, United States of America (USA)[2.2 miles]
Hailed as the U.S. home of Irish coffee. Legend has it that in 1952, the cafe’s then-owner Jack Koeppler challenged a well-known travel writer to recreate a drink he’d had at Ireland’s Shannon Airport, and this local landmark has been serving them up (in an endless line along the bar) ever since.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
San Francisco, California, United States of America (USA)[3.1 miles]
Telegraph Hill, ascending 275 ft (84m), is crowned by Coit Tower, a mural-covered Art Deco column. An ascent on foot (via sidewalk and stairs) rewards with eye candy in many forms: gorgeous homes, gardens, and spectacular bay views from the observation deck at the tower’s top.
Best for ages: 8+ | Free
San Francisco, California, United States of America (USA)[3.6 miles]
Opened in 1969, this hands-on museum and ‘experimental laboratory’ of sorts focuses on science, art, and human perception. Great for kids.
Best for ages: 4+ | £33
