By Karen

Updated December 27, 2023.

Alcatraz Tours & Tickets for 2024

A local's guide to choosing the best Alcatraz tours, and how to save money on booking Alcatraz tickets.

Here's the inside scoop on how the Alcatraz tours and tickets work: my secrets on navigating the system! 

• What are the Alcatraz tours like?
• What's the best way to get Alcatraz tickets?
• What if Alcatraz tickets are sold out?
• What to do and see on the island?

 Alcatraz Island is open again.

Note: there is no vaccination requirement to do the Alcatraz tours.

Visitors are not required to wear masks indoors, in boarding areas and on the boat (but they recommend it).

The bleak remains of Alcatraz prison sit on a windy island in the middle of San Francisco Bay.

Every year, over 1.4 million people visit Alcatraz, definitely one of the most popular of San Francisco attractions. A fascinating spot - both creepy and beautiful! Highly recommended.

The dark history and sense of isolation seem to seep out of the penitentiary's damp walls. It's no Disneyland ride; this is real and has a rough edge to it. Plenty of "atmosphere"! Lots of people have said this was their favorite San Francisco attraction.

What Alcatraz tours are available now? 

The Day Tour, the Night Tour, and the Behind the Scenes Tour.

The combo tour Alcatraz/Angel Island is the only tour currently not available.

Happy note: currently (end of December 2023), you can usually get tickets one week ahead for the Alcatraz Day and Alcatraz Night Tours! And lots of them. I have never seen this; they are usually sold out for a couple of months at this time.

The day tours run daily, 8:40 am-3:50 pm.

General Info on the Tours

My insider tips on:

• The best ways to get Alcatraz tickets
  
• What the different Alcatraz tours are like
  

The best ways to get Alcatraz tickets...

Tickets for Alcatraz go on sale 90 days in advance of the tours. These tickets book up, so get them as soon as you know your travel dates!

There are two ways to buy Alcatraz tickets:

• Tickets for Alcatraz only
• Tickets for Alcatraz combined with another tour

Single Alcatraz tickets or Alcatraz combination tours? 

You can get tickets just for Alcatraz or you can book a package that combines Alcatraz with some other fun San Francisco attractions or activities (see information on combo tours below).

Getting tickets for Alcatraz only

The best way to get the Alcatraz tickets is to purchase them directly from City Experiences (cityexperiences.com), the "official" seller of the tickets and the company that runs the only ferries out to Alcatraz.

There are three ways to buy them from City Experiences:

• Online: at cityexperiences.com
  
• By phone: 415 981-7625
  
• At Pier 33, Alcatraz Landing, on the Embarcadero
  

Alcatraz Landing Ticket Booth

Warning: don't overpay. There are no "discounted" Alcatraz tickets and other companies sell the individual tickets for much higher prices. There is no reason to buy individual tickets from other companies, and here's why...

Not only are the prices a lot higher than with the with official seller, cityexperiences.com, you don't get to pick your dates and times directly and you'll have to stand in line to exchange your voucher to get a ticket!

So how do those companies sell individual Alcatraz tickets? They "sell" a ticket to the customer (for considerably more that the official ticket costs), then go to the cityexperiences.com website and buy the ticket in your name with the credit card you provided.

Problem: aside from being overcharged when you book from them, you also can't see the number of spaces available for each day and departure time, you can't just download the ticket and print it out like you can from City Experiences.

So basically you're paying them to buy the ticket from City Experiences for you, with your credit card.

It's legit, but why bother? Why not just go directly to the source and pay a lot less. Plus, you won't have to wait in line at the ticket booth at Pier 33 to exchange your voucher for a ticket.

You can get right on the boat with the ticket you print out from City Experiences or use the mobile version they give you on your phone.

Inflated prices:  one major company you'll see in the search results sells the official $45.25 adult day ticket for $41.01, plus a $10.99 service charge per ticket, plus a $6.95 processing fee per order: total = $58.95!

You get nothing extra with that, and if the official company, City Experiences, is sold out, they are sold out as well.

Plus, you have to select three possible departure times when you book, and they'll give you one of your choices in order requested (if available) so you don't know which departure time you are getting, if any, when you book it.

When you book directly with cityexperiences.com, the price is a lot cheaper, and you choose the departure time you want from all those available at the time.

You know which tour you're doing when you book the ticket. The official ticket company has no "service" fees or "processing" fees tacked on.

Another prominent company you'll see in the search results sells the $45.25 adult ticket online for $53.25.

Combo tickets: Alcatraz + another tour

Package tours. City Experiences does sell bundles of tickets to approved tour companies who combine them with other tours.

Buying the packages that include Alcatraz is a popular way to get tickets for Alcatraz, and basically the only way of getting deals.

Are you thinking about visiting Muir Woods or Sausalito, doing a bay cruise, or taking a city tour?

There are no bargain or discounted tickets for Alcatraz per se, but if you are planning to take another tour or tours while you're here, you may save some money by doing a combination of Alcatraz plus another attraction(s).

In some cases, it's actually more expensive to do the combos, but may be the only way of snagging tickets for sold out days. See the list below.

This article contains affiliate links and I get a small commission if you book through them, at no additional cost to you. See affiliate disclosure. This helps me provide all the free information on the site. Thank you!

Alcatraz Night Tour combos

The good news: starting in 2018, some tour companies started offering the harder-to-get, Alcatraz Night Tour in combination with other tours.

They're not as many combos as with the day tours, but they're worth checking out, especially if the night tour is sold out.

The bad news: since Covid, most of the night tour combos haven't been running, but I've found a couple that are running.

This used to be a good way to get night tour tickets when they were sold out. Hopefully it will be again.

The Alcatraz Night Tour combo tours:

How the Alcatraz Tours and Tickets Work

Alcatraz Island is administered by the National Park Service.

All the tours on the island are free and are given by US Park Rangers or volunteer guides.

The ticket to Alcatraz pays for the ferry ride out to the island and includes all the activities once you're on the island.

The only thing you have to pay for once you're out there is bottled water or shopping in the gift store.

All the tickets for the Alcatraz ferry are sold by the City Experiences company at cityexperiences.com (formerly alcatrazcruises.com).

You can get the tickets either directly from them (via their website or ticket office), or through third parties (other tour companies) authorized by them to combine their tickets with other tours.

Tickets for Alcatraz aren't transferable. They are issued in the name of the purchaser, and once sold, can't be resold (to deter scalping).

How do you get out to Alcatraz Island?

The only way to get out to Alcatraz Island is to buy a ticket for one of the Alcatraz ferries. These are the only boats that stop at Alcatraz and allow you to get off and explore the island and prison.

The ferries out to Alcatraz Island are run by City Experiences, which currently holds the Alcatraz ferry concession from the U.S. Park Service. 

How often do the ferries run? The Alcatraz ferries for the day tours run seven days a week, starting at 8:45 am, and leaving about every 30 minutes during the day.

The ferries for the night tours and the Behind the Scenes tours run four nights a week, Tuesday through Saturday. There are two night tour sailings each evening (one sailing in winter).

Where do you catch the Alcatraz ferry? The ferries leave from Alcatraz Landing, located at Pier 33 on the San Francisco Embarcadero.

How long is the ferry ride to Alcatraz? The ferry over to the island takes about 15 minutes. The views are spectacular: the city skyline, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge, SF Bay and Angel Island.

What do you get with your Alcatraz tickets?

All of the Alcatraz tours include the following:

• Roundtrip ferry ride to Alcatraz Island
  
• Self-guided audio tour of the prison
  
• Free guided tours by park rangers and staff
  
• Film about Alcatraz and its history
  
• Exploration of the prison and island
  

Note: there are also Alcatraz cruises that go around the island (see below for my recommendations), but don't allow you to visit Alcatraz itself.

They are great fun too (see my page on SF Bay Cruises for tips on the different bay cruises), but that may not be what you were looking for. So read carefully about the tour being offered.

Insider Tips:

• Book early. In summer, especially on weekends, and around holidays, these trips are very popular. The Alcatraz ferries get sold out, weeks or months in advance, so it pays to plan ahead. There are ways to get tickets when Alcatraz is booked-up, but it's better to buy them well in advance if you can (up to 90 days, usually).
  
• Alcatraz sold out?  There are ways to get tickets for sold-out days, for both the day and night tours. If you find yourself in this situation, check out my tips for getting last-minute tickets. It can be done! But they don't do the early morning line-ups for day tours anymore.
  
• Save money. Buy individual tickets directly from cityexperiences.com (the official company) or get a combination package (sometimes cheaper, sometimes more, see combo tours).
  
• Avoid the lines. If you buy your tickets online directly from cityexperiences.com and print them out (or use the mobile version), you won't have to wait in a line to (a) buy a ticket, or (b) pick up your "will call" ticket when you get to Pier 33.
  
• E-tickets. If you buy your tickets online, you can either print them out or use your mobile phone version. They can scan either format at the boarding gate. If you have a voucher, exchange it for a ticket at Pier 33.
• Discount passes. Can you visit Alcatraz on the Go San Francisco Card, or the San Francisco CityPass ? Yes, but only if you buy the cards from the City Experiences company at Pier 33 or by phone through their company at 415 981-7625.
  

Hardest times to get tickets: June, July & August, plus around the Christmas/New Years holidays, Easter break, Memorial Day (end of May) and Labor Day (beginning of September). And to a lesser extent: April, September and October.

In other words, just about any time can be tough to get tickets, except for January, February and early March!

However, ever since Covid, it's been a lot easier to get tickets. So far (end of December 2023), you can usually get tickets just one week out for the day tours and night tours!

Toughest tours to book: in order of how fast the tickets book up:

• The Behind the Scenes Tour
  
• The Night Tour (most popular)
• Early Bird Day Tour (first day tour of the day)
  

Alcatraz Sold Out?

Alcatraz is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Also, the Night Tour and the Behind the Scenes Tour don't run on July 4th, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

Something cool for California residents. Residents get a good deal on Alcatraz tickets during the slow season. 

The Buy One Get One Free sale is available for Day Tours on select dates in January and February each year.

The Alcatraz Prison Tours

The tours of Alcatraz island come in four flavors.

The different types of Alcatraz prison tours:

• Day Tour
  
• Night Tour
  
• Behind the Scenes Tour
  
• Alcatraz/Angel Island Tour
  

Recreation Yard, Alcatraz Prison

What to see on the island...

Once you're on Alcatraz, in addition to seeing the prison itself, you're free to explore the island, including the Civil War era buildings, seabird nesting areas and the Alcatraz gardens.

You'll be able to walk the halls where Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly did their time, and see the solitary cells where  Robert Stroud, the Bird Man of Alcatraz, sat out most of his sentence.

Al Capone

Machine Gun Kelly

Robert Stroud

The first floor of the prison cell block is open for visitors to explore; the audio tour directs you through the prison to see various places of interest, like Al Capone's cell (B 181, on the second tier of cells near the starting point of the audio tour.

The cell door is open and the light is on, but it's not labeled as his cell.

The former prison exercise yard is also open to visitors; from there, you can see how close San Francisco must have looked to the inmates.

They had a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge, too!

Alcatraz Cellblock & Exercise Yard

Some areas are off-limits due to safety issues or fragile historical artifacts, mainly on the second floor of the prison.

But some of those areas are included on the night tour or the Behind-the-Scenes tour, like the Civil War tunnels and the basement cells.

Now you can also go into the New Industries Building where the prisoners worked in the laundry, which use to only be accessible on the Behind the Scenes Tour.

Spring/Summer Schedule Starts in March

For all the tours, check the current schedule and ticket availability on their website: cityexperiences.com.

Day Tours of Alcatraz

This Alcatraz island tour includes:

• The boat trip to and from Alcatraz
  
• The self-guided Audio Tour of Alcatraz prison
  
• Guided tours by park rangers and volunteers
  

Day Tour Ticket Prices:

• Adults: $45.25
  
• Juniors (12-17): $45.25
  
• Kids (5-11): $27.55
  
• Seniors (62+): $42.65
  
• Under 5: free
  
• Family (2 adults and 2 kids ages 5-11): $131.85
  

The Early Bird Tour. The first tour of the day is called the Early Bird Tour, leaving at 8:40 am.

This one's very popular because it's the first boat out to the island and you can explore before it gets really crowded. This tour gets booked up faster than the other day tours, so booking ahead for this one is even more important. 

Alcatraz Day Tours Ferry Schedule

Spring/Summer schedule.  The Alcatraz Day Tours run seven days a week, and leave about every 30 minutes from Pier 33 (Alcatraz Landing). Daily, 8:40 am-3:50 pm.

Fall/Winter schedule (October - March). Daily, 8:40 am-1:35 pm.

The return boats leave Alcatraz every 60 minutes; the last one leaves Alcatraz at 6:30 pm in summer (4:25 pm in winter) and you can take any of the boats back. The return times are posted at Pier 33 and at the dock on the island.

In summer, there are 15 day-tour sailings out to the Rock, and 11 sailings in winter. Each boat trip carries about 300 people to the island.

As the day progresses, it tends to get more crowded, since there's no time limit and visitors can take any boat back; as a result, the morning tours tend to be more popular and book up faster.

How much time do you need to see Alcatraz? Allow at least 3 hours for the whole trip; you may find yourself spending more than that once you get exploring the prison and the island.

Once on the island, there are free guided tours by Park Service staff and the self-guided Alcatraz prison audio tours, included in the ticket.

And you are also free to explore the island and the buildings remaining from the time when Alcatraz was a fort and military prison.

During the Civil War, Confederate prisoners and were held there, and during WW1, the prison held POW's and conscientious objectors.

At other times, it was used as a stockade for U.S. military prisoners.

How long is the ferry ride? The boat ride to Alcatraz island is about 15 minutes. There's no presentation during the trip, but the views of the city and the bay on the way over are spectacular!

Views from Alcatraz. Alcatraz has an amazing view of the San Francisco skyline. If you walk down to the southern side of the island (facing the city), there's a walkway along there with a spectacular view of the city. Both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge are visible from this side as well.

There's also a great view from the area by the lighthouse; you'll end up here at the end of the audio tour.

View of San Francisco from Alcatraz

Alcatraz Night Tour

This version of the Alcatraz prison tours is very popular and includes:

• Ferry ride to and from Alcatraz
  
• A narrated cruise around Alcatraz island
  
• The self-guided Alcatraz Audio Tour of the prison
  
• Guided tours inside the prison
  
• A variety of lectures only given at night
  
• Access to areas not open on the day tours
  

Night Tour Ticket Prices:

• Adults: $56.30
  
• Juniors (12-17): $55.10
  
• Kids (5-11): $33.00
  
• Seniors (62+): $52.25
  
• Under 5: free
  

Night Tour vs. Day Tour

Advantages of the Night Tour

1. There are fewer people on the night tours, so the prison is much less crowded and has a more intimate feel.
   
2. There are interesting tours and talks by the park rangers about Alcatraz history and stories about the prisoners.
   
3. You have access to areas of the prison that are off-limits during the day tours.
   
4. You circle the entire island by boat.
5. You get to watch the sun set over the Golden Gate Bridge and see the lights all around the bay begin to sparkle.
   

What Happens on the Night Tour

There are two night-tour sailings to Alcatraz most of the year, and one nightly sailing in winter (two over Christmas holidays).

The night tour runs five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday. Each boat carries about 150 people to the island.

Cruise around the island. The Night Tour ferry makes a trip around Alcatraz Island before arriving at the dock (unlike the day tour ferry, which sails directly to the dock).

During the cruise, you'll hear information about the island and its history. 

Arriving at the Dock

The passengers will be let off in three groups, so that not everyone arrives at the prison at the same time. Groups are chosen by who's in line first.

Each group is assigned to a park ranger, who gives a brief talk on what to see on the island, how the tours work and what activities are scheduled for that evening.

The ranger takes you up towards the prison entrance, where you head inside to pick up your equipment for the audio tour.

From there, you are free to explore the prison and start the audio tour, explore the other buildings and gardens, watch the film in the dock's theater, or otherwise ramble over the island and enjoy the views.

Special Evening Programs

There are a couple of guided tours given by the park rangers each night that take you into places not normally accessible, like the gun gallery on the second floor, and other blocked-off areas.

Plus there are scheduled talks on various subjects related to Alcatraz. The topics vary from night to night.

These tours and talks are posted inside the prison, just as you enter, and inside the gift shop, plus the ranger who takes you up to the cellblock goes over them as well.

What to do first? Here's what I recommend:

Figure out which guided tours and talks you want to go to.

Then, to avoid the crowds inside the prison, go outside and explore the grounds and admire the views.

After that, come back later, in an hour or more, and do the audio tour after the others have finished and left the prison.

Most people do the audio tour first, and people tend to get bunched up around the points of interest the recording is telling you about, so this approach is one way to have the prison (almost) all to yourself while you do the tour!

The evening's topics vary, depending on which rangers are doing them.

On one of my visits, one of the guided tours took visitors to the areas of the prison connected with Machine Gun Kelly, and there was an interesting talk on the kidnappings of the 1930's (and the kidnappers who ended up in Alcatraz).

Another time we heard talks on the gangsters' bank-robbery techniques and prisoner escape attempts.

At posted times during the evening, they also demonstrate the opening and closing (en mass) of all the cell doors; pretty intense!

Night Tour Schedule

In summer, the Alcatraz Night Tour leaves Tuesday through Saturday at 5:55 pm and 6:30 pm from Pier 33 and lasts about 2.5 hours. You can return on either the 8:40 pm or 9:25 pm boats.

The sun doesn't set until around 8:30 pm in mid-summer, so it will be light for the first couple of hours, good for exploring the island.

During winter, (October-March) there is only one night tour, leaving at 3:50 pm, Tuesday through Saturday, returning at 6:40 pm.

At the darkest time of year in San Francisco, the sun has usually set by 5 pm, so you'll see both the sunset and the city lights.

There's a special holiday schedule in Dec & Jan, with an additional night tour leaving at 4:45 pm, returning at 7:40 pm.

Return times are posted at Pier 33 and at the dock on Alcatraz.

The two night tour sailings (5:55 and 6:30) resume in March each year. That time of year, the sun sets around 7:15 pm, so if you take the later boat, it will be dark 30 minutes after arrival on the island.

The prison is even eerier after dark, and if it's a clear night, the lights of San Francisco are truly magical.

Alcatraz Night Tour, on the Dock

For lots more about the night tour, plus photos, see my page on the Alcatraz night tour.

The Behind the Scenes Tour

This one is the smallest tour, limited to 20 people max.

The Behind the Scenes tour includes:

• Boat trip to and from Alcatraz
  
• The self-guided Alcatraz Audio Tour of the prison
• Access to areas not open on the day tours
  
• Extra 2-hour guided tour of the island and prison
  

Change in format. This tour is back to being a late afternoon tour that allows you to join the night tour afterwards.

Behind the Scenes Ticket Prices:

• Adults: $101.30
  
• Juniors (12-17): $97.10
  
• Seniors (62+): $94.25
  

This tour starts out with a special, guided 2-hour tour of the island with a park ranger, going into places that the other tours don't go.

Then you rare free to do the other activities on the island, including the audio tour of the cell block, for a 4 to 5 hour total Alcatraz experience.

Tip: taking the Behind the Scenes Tour is one way to enjoy the night tour even if the night tour tickets are sold out;-).

After the guided Behind the Scenes Tour, you are free to explore the island as you would on the Day Tour, which includes the Cell House self-guided audio tour, but you can also join in the Night Tour events.

Cool places only this tour goes: this tour can take you into the dungeon cells in the basement (creepy!) and underground through a Civil-War-era tunnel leading to a different part of the island.

The tour group may go inside the crumbling, New Industries building, the island factory where prisoners worked and did the army's laundry.

You may also be allowed into A Block, a cellblock normally closed off, as well as the eerie prison hospital or the prison chapel.

Where you actually go on the tour depends on the guide and on construction issues.

There are repairs ongoing at the prison which result in certain areas not being available at any particular time, so the content of the tours is unpredictable...it'll be a surprise. But very interesting!

Requirements: this tour involves a lot of walking up and down stairs and steep hills and is limited to age 12 and above for that reason.

They describe this one as "strenuous". They say they don't have breaks, so eat (and whatever else you need to do) before the tour! But there was one bathroom break about half-way through when I was there.

What does "strenuous" mean? I went on this tour and can reassure folks that you don't have to be really fit to do this. Basically, if you can climb one flight of stairs and walk at a reasonable pace, you can do this tour. There's plenty of standing and hearing stories interspersed with the stairs and hills.

Behind the Scenes Tour Schedule

Summer Schedule: the Behind the Scenes Tour leaves from Pier 33 at 4:20 pm, Tuesday through Saturday.  You can return on either the 8:40 pm or 9:25 pm boats with the night-tour folks.

Winter Schedule: (October-March) the boats leave at 2:15 pm, Tuesday through Saturday, and you can return on any of the afternoon boats. 

So far, there aren't any combination tours that bundle the Behind the Scenes Tour with other attractions.

For more details about what this tour is like, and photos of some of the places it visits, see my page on the Behind the Scenes tour.

Alcatraz & and Angel Island Tours

This tour is not currently running.

The Angel Island/Alcatraz combined Tour included:

• The ferry to Alcatraz
  
• All the features of the Alcatraz Day Tour
  
• The ferry to Angel Island
  
• Tram tour around Angel Island (narrated, one hour)
  
• Time to explore Angel Island
  
• Return ferry to Pier 33
  

This was a handy combination if you wanted to make a day of it and see both sights.

Angel Island is a beautiful place with spectacular views of SF Bay. It was the Ellis Island of the West Coast, and thousands of immigrants from Asia came through Angel Island, especially during the Gold Rush era.

The Immigration Station there has been made into an interesting museum, recreating the furnishings of the  dormitories and common rooms; it's one of the stops on the tram tour, and worth a visit.

Do-It-Yourself Angel Island Tour

You can also see Angel Island on your own by taking the Blue and Gold Ferry to Angel Island from Pier 41 or the Ferry Building.

Once on the island, in addition to beautiful hiking trails, there are tram tours, bicycles for rent, an immigration museum and cafes. You could easily make a full day of it.

See my tips on what to see and do on Angel Island.

Doing Angel Island on your own (ferry ride from SF plus tram tour) would run around $33.50 for adults, less for seniors and kids.

Angel Island, View from Alcatraz

The three prisoners who escaped in 1962 were headed for Angel Island on a homemade raft. Did they make it? Possibly; some evidence suggests they did.

Doing the Alcatraz Prison Tours

Once on the dock at Alcatraz, you can take one of the guided tours which will lead you up the hill to the prison and finish at the cellblock entrance (day tours only).

Or you can walk up the hill to the cellblock on your own, and explore the Civil War era buildings on the way up.

The audio tour starts inside the cellblock.

Cell Used For 1962 Escape

Typical Alcatraz Cell

The Alcatraz Audio Tour

You will receive your headset for the Audio Tour after you enter the prison, following a steep climb up the hill.

If you don't want to do this tour, tell the people passing out the headsets and you'll get a refund of $8.00 for adults, a bit less for others. Refunds are only available on the day tours.

It really adds a lot to the experience, so I highly recommend doing it if you can.

The Audio Tour is available in English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, and Mandarin.

Alcatraz Cellblock

This 45-minute, self-guided audio tour is a very well-done presentation that takes you through the prison: cellblocks, dining hall, library, prison yard, warden's office, etc.

You can pause it or rewind it and so take your time going through the prison.

Some of the cells are set up and furnished as they would have been then: grim 9' by 5' rooms with a small cot, toilet and desk.

The prisoners spent most of their days alone in their cells and talking was forbidden. Rather chilling.

Tiers of Cells

On the recording, you'll hear the voices of actual prisoners and guards describing their experiences at Alcatraz.

The narration directs you to particular spots in the prison where interesting events took place.

Explore the solitary cells where the Bird Man of Alcatraz spent most of his time, passageways where inmates crawled to escape, and scenes of murders and shootouts.

Solitary Confinement Cells

Inside a Solitary Cell

You can walk around in the prisoners' exercise yard and see how close San Francisco must have looked to the inmates.

Alcatraz Prison Yard

In spite of the desperate escape attempts, Alcatraz' location defeated them all. (Or did it? Three escapees left on a raft and were never seen again. There is some evidence two of them made it to Brazil.) The water was too cold and the current too strong.

Even though the City was close enough for the prisoners to hear voices and laughter, they couldn't swim the distance: only 1.25 miles (2 km).

At the end, it's sort of relief to "escape" from the oppressive atmosphere in the jail and come out by the Alcatraz lighthouse.

This is where you'll have another spectacular view of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.

The S.E.A.T. Tram

For those who have difficulty getting up the hill, there is a tram that leaves from the dock every 35 minutes, and carries people back down as well.

Alcatraz SEAT Tram

More things to do on Alcatraz

In addition to the cell block which you can explore with an audio tour, you can roam all over most of the island.

There are buildings from the Civil War era and a lighthouse, as well as pretty gardens, and of course the amazing city and bay views. 

Guided Tours by Park Service Volunteers

These Alcatraz tours are free and are offered on a variety of topics, like "Escapes", "Famous Inmates", and "Fortress Alcatraz".

These guided tours are available for visitors doing the day tours; they start at the dock and travel up the hill, ending at the prison.

The people doing the tours are volunteers with the Park Service - folks who have a passion for the history of Alcatraz and enjoy sharing their knowledge.

Alcatraz Tour Guide

Times of Guided Tours

There is no fixed schedule for these tours. When you get to the dock on Alcatraz, check out the list of tours on the chalkboard to the right of the bookstore. They also post a list on the dock at Pier 33.

Each tour lasts about 45 minutes. The last time I was there, they were scheduled at 10:00, 10:30, 1:00 and 3:30.

I went on an "Escapes" tour, given by an entertaining guide (in "real life" a middle school history teacher) who told us interesting anecdotes about the escape attempts, along with some Alcatraz history.

(The Great White Sharks patrolling along the coast rarely come into San Francisco Bay - who knew? But the prisoners were told they would be eaten if they swam in the water.)

Highly recommended!

Guided Garden Tours

There are also free, guided, docent tours of the extensive gardens on Alcatraz, including tours of areas normally off-limits to visitors.

Tours are Friday and Sunday mornings at 9:45 am, leaving from the Alcatraz dock (you would have to take the first or second ferry).

Also, the Officers' Row area is open every Wednesday from 11 to 2, with a docent present for questions.

Most of the garden areas are open to explore on your own.

Seabirds on Alcatraz

Thousands of seabirds use Alcatraz Island as a breeding ground.

In spring, cormorants, gulls, and snowy egrets hatch their young here and you can see the nesting areas.

Cormorants Nesting Near Alcatraz Gardens

Note: Construction and repairs. Alcatraz is starting to crumble from the effect of sea air on the metal frames of the buildings, so they're fixing up various sections of the prison.

They recently completed some major repairs on the main cellblock building and repainted it, so the areas normally open on the day tour are all open again.

The areas affected by the repairs are mainly those that would be available for the Behind the Scenes Tour, such as the prison hospital, underground tunnels, prison factory, etc. 

Consequently, that tour varies depending on what is accessible at the time, and it changes from day to day.

Can't get enough of Alcatraz?

A cool board game has been released, Alarm 22, Escape from Alcatraz, where you play as one of the inmates and try and escape from the Rock. 

Inmate card from the game

It's a fun game created by Jimmy Treehorn, who designed the large scale model of Alcatraz that you'll see at the Pier 33 dock.

It's based on a number of actual escape attempts, and the game play is a good balance between strategy and luck.

You can find it at a number of local shops, including the Alcatraz Gift Shop at Pier 39. Also available online. See the alarm22.com website or Amazon for more info or purchase.

Alternatives: Sail Around Alcatraz

If you aren't able to get tickets to Alcatraz, you can still get a good look at the island and the outside of the prison by taking an Alcatraz cruise.

These bay cruises also take you out under the Golden Gate Bridge, a really a cool experience.

There are a number of bay cruises available that sail around Alcatraz Island, but don't stop there.

You'll get a close-up view of the entire island as they circle around and most of them will give you some information about Alcatraz as they circle it.

Some popular Alcatraz bay cruises...

These are tours that have been around for a long time and have generally high ratings.

Escape from the Rock Cruise. This is a nice, 90-minute bay cruise on the Blue and Gold Ferry that gives you a tour of San Francisco Bay and takes you out under the Golden Gate Bridge.

In addition, you'll circle Alcatraz Island and hear what Alcatraz was like for the prisoners and some stories of the more dramatic escape attempts. And with each child ticket, you get a pair of souvenir binoculars. Leaves from Pier 39. $46 for adults. See Escape from the Rock tour for more info and booking. 

If the Escape from Alcatraz cruise is sold out, the next cruise is always available:

Blue and Gold Ferry. This is a one-hour bay cruise with a recorded narration about the sights that leaves from Pier 39. You sail past the sea lions, and head out to the Golden Gate Bridge. You go out under the bridge, then turn around and sail for Alcatraz, making a full circle around the island.

Super views of the city skyline, Angel Island and both bridges. $38. See Blue & Gold cruise for more info and booking.

Fancy going out on sailing on San Francisco Bay?

Catamaran Sunset Cruise. This is another fun boat tour, sailing on a catamaran that takes the same route as the ones above: out under the Golden Gate Bridge, across the bay, and around Alcatraz.

Being on a sailboat on the bay is a great feeling, plus beer, wine and snacks are available for purchase. Alcatraz and the bridge with a glass of wine...not bad!

Audio tour available in 8 languages. $80, 90 minutes.

See Adventure Cat sunset cruise for more info and booking.

They also have a catamaran day cruise.

There are a huge variety of bay cruises available: quick one-hour tours, more leisurely brunch and dinner cruises, and sailing trips on catamarans and sailboats. 

Check out my list of what I think are the best bay cruises.

Escapes from Alcatraz

Alcatraz was supposed to be escape-proof.

It had to be, because many of the prisoners there had already escaped from other federal prisons, and they were really bad guys.

Did they make it?

Most of the escape attempts resulted in death or recapture. But one in 1962 may have succeeded.

The video below tells the story and describes recent evidence of what may have really happened to those three prisoners.

A new book about this escape was recently published: Inseparable, by David Kruh.

It's a fictional account of how this escape could have happened. It's gotten good reviews and is available through the author's website, or from Amazon.

More Tips on Visiting Alcatraz

For information on:

• How to get to Pier 33
  
• Taking the Alcatraz ferry
  
• What to bring
  
• What to see on the island
• Best parking strategies
  

See my page on visiting Alcatraz.

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