More about: Alcatraz Tours from San Francisco
You don't always have the chance to visit a prison as iconic as Alcatraz: within its walls Al Capone served his sentence while playing the banjo for other prisoners, among whom there was no one who managed to escape from this prison despite the various escape attempts scattered throughout its history. Read on to find out the best way to visit Alcatraz with tickets and tours to the island.
San Francisco Hop-on Hop-off Big Bus Tour and Alcatraz Tickets
Visit Alcatraz and tour San Francisco at your leisure for 2 days
Access the famous Alcatraz prison by ferry with audio guide included and explore San Francisco with a 48-hour sightseeing bus ticket.
This tour to Alcatraz with tourist bus is a perfect option if you want to combine the visit to the legendary prison with a flexible and comfortable way to visit San Francisco. The ticket includes the ferry to and from the island, the official audio guide in Spanish to tour Alcatraz at your own pace, and access to the double-decker tourist bus with free stops for 48 hours.
The experience is completed with one hour of free bike rental, so you can explore the city on wheels, and a non-stop night tour that will allow you to see some of the most emblematic places like Treasure Island or Grace Cathedral illuminated at dusk. Super complete!
Recommended if... you want to secure entrance to Alcatraz and make the most of your stay in San Francisco without worrying about getting around.
Alcatraz, Sausalito and Muir Wood Day Trip from San Francisco
Combine nature and Alcatraz in one complete tour
Discover America's most famous prison along with giant sequoias and a charming seaside town.
This combined tour to Alcatraz, Sausalito and Muir Woods is perfect if you want to see Alcatraz and also get out of the city center to explore some of the most beautiful scenery in Northern California.
You'll start the day with a bus tour across the Golden Gate Bridge to Muir Woods, home to the impressive giant sequoias. Then you'll visit Sausalito, a charming seaside town with houseboats and great views of the bay.
Finally, you'll embark for Alcatraz Island, where you'll tour the prison with an audio guide and have time to explore at your own pace before returning by ferry to San Francisco.
Recommended if... you want a complete tour that combines history, nature and spectacular views in one day.
How is the bus tour of San Francisco with visit to Alcatraz?
This San Francisco sightseeing bus tour with tickets to Alcatraz is an ideal option if you want to tour the city at your own pace for two days and visit the famous Alcatraz prison with ferry and audio guide included. A perfect two-in-one experience to get to know the essentials of San Francisco.
Your ticket includes access to the double-decker sightseeing bus with free stops for 48 hours, one hour of free bike rental, and a non-stop panoramic night tour to see the main monuments illuminated. The visit to Alcatraz is by ferry from Pier 33, and once there you can tour the prison with the official audio guide.
Tour route
- Golden Gate Bridge: the most famous bridge in California and emblem of the city.
- Union Square: the commercial and cultural heart of San Francisco
- Haight-Ashbury: the mythical bohemian neighborhood where the hippie counterculture was born
- Civic Center: with its impressive neoclassical architecture
- Lombard Street: the most twisted and photogenic street in San Francisco
- The Embarcadero: waterfront promenade overlooking the bay
- Palace of Fine Arts: an architectural jewel on the water's edge
- Grace Cathedral and Treasure Island: included in the night tour
- Alcatraz: ferry to and from the island and admission with audio tour included
This tour offers great flexibility, as you can hop on and off the bus at any of the 15 stops along the route to explore the neighborhoods and monuments that interest you most.
Details of interest
- Duration: bus ticket valid for 48 hours + night tour + visit to Alcatraz
- Price: $125.
- Recommended: If you want to know the best of San Francisco at your own pace and without giving up the full experience of Alcatraz.
How is the Muir Woods and Sausalito tour with visit to Alcatraz?
This tour of Muir Woods and Sausalito with visit to Alcatraz is another option to visit Alcatraz if you have already toured San Francisco or prefer to do it on your own, where you will take a tour of Muir Woods National Monument and its surroundings, where you will be amazed by the majestic redwoods of this natural park.
Then you will visit Sausalito, a coastal town across the bay from San Francisco, famous for its fishing pier, its floating houses on the water and its charming atmosphere. On your return to San Francisco, you will head to Pier 33 where you will board the ferry to Alcatraz. With the entrance ticket included in the tour and the official audio guide, you will be able to explore the island at your own pace and discover the impressive history of this famous prison.
Tour route
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Muir Woods National Monument
- Sausalito
- Alcatraz Island
Details of interest
- Duration: 7 hours
- Price: $167.
- Recommended: If you prefer to see San Francisco on your own and book the additional tours for a guided experience.
What you will see on your Alcatraz tour
A tour to Alcatraz is much more than just a visit to an old prison. During the tour you will discover the real history of its most famous prisoners, what daily life was like on the island, and explore its original facilities at your leisure.
From the moment you step on the ferry, everything is designed to give you an immersive experience, with unique views of the San Francisco Bay and access to one of the most emblematic places in the country.
The famous Alcatraz prison ceased its functions as a penitentiary in 1963, was abandoned for a few years and in 1972 the island was declared a U.S. National Park. Upon arrival at "The Rock", you will receive a brief informative talk about the history of the prison and its importance today, and then you are allowed to start the tour up the small hill to the entrance of the prison.
Alcatraz Highlights
- The cell block (including D block): audio-guided tour inside, including the solitary confinement cells.
- The prisoners' mess hall: accessible as part of the interior tour.
- The exercise yard: accessible during the visit.
- The administrative building: visible from the outside, currently closed for security.
- The oldest lighthouse on the West Coast: not accessible from the inside, but can be seen up close from the outside tour.
- Officers' club ruins and keepers' houses: visible from the trails, not visited from the inside.
- The bookstore and common areas of the prison: accessible inside the cell block.
- Seabird colonies: visible along the outside walkways (especially in spring and summer).
- The panoramic views of San Francisco Bay: present from almost any high point on the island.
How to buy Alcatraz tickets
You can purchase your tickets directly through the official U.S. National Park Service website, which gives you basic access to the island, round-trip ferry and the official audio guide. However, these tickets usually sell out weeks in advance, especially in high season, and do not include other services such as transportation around the city or additional guided tours.
Therefore, an increasingly popular option is to book a combined tour with companies like Hellotickets, which not only guarantee you entry to Alcatraz, but also include extras such as 48-hour tour bus transportation, night tour or excursions to nearby places like Sausalito and Muir Woods. It is a much more complete, comfortable and flexible way to live the experience, especially if you only have a few days in the city.
How to get to Alcatraz on your own
If you are visiting Alcatraz on your own, please note that the first ferry to Alcatraz from Pier 33 leaves at 8:45 am and runs every 30 minutes until the last departure at 6:30 pm. Please note that the last ferry is always full as the sunset visit is a popular activity.
The last ferry back from Alcatraz to San Francisco is at 21:25. You'll have to swim back to San Francisco. Just kidding, there are some independent boaters and water cabs that will take you back to the city, but they may charge you pretty steep prices.
How to get to Pier 33
The ferry to Alcatraz departs from Pier 33. In case you are visiting Alcatraz on your own, these are the best ways to get to the pier:
- By tour bus: one of the San Francisco tour bus stops is Pier 33, so you can combine a bus tour with a visit to Alcatraz quite easily in one day.
- By streetcar: The Powel-Mason and Powel-Hyde lines terminate at Pier 45, from which you can walk in about 20 minutes to Pier 33.
- By City Bus: The F bus line is the most direct to Pier 33, getting off at the Bay Street stop. Buses 8, 39, 82x and 88x also drop you off a short walk from Pier 33.
Tips for visiting Alcatraz
- First of all, take a jacket or a light jacket if you visit Alcatraz in summer, even if it is sunny it is usually breezy and cool on the island.
- From the ferry there are beautiful views of the bay, San Francisco, and the Golden Gate Bridge, so you know it's going to be a perfect spot to upload a couple of Instagram stories.
- If you want to avoid most tourists and still see Alcatraz in a nice light, go on the first ferry instead of in the afternoon.
- Book your tickets or your combined tour in advance, as it's a very popular attraction and seats sell out quickly.
Other activities that may interest you
Visiting Alcatraz on your trip to San Francisco is a must, but don't forget to discover in depth the city, its most beautiful corners and its surroundings. For this I recommend you to read about the best tours and excursions from San Francisco, and book an experience to make the most of your vacation.
I also recommend you to take a tour of San Francisco by Hop On Hop Off bus. Does it sound like something for tourists? That's because you don't know all the advantages of doing this kind of tours. Read more about them and you will learn a couple of tricks to get around San Francisco like a pro.