THE 10 CLOSEST Hotels to Alcatraz Island

Interesting trip when you're in San Francisco. We had bought tickets in advance, but that doesn’t seem necessary, a lot of people go on a boat, and a boat goes pretty much every half hour. The queue seems long, but it's so resolved. After fifteen minutes of sailing you arrive, and you can walk freely on the island. There is no catering, and you are not allowed to eat and drink on the street, so make sure you have eaten and drunk enough before going there (you can buy food and drinks on the boat). After walking around on top of the island, with a nice view of the city, it is best to take an audio tour (free of charge). There you will be told about life in Alcatraz based on stories of guards and former prisoners. Boat back and forth takes about 3 hours.

The tour to Alcatraz was one of the highlights of SF. We chose to do the evening tour and glad we did so as it felt more atmospheric and a couple of areas (the hospital) are open in the evening but not in the day. The audio tour was very informative and took around 45 minutes to walk through. I would recommend spending longer on the island to listen to the warden and inmates talks as they are very interesting and provide more information about the US penal system and life inside Alcatraz. Plus they were all delivered very well by the presenters and the stories of the former inmates were both entertaining and inspirational.

Visit of Alcatraz was part of Dylan bus tour so our tickets were included in the price of the tour. We were told to take our passports with us and indeed, the lady at the ticket kiosk asked to show them. The ferry is going every half an hour - we went from Pier 33. It's amazing journey both ways, we chose benches at the back of the boat and enjoyed it. When we arrived to Alcatraz we bought a self-guiding information booklet for $1 - they are in several languages. We could wait a long row for audio tour but we decided we will not wait. If you have problem walking like I had (I used a walking stick) there is a free transport from dock to the cellhouse and it was great as it would take me a long time to get there. Everywhere are very good information displays which we appreciated. At the top was very windy which was surprising as when we came out from the ferry we hardly felt a bit of wind. Eating is not allowed on the island except at the dock area - they protect seabirds, and there is a lot of them . You can take water with you. At the dock area is also a small shop but it was already closed when we were on the way back to ferry after we spent over 4 hours there. We started our tour at the cellhouse, then saw the lighthouse from where is excellent view to the city and you also see how quickly is water running and swirling under. Warden house is now a ruin, next to it was garden with names of the plants on the labels. From there is also great view to the seabird population. Back to the cellhouse in different route inside and again out where are toilets. Going slowly down we saw more gardens with beautiful flowers next to the houses of the officers. You cannot visit all buildings at the island, at least during our visit there was no access to a few. We have been lucky to see this once feared place and we will remember everything.

Really interesting visit to Alcatraz. The audio tour is well setup and the views of the island and back to San Fransisco are great from the ferry. We had this tour included in a package with our flights and hotel which included the city bus tour and then dropped off at pier 31 for the ferry. We all really enjoyed the trip to Alcatraz. We felt that maybe some more of the island could be opened up to the public but it might not have been safe to do so.

Booked my Alcatraz Day Tours via "City Experiences.com" [the official concessioner to the National Park Service] - around 2 months in advance. I missed an opportunity to visit the last time I was in the city and learned tickets can sell out up to 60 days in advance, so as soon as you know you'll be in the city book this! Had an excellent few hours just wondering through the island and all the exhibits. Well worth it!

**PRE BOOKING ADVISED** We did this as part of a combination tour and booked this a month in advance. We arrived and due to having pre booked tickets it meant that we were able to go and pick up our tickets with a valid photo ID. The tours sell out extremely quickly and so I would recommend that the earlier to book the better to make sure you have a spot. We were given a time for our boat out to the site and were advised to arrive around 15 or so minutes early to make sure it all goes smoothly. After the ticket pickup we waited for the boat and once on had the opportunity to sit inside or outside. The on boat facilities provided some refreshments (sandwiches, crisps, drinks, etc). There’s plenty of photo opportunities on this journey of a verity of San Francisco landmarks. On arrival you’ll disembark and be greeted as a large group by the Rangers, who will give you some advice, information and offer answers to any questions. Afterwards you’ll head to collect the audio sets to begin the tour of the site. This was nice and easy simply being asked how many people are in your group and what language you’d like. They give you a quick explanation of how to work it and troubleshoot any issues on the spot. I would recommend to make use of the pause and start function a lot so that you can make the most of looking into cells, rooms and wander the site. Otherwise you’re set to go! You can spend as much or as little time as you would like, at the end simply dropping off the audio sets and going through the gift shop. There are toilet facilities on the site too. All that’s left is going back to get the return boat back to San Francisco. It’s worth making note of the timings for boats so that you don’t wait too long in a queue for one. Overall, we all enjoyed the visit and learned a lot. No visit to San Francisco would be complete without visiting here!

Fantastic tour! While traveling for work, I booked a tour to visit Alcatraz Island through City Experiences for about $45. Arriving 30 minutes early, there was a short 15-minute wait before boarding the ferry, which departed on time. The boat ride to the island took around 10 minutes. Upon arrival, a park ranger welcomed us and explained the rules. The tour itself was self-guided, both outside and inside the prison, with the aid of headphones. Initially, I considered skipping the headphones but decided to use them since I had hand sanitizer. I'm glad I did, as the audio guide provided a wealth of information. I may have missed it, but I don't recall hearing about Al Capone’s cell. To see everything, plan for about 2-3 hours. Overall, the experience was well worth it!

I recently visited Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, and it was an amazing experience! The ferry ride over was very enjoyable, offering beautiful views of the bay and the city skyline Once on the island the attractions were fascinating especially the small prison cells. The history of the place is both eerie and intriguing and walking through the corridors gave me a real sense of what it must have been like for the inmates. There is also a nice view of San Francisco City from the island. I highly recommend a visit to Alcatraz for anyone in the area It's a unique and educational experience that you won't forget!

My wife and I, and our two long-time friends, all of us in our mid-sixties visited this historical place after arriving in San Francisco off a cruise ship, and it was such a poignant experience that we’re so glad that we took the time to visit. The ferries are so frequent that even though we just missed one as we were buying our tickets, it wasn’t long before another had pulled in, and during our wait we took a look at the excellent large scale model and all of the other explanatory bits of information dotted around the waiting area. The ferry trip over to the island was very calm and I managed to take some great photos of the bay, the island, the city and Golden Gate Bridge. We were soon on the island, and as the buggy wasn’t being used by anyone else we decided to ride this up the hill to the main cell block and save our legs. It’s a long walk up this very steep hill and I would advise anyone to take the buggy up, which also gives you the most amount of time to explore this historical site. At the top we went straight into the main cell house to pick-up the audio guides. I would advise you to do this as it’s just a really good way of finding out what you are looking at, and it gives a real in depth view of the history of the place. We didn’t have to wait long to pick up this free guide as the system they had in place to hand them out operated very well. Walking around the cell block is quite extraordinary, and even although there are lots of other people around it felt as if the ghosts of inmates were amongst you as well. The audio guides add to this spooky feeling. It is just a very affecting encounter. Once we had toured the cell block, which took us around an hour, we spent just short of another hour walking around the remainder of the island and making our way back down the hill, on foot this time, to get the ferry back. We were on the island for around two hours, and with the wait for the ferries and the ride to and from the island it took around three hours of our day, but it was totally worth the effort and we wouldn’t have missed it.

An icon of the city and one of the visits that must be made. We did the daytime and nighttime tours, and we would recommend the latter because there are more open spaces (infirmary, showers...), fewer tourists, and they organize thematic talks. The visit includes an audio guide (didactic, although very superficial) in the language you prefer and lasts about two/three hours. It is recommended if you go during the day to book on the first ferry (there is no set return time) and bring warm clothing. Eating is not allowed on the island, except in the dock.