Alcatraz Island

Great for history buffs, you get to listen to the recordings of incidents that happened

The ferry to island offers breathtaking panoramic view of the Bay Area. Once you land on the island you can feel how much history has been made over the past 100 years in this place. The audio tour is fantastic with great sound design. The views from the island are second to none. Bring a windbreaker it is windy and cool.

Such a beautiful place it’s amazing to know how much dark history has happened inside. Audio tour was great I would definitely recommend.

One of the highlights of our trip to San Francisco was a tour of Alcatraz Island and seeing the infamous penitentiary. The National Park Service has done an amazing job preserving Alcatraz and presenting it as it actually was, rather than showing the Hollywood version of the prison that most people know from the movies. I found Alcatraz to be a very bleak and depressing yet fascinating place. I'd love to visit here again the next time we are in San Francisco.

A visit to Alcatraz Island completes a tour of San Francisco Bay. Boats can be chartered from SF Marina or Sausilito

Great look into the history of the island and prison. The audio tour is a must do for anyone going. Prepare to do a lot of walking...

I was so happy to finally go to Alcatraz Island. My husband and I took the ferry over to the island which cost $38 per person. It’s about a 10 minute ride over to the island and once you are there, you can expect to do a lot of walking a climbing. I am not physically fit so I’m still sore. They do a have a trolley for those who aren’t able to walk to carry them up and down. Nevertheless, there was a lot of great information and I learned a lot. The view of the city from Alcatraz is beautiful. A lot of the areas are under closed off due to safety issues or they are undergoing preservation. At the end of the audio guided tour, there is a gift shop where you can buy things. It took us 2 hours to do everything which wasn’t bad at all. Be sure to dress in layers because the wind can change the temperature significantly. Also, before going, I was so caught up on doing the early bird tour but it was sold out so
I ended up doing the 2:40 tour. Although there were a lot of people there, they weren’t in my way. I could still move about freely without being crowded.

I highly recommend visiting Alcatraz! It's not only full of history, but it's thrilling. I highly recommend going at night. Also, the audio tour is very important and adds greatly to the experience. I highly recommend visiting Alcatraz! It's not only full of history, but it's thrilling. I highly recommend going at night. Also, the audio tour is very important and adds greatly to the experience. One thing to note: be sure to get your tickets way ahead of time since they sell out quickly. Definitely an SF hotspot that you don't want to miss! The island was not as small as I thought it would be. I didn't get to see all of the island.

I booked our tour 3 months prior to our visit since I wanted to experience the night tour. This is not a tour you can take on a whim. We saw quite a few disappointed folks being turned away. The tour is absolutely worth the pre-planning! The audio tour is interactive and educational. It draws you into the story of the whole prison an makes you a little feel like a part of it. You learn about Alcatraz through the voice of those who have experienced it first and. There is a lot of uphill walking to get to the jailhouse for the audio tour so be prepared for that. Again, it is totally and completely worth it. The ferry ride is very pleasant lots of room even with over 100 people on board, lots of places to sit and food and drinks are served on board since no food is sold on the island. Alcatraz had free Wi-Fi which was a nice surprise. Area is well maintained with clean bathrooms. A visit to the Bay Area is not complete without a visit to The Rock. I spent about 4-5 hours here and learned a ton. It was really neat to learn the history and I'd recommend to my friends who visit to go check it out.

The walking audio tour is great! They did such a good job navigating you through the prison while you listen to actual inmates and guards that were at the prison. There is plenty to do and see while your there. I recommend watching the “Escaping Alcatraz” movie before you go!

Came here for a night tour. Be sure to book ahead at Alcatraz cruises. Then sit back and be spooked.

The history was fantastic! Also, the view of San Francisco was just beautiful.

Am I the only one that thinks these prisoners of Acatraz had it too good? After your visit You will. This place is beautiful and I hear they had the best food of any other prison out there. I loved this tour so much I think I was supposed to spend about 2 maybe 3 hours there but I was there a whole 5 hours walking every nook and cranny of this place. Please don't go and just do the audio tour on this visit take advantage of one of the free tours. When you get of the boat there's an introduction to the island and then they tell you there's going to be a tour off to the side in a few minutes now a lot of people just kind of left after that and went to collect their head sets, but I stayed for the tour and I'm so thrilled that I did. Our guide was so knowledgeable about the history of the island and prisoners and is currently even friends with a former inmate that he met while gathering info about this place, fell in love with the island and now comes to volunteer. I feel that the people that didn't take this tour missed out on so much. There was also a garden tour that I missed out on and wish I would have done, oh well it' something to look forward to on the next visit

Bring a picnic blanket and a picnic basket. Have fun on the ferry too! Reviews amazing of the city

It really must be experienced. We took the night tour and it added to the atmosphere immensely.

Such an incredible experience and worth the money to go and see! So much history on one island! The audio tour is also super interactive which is awesome and totally makes the tour!

I've been to SF several times and have even flown over Alcatraz but never toured the island until now. It was a great experience. Very informative and intriguing. I'd definitely recommend the tour to anyone visit the Bay Area.

Great history place! Get the headphone tour. Kids can do Junior Ranger program and really add to their experience-ask rangers when you arrive on the ferry. Book tickets as early before your trip as you can.

We stayed in San Francisco for a week and this was an amazing adventure. The audio tour was the best idea ever!! Narrated by inmates and correctional officers it gave a real insight of the history of Alcatraz!!! A must visit the next time you visit the Bay Area!!!

Great views! Idon't like the idea to visit a prision. Too much people visiting at the same time.