Alcatraz Island
San Francisco, CA 94123
Phone: (415) 705-5555
- Hours:
- Mon-Wed 9:30am-2:15pm, Thu-Sun 9:30am-2:15pm, 4:20pm-9:30pm (evening tour hours)
Editorial Review for Alcatraz Island – by Citysearch Editors
The Background
Perhaps the most famous former jail in the world, "The Rock" draws thousands of visitors every year to its echoing corridors. Alcatraz--home of the maximum-security prison from which Clint Eastwood once fictionally escaped, where Robert Stroud became a "Birdman" and Al Capone lost his mind--was also the site of a famous two-year occupation by American Indians. The place has long been rumored to be haunted.
Facts
The official ferry provider, Alcatraz Cruises, has boats departing from Pier 41 up to 16 times a day. Boats leave daily at 9:30am and 10:15am, then every half-hour until 2:15pm. Ferry service resumes in the late afternoon for the more complete, eerier evening tour available Thursdays through Mondays (boats leave at 4:20pm and 5:10pm). For a few extra bucks, visitors can get the audio tour, a magnificently done pastiche of history and recreation. Advanced reservations are recommended, as tours frequently sell out as much as a week in advance.
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Insider Tips
Know Before You GoLegend has it that some prisoners still occupy the island. Listen and you may hear their footsteps and cell doors opening throughout the corridors.
The ExtrasA creepier, evening version of the tour is offered Thursday through Sunday. Special programs, led by official guides, take you through areas of the site that are off limits during the day.
Save MoneyDiscounted tickets are available for children (5-11) and seniors (62 and over) during the day, and juniors (12-17) at night. Call for detailed pricing information.
User Reviews for Alcatraz Island
04/12/2008 Posted by kimbolicious
Great informative, interesting tour of history! The ferry ride there was so fun, I recommend sitting on the top deck (even though its freezing, its so worth it!) Go during the "night" tours, they are the most informative and complete tours. I love the audio tour with the actual inmate voices. Is a bit pricey, but who cares? It's really worth it!
Pros: all sorts of public transit can take you here, when you get off theres still hundreds of things to do!
Cons: parking....but dont drive thats dumb...take the cable car and walk!
12/30/2006 Posted by sharopooks
Going to Alcatraz is a fabulous tour through a chapter of San Fran history, as well as the history of correctional facilities in the US. The evening tour (we went in late afternoon and experienced sunset there) will lend a creepier feeling and some excellent sunset photo ops. Audio and guided tour was very interesting and informative. If you're a fan of cable tv prison documentaries like I am, you'll see that Alcatraz is a much smaller size than today's facilities, making it a more manageable size to tour. Arguably our favorite part were the unguided exhibits in the "theater" (which is near the bottom) - very fascinating stuff on Alacatraz and the penitentiary system, we stumbled upon this on our way back to the boat w/ only 10 mins left so be sure to leave time for this if you like that kinda stuff. It's a bird sanctuary so beware if you lean over the stone ledge to see the door to the original prison there (I learned that the hard way!).
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