Things to do in Alcatraz
Alcatraz Island is an old prison cell located in San Francisco, California. Officially, nobody has ever escaped from Alcatraz. Unofficially, many people believe that Frank Lee Morris – a lifetime criminal – achieved the impossible in 1962 after two years as a prisoner there. His amazing story was made into the famous 1979 Clint Eastwood movie, Escape from Alcatraz.
Morris had already escaped from a number of prisons when he arrived on The Rock in 1960. With a few other convicts, he began to collect materials to make tools that would be used to dig into the prison’s ventilation system. The group also fabricated rafts from raincoats, lifelike dummies, and even an electric drill from a vacuum cleaner motor.
On the day of the escape, Morris’s group emerged from a vent on the roof and climbed down a pipe. They were never seen again. Some say that the men drowned in the cold waters of San Francisco Bay, although no bodies were definitively identified. A ship did report seeing a corpse wearing prison-style clothing, but this emerged only months later, and the FBI concluded that the escape attempt had failed.
Book your Alcatraz Island tickets and discover the different mysteries and myths of the old prison cells. Start your day off with a guided tour in the beautiful city of San Francisco and hop aboard the ferry over to The Rock.
After visiting the prison cells and learning about the history of the island, take a stroll in the gardens on where you can admire the many species of birds, a perfect way to complete your Alcatraz tour before heading back to the mainland!
The island is open to the public all year round except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. The ferry departs every half hour starting at 8:45am from Piers 31-33, with the latest return from Alcatraz at 4:40pm, unless you're doing the night tour.
Our recommendations in Alcatraz
Alcatraz tickets with 2-day hop-on hop-off San Francisco bus pass
Book your Alcatraz tickets to explore the infamous prison and enjoy two days of hop-on hop-off access to all of San Francisco.
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Alcatraz tickets with San Francisco city tour
Combine your Alcatraz tickets with a narrated bus tour around San Francisco.
en, it, fr, es, de, +6 pt, ru, nl, ja, zh, ko
Muir Woods and Sausalito tour with Alcatraz tickets
See Muir Woods and Sausalito on a beautiful half-day tour before visiting the famous Alcatraz Island.
en, it, fr, es, de, +6 pt, ru, nl, ja, zh, ko
San Francisco city tour and Escape from the Rock cruise
Experience San Francisco by land and sea with this city tour and Alcatraz cruise.
en, it, fr, es, de, +3 ja, zh, ko
Alcatraz tickets with 2-day hop-on hop-off San Francisco bus pass
Book your Alcatraz tickets to explore the infamous prison and enjoy two days of hop-on hop-off access to all of San Francisco.
en, it, fr, es, de, +1 pt
Alcatraz tickets with San Francisco city tour
Combine your Alcatraz tickets with a narrated bus tour around San Francisco.
en, it, fr, es, de, +6 pt, ru, nl, ja, zh, ko
Muir Woods and Sausalito tour with Alcatraz tickets
See Muir Woods and Sausalito on a beautiful half-day tour before visiting the famous Alcatraz Island.
en, it, fr, es, de, +6 pt, ru, nl, ja, zh, ko
San Francisco city tour and Escape from the Rock cruise
Experience San Francisco by land and sea with this city tour and Alcatraz cruise.
en, it, fr, es, de, +3 ja, zh, ko
Alcatraz tour and 1-day bike rental
Book this tour package including a visit to the notorious prison island of Alcatraz and a full-day bike rental.
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Alcatraz tour with 1-day bike rental and lunch credit
Book this tour package including a visit to the prison island of Alcatraz, a full-day bike rental, and a food credit for lunch at Fisherman's Wharf!
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Alcatraz, Muir Woods and Golden Gate Bridge visit
Book this triple combo including Alcatraz, Muir Woods, and Golden Gate Bridge. A great option for visitors short on time!
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Alcatraz early morning access with lunch credit
Book your tickets to visit Alcatraz before the crowds arrive, on this early-access tour! Get a 15$ food credit for lunch at Fisherman's Wharf!
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Alcatraz Island and Fisherman’s Wharf activity combo tour
Book this half-day combo trip to Alcatraz to discover San Francisco's most iconic coastal attractions: Alcatraz Island and a Fisherman's Wharf activity of your choice.
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Alcatraz and Golden Gate Bridge tour by deluxe minivan
Book this combo tour including Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco's most often-sold-out attractions!
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Alcatraz tour including ferry boat and Wharf lunch credit
Book this tour of Alcatraz including entrance tickets with audioguide, ferry boat, and a food credit for lunch at Fisherman's Wharf!
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Muir Woods and Sausalito tour with Escape from the Rock cruise
Enjoy a half-day escape to Muir Woods and Sausalito, then hop on the Escape the Rock Cruise around Alcatraz Island.
How to get there
Alcatraz
San Francisco
United States of America
Reviews Alcatraz
“Tout c'est très bien passé: reception des places par mails / embarquement / visite / et voucher au restaurant Boudin (cher mais bon).Merci”
“The check in process and boarding was seamless. Arriving at the island, there's a brief orientation, then you're off to explore on your own. I don't know if it was just the day that I went (a Sunday), but doing the morning tour gave me more chances to explore without encountering too many crowds.”
“Everything went well only thing I had a issue was w combo deal get no tickets for aquarium of Bay w deal and alcatraz included didnt have a email or link to get this tickets ????? Gal at desk in aquarium took picture of reservation and qr code for alcatraz but no aquarium tickets”