Visit San Francisco’s most legendary landmark with included ferry and admission to Alcatraz Island. Explore the prison that once held Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly, take in sweeping Bay views, and walk through historic buildings, gardens, and ruins. Your visit includes the official Cellhouse audio tour and an exclusive companion audio guide that reveals hidden stories from the moment you board the ferry to your return.
Dont bother Alcatraz.is closed due to works being done. Turned up for the trip to be told. No answer from the company, no email to say it was cancelled. And as of yet no refund as they do not respond to any email.or message on the app. DO NOT BOOK. Check to see if Alcatraz is open.
That it an amazing experience and very interesting one and that I recommend it to everyone who wants to learn about it
Must do trip if in SF....rough and ready with NO personalisation, lots of queuing and jostling for boat seats but eye opening once on the island. The US is a very different country to the UK, despite the language and this really underlines that. Forget the old UK TV series Porridge..... this place is the 13th century Tower of London....Birdman of Alcatraz personified. The biggest eye opener was the section of the tour comparing it with the US's current supermax jails....much the same as this place but with better lighting!
Get to the ferry early! Not to be missed, amazing experience, so interesting and a must see in San Francisco
Wow! The night option definitely the best as got sun then dusk then seeing the SF bay coastline at night was amazing x the guided cellhouse audio tour was amazing and we spent most time there x it’s quite a walk up but the offer transport for less ambled my mam 78 was ok but tired after x such a brutal but strangely calm place we all enjoyed it including 13 year old who loved the cells and stories x would 100% recommend ! The ferry and seeing the island from this was also really good don’t buy water on board it’s $6 a bottle! V smooth quick crossing and again doing it on the 5pm or 6pm trip got best of views light and dark x
If your first time to San Francisco you must take this tour. Be prepared for walking up and down hills. It was quite interesting and informative. You won’t be disappointed!
Fun day trip! We were glad they had transportation up the steep incline for Mom. There not as much to see as we thought, but very interesting!
This trip is not worth the $100+ for the trip. The prison has really crumbled in the last few years and it appears there is no money going into the prison to keep it up. Save your money and watch a video about.
Great weather and a very informative tour on the Island, spoilt only by the fact that there were quite a lot of construction works going on that limited movement to some parts of the island.
We took the night tour, I certainly wouldn't recommend it. You can't see much outside. There was a large portion of the facility closed off, maybe they were working on it but it only took about 25 minutes to walk through. The only people that were friendly were in the gift shop but 25 cents for a thin paper bag (really? it's not the quarter but just more rude)
Alcatraz is only partially open, 30 min audio tour thru the cell blocks was cool but the mess hall, infirmary and recreation yard all closed off! Ferry trip for night tour had fantastic sunset and city views. Merchandise in store was uninspiring compared to what I saw and bought in 2008. The excitement of going to the Rock was better than the experience.
Excellent tour. Chaotic at pier to get onto the ferry, just be there before your time. Great self paced tour. Audio tour of the prison was excellent, well worth. Very pleasant ferry ride.
A short boat trip then as much free time on the island as you wish to spend, which sounds great. The problem is, once you’ve done the audio cell block tour, which is very informative and eye opening, there is very little else to see or do. Most of the other buildings are derelict or closed, pretty much every path and stair way is closed ( for your safety) It really is in a terrible and depressing state, and considering the number of daily visitors and it being a national landmark it could be so much better. Not sure where all the income is going, but it’s not being spent on improving the tourist experience, very disappointing!!
This was overall a great experience and we liked it a lot. You can walk the tour and leave when you want or stay however li long you want and we really liked that flexibility.
An excellent trip. The email came the day before with easy to follow instructions. The boat ride and guided tour of the cell block was great fun. Highly recommended
Elightening but sad. Unexpectantly full of information sbout the harsh treatment of Native Americans, which I appreciated.
Audio was excellent. Was great that it could be paused at will. Indian museum was very informative. Would recommend.
Great night tour of Alcatraz!
Atmospheric and informative, nice to wander at your own pace once on the island. Worth going for the history and to see the conditions the inmates endured. Hard to imagine.
Found the ticket expensive for length of trip. The audio tour was very informative. I liked the ferry ride over. Our tour was a night which I thought would be spooky but was just colder on the boat
The staff was very friendly and the experience was amazing!! Everything went smoothly and the price was fair.
Excellent tour! The recorded devices are a great idea. People are friendly and it was a very enlightening tour. Not too crowded and everyone moved through each recording at a great pace. Well worth the admission fee.
So much history love the audio. You could go at your own pace. The view is beautiful. Went around 5pm so when leaving Alcatraz got the beautiful lights to the city.
Enjoyed the activity but getting tickets to get on the cruise was a hassle. The link to get the tickets gave us a bar code & not the QR code req by the company. Order through the app was not worth it. Next time will not use the app
Very good tour and informational but be ready to walk up steep hills. LOTS of walking. Glad we had the time to go through at our leisure. Nice variety of souvenirs and gifts in gift shop.
If boat breaks down your trip is cut short Our time was cut short and we didn't get full tour or audio
You should know that if you book a trip with Viator you might save a few dollars, but you will get absolutely no help with issues. I understand the no refund policy, but you should be aware it means even things out of your control such as delayed flights mother nature, etc..... Viator will tell you to contact the place of your booking to see if they will help you. I now know saving a couple of dollars is not worth that poor service!
Interesting and educational!
How easy and efficient it was to book and the Tex reminders were helpful NEEDED TO SAY WE REQUIRED ID IN PASSPORT!!!!!!
Love the guided audio tour. Especially loved the history of the land and the thoughtfulness that went into the exhibit of what has happened to indigenous lands.
Very informative! Glad we added to our experiences. Quick, clean ferry to the island. Very organized.
Alcatraz island itself was amazing. It was just getting to and especially from the island that was terrible. The tour was running late and we were standing around for an hour and then we had to wait in line for nearly two hours to come home with no where to sit down. If you do this tour, factor in the extended time. Luckily we made it back in time to get our flight.
Overall rating 10/10! The boat ride was short about 15-20 min or so. The audio tour inside the prison part of the island was informative & unique. Totally worth the money.
The mess hall was under repair so I was unable to see it. There are gallows that we weren’t able to see. It’s just a few rows of cells. It could’ve been a lot better. There are thousands of people who see this every day.Not worth the money don’t waste your time. Watch it on YouTube.
Great tour - very informative - Part Service staff very knowledgeable, helpful and friendly - don't miss the gift shop!
I am, I am a little disappointed as if we had booked directly with the Alcatraz cruise line, which TripAdvisor booked us on. We would’ve saved $30 a ticket. I wish I would’ve known
Definitely worth doing, audio is good, need to be aware it’s all uphill although there is limited shuttle to the top. Views of the bay are breathtaking and boat trip was quick and smooth!
We really enjoyed the experience. We went at night & did the audio tour. It was very informative & interesting. The guy telling the story in the library was very knowledgeable & interesting. There was also a guy sharing stories about every day life & it was also very interesting. I would very much suggest doing this tour!! My husband & I both really liked it! It is very cold on the island so definitely dress in layers & a jacket.
It was a great experience. We enjoyed the excursion and would highly recommend it. Get there early s you can explore the wharf.
Alcatraz was an interesting experience. Learned quite a bit. It was great that we got extra live talks for the night experience However, there were portions of the exhibit that are under maintenance so we're closed to view until at least late 2027/2028. Because of that, you do get a bit let down with the price you pay. I wish somewhere this was mentioned so I would've saved my money and waited a year to go. Anyone reading this, wait until the end of 2027 or 2028 to be safe if you want the full experience. Don't go now.
Great informative day. Very helpful guides. Good access all around.
The ferry boarding process to and from the island was simple and quick. The audio portion of the tour was perfectly timed. The exhibits were interesting.
Experience was great. I enjoyed all the amazing history. More information on the Indian cultural side would be helpful.
This was an awesome tour. We learned learned a lot of interesting facts. Was not aware that indians originally occupied the island.
Viator don't sell tickets for Alcatraz, they sell vouchers for tickets. We had to spend 20 minutes in a queue to exchange our vouchers for tickets with people a head of us buying and returning tickets. Those who bought real tickets elsewhere skipped our line and boarded the boat that we missed.
Great time. Very informative
Great way to spend half a day from San Francisco. Short sail, great views, and informative tour of the facility
This was so interesting and informative. If you enjoy history you will love it. Also some spectacular views of the Bay and GG bridge.
Easy to find the pier, quick check in process, ferry’s coming every 10-15 minutes with plenty of space/food/restroom. Alcatraz was clean, organized and the audio is included you don’t need a tour guide for this. Recommend!
I don’t normally post reviews but I felt compelled to with this activity. I paid $363 for four tickets for my family. It was an enormous amount of money but something that I have always wanted to do so we did it and we were all excited. However, upon arriving for our time slot, I saw that exact same tickets could be purchased for $45 each. Come on guys! This is just so greedy and I hate that. That is an ENORMOUS mark up and it’s totally unfair. I shall not be using Viator again. Greed, I cannot abide.
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