Choose between a daytime tour or a special nighttime tour of Alcatraz. The nighttime tour includes a narrated cruise at sunset, cell door demonstrations, and talks from expert historians. For the Alcatraz Night tour ONLY: If you plan to take both tours on the same day, you must take the Bay Cruise before your Alcatraz tour. Otherwise, the Bay Cruise may be taken any other time or day according to the schedule. You will take a short ride on a ferry (15min) to Alcatraz Island from Pier 33. Enjoy a 45-minute immersive audio tour to listen to the incredible history of the infamous prison. After that, you have all the time you want to explore the rest of the island. Then you can take any ferry back to Pier 33. The ferry usually runs every 30 minutes. A multi-language audio tour included is now available in nine languages: English, Spanish, Mandarin, Italian, French, Japanese, Korean, German, Portuguese, and Dutch. Please arrive 30 minutes prior to your scheduled departure time.
Take advantage of prime photo opportunities with unobstructed views in every direction aboard Blue & Gold Fleet’s 60-minute Bay Cruise Adventure. Sail past the famous PIER 39 sea lions and along San Francisco’s historic waterfront, revealing the city’s fascinating skyline. Cruise under the Golden Gate Bridge for a fantastic photo opportunity. This comfortable San Francisco Bay Cruise tour has both indoor and outdoor seating with full narration describing major landmarks as you sail by them. You haven’t experienced San Francisco until you’ve taken a Bay Cruise. The Bay Cruise departs from Pier 39. You may take the San Francisco Bay cruise anytime you choose. A schedule of departure times will be sent to you after booking.
The 60-minute Bay Cruise typically sails toward or under the bridge for photography.
Visible from the Bay Cruise as it departs/returns to the waterfront area.
It was only a one hour tour and the description said 2-3 hours and it said it we would “visit” Alcatraz. I thought we would be visiting Alcatraz and stop and the island not doing a drive by…
We loved this experience. It was a great way to get two trips in one. Be aware that the cruise is separate from the ferry to Alcatraz - you will need to redeem the boat cruise experience separately with the prescribed times available. We had the 5:55 pm ferry to Alcatraz and did the 4 pm bay cruise. It takes right at one hour, leaving us plenty of time to get over to Pier 33 for the Alcatraz ferry. The Alcatraz ferry was easy to find and we had no problem scanning the QR code for entry or getting our tickets for the bay cruise. Also, zero reflection on the experience sold here, but be aware that lots of exhibits are closed at Alcatraz. They are doing extensive renovations and the apartments, recreation areas, cafeteria, and more are closed. It didn’t dull our enthusiasm too much, but was a bit of a bummer. Just a reason for a second trip!
Alcatraz was very interesting. Lots of history that I wasn’t aware of. Bay cruise was a wonderful experience. My only problem was that I had a very difficult time receiving my vouchers for this excursion.
The bay cruise was nice, it was super easy to get our tickets with our prepaid booking. The Alcatraz night tour was great for atmosphere, if you want too see more of the island do a day tour though.
I booked the trip for me and my daughter. The pick up was easy and we arrived fairly quick on the island, there we were welcomed by a ranger, who explained us the rules. The new Bird exhibit was also very interesting tho some buttons didn’t work. The audio guide through the prison is also a must do, it was so interesting listening to all the different story’s!
Do not book with Vidor. This is the second time in three weeks that we’ve had a problem with Double trips combo trips and says go to the ferry at 3:50 PM for Alcatraz tour did that then it says to go do the Bay cruise after that at the timeslot went to the timeslots for the Bay cruise and said they were sold out this is not acceptable for how much money we paid. Definitely wouldn’t recommend this company for any tours. called customer service and they hung up on me.
Book direct cruise not sold out always plenty tickets. Agent charged 3x actual cost Overpaid by almost $300. Feel scammed
A very enjoyable experience, we chose the night tour. However the audio tour could not be completed do to time restraints. The staff wanted to lock up the shop, we had to forfeit a visit to the shop as we wanted to hear the cell doors closing with explanation from a guide. The small trolly bus was a god send as I'm disabled, I would not have been able to visit the island. On the night tour you were not able to walk around the island
Good atmospheric tour in the evening, but currently the recreation area, dining area and showers are not available so a little disappointing as not informed prior to the tour.
So much of Alcatraz is currently closed. There was nothing special going on at night either so no point of going at night and paying more for that. Tour took around 39 minutes total because of all the closures. Not worth going until that is all up and running.
We opted for the Night Self Guided Tour and it did not disappoint! We went at our own pace and discovered new history we had no idea about.
Everything was great until I had to buy two extra tickets and they were not honored as for the time I bought them for, so our party had to split and make it to the island literally two hours later. Made things inconvenient. Shouldn’t let a second purchase happen if your system doesn’t recognize that it’s a second purchase!
What a grand day!!! We did the adventure in one day!
The boat ride was windy and cold (even though we went in August) take a sweatshirt. The views on the boat are amazing. Look at the water and how rough it is. You'll remember it when the tour audio talks about swimming/escape. Wear comfortable shoes, lots of walking up and downhill. Unimaginable living conditions, but then remember the time and dates, probably better than some had at home. We will be back, next time to do the night tour. That would be fun and probably spooky too!
Sight see at your own pace. It’s a page out of American history with colorful characters from our criminal past.
If you are going to book this make sure your dates are 100% as they will not give you a refund or let you change the dates. Booked in advance and tour operator changed the schedule last minute. Tried to change this booking to get "BOOKING NOT REFUNDABLE" so just make sure you can attend for 4 of us a very expensive lesson. As Viator is a TripAdvisor company, lets see how long this stays on here.
It was an awesome experience, very well made up. Was not sure how to get the second tour until I asked somebody from the company. They had told me I needed to go to another pier after I got done with the Alcatraz tour. We went to pier 39 and the lady at the ticket booth asked for our voucher and gave use tickets.
Just get a regular ticket to Alcatraz. The bay cruise was like a side note that you’d have to chase down tickets for and go on a separate boat ride. Pretty sure I over paid for this tour when there was no coordination with a guide. You’re just part of the regular “heard” getting on and off the Alcatraz boat. Don’t get me wrong, we had a good time. But I paid a lot extra for nothing.
The additional Golden Gate Bridge portion of this tour is very misleading. I was of the impression that the boat that took us to Alcatraz would also be taking us over to the bridge. That was not the case. The bridge portion of the tour required a different boat, so a separate trip, and that boat left from a totally different location ( pier 39, not pier 33). Needless to say I did not get to experience that piece of what was included in the price.
Over all Tripp was amazing and worth while seeing, we liked how you could go at your own pace and explore by yourself, our tour guide was a beautiful lady and very knowledgeable, we spent about 3.5 hours on the island exploring and the audio tour was very informative and historical, we would definitely recommend it and will definitely be going again.
Ticket scalpers. They canceled right before the excursion. Ruined our trip.
Alcatraz trip and boat tour was a great package. Spent a few hours on Alcatraz Island touring the buildings and walking around the facility. If you take a morning tour, you come back by lunch and walk over to Pier 39. After lunch we took the boat tour to the Golden Gate Bridge. Fun day of activities.
Just as advertised. fast service to and from island . multiple pick ups from the island, steady boats two and from island.
Worthwhile tour of Alcatraz on the ferry with audio tour information! Affordable and convenient pickup.
We had the night tour of Alcatraz. It was so great to see it in the evening, as it was less crowded. In addition, there we nighttime only ranger talks which we loved. Highly recommend!
Visiting Alcatraz was an amazing experience for my family and me. I never imagined how small and confined the prison cells were. It really gave us a new perspective on what life must have been like for the inmates. We also learned a lot about the island’s fascinating history. I highly recommend visiting Alcatraz if you have the opportunity.
Was NOT clearly told in the ticket links to go to the Bay Tour first and miss half of the experience
The directions and boarding were easy. We enjoyed going later in the evening, the staff were friendly, and the guide on the boat trip was very knowledgeable.
Amazing views of San Francisco. Must do. BUT WEAR WARM CLOTHES. I wish someone told me that the Bay Area by the sea was so windy and cool even during the summer. I just wore a long sleeve shirt, I wasn’t freezing but still I would have preferred a windbreaker jacket for sure. My only other issue is that I really wish there were actual human guides on Alcatraz. Instead you just get a listening device that you wear with headphones as you walk past. I think they feel that it’s unique because I believe that some of the narrators are former Alcatraz convicts or guards, but it got quite confusing because I think some sections of the prison, like the dining hall were closed when I went and the recording just plays, you can skip sections but it’s not so clear. Also no guides means no questions. Note that there are crowds, a lot of people go. Again finally, it’s worth it just for the incredible views of SF alone. Truly magnificent. I went during sunset and it was a picture perfect view from the boat ride on to off.
Really easy to follow the audio tour and it is well done and super informative. It is perfect amount of time especially with young children.
Well organised, took time to explore the sights on the island and learn its history
If going towards evening wear something warm, comfy shoes to walk and enjoy. There are restrooms and you buy sweatshirts if you forget to bring something warm.
Well worth the hike up. It was a great audio tour and Inwiuld do it again. We learned a lot and the views are amazing.
Very informative and educational excursion. Alcatraz was at your own pace and amazing experience. The Bay tour was a great time but dress warmly! Even in June it was cold!
Loved Alcatraz- had been on my “ to do list” for years. Worth it! People were saying since they take you on a boat you don’t need the separate bay cruise but I disagree. Bay cruise was beautiful and educational too. I didn’t do sunset version but could see how that would be worth it.
This was a great day magical and better then expected the experience highlighted my trip and I have so many great memories and pictures from the day
Great overall value and experience, I really enjoyed the fact that I could take the ferry over the bay on a different day from the Alcatraz tour and the availability and logistics was great!
This was an amazing tour. Highly recommend it. It was so great to see the history of Alcatraz. And then a ride to see the sights from the water- Alcatraz, the seals, and The Golden Gate Bridge. It was great!
There wasn’t a Viator representative to help check in or give expectations. Just kinda got herded to ship by a security guard. For the exorbitant price of the tour I think it could have been better. Have done other Viator tours for much 1/3 the price with a better explanation and tour of the experience. I would suggest you buys tickets there when you arrive instead of through Viator.
It was very good… little pricey but unique very informative and interesting.. the boat ride was great and the audio tour was extremely interesting
Booking procedure straight forward and easy.Instructions were perfect. Boat ride was 15 minutes approximately but felt quicker. Staff were professional. On Alcatraz the Ranger briefing on the dock was helpful and explained what to do and where to go. The whole Alcatraz experience was amazing and with the headphone system explaining step by step and where to go was very good. A dissapointing part was some maintenance work on the building going in to the exercise yard and down the steps with scaffolding and Tarps.For me that is a iconic part of Alcatraz but I understand work has to be done.Its just a pity we wasn't informed when booking. Overall a fantastic experience.
We did the 340 SF bay tour which gave us enough time to explore the pier and have some dinner beforehand. We were excited for the night tour but heads up, if you need the tram for medical issues, you will only have 45 minutes or 2 hours at Alcatraz due to the tram pickup times. Wish we would have gone earlier so we didn’t feel as rushed. But that’s poor planning on our part
I bought a combined experience with the afternoon Alacatraz tour and the bay tour, not realizing they could not be done in the same day due to time constraints. They make it appear that they are linked, but they are completely separate tours, and you have to coordinate yourself!
It was smooth everything what it stated in the instructions. I booked the 3:20 got there 45 minutes early, no problems at all.
We have been trying to reach Customer Service to make changes in our tickets that we have purchased. There was no option online for switching our tickets to a different time, only to purchase more tickets. We called the phone number given and held the phone for an hour and a half trying to talk to someone about our need to make a change in our tickets for next Monday. We also tried the online chat available on the website but, again, no help AT ALL. This is extremely frustrating. We have been to Alcatraz many times but have never had such poor customer service.
Very interesting. Staff lovely and very knowledgeable.
I called to take two events a trip to Alcatraz tour and a night bay cruise . I was told that the Alcatraz tour was at 6:30 pm and the night bay cruise was afterwards . I was told the Alcatraz tour started at pier33 and the bay cruise started at pier 39 . I asked several times what time does the night bay cruise start and was assured when we get back from Alcatraz. On Wednesday we arrived at pier 33 and went to Alcatraz and when returned we went to pier 39 to take the night bay cruise to find out the Blue and Gold is closed. What a disappointment! The sales persons at Viator gave me the wrong information. You need to train your staff on what they are selling and what are the hours of operation of the events. I’ve paid for four tickets and only received two! To me I was cheated out of two tickets for a bay cruise. I am very disappointed!
The tour itself was great and very informative. The bay cruise and ferry crew make you feel comfortable and safe. The tour company was also very easy to communicate with and informative about a delay that was not their fault.
Every email I had from the day off booking this trip said it was at 3:30 pm, se we turned up at 2:30pm, thinking we had plenty of time to then find out the last trip was at 1:35pm, nice waste of money!
The third party vendor was rude and not fit to do business. They re booked the trip with little notice and wouldn’t credit me back when. You can also book these tickets for Alcatraz on site for $42 this whole site is a complete rip off.
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