Come with us to Alcatraz

G and I visited San Francisco in early September flying into San Francisco International Airport from Harry Reid (Vegas) - San Francisco was stop No 6 on our tour across America.

We stayed at the Hilton Union Square which was around a 30 minute walk to Fisherman’s Wharf and the ferry terminal.

We purchased our tickets to Alcatraz through Viator - we chose to take a half day city tour in the morning which included a adrop off at Pier 33 where you pick up the boat to Alcatraz Island. The cost for the tour and boat combo was around $130 each. I will talk about the city tour on a separate blog, but would say that please, please, please ensure you have ID with you as you will not be allowed to board the boats without it!

Alcatraz Island, located in the Bay of San Francisco, was once a fort, a military prison and a maximum security federal penitentiary, for which it is most famous. Arriving at the island you are greeted by the Rangers - the island is a National Park - who give you a brief intro into the island and the do’s and do nots! There is a free paper guide or you can take the audio tour.

The audio tour will take you on a journey of the cells, the dining area, solitary confinement, exercise area etc and will give you information about some of the famous (and not so famous) people who ended up on what is known as ‘The Rock’. What surprised me is that even petty theft could land you in Alcatraz and the conditions were appalling.

Please note that you are not allowed to smoke or drink anywhere on the island, with the exception of one area by the dock. For this reason, there is no cafe or bar on the island although you can purchase drinks and snacks on the boat and there are a few bars/sweets available to purchase in the shop.

Traveling across from Pier 33, with a journey time of just 15 minutes to travel the. 1.5 miles out to the island, you will notice a marked difference in temperature once on the island so please do consider taking a jumper as it is quite breezy.

There is of course a small gift shop where we purchased our usual fridge magnet and a Xmas tree decoration (yes we have a VERY eclectic Xmas tree) plus an ‘I’ve escaped from Alcatraz’ bib for my tiny nephew!

You can purchase tickets on the day at Pier 33 through Alcatraz City Cruises at a cost of $36 per adult with concessions for children and seniors. Kids under 4 are free.

I think Alcatraz is well worth the visit, it is quite eerie but really interesting and you can understand just how remote and isolated the prisoners must have felt while being incarcerated on the island. I’d recommend the audio tour as it is very easy to follow, however Ranger guided tours are also on offer. It is an accessible island with an accessible tram available to get you up the hill to the cell block and obviously tours are available in braille and with asissted listening devices.

So, whatever you decide to do in San Francisco, enjoy!

See you soon

Tracey and Georgia xx

Click the link below to get your Alcatraz ticket for your next trip to San Fran!

https://www.viator.com/tours/San-Francisco/Alcatraz-Island-Prison-Tour-Ferry-San-Francisco-Night-Tour/d651-187422P6?pid=P00097143&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium_version=selector&campaign=Alcatraz-excursion

** check out our Vegas and San Francisco vlogs on You Tube, together with our other travel adventures at georgialouisetravels