Visit Alcatraz Prison in San Francisco: ticket, prices, schedules

How to visit the famous Alcatraz prison in San Francisco? Discover our complete guide from A to Z!

The harsh vestiges of the Alcatraz prison dominate a winding island in the middle of San Francisco Bay. You will be able to walk on the steps of Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly, and see the cell in which the Birdman (the man with the Alcatraz canaries) spent his time. With the audio tower, you can hear the true voice of the former prisoners and guards of Alcatraz talking about their lives on The Rock ("Le Rocher"). The dark history and the feeling of isolation seem to suck from the humid walls of the penitentiary. By visiting Alcatraz, you will quickly realize that you are not in Disneyland: it is real. There is a lot of “the atmosphere” in the prison! For many people, this is their favourite attraction in San Francisco.

The island of Alcatraz is one of the most famous prisons in modern history. According to the records, no one has ever managed to escape from Alcatraz, although five inmates have been identified as “extiring and suspected drowned. The prison closed due to costs in 1963. Every year, more than 1.4 million people will visit Alcatraz. This is a fascinating place, both scary and beautiful! And highly recommended.

How to visit Alcatraz?

Wikimedia – WPPilot

The only way visit Alcatraz is to take one of the ferries operated by the company Alcatraz Cruises . Other cruises on the bay may include a passage in front of or around Alcatraz, but will not let you down on the island. The boats depart from Pier 33 on the San Francisco Embarcadero, the seafront boulevard from Fisherman’s Wharf at Ferry Building .

Note that you can visit the island of Alcatraz from day to night. For this, find out where you are at Pier 33. The ticket to Alcatraz prison with the ferry route included costs about 37€.

Also note that there is a ticket offering both a guided tour of the famous Alcatraz tour, as well as a multi-stop bus ticket valid for 72 hours. To this, a visit of Sausalito will be included, among other places. This ticket costs about €105. To buy it online, just click on the button below:

The price of this ticket allows you to spend a rich day organized like this: meet in the mythical Fisherman’s Wharf district. This is where you will embark on a ferry to get to the island-prison. A multilingual audio guide (known for its quality comments) will be given to you. A 45-minute audio presentation will guide you through the old prison to make you discover the lives of prisoners of the time and their attempts to escape. Then you will be free to explore the island and take the ferry back you want (every 30 minutes).

What to see in Alcatraz?

Flickr – William Warby

Alcatraz was chosen as a prison because of its location: the island in San Francisco Bay, although only 2.4 km from the coast, is surrounded by agitated waters in which it is almost impossible to swim. This means total isolation from the outside world and makes Alcatraz a prison where it is almost impossible to escape.

Take an audio-tour (in French) and use it. You'll learn more about it than you'll see. Be careful to follow the guide so you don't lose yourself. If this happens, ask a Ranger or a guide to help you. If hospital hospital hospital hospital from the prison is open, do not hesitate for a second to go. It is a fascinating opportunity to see what medical care looked like during the golden age of the prison.

Flickr – Mario Sánchez Prada

This 45-minute self-guided visit takes you through the prison: cell blocks of inmates according to their danger, dining room, library, prison court, director's office, etc... You can pause or go back and take your time by visiting the prison. Some of the cells were put in place and furnished as they were once: small rooms with a small bed, a toilet and a table. The prisoners spent most of their days in their cells and talking was forbidden.

On the soundtrack, you will hear the true voices of prisoners and guards describing their experience in Alcatraz. The story directs you to special places in the prison where interesting events took place: isolation cells where the Birdman of Alcatraz spent most of his time, passages where the detainees crawled to escape, scenes of murder and shooting. You can walk in the prisoner’s exercise yard and see how close San Francisco seemed to the inmates.

Flickr – Chris Amelung

Despite the desperate escape attempts, Alcatraz’s location has discouraged them all. The water was too cold and the current was too strong. Even if the city was close enough so that the prisoners could hear laughter and voices on holiday days, they could not swim the distance. At the end, you will climb up the Alcatraz lighthouse, leaving the oppressive atmosphere of the prison. This is where you will have a spectacular view of San Francisco.

Flickr – Nathan Jongewaard

Flickr – Justin Ennis

A few words about Alcatraz prison

Alcatraz was a military prison in 1868 and a federal prison from 1933 to 1963, It is located on a rocky spur in San Francisco Bay. The prisoners were deliberately fed with rich and fatty foods with lots of bread and large portions. All this food combined with very little exercise led most prisoners to be physically unfit and overweight, making the 2.4 km of swim even more difficult. It was made even harder (this is how you see the thing) that the detainees were treated with hot showers, which could not acclimate to the ice temperatures of the sea. The guards had also let rumours run, as the surroundings of the island grew up with sharks, ready to attack any prey once in the water.

Alcatraz was therefore one of the most secure prisons in the world , or at least, the one where no inmates managed to escape (or rather survive his escape).

Famous detainees in Alcatraz

Flickr – Antonio Fucito

Among those who spent time on The Rock , there was the famous gangster during prohibition Al « Scarface » Capone , who spent four and a half years there in the 1930s. His arrival on the island generated the big newspaper titles throughout America. Capone was sent to Alcatraz because of his incarceration in Atlanta, Georgia, which allowed him to remain in contact with the outside world and to continue carrying out his criminal operation in Chicago. He was also known to corrupt prison guards. All this ended when he was sent to Alcatraz. This kind of transfer grew Alcatraz’s reputation at the time.

Flickr – Antonio Fucito

Alcatraz also counted in his cells George “Machine Gun” Kelly (17 years ago here), Alvin “Creepy Karpis” Karpowicz (26 years ago here), and Robert Stroud, also known as Birdman of Alcatraz (17 years old also).

During his history, Alcatraz experienced 14 escape attempts involving 36 inmates. The Federal Bureau of Prisons reports that among those alleged evaded, 23 were captured, 6 were shot, 2 drowned and 5 were reported to have been drowned.

In short, you will read many things about the Alcatraz Prison, and will see many films that take place here, but nothing is worth visiting the island to realize the historical and emblematic aspect of the prison. Explore her without hesitation!

Visit Alcatraz: schedules, rates...

The Alcatraz Prison is a popular place for tourists. But if you book enough in advance, or have the chance to get tickets directly on the spot, the simple entry for an adult is approximately $38 . All details on the prices for Alcatraz are listed in the table below:

To help you plan your visit to Alcatraz, here are the hours of departure and return of ferries from Pier 33 to prison and vice versa:

Where is Alcatraz prison?

Located less than 2 kilometers from the port of San Francisco. Access is made by boat during a 15-minute crossing. The boat leaves Fisherman’s Wharf. The boarding dock is Pier 33, less than 10 minutes walk from the famous sea lions of Pier 39.

Have you visited Alcatraz prison?

Main photo credit: Flickr – Krystian Olszanski