Alcatraz Island

Ride a ferry across San Francisco Bay to walk the cellhouse corridors of the former federal penitentiary.

Ferry from Alcatraz Landing, Pier 33, The Embarcadero · San Francisco, CA

About Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz held a federal penitentiary from 1934 to 1963, and today the National Park Service runs the island as a historic site. You reach it by ferry from Pier 33, then walk the cellhouse with its tiers of cells and see exhibits on the Civil War era fort and the 1969 Native American occupation. The island also has the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast and colonies of gulls, cormorants and egrets. There is no entrance fee, but a ferry ticket is required.

#historic prison
#island ferry
#national park site
#san francisco bay

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What's around here?

The closest stops to Alcatraz Island, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Museums
History Buff
USS Pampanito
$25–$50
A World War II submarine museum at Pier 45 on Fisherman's Wharf, run by the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association.
Transit: reachable by public transit
1.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Attractions
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Pier 39
No admission fee
A waterfront pier at Fisherman's Wharf with shops, restaurants, and a resident colony of sea lions.
Transit: reachable by public transit
1.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions
Eat & Drink
Foodie Favorite
Simco Restaurants
$25–$50
Family-owned group of Fisherman's Wharf seafood restaurants at Pier 39, including Pier Market and Fog Harbor Fish House.
Transit: reachable by public transit
1.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Eat & Drink
Sightseeing
Iconic
Blue & Gold Fleet
$25–$50
San Francisco Bay sightseeing cruises past Alcatraz, the sea lions, and under the Golden Gate Bridge.
Transit: reachable by public transit
1.4 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
Iconic
Lombard Street
No admission fee
Walk the side stairs or drive down eight brick hairpin turns on a single steep block of Russian Hill.
Transit: reachable by public transit
1.7 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
Iconic
Coit Tower
Under $25
Ride the elevator up this 210-foot Art Deco tower on Telegraph Hill for 360-degree views of the city and bay.
Transit: reachable by public transit
1.9 mi awayMore like this