Alcatraz City Cruises - San Francisco, California

Brooke Nodeland

We purchased tickets in advance for the 8:50a tour. We arrived early, and while there was no one directing us where to go, we just got in the line and turned out we were in the right place. We were boarded quickly and according to our departure time. The boat was not too crowded with plenty of seating for everyone. We sat on the top and had a great view of the city, the bridge, and Alcatraz on the way to the island. The tour on the island was great! Very informative and thorough, and when we were finished, I didn’t feel like I had missed anything. The ferry returned to the city regularly and we were ready to head back after about 2 hours. There was even more seating on the way back. The whole process was very smooth and lots of fun. Would recommend the experience to anyone!

M W

City Cruises does a fantastic job in every city we've visited. Alcatraz was no exception. City Cruises provides the sole official way of getting ONTO Alcatraz Island. Many cruises will circle the island and do a bay tour, but this is the one to get into the island.

I've visited SF on business and as a tourist many times, and this was the first and only time I've done yhe Alcatraz trip. I have no idea why I waited so long. It was spectacular and we spent a full day 9am-5pm on the island.

On arrival, there are times and topics for Rangers and volunteers to give history tours. We did a 2 hour tour that detailed the full history as a fort, town, jail, monument and protest site. It was amazing.

Pick a beautiful day, and enjoy! Audio tour in the cell blocks is possibly the best and most immersive audio tour we've done.

Lucas ルーカス

This is the best way to get to Alcatraz and Angel Island! We booked a combo tour for both, and when we arrived, we almost immediately started our boat to Alcatraz. We sailed to Alcatraz and explored the island for a little bit before heading to Angel Island. We then explored the island, and after a couple of hours, we got back on the boat to San Fransisco. The staff on the boats and on the ground were all amazing, helpful, and kind. Their boats are in top condition, with plenty of seating and good snacks. We had an amazing experience with them, and if we go back to Alcatraz or Angel Island, we know who to book with!

Laura “BehaviorMomma” Matlock

We recently visited The Rock, this time to show our kiddos, and tgus was a fantastic experience! THIS IS THE ONLY LEGITIMATE FERRY SERVICE TO ALCATRAZ AVAILABLE, so don't price compare on "other companies."

I remember past experiences being very disorganized, but this time was way more organized:
- Signage at the landing was clear and concise.
- Staff were helpful getting oriented at the landing, guiding us ti the correct area four our specific tour time, and telling later tours where they should gather. Digital ticketing was very easy.
- Since its outside, cleanliness is hard to measure but grateful there wasn't trash everywhere.

Bathrooms on board were a lifesaver, although not super clean (how can they be when on a boat with thousands of tourists!) but definitely adequate and got the job done. FYI, bathrooms were not right there at the landing, but also are on Alcatraz Island (a complication...but in SF you can't have bathrooms everywhere).

Based on weather or mobility level, there is flexibility of seating:
- There is seating up top, offering amazing views of the city as departing and the looming fog approaching Alcatraz.
- However, it can get chilly up there (even on sunny days, bring a warm jacket!!), especially at night when we were most grateful for the indoor seating below.

They did have a café serving food available, but such a short ferry ride, we didn't try it. They didn't serve alcohol on the way TO Alcatraz, but apparently do only on the way back.

Emily Feldkamp

Touring Alcatraz was such a fun experience! I did the night tour and it was fantastic. The boat ride out would have pretty great views had it been a clear night but we were gifted a very foggy evening.

Once you get on the island you walk up to the main building and are given a device to do a go at your own pace audio tour. It's basically a choose your own adventure! You can stay for as long as you wish until the last boat heads back. They also have talks provided by some of the rangers throughout the day/evening that I really enjoyed. During the more off season time frame it was never too terribly crowded but I could see summer months getting packed.

SUZIE Q

For a firt-time ferry ride, I was thoroughly impressed with my experience here. I had quite a bit of anxiety leading up to this, but it worked out better than i had pictured. These are people who have a system that works! If you pre-purchase your ticket you don't have to wait at the ticket booth. Walk right in and get in line or walk around until your scheduled time. If you want good pictures of Alcatraz island go on the left the boat; the right side if you're looking at it.
Loading and unloading was a breeze. We sat inside for the return because of the cold wind. It was nice to have that as an option. There aren't super long waits in between departures, either.

Ismael D

This was my first time using this service and the experience was horrible. I bought the tickets online and there was no clear instructions on where to get to the ferry. We called the number provided in the reservation and the number was out of service. I found another number on the company's website and noone answered. When we finally got to the line it was very disorganized and no one directed us where to go. The ferry left an hour later, it was a total chaos and disorganization. This is the only company that does the tours to Alcatraz, total monopoly with terrible customer service.

Robert Sullivan

This tour was very well organized when we docked at the island. A staff member greeted us to provide orientation and information about the tour. The staff handed out audio guides, allowing us to hear narrations simulating the voices of former inmates, as well as reenacted voices of the prison’s officers and directors. Back in the day, this was a notorious place to be incarcerated.