Full-Day Guided Tour of San Francisco with Alcatraz
San Francisco, USA
- 7 to 8 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Make the most of your limited time in San Francisco, and combine a guided morning bus tour with a visit to Alcatraz. Enjoy a fully narrated sightseeing adventure through iconic neighborhoods such as Haight-Ashbury, Chinatown, and North Beach, with stops at the Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate Bridge, Land’s End, and Twin Peaks. Then, skip the ticket line for your official Alcatraz Island ferry and tour, including a self-guided audio experience.
- Save time and money with a combo San Francisco and Alcatraz tour
- Learn about Alcatraz prison on a self-guided audio tour
- Snap photos of the Golden Gate Bridge and see other top sights
- Includes round-trip ferry and audio tour of Alcatraz
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
This tour's jam-packed itinerary will appeal to travelers with limited time in San Francisco.
What's Included
- Official tickets to the Alcatraz Island ferry & tour
- Local expert guide commentary in English for the City Tour
- Foreign language audio guide in 8 languages
- 4-hour guided city tour
- Two convenient pickup locations in San Francisco
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks
- Transportation back to hotel after Alcatraz
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting points
Select a meeting point
End point
- Pier 33San Francisco, CA 94133, USA
You will need to make your own way back to your hotel after Alcatraz.
Operating hours.8:30 am
Itinerary
San Francisco (Pass By)
Fisherman's Wharf (Pass By)
1
Palace of Fine Arts Theatre
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Golden Gate Bridge
1 minute • Admission Ticket Free
3
Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Lands End
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Sutro Baths
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Ocean Beach (Pass By)
Golden Gate Park (Pass By)
Golden Gate Park Windmills & Tulips (Pass By)
Bison Paddock (Pass By)
Haight-Ashbury (Pass By)
6
Twin Peaks
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
7
Pier 39
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Pier 33 (Pass By)
8
Alcatraz Island
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
9
Fisherman's Wharf
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- City Tour will last approx 4-5 hours and allow approx 3 hours for Alcatraz.
- Please note, Alcatraz departure time varies. You will be notified of the confirmed time closer to your departure date. Allow for extra time between the two tours.
- Government issued ID is required to redeem your Alcatraz tickets
- Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Meals are not included.
- Please always refer to the providers confirmation for exact pick-up time and location as this may differ from your hotel. Multiple hotel pick-ups are available, the time mentioned on the voucher is the first pick-up time, please allow a 45 minute window for pick-ups to be complete.
- California law requires tour guests to bring a car safety seat for all children under 8 years and under 4' 9" (1.4 meters) in height. Any guest that does not provide their child's safety seat at the time of the tour and does not inform the tour operator in advance may not be allowed to board the tour and will not be subject to refund.
- Exact destinations & itinerary may differ due to weather, road conditions, and the guide's discretion.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 37 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.0
based on 78 reviews
Stephanie_A, Aug 2025
My family and I had a great time. Keith went out of his way to make sure the guests had a good time. His stories from his growing up as a native San Franciscan personalized the experience. Definitely would go again
Response from Host, Aug 2025
We’re so glad to hear you and your family had a great time! Keith truly enjoys sharing his knowledge and local stories, and we’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to him. We’d love to welcome you back on another tour in the future!
Esther_M, Feb 2025
Great if you wanna spend the morning hitting all the major sights with about 4-5 stops for pictures and driving by the rest. They get you to the ferry area just in time for a little lunch and to board the ferry to Alcatraz if you do that option.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Sounds like a well-organized and efficient way to see the city! Hitting the major sights with photo stops and a smooth transition to Alcatraz makes for a great morning. Glad you enjoyed it!
Trey_P, Jul 2024
Very unorganized. I received many texts messages with different meet times.
One time says meet at 815. Then another stated 215.
Response from Host, Aug 2024
We're disappointed to hear that our messaging was confusing. There is a start time for the San Francisco tour and another for the departure of the boat to Alcatraz Island. We have re-written and simplified the messages for the future. Please call our Guest Services team about your Satisfaction Guarantee @ (415) 357-0700...we'd love to hear from you.
Jennifer_S, Jun 2024
While this tour didn’t really live up to its description, I did enjoy it. We didn’t see everything on the list, which was frustrating. I understand traffic and things, but ending early to accommodate people who didn’t follow directions and being their documents for Alcatraz was super annoying. We saw Presidio, Lands End, Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate Park. The guide was good and offered lots of tips and suggestions. Alcatraz was great and they let you stay on the island as long as you want (until last ferry back), which was great. The island is run by the IS Parks service and was well worth the visit.
Christine_C, Jun 2024
Pick up 8.30am Union Square
Drove around the city on tour bus, had 4 stops with limited time at each location (maximum 20 minutes)
Tour guide was knowledgeable about San Francisco but staff were discussing complaint from a previous tour (not very professional) this delayed our start time
Dropped off at pier for Alcatraz tour, instructed from bus to collect ticket & checkin 30 minutes prior to departure at 2.15pm (dropped off at 12.15pm)
Wouldn’t call it a full day guided tour
Response from Host, Jun 2024
We are sorry to hear about your disappointment. Most guests will take about 3 hours to do the Alcatraz guided tour (you can take any boat back to the mainland) and return to SF between 4:00 and 5:00. That's pretty much a "full" day...but please call our guest services team @ (415) 357-0700 if you feel we misrepresented the tour.
Terry_J, May 2024
I wish they would of told us when booking there was a run going on, we would of booked another day… to get the experience we paid for
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Sorry to hear that you missed our text and email about the tour adjustment we made to avoid the challenge of doing the tour on the day of the San Francisco Marathon. We apologize for the delay but want to point out that the tour eventually saw everything that a normal tour sees. Please contact us about our Satisfaction Guarantee so we can put things right. (415) 357-0700.
David_N, Apr 2024
Our guide Michelle was very knowledgeable and imparted this knowledge very well. Very enjoyable especially if you like learning about the history of San Francisco. Would recommend this to anyone. Alcatraz was a great experience learning about the history of this place. Well worth visiting when in San Francisco
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thanks for taking the time to review your Alcatraz tour. Let's do it again soon!
Kristi_F, Mar 2024
Awesome tour, very cool guide and driver. There was a family that was late showing up, late on every stop and the father was super rude and loud. Would have been a near perfect trip if we would have left on time (without him), as he held everyone up literally on every single stop. He also called the tour guide ill-informed and said it was a "sh*t-show" which I found ironic, as he was the only person that was making things uncomfortable. For the sake of other guests, I wish tour guides were allowed to be less polite and more assertive when a customer is ruining everyone else's experience. No Pink Ladies, no stop in Haight & Ashbury and no curvy streets, so you will want a different tour if those are things you want to see. There are 4 20 minute stops and then you have about 1.5 hours wait after tour ends, before Alcatraz. Also make sure you go to will call to get your tickets.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Gosh...sorry to hear about the "bad" traveler. Thankfully, this is quite rare. BTW, all of the spots you mention do not allow tour vehicles to stop and (as you point out) we make stops to stretch and take photographs at the Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate Bridge, and other locations around the city. Thanks for the review!
Dimitrios_A, Sep 2023
I thought the overall experience was quite disappointing and poorly organised. Right from the start, we were confused about the pickup point. I sent Extranomical Tours 5 messages asking them to confirm the pickup location and, when they finally did, they gave me one that was 30mins away claiming it was the closest one to our hotel (it wasn't and after checking the info on their website, it turned out there was another one that was only 1 minute away). We stopped at some interesting places along the way and our tour guide was polite and knowledgeable but, as we were crammed inside a mini-van, we often found ourselves struggling to see the buildings the guide was pointing at (e.g. the Painted Ladies). Finally, the tour includes a ticket to Alcatraz but nothing more than that - no tour of the prison and we even had to collect the tickets from the ticket office ourselves. The tour company failed to mention we'd need photo-ID to collect the tickets so we wouldn't be able to do so if I didn't have our passports with us on the day. I find it disappointing that Extranomical Tours felt it was important to message me about how to dress or to wear sunscreen on the day but forgot to mention this key piece of information.
Response from Host, Nov 2023
We had a chance to apologize for your experience and are glad that are pleased with our resolution.
Paul_B, Aug 2023
The bus tour was very enjoyable. Felt very safe with the driver even though tight lanes and extreme hills of San Francisco are not something we are used to.
Significant issues with transition to Alcatraz adventure! Tour guide on bus told us to hurry to pick up tickets at Alcatraz drop point and then bus drove off. Actually we had over a 3 hour wait for that part of the excursion and could not even pick up the tickets at Will Call window for 2 hours. Lack of understanding about this part of our excursion and the subsequent wait really diminished the value of what could have been a completely wonderful day. Between Viator and the tour providers, someone missed a step here.
Response from Host, Aug 2023
We apologize for the misunderstanding about the Alcatraz boarding time. In almost all cases, our Alcatraz checkin times are 12:30 PM, due to the busy summer season in San Francisco, your time was 3:30 as you stated. We are sorry that the guide did not catch that. We hope you enjoyed the tour of Alcatraz Island. Call us if you are not fully satisfied with your experience.
Liane_M, Jul 2023
The tour guide was excellent. He showed us various parts of the city, and at one point changed his route and still had something to say about what we were seeing. Alcatraz was very interesting, taking the self guided tour. At the end there was a book signing by one of the former prisoners.
ernie0926, Jun 2023
While we enjoyed what we did see, what we didn’t was more notable. We did have a small group but they put us in a full size bus making it impossible to see Lombard street and the painted ladies. 2 of the most popular sights in San Francisco. Also no Chinatown. Our tour guide and driver were both very nice and the guide was very knowledgeable. There was no hotel pick up and I only found that out because I texted and asked where we should wait for pickup, only to be given an address by fishermen’s wharf and told no one was coming for us. Even though all of my communication showed hotel pickup. The Alcatraz part was very easy and well explained. Be warned though. Alcatraz is straight uphill walking. Also that entire island is covered in birds and their crap. I’m not overly fond of birds, so not my favorite place. Overall not impressed with the experience and had to pay a taxi driver to see the stuff we missed.
Response from Host, Jun 2023
We apologize for the misunderstanding about what would be on the city tour. As you point out, Lombard St, Deloras Park (Painted Ladies) and Chinatown are popular but they are also residential neighborhoods that do not allow tour vehicles to make stops. We point out these fun places and encourage our guests to go visit them if they are interested. We hope you enjoyed the other stops on your tour at the Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate Bridge, Presidio, Land's End, and, of course, Alcatraz Prison. Please let us know next time you are in SF and let's discuss your plans by phone so we get it exactly right!
JeanYves_P, Dec 2022
The guide was interesting to listen, he knew the city by heart and was a professional.
I did the reservation and everything was ok with Viator(Paid,pick up location, date, hour….)the day before the excursion I received a message from Viator to advise me that the departure time was change and the employee at Viator said this is the time and that’s it. And you have to be there on time.
So a had too change my planning for them.
Note: the guide with the mini van was 15 minutes late ?
Response from Host, Dec 2022
We are sorry to hear about the confusion around the pick up location and time. In the future, if you reach out directly to our Guest Services department @ (415) 357-0700 was can assist you with whatever you need. Travel safe home.
Julie_M, Oct 2022
The tour was fantastic, Joseph our tour guide was so knowledgeable and he was awesome answered any questions we asked . Jimmy our driver was great too would definitely recommend
Response from Host, Oct 2022
Thanks so much for your kind words. Let's tour again soon.
Demetrius_V, Sep 2022
I would say what stood out the most was the trip to the Golden Gate Bridge. The tour guide was patient and let us take photos at our leisure. She also took us to places not mentioned in the tour description. I enjoyed the tour and would definetly recommend others to take this during their stay in San Francisco.
Response from Host, Sep 2022
We are thrilled that you had a great time on your City tour of San Francisco. We hope you enjoyed the rest of your stay in SF!
Suzanne_S, Jul 2022
Great way to see the city, we definitely wouldn't have seen as much on our own. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and fun.
Response from Host, Jul 2022
Thanks for taking the time to review your city tour experience. All the best!
Jack_L, Mar 2022
This looked like a fantastic tour to go on to make sure that you see all of San Fran as it is very spread out and easy to miss areas. Unfortunately we were not able to do the guided tour due to covid and places just starting to open back up not enough people signed up. The tour company were very good and got in touch in good time and offered us the alcatraz tickets and a refund or alcatraz and a hop on hop off bus tour. We accepted the hop on hop off bus tour. Thank you for keeping us updated and we appreciate the level of customer service We had an amazing time at Alcatraz it is so informative and has some stunning views. Well worth doing in San Fran. The hop on hop off tour allowed us to see parts of San Francisco that we definitely would not have seen or even known were there some lovely views. Thanks for a lovely day and the great customer service.
Response from Host, Mar 2022
I've passed your kind words on to our guest services department. They thank you for understanding and being flexible as San Francisco returns to opening its "Golden Gate" to visitors. Hope you can return this summer and see some more destinations and attractions. Take care.
Teresa_B, Oct 2021
Happy for all the tours 😎👍🛳⚓️⛩Experience was very nice to see San Francisco California. We did enjoy with the family
Alan_C, Aug 2021
The tour guide Kimmy was great. Very knowledgeable and a lot of information. The tour did advertise hotel pickup and drop off but we were told by our tour guide when we were dropped off at Fisherman’s Wharf that when we got back from Alcatraz Island we had to find our own way back to our Union Square hotel. This is not what was advertised so be prepared to navigate San Francisco if you are not familiar with the city.
Jamilla_L, Apr 2021
The Golden Gate Bridge views and going around the city. Alcatraz was nice too!! It was a great tour that included one of my favorite places, Fisherman’s Wharf. Great tour guide too!!
Response from Host, Apr 2021
Sounds like the perfect day in San Francisco. Hope you got to enjoy some fresh crab (it's in season) on the Wharf. Take care!
Karen_A, Mar 2020
Fantastic tour to do on our first day in San Francisco. Alcatraz was fantastic, we were on the first boat over. Pick ups were very efficient. The afternoon tour by Amanda was amazing. We went to places you would never go to on your own. Gives you an insight to the places you would want to visit again. We went over the Golden Gate Bridge and took some fabulous pictures. Lots of bathroom/coffee breaks. An excellent full day tour. Thank you
neenerr, Feb 2020
Do yourself a favor and find yourself a local company in SF. The company that Viator contracted with canceled our tour less than 24 hours before it was scheduled. They offered us a ln alternative that was much less expensive than what I had paid. After spending way too much time trying to rectify the situation, they sent an Uber (that was also a hassle and took three attempts to actually get) and we only did the Alcatraz part of the tour (which we still could have done for cheaper). Used Viator in Europe and had a great experience. In San Francisco it was a disaster.
Mara_R, Feb 2020
No pick up / drop off (pick up offered but YBER link did not work)
I could have bought the tickets to ALCATRAZ just as easy
The small group tour was a ticket provided on the Big bus tour not what I expected or wanted
Kept ringing me to confirm very annoying
Julie S, Jan 2020
Randall was a brilliant and informative guide on this excellent tour. We went to places we would never have discovered on our own
Fernando_S, Dec 2019
We were in San Francisco for just 1 day and got this tour that allowed us to see all the city and visit Alcatraz as well. Constaine our tour guide was knowledgeable and professional and made us feel like family
Response from Host, Dec 2019
We're so glad you had a great time seeing our wonderful city. We've passed your kind words on to Constantine.
Bradley_W, Dec 2019
This is a great tour to do on your first day visiting San Francisco. Getting to Alcatraz first thing in the morning was a great way to see it before the crowds later in the day. Then the afternoon was filled with driving around the city to see the sites with stops to take pictures. Don was knowledgeable and had stories and information about the sites. There is a lot of driving on this so if you get car sick - make sure you take that into account.
Response from Host, Dec 2019
Isn't this city tour with Alcatraz wonderful? Glad you got to explore the island prison and see our wonderful city. Let's tour again soon.
Susan J, Nov 2019
We had a last minute cancellation/reschedule with a new vendor. Company did call the day before we were scheduled for our tour stating that due to low enrollment they would not be providing the tour. I was at my conference and not in a place where I could hear them and/or receive the new instructions. I ended up calling the company back to verify the instructions and ask that they send me detailed instructions via email. Which, of course, was a good idea because we had to get to all of these places on our own. Instead of providing transportation, they sent an Uber which we could not find because there were unclear instructions as to where they were going to pick us up at the hotel that had three entrances. We spent the better part of 30 minutes running from door to door only to see the Uber tail lights as they cancelled the pickup and moved on. Of course the Uber driver did not have my contact info because I didn't make the reservation. Since the first Uber driver cancelled, I had to make another call to the company to send a new Uber. At this time, our contact was frustrated and said that if I couldn't figure it out this time that they would not send another Uber. Let's remember that transportation was supposed to be part of this package and it was not my last minute change/cancellation.
We arrived at Alcatraz late due to Uber situation and had no instructions as to where we were supposed to pick up our prepaid tickets. After the Alcatraz visit we had to find our way and walk to the rescheduled tour bus operator for the second half of the tour. Overall, it would have just been easier and probably less expensive to just get our own Uber to the Alcatraz Tour and then schedule the city tour on our own. I would not recommend this trip.
Safari51293684527, Oct 2019
Had a great tour. Constantine was very knowledgeable and hit all the places we were interested it going
Response from Host, Oct 2019
We call Constantine the "professor" Glad to hear you had a great time! Tour with us again soon.
Don_B, Sep 2019
Great tour - only one key issue. Seems to have been two disjointed tours "patched" together - Alcatraz and SF bus tour. After we were dropped off for Alcatraz, we were given no information on how/when to get our "real" Alcatraz tickets nor to second part of tour. Had to go to group ticket sales to get Alcatraz tickets. Then after Alcatraz, walk 1/2 mile to another hotel for second part of tour. Had to call for this info "on the run". Had assumed we would be picked up where left off. Only other issue is that I really don't consider a bus a "small group".
Other than this, great tour and friendly staff.
Response from Host, Oct 2019
Thanks for your comments, they help us get better every day. Just so folks know...only the park service can do tours of Alcatraz so there is a bit of a pass off at the pier where you catch the ferry. Sorry if it seemed disjointed...we'll work on that. Please tour with us again!
Laurence_N, Sep 2019
Alcatraz exceeded expectations. Driver/Guide was skilled, knowledgeable and very entertaining. I highly recommend this tour.
Response from Host, Sep 2019
Glad that we were able to make your vacation to SF even more special. Come back again soon and try another tour!
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