San Francisco Alcatraz App Guided Tour with Cruise and Jail House
San Francisco, USA
- 1 to 2 hours (approx.)
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
What's Included
- App Guide
- Unlock secret stories, audio, and music
- Official Alcatraz ticket, including ferry ride to the island (Value of $48)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Pier 33San Francisco, CA 94133, USA
Your tour will start at Pier 33
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Pier 33
25 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Alcatraz Island
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Stroller accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
3.7
based on 118 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Gina_J, Jul 2026
I ended up with the Alcatraz and Angel Island package.
Through the website it was allegedly all that was available. Lies.
You got some stupid “tour” via an app, but you don’t need it Alcatraz gives you a great headset your free.
You do indeed need to get to the island on a ferry, but I am pretty sure you can just buy them at the pick up site on Pier 33
The Angel Island is not worth it IMO. You get a guided tour in a bus from a 30 year old tape. It has some historical significance, but minimal. It was very long and drawn out. The ferry to get us back to SF was about 30 minutes late. If we would have known that we could have possibly explored some on foot, but they tell you to be there 10 minutes early, then leave closer to 40 minutes late.
Alcatraz is with it. Interesting. Just figure out how to get on one of the ferry’s over there and don’t buy any packages
Jackie_M, Jul 2026
Excellent trip to Alcatraz although little disappointed that half of tour not available due to closure of dining area.
Cheryl_B, Jul 2026
Wear comfortable shoes and bring a jacket for the ride over
Staff is very informative
Lots of history
Alex_S, Jul 2026
I had a reservation for 11:45am but my ticket that I was sent was a 1:35pm ticket. I was planning on a 11:45am time.
Susan_K, Jul 2026
The ride over and Alcatraz itself was great. The audio was a pain. My companion and I had different phones, ios vs android. They have different starting points and we couldn't sync up. My Android audio kept turning off, especially when I tried to take photos with my phone. Turning off and going back to the start of the section or kicking me out of the audio and I had to restart the whole thing. You get audio inside the cell block and we used that instead. Would not recommend.
Cory_S, Jul 2026
BEWARE!...All throughout communication we were given a time of 3:40 for our tour, with recommendation to be there 30 minutes early. In the morning when the ticket was delivered to my text message, it had a tour time of 2:45, I tried contacting Viator and got no response clarifying the time. Since everything else for months since it was booked had said a 3:40 p.m. we arrived the 30 minutes prior only to be told we were supposed to be on the 2:45 and missed that time.
Thankfully they were able to get us on the next one on standby which we were able to get on. But out of all the tours that I have booked well over a dozen with Viator I have never had this happen where Viator told me one time and they booked a different time on the ticket.
Linda_M, Jul 2026
There is a great deal of uphill walking. Very interesting history. Lots of benches to rest and on. Great pic opportunities. The audio provided was difficult to navigate. Ended up not using. You get an audio device in different exhibits. Just use those.
Janet_A, Jul 2026
When booking thus the website said from $76.00 but it was $131.00 a person. When we got toe the pier to get our tickets the tickets said Alcatraz and Angel Island. No where on the website did it have Angel Island so this probably accounts for the higher price which we did not want. A man in line waiting to board told us the same thing happened to him. This doesn’t make for a happy customer especially someone who used Vitor a lot. The tour itself was good.
Dori_D, Jul 2026
Great history. The audio made the tour so much better. Former prisoners narrated the audio and shared their experiences
lbeardsl1, Jul 2026
Great experience. Bring a jacket as it can be windy. The tour operators and nps workers were very helpful.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and hope to welcome you again soon!
Jill_C, Jul 2026
No need to download audio tour the jailhouse audio is given to you and it drains your phone battery.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and hope to welcome you again soon!
Denita_T, Jul 2026
Fun and exciting, lots of information, great history. It was interesting to hear about how the jail original started and how the prison was ran.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and hope to welcome you again soon!
John_B, Jul 2026
Just book thru the NPS. I didn't really understand how this tour worked I should have paid closer attention. I was supposed to listen to my phone. The park service already has a guided audio jail house tour. I really don't know what I would have gained by listening to my phone audio. Waist of money!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We're truly sorry to hear about your experience and apologize for not meeting your expectations. Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We take concerns like yours seriously and would like the opportunity to make things right. If you're willing, please contact us with more details so we can review the situation and work toward a resolution.
Judy_M, Jul 2026
Communication was very unclear! The time was changed on our tour on text but stayed same on email! very confusing! Narration was horrific! We ended up taking the headphones that the site uses. Trying to get the narration to the rest of the party was also horrific. Very poor experience.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We're truly sorry to hear about your experience and apologize for not meeting your expectations. Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We take concerns like yours seriously and would like the opportunity to make things right. If you're willing, please contact us with more details so we can review the situation and work toward a resolution.
Danielle_C, Jul 2026
Don’t do it. Not worth the time or money. It ate up our whole day. Huge tourist trap. There’s nothing to see at Angel island and you’re there for 3hours! No joke worst experience ever.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We're truly sorry to hear about your experience and apologize for not meeting your expectations. Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We take concerns like yours seriously and would like the opportunity to make things right. If you're willing, please contact us with more details so we can review the situation and work toward a resolution.
Olga_F, Jul 2026
We were supposed to visit Alcatraz with an app guide for almost $300 for two people. This was explicitly described as Alcatraz jail visit and optional angel Island visit. It turned out that the ferry took us all the way to Angel Island without a stop at Alcatraz and we were told we need to wait almost 4 hours to get to Alcatraz island. It was completely in conflict with description of the trip at the via website, as well as on the tickets that we received. We are waiting three days now for a refund and have no commitment from via what will happen. This is totally unacceptable and disaster experience, it’s not so much about the money but it’s about waste of time and lost opportunity to see something. We really wanted to see the premium pricing makes it much worse.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We're truly sorry to hear about your experience and apologize for not meeting your expectations. Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We take concerns like yours seriously and would like the opportunity to make things right. If you're willing, please contact us with more details so we can review the situation and work toward a resolution.
Adriana_A, Jul 2026
It was well organized and so worth it.. First time in San Francisco and the tour was excellent. Definitely I will come back again.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and hope to welcome you again soon!
Arnold_L, Jul 2026
We were never sent our code for our tickets. We got in line first, put out of line and had to go to ticket station. I called and they never respond,never.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We're sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. We value your feedback and would appreciate the opportunity to learn more about what happened so we can improve. If you're willing, please let us know more about your experience.
Hasaan_A, Jul 2026
It was really great to learn about the island. I learned more information about what was really going on there
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and hope to welcome you again soon!
Darren_M, Jun 2026
Be prepared for the wind during transport to and from the island. The experience on the island was great. Very educational and the audio headsets are a must.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and hope to welcome you again soon!
Cindee_K, Jun 2026
It was a great experience. I could learn the history of Alcatraz island. The scenery was great and the audio tour was excellent.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and hope to welcome you again soon!
Vickie_M, Jun 2026
The guided tour was literally small snippets of a podcast you could get for free. My daughter found a better podcast for free on Spotify. Also the cell block tour audio is free, just buy the tickets for the ferry $48 per person and save yourself some cash.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We're truly sorry to hear about your experience and apologize for not meeting your expectations. Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We take concerns like yours seriously and would like the opportunity to make things right. If you're willing, please contact us with more details so we can review the situation and work toward a resolution.
Carolyn_C, Jun 2026
Interesting tour. Definitely listen to the audio. We met a former inmate that was there selling his book. Great to see he’s making an honest living now at 93.!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and hope to welcome you again soon!
Jackie_G, Jun 2026
Alcatraz itself was wonderful, highly recommend. I do not recommend booking the night tour as it is double the price and does not include anything extra, per Alcatraz and viator staff. I booked this tour expecting to get the ranger led sessions and the extra access, however upon checking in, I was not given the necessary “sticker”. When I realized this and tried to rectify it, they told me they wouldn’t fix it on the island and I needed to go back to port (not realistic since I was on the island already). When I contacted Viator to dispute this, since I paid $96 for the standard $48 tour, they basically told me to fly a kite and they had nothing to do it. Therefore I do not recommend booking this, or if you do, make sure you have the right tour before you leave the island.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We're truly sorry to hear about your experience and apologize for not meeting your expectations. Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We take concerns like yours seriously and would like the opportunity to make things right. If you're willing, please contact us with more details so we can review the situation and work toward a resolution.
Emre_H, Jun 2026
Very interesting, audio guide really helped a lot definitely worth visiting , kids loved it too, very easy boarding to vessel
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and hope to welcome you again soon!
Nora_A, Jun 2026
Very easy to use. Very informative. Alcatraz was truly amazing. One more check off my bucket list!!!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and hope to welcome you again soon!
Lisa_M, Jun 2026
Very historic in nature. Only way to the island is on the ferry. Basic information was given on the boat but more details were provided during the tour itself by the park.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your positive feedback! We're glad you enjoyed your experience. We also appreciate your comments and will continue working to make every visit even better. We hope to see you again soon!
Josh_K, Jun 2026
Very confusing. Got to the area we were told to be at and early and staff wouldn’t accept our ticket from Viator and had to get out of line to go get a QR code ticket as they wouldn’t accept what was sent to us (barcode ticket). Staff was rude at the counter and at the gate.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We're sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. We value your feedback and would appreciate the opportunity to learn more about what happened so we can improve. If you're willing, please let us know more about your experience.
Neal_G, Jun 2026
Great Tour. I probably should have left more time to see Alcatraz, but I was on a slightly time crunch to get somewhere else afterwards.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and hope to welcome you again soon!
Mary_C, Jun 2026
The guided portion is done really well. We spent 2 hours soaking in the whole area. The Native American exhibit was very enlightening. Worth the trip!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and hope to welcome you again soon!
Likely to Sell Out
From $76.49
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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San Francisco Alcatraz App Guided Tour with Cruise and Jail House
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