Step back in time during the Alcatraz Island Day Tour and experience the legendary Island that has been a Civil War fort, a military prison and one of the most notorious and inescapable Federal penitentiaries in US history.
Please plan on a 3-hour Alcatraz Island tour experience, including a round-trip ferry ride (15 minutes each way). You will have access to wander the island, a one-hour self-guided audio tour, Junior Rangers activity book and badge and a 20-minute historical movie. You are allowed to stay until the last ferry. If you book the very first tour of the day, you will skip the heaviest crowds. All children are welcome to become a Junior Ranger and earn a Junior Ranger Badge. Certain days offer the possibility of Junior Ranger programs led by park service staff. Visitors will be able to explore the windswept island and learn about its layered history through outdoor interpretive signs, a Discovery Guide island map, and exhibits. Rangers will be stationed around the island to assist visitors and answer questions.
This is a popular destination that sells out quickly, especially during the summer months and on weekends. To ensure you get the date/time you want, please purchase tickets at least two months in advance.
Make sure to arrive at Pier 33 at least 30 minutes before your scheduled departure time to get at the front of the queue for the best seats. The ferry will turn around once it moves away from the pier, so grab a seat on the right hand side when you board and you'll end up facing Alcatraz for the duration of the trip.
Your tour includes:
• Round-trip ferry service to Alcatraz Island and
• admission to the Alcatraz Cellhouse
• the award-winning “Doing Time: The Alcatraz Cellhouse Tour (Cellhouse Audio Tour.)
• Admission to a new permanent exhibit “The Big Lockup: Mass Incarceration in the United States." The exhibit examines Alcatraz Island as a military prison and federal penitentiary within the context of incarceration in the U.S. where currently 2.3 million people are behind bars, more than any other country in the world.
• Access to outdoor historic spaces such as Eagle Plaza, the Recreation Yard, the Sallyport, and the Rose Garden
• Access to the New Industries Building, which includes a fascinating exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of the influential Occupation of Alcatraz by Indians of All Tribes
• View political messaging left by Indians of All Tribes during the 1969 Occupation
• Scenic vistas and iconic, close-up views of the exteriors of the Cellhouse, Building 64, Warden's House, Water Tower, Officer's Club and Model Industries Building
• National Park Service App - with interactive map, tours, historical information, stories and pictures of Alcatraz, Muir Woods, Marin Headlands and many other sites within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Educator Package: Includes educational resources, interactive project ideas, trip organization, direct experiential opportunities to help better connect the experience with your students and complimentary chaperone ticket. Does not include student ticket.
Student Package: Includes engaging pre and post educational field trip activities, trip organization and student ticket.
Alcatraz
Once you submit an order for tickets with your charter school, they will reach out to us with your request. You will be receiving your e-tickets and educational materials in an email within 1-2 days after we receive that request. Please make sure to check your email spam folder if you don't see your tickets in your inbox by that time. Submitting your order at least 7-14 days prior to your trip date is generally best unless you are trying to book a venue that requires more advanced planning.