Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay is one of the world’s most famous prisons. Discover the history, stories, and modern-day attractions on a visit to the island – but make sure you use the brilliant audioguide.
Watching films about Alcatraz Island
I haven’t seen The Rock; it breaks the all important no Nicolas Cage rule. Nevertheless, I’m sure Sean Connery’s accent is splendid throughout the movie.
It appears as though I am in something of a minority on this one, however. A show of hands on the dock of Alcatraz Island reveals that at least 60% have seen one film that features what was arguably the world’s most famous prison. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise – the legend of Alcatraz has built up through rumour and artistic interpretation over the years, arguably becoming something far bigger than it ever was during the jail years.
Why book the Alcatraz Ticket, Ferry, & Self-Guided App?
- 🚤 Includes round‑trip ferry transfer to Alcatraz Island
- 🎧 Access to the official self‑guided audio tour of the former prison
- 📱 Mobile ticketing for easy entry
- 🕰 Flexible visiting hours to suit your schedule
- ⭐ Highly rated — average rating ~4.5/5 from thousands of travelers
The history of Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island sits in San Francisco Bay. The early Spaniards named the island after the pelicans that used to roost there, back when it was nothing more than a barren rock. From the mid-1850s, however, it was used as a military prison, and it was turned into a Federal prison back in 1933.
This is where the legend really begins. Alcatraz was set aside as the California’s top high security prison, and authorities ensured that there was a news blackout from there. No reporters were allowed on the island, while guards and their families were sworn to secrecy. This was all a deliberate attempt to ramp up the fear factor – the government wanted people to be afraid of being sent to Alcatraz.
It would be a mistake to think of Alcatraz as a place for those who committed the worst crimes however – it wasn’t a spot for banging up serial killers. The prisoners sent to Alcatraz were the ones who had consistently broken the rules in other prisons or were thought to be the biggest escape risk.
Amazingly, children lived on the small island alongside the prisoners – families of the guards often lived there, and kids were ferried over to the city every morning so that they could go to school.
Experiencing Alcatraz with an audioguide
All this emerges as you listen to the audioguide on the way through the giant cell block at the top of the island. Audioguides can often be awful, subjecting you to rambling descriptions of everything that might have once appeared in a room and in dire need of a good editor.
The one at Alcatraz is unquestionably worth getting, however. It’s narrated by former guards and inmates, crackles along at a pace and shows many aspects of prison life that you wouldn’t initially have thought of.
Escape attempts on Alcatraz Island
One you will have thought of is the escape attempts. Alcatraz was regarded as an inescapable place, and no-one is known to have successfully broken out. Some have gone missing, presumed drowned. The voices in the ear, of course, go into the more famous breakout attempts. But what becomes quickly more interesting than the facts is the psychology.
The prisoners tell of the longing to be free – particularly in the knowledge that San Francisco is just a couple of kilometres across the bay. “You could hear all the sounds coming from the outside world,” says one. “New Year was the night we always heard.”
Another tells of looking out over the city. “There’s everything I want in my life and it’s there – a mile and a quarter away. But I can’t get there.”
Alcatraz Island today
The main surprise, however, comes in how pleasant the island is today. It should be a forbidding place of darkened cells and crumbling ruins, but on a bright sunny day, it feels joyously perky. The buildings are actually rather pretty, and decades of attempts to grow gardens on the once barren rock have succeeded. It’s now green and floral.
Most importantly, it has also become something of a refuge for the creatures that gave the island its name in the first place. They’ve come back to roost – and it’s these sea birds, rather than the jailbirds, that are the future of Alcatraz.
Visitor information for Alcatraz Island
| How to get to Alcatraz Island | Ferries depart from Pier 33, San Francisco. Tickets can be booked in advance online. |
| Entry cost | Adult tickets start at $47; children and seniors have discounted fares. See nps.gov/alca. |
| Opening hours | Ferry services operate daily, with the first departure at 8:45am and the last return in the evening. |
| Duration of visit | The tour typically lasts 2–3 hours, including the ferry ride and the audioguide experience. |
| Accessibility | Wheelchair accessible areas on the ferry and limited accessible areas on the island. Check NPS website for details. |
More San Francisco travel
Other San Francisco travel articles on Planet Whitley include:
- Review of the Tonga Room tiki bar in San Francisco.
- How much does the San Francisco to Sausalito ferry cost?
- Embracing touristy San Francisco at Fisherman’s Wharf.
- Planning a visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.
- What to know before visiting the California Academy of Sciences.
