This fascinating personalized premium tour is the ultimate full-day San Francisco experience. Tour the City by the Bay your way, at your pace and without being rushed. This is a superb way to enjoy an-depth custom trip and gain an insider access to remote neighborhoods, hidden attractions, hanging cliffs, steep hills and narrow streets where large vehicles are prohibited..
Choose how you want to travel, without being rushed and enjoy this full-day San Francisco city private tour experience.
Experience the magic, mystery, culture, architecture and landmarks of the exciting metropolis of San Francisco. Travel in style and comfort with our luxury SUV tours led by local, passionate, highly rated and trained guides. This full-day private custom tour package is the ultimate touring experience. Enjoy a customized itinerary that will cover twice as much as a half-day tour would offer you, without being rushed. A fascinating full-day experience that will explore every corner of our mega metropolis.
Join us now and explore the magnificent wonders, attractions and sights of the City by the Bay, at your own pace..
Choose how you want to travel, without being rushed and enjoy this full-day San Francisco city private tour experience. Join us now and explore the magnificent wonders, attractions and sights of the City by the Bay, at your own pace.
Experience the magic, mystery, culture, architecture and landmarks of the exciting metropolis of San Francisco. Travel in style and comfort with our luxury SUV tours led by local passionate, highly rated and trained guides. This full-day private custom tour package is the ultimate touring experience. Enjoy a customized trip itinerary that will cover twice as much as a half-day tour can offer you, without being rushed. This is a fascinating full-day experience that will explore every corner of our mega metropolis.
This is a superb way to enjoy an in-depth custom tour experience and gain insider access to remote neighborhoods, hidden attractions, hanging cliffs, steep hills and narrow streets. Many of these picturesque hills and narrows streets are prohibited to van and bus tours, including Lombard street ‘the crookedest street in California’. This is where our expert tour guides come in handy, and our luxury vehicles are well-suited to this steep terrain and restricted sites. We will stop anywhere you want, so you can capture the stunning views and sights of San Francisco.
This one-to-one personalized experience is not just a sightseeing city tour, but a fascinating way to discover every famous and hidden site of San Francisco. Enjoy insider access to unique cultural encounters with locals, away from crowded sights and large bus tours. This new full-day tour is the ultimate experience. Visit famous sights, neighborhoods, museums, beaches, parks, forests, hidden treasures, painted staircases, murals and Victorian homes, that tour buses miss. It is a highly rated and recommended experience for all ages. Hike, walk or drive to stunning overlooks and enjoy breathtaking and rewarding views.
Make the most of your San Francisco vacation during your stay in San Francisco and visit San Francisco’s top attractions and famous landmarks or sights. Even places and sites restricted or prohibited to large vehicles, such as bus and van tours, can be experienced with our custom tour. Not only will you visit twice as many sights and attractions than what a large van or bus tour can show you in a day tour, but we also offer you an insider’s access to the scenic hills, hanging cliffs and neighborhoods like Lombard street ‘the crookedest street in the city’, where large vehicles are prohibited.
Sit back, relax and let your driver take care of the driving and guiding for you. Our drivers are also expert local tour guides who have earned hundreds of excellent trip reviews.
Whether you are visiting San Francisco for the first time, for business, leisure, with or without your family, this is the most convenient and ideal way to visit the city's top attractions and sights, whilst leaving you with plenty of spare time for your own leisure pursuits.
We will provide ample time for you to step out, walk, hike, visit places and take photographs along the way and anywhere you want to stop. You will sightsee and drive through San Francisco’s top sights, iconic landmarks, attractions and see the most eclectic neighborhoods from Chinatown, to Little Italy, the Billionaire’s Row in the Pacific Heights and even the hippie district of Haight-Ashbury and much more. Please refer the detailed tour itinerary for more information about this exciting trip that covers the four corners of San Francisco.
Brief Itinerary Overview
The itinerary may change based on your time, road or weather conditions, pick-up location and preference.
Detailed Itinerary
Complimentary pick-up and drop-off at your hotel and on-route for an exciting guided city tour of San Francisco.
Visit or drive through San Francisco Union Square which is visitors’ top destination for shopping, dining and entertainment in San Francisco and where top hotels are also found.
Drive up to Nob Hill, photograph iconic landmarks like Grace Cathedral and inquire about the top Hollywood movie locations in this famous neighborhood.
Drive through San Francisco Chinatown - one of the largest Asian communities outside of China, and a very popular destination for shopping and dining.
Drive through the Italian District of North Beach along Washington Square, and picture the Roman Catholic Church of Saints Peter and Paul, and some typical Italian sights.
Drive by San Francisco Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf area located between the Embarcadero and Fort Mason. Pier 39 is a shopping center and popular tourist attraction built on a pier in San Francisco, at the edge of the famous Fisherman's Wharf district. Ask your driver to drop you off there at the end of the tour as you should allocate a full day exploring this area on your own. Many families and groups prefer staying here which is away from the hustle and bustle of downtown San Francisco.
Visit Telegraph Hill looming over Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, Embarcadero and the Ferry Building, and Treasure Island and the Bay Bridge. Along with Coit Tower - a slender white concrete column that sits atop Telegraph Hill – which has been an emblem of San Francisco's skyline since its completion in 1933, you can also capture Alcatraz Island, the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge from there.
Lombard Street – San Francisco's ‘Crookedest Street’ where bus and van tours are prohibited. Save yourself the steep walk up and downhill, and let us take you there aboard our luxury vehicles where larger vehicles are prohibited.
Visit the iconic Palace of Fine Arts monument in Marina District, adjacent to the San Francisco historic presidio and Crissy field.
Explore the spectacular Pacific Heights area and its famous Billionaire's Row where some mansions cost over $39 million dollars. Admire the stunning views from various angles, see the house where Mrs. Doubtfire was filmed, and the magnificent staircase steps down Lyon street.
The Presidio of San Francisco-drive and stop at stunning overlooks and attractions in the Presidio. The Presidio of San Francisco is a former U.S. Army military base, and before it served as a Mexican and even as a Spanish army base as well. Today, it’s home to restaurants, golf courses, recreational destination and museums like Walt Disney, and George Lucas Film Studios where the famous Star Wars movies are made.
Marvel at the iconic Golden Gate Bridge; is a masterpiece Art Deco colorful 1.7-mile bridge which was built in 1937. This suspension bridge spans over the Golden Gate strait and became one of the seven wonders of the modern world. For time and traffic considerations, we do not go across the bridge, but we offer a better stop at Fort Point or from Baker Beach, the best overlook over the bridge particularly when it’s foggy.
Drive through the wealthy neighborhood of Sea Cliff and the Palace of the Legion of Honor. Enjoy stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge and photograph an amazing array of sculptures outside of the Palace of the Legion of Honor.
Lands’ End and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area - Drive through Lands’ End and enjoy picturesque photo stops. This is a beautiful park located in the San Francisco Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It offers stunning overlooks, rocky shorelines, hidden beaches, sheer cliffs, coastal walking trails and a very informative visitor Center located by the Cliff House (by Ocean Beach) where a photo stop will be scheduled.
Visit the majestic Golden Gate Park which is over three miles (4.8 km) long, east to west (between Ocean Beach and Haight-Ashbury Area). It’s the fifth most-visited city park in the United States and home to amazing array of attractions such as California Academy of Sciences, and its natural history museum, de Young Museum, the Conservatory of Flowers, the Japanese Tea Garden, Stow Lake, Beach Chalet, the Dutch and Murphy Windmill, the Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum and much more.
Visit Haight-Ashbury, the birthplace of North America's counter-culture and the hippies and artists of the famous summers of love, where Jimi Hendrix, Jerry Garcia and Janis Joplin once lived.
Twin Peaks - Join us on the winding road up to the Twin Peaks; a stunning overlook offering the best lookout of the city skyline and sweeping views of the entire San Francisco Bay Area.
Drive through Alamo Square Park home of the ‘Painted Ladies’ where vans and bus tours are prohibited. We recommend booking the SUV tour option.
The Civic Center and the City Hall Neighborhood. San Francisco's Civic Center is located in the heart of the city, and home to many government and cultural organizations. The Plaza is surrounded by the War Memorial Opera House, Asian Art Museum, Herbst Theatre, San Francisco Symphony, Nourse Theatre, Superior Court of California, Supreme Court of California, San Francisco Public Library, Market street where Twitter is located, and The SFJAZZ Center - a music venue in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco. The itinerary may change based on your time, road or weather conditions, pick-up location.
Japantown – The ‘Little Osaka’ of the West.
Built in the late 19th and early 20th century, Japanese immigrants began moving into the area following the 1906 Earthquake and became the largest enclaves of Japanese people outside of Japan, but after the Japanese army attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese who even were American residents were forced to move out. Finally, in 1957, San Francisco entered into a Sister City relationship with the city of Osaka and named the neighborhood ‘Little Osaka.’ Top Japanese restaurants, sushi bars, and karaoke lounges are found.
The Castro District – An Eclectic and Colorful Neighborhood
Each neighborhood of the city is unique and authentic, including the Castro District, which draws eclectic crowds from all over the world. Castro District is one of San Francisco's most vibrant and culturally diverse communities, home to beautiful Victorian homes, popular bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. The Oscar-winning movie, Harvey Milk, starring Sean Penn, was filmed at the historic Castro Theatre, which is also known for its Wurlitzer pipe organ and sing-along movies. You will notice many rainbow flags reflecting the neighborhood's support of LGBT rights.
Noe Valley and the scenic staircases neighborhood of San Francisco. Noe Valley neighborhood was named after José de Jesús Noé, the last Mexican alcalde (mayor) of Yerba Buena, the original name for San Francisco, who owned the area as part of his Rancho San Miguel. Noe Valley contains many examples of the classic Victorian and Edwardian residential architecture for which San Francisco is famous. Originally a working class district, it is now a more gentrified neighborhood, popular with young families who enjoy its coffee houses, bistros, home-decor boutiques, chic clothing shops and bookstores. Don't miss St. Paul's Catholic Church, the location for the movie Sister Act.
The Eclectic Mission District: San Francisco's Mission District is famous for its diverse cultural background, outstanding murals, ethnic restaurants, underground creek, and historic Mission Dolores. The neighborhood maintains a precarious balance between its colorful Latino roots, gritty subculture, and growing population of technology professionals. ‘The Mission’ is warmer than all other neighborhoods thanks to its geographical location, which insulates it from the fog and wind from the west. It is a ‘city’ within the city, filled with surprises, art, history, landmarks, and terrific murals relating the history and subculture of this unique neighborhood. Among the local landmarks is the Mission Revival structure style of the Women's Building considered a ‘masterpiece’ of mural art, but other hidden gems and alleys are filled with art and murals.
The historic Mission Dolores, founded in 1776, is the oldest surviving structure in San Francisco, and the sixth religious settlement established as part of the California chain of 21 missions built by the Missionaries of St. Francis of Assisi. It is featured in famous movies such as ‘Vertigo,’ starring James Stewart and Kim Novak, and was also subject of the Jerry Garcia song ‘Mission in the Rain.’
Off-the-beaten-path Potrero Hill with its superb views of the bay and city skyline Potrero Hill offers incredible views of the San Francisco Bay and skyline. It’s trendy neighborhood with popular restaurants, breweries, wineries, and home to steep hills and narrows streets where top action movies were filmed like Bullitt
AT&T Park, the Ferry Building and Treasure Island. For baseball fans, we will make a photo at AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants which was built in 1892.
The Ferry Building and its Spanish style clock tower was converted into office space in the 1950's, and severely damaged in the 1989 earthquake, it was faithfully restored and renovated to its original style. Today, the Ferry Building is trending destination for the foodies and wine aficionados in this new Farmers' Markets style place.
Recommendation: If you wish to explore San Francisco in-depth rather than just driving by, and spend quality time in the famous and infamous neighborhoods, we highly recommend opting for the full day custom tour of San Francisco, because the half-day is a panoramic trip, that cannot cover more than 50% of these sights and iconic places of this huge city. Booking our San Francisco full day tour you will get to see more places, walk, hike and stop anywhere you want without restricting yourself to an express half-day tour.
This custom tour by SUV (luxury car) is totally private and the price is per person.
We don’t offer semi-private tours; all our trips are totally private.
| 1 person | 2 persons | 3 persons | 4 persons | 5 persons | 6 persons | 7 persons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $638 | $319 | $229 | $199 | $179 | $159 | $149 |
| 1 person | $638 |
|---|---|
| 2 persons | $319 |
| 3 persons | $229 |
| 4 persons | $199 |
| 5 persons | $179 |
| 6 persons | $159 |
| 7 persons | $149 |
This is a private city tour by large luxury van (like 15 seaters deluxe minibus) The price is per party (small group).
This tour by large van is totally private and not available for public reservations or individual booking.
| 1 – 5 Persons | 6 – 7 Persons | 8 – 10 Persons | 11 – 12 Persons | 13 – 14 Persons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1259 | $1439 | $1659 | $1849 | $2039 |
| 1 – 5 Persons | $1259 |
|---|---|
| 6 – 7 Persons | $1439 |
| 8 – 10 Persons | $1659 |
| 11 – 12 Persons | $1849 |
| 13 – 14 Persons | $2039 |
What's Included in this San Francisco city 8-hour tour?
All applicable taxes, San Francisco city 8-hour guided tour in a luxury vehicle, complimentary pick-up and drop-off in San Francisco downtown, Fisherman's Wharf, and surrounding areas or neighborhoods, but not outside of these areas.
What's Not Included in this 8-hour tour?
Meals, Driver's gratuity tips. Gratuities are recommended and customary in the USA at 15%-20%), and entrance tickets to any optional site(s) or monument(s). this tour doesn’t include Alcatraz Tickets.
Cancellation & Refund PolicyGeneral Terms & Declined TransactionsMore Terms and Miscellaneous
91% of the total amount will be refunded if the tour is canceled at least 15 days prior to the scheduled tour (or the date of the tour or service) 9% covers the required transaction fees; that’s 4.5 % per transaction (booking is one transaction and refunding is a second transaction)
50% of the total amount will be refunded if the tour is canceled at least 7 business days prior to the scheduled tour or service. (weekends and holidays don’t count).
15% of the total amount will be refunded if the tour is canceled at least 5 business days prior to the scheduled tour (weekends and holidays don’t count).
0% of the total amount will be refunded if the tour is canceled 4 business days or less prior to the day of the scheduled tour or service. This includes no-shows. (Weekends and holidays don’t count).
There is a charge for each transaction when wanting a refund. This charge will vary from 4.5% to 7.9% per transaction depending on the type of credit card you used to make the transaction and the country where the credit card was issued. This charge covers the credit card transaction fees that your credit card company charged us when you made the reservation on our website and includes the required merchant processing fees associated with your credit card company. This policy applies on all refunds as well, regardless of the amount or the date of the refund.
Methods of Payment and Accepted Credit Cards: We accept all major credit cards including Master Card, Visa, Discover, American Express, wire transfers, Debit Cards, Euro Cards, “Cartes Bleues.” and PayPal. We may in exceptional circumstances accept payments in cash from clients who have no credit cards.
Please note that tour guides are not allowed to guide inside Muir Woods National Monument and Alcatraz Island and Prison.
The pick-up at your hotel in San Francisco is included. However, to keep the cost down, the drop-off after your Alcatraz tour is not included.
Alcatraz tickets are extremely hard to get because they are often sold out weeks and months in advance. The sooner you book the better.
Approved online transactions do not guarantee your Alcatraz tour or tickets, as we should go through a process in order to book these tickets. After we receive your transaction, the tour can be approved or declined based on availability of Alcatraz tickets issued by Alcatraz. This is due to the increasing popularity of Alcatraz and number of visitors.
Declined transactions. Why your reservation was declined? When a reservation is declined by client’s own bank, this is often due to a mismatch between customer’s bank information (such as the name on the credit card, card number, expiration date, CVV, zip/postal code or billing address). If any one of these verification factors don’t match the information you provided on our website, comparing to the bank information when placed your order, your transaction is automatically declined by your own bank to protect your bank information from fraud. Sometimes, transactions are also declined due to insufficient funds as well. Your tour(s) will not be confirmed until your new transaction is approved by your own bank.
We apologize for the inconvenience, but your own bank did so to prevent fraud and protect your credit card information.
Wheelchair and Handicap Accessibility issues: We sincerely apologize, but our vehicles are not equipped with wheelchair access. There is no room for a wheelchair in our vehicles, unless it is a very small and foldable wheelchair. However, the main concern is customers’ safety and ability to get it in and out of the vehicles, in addition to liability considerations.
Pets: Pets are not allowed in our vehicles out of respect for those who have allergies to pets.
Smoking: Our vehicles are also non-smoking.
Clothing: Please be prepared for cold weather, slippery roads and hiking trails, so have comfortable waterproof hiking shoes to walk on the snow in winter and spring. This long day-tour is hard on kids and seniors, we therefore recommend the overnight tour package.
Parks, Attractions and Site’s Closures: We are not responsible, nor liable, for road and weather conditions. State and national parks’ closure can happen at any time and without a prior notice, due to bad road and weather considerations. No refund will be issued, regardless the reasons for which the trip may not reach its destination. If you cancel or stop the tour for personal or medical reasons, there will be no refund or change of tour or dates offered either.
Guided tours in foreign languages: All tours in foreign languages are subject to extra fees to cover tour guides or freelancers we may hire to honor your tour in the required language.
Travel Agents: Travel agents are liable for 20% gratuity when their customer does not tip the driver or tour guides. We require customers’ full name and contact information from all travel agent or the tour will be cancelled. Travel agent are also liable for all overtime when their clients do not pay for, and a credit card will be needed on file. Due to high cost of conducting business in California, we barely cover our business expenses and wages, therefore, all our tours are non-commissionable rates.
Gratuity: 15 to 20% gratuity is required and customary in the USA. Generally, a tip may vary between 15% to 20% of the total purchase amount, or it can be a flat amount that is near the appropriate percent. It really depends upon the situation.
Meals and tour guide/driver gratuities are not included in our tour price unless indicated on your tour voucher or email confirmation. Tour prices do not include additional fees including wine tasting, accommodations, and entry fees to see attractions and sites, winery tours, unless otherwise indicated on your tour voucher or email confirmation.
No substitution or refunds for any unused part of the tour(s) will be issued. All sales are final.
-No refunds will be issued for a no-show or unused portion of the tour.
-All refund and/or voided transactions paid on our website by credit or debit cards or via PayPal may take up to 2 weeks before you receive the funds (refunds) back into your account.
Our hot-air balloon rides are no guaranteed to depart and arrive back in Napa Valley and subject to last-minute cancelation for weather considerations. Alcatraz Tours Inc. and its partners or subcontractors reserves the right to fly anywhere within 80-mile radius of Napa Valley dependent on the weather conditions or refund the portion of the balloon ride I cancelled, but not the tour itself.
-We reserve the right to refuse service to any person or business who may refuse to comply with our safety instructions, our tour itinerary, or to anyone who may pose a threat to our customers and/or our tour guide-drivers. Screaming at or insulting tour guide-drivers or fellow passengers or third-party businesses and subcontractors is not acceptable under any circumstances and will terminate and cancel your tour without any refund. Discrimination against a customer or a tour guide–driver for any reason is not acceptable either under any circumstance.
Cancellation due to unforeseen weather conditions: Weather/Unforeseen Circumstances like fires, landslide, road closure, vehicle breakdown, employees or driver’s medical emergency or due other weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances; we revere the right to offer you alternative tours, destinations for the same amount of time.
Approved transactions: When transactions are processed on our website, and approved by your bank, it still takes about 7 to 10 business days before we even get the required funds transferred to our business merchant bank account. However, we still honor your tour(s) as scheduled if your transaction is approved, even if the tour is scheduled for the next day, as long as the tour is available. We are committed to provide high quality services and tours to our customers.
Voided and refunded transactions: When a transaction is voided, or refunded, the charge is removed from the authorized transaction inquiry and never batched or settled because the funds never leaves customers’ bank account. However, all such transactions will still show on customers’ bank statement as “pending” for up to 7 to 10 business days because the funds are temporarily frozen by your own bank without leaving your account. Please take this aspect into consideration before you follow up with us. To release the funds, you will need to contact your bank and handle this directly with them as this has nothing do with us.
Common mistakes and misconception about voided transactions: Most customers do not realize or understand their own bank’s policy and guidelines regarding online purchases. The main issue is that the funds from the voided charge will be inaccessible to the client for a full 10 business days. For that reason, clients often think that the charge was still placed on their credit card, but in reality, it has never left their bank account and will be available only after 10 business days. In other words, voiding a credit card transaction will not remove the charge from customer’s bank account immediately, please be patient before you follow up with us or your bank in this regard. Banks usually take 7 to 10 business days to release these funds back to your account, and this is totally beyond our control and has nothing to do with us.
Foreign languages: All our tours are conducted in English unless otherwise stated. All foreign languages are subject to additional cost to cover the tour guide or freelancer fee in the required language.
The misconception about private tours: Ever wondered why small group private tours are more expensive than large group tours? Because public group tours are more cost-effective to operate than private tours. The input cost of private tours and public tours are roughly the same - both provide one driver or a tour guide-driver, one vehicle, same trip length – so both companies assume similar business expenses and commercial insurance liability. However, private tour operators (like ours) make 85% less profit than group tours, because all our resources are dedicated to a small number of persons. As dedicated small group operator we focus on quality to make your tour experience more personable and intimate, and we never share our private tours as we give you full attention and custom services. Yet, we have access to all the sites where large vehicles and buses are prohibited and offer exclusive destinations to magical places not available elsewhere.
Tip: Most credit card companies including Amex now require from their clients to inform them in advance when making purchase online or out of town / state, otherwise they decline the transaction to prevent fraud. You may also get an email or text message alert asking you to approve or decline the transaction that has been declined before you resubmit it online, this is out of our hands and it’s indeed required by many credit cards companies for customers’ own good.
-All our tours including Alcatraz are subject to availability even if the online transaction is approved. We do reserve the right to void or refund your transaction when Alcatraz tickets are sold out. This is totally out of our hands as the only provider of Alcatraz tickets and tours are governed by the U.S. National Park Service.
-We do require at least 2 months in advance when booking our Alcatraz tour during the peaks season, holidays and weekends, sometimes even more, specially from May to October. The peak season refers to the period of April to the end of October.
-We reserve the right to offer you alternative tours when Alcatraz tickets are sold out. If you decline our offer, we will fully refund your transaction – a process which takes about 10 business days before your funds are available to you. This is stated on our terms and conditions page, available in all languages, or you may use google translator.
By signing or checking this box “terms & conditions” on our website, you do hereby agree with all the above terms and policies and the tour voucher terms, which we will send to you via email after your tour confirmation.
Modifications of these terms and conditions: Alcatraz Tours Inc. and its affiliated websites or contractors reserve the right to change any of these terms and conditions under which this website is offered. We reserve the right to change our web contents, update our terms and privacy policy anytime and at our discretion without a prior notice. Learn more about our privacy policy and complete terms and conditions LEARN MORE
Alcatraz prison is just as portrayed as in the Hollywood films with about Frank Morris (Clint Eastwood) in this maximum-security prison Alcatraz, the cell still preserved as seen in the Clint Eastwood movie “Escape from Alcatraz”. No trip to San Francisco is complete without visiting Alcatraz Island. It took me 2 tours to Alcatraz before I felt the strong atmosphere and energy you get after stepping off Alcatraz cruises ferry and onto the dock. this city private tour and Alcatraz is an exceptional combo trip I recommend for all visitors (worry- free).
This was our first visit to California, we did a city tour and didn’t know hard was to get Alcatraz tickets, luckily, our tour guide Patricia who was so professional and friendly, called the company, and arranged last-minute tickets for us to Alcatraz. Alcatraz tour. The experience lived up to our expectations and the reviews we had read about Alcatraz. We recommend this combo tour to all families with kids like us who have no time to scan through all these websites out there. This is a very serious and professional tour company, they exceeded our expectations
Book your Alcatraz tickets months in advance before you travel to San Francisco, this is a must-see attraction when visiting San Francisco and Northerner California. A police officer from south Africa who traveled with us on the ferry had a stop offer in SFO, just to visit Alcatraz. Dress in layers, ironically summer is not warm, weather is cool and gets foggy in the in SF Bay. The views of Alcatraz from San Francisco are better than the views of SF from of the island, but the combo tour is a must do and saved us time and money. Thank you, Mary, great tour- our kids loved your jokes and stories about Alcatraz.
This is a must do in San Francisco. It begins with the ferry ride to the island, which offers exceptional views of the San Francisco bay, the Golden Gate, and the SFO skyline. Would advise you to line up early to board the ferry to get good seats. Once you reach the island, after a brief introduction, you are free to roam the island. My advice would be to go straight to the top for the audio tour, which is the best part of Alcatraz prison experience. The prison tour is awesome, and you learn so much about the prison life. Once you are done with that, you can travel around to other places like the gardens and the industries. Be careful with the return ferry, as the lines are usually very long to get on. Enjoy the views while coming back as well.
We also enjoyed our private tour to Muir Woods with Adam, he is an awesome tour guide with a great personality
Rohan C
Atlanta, Georgia
My husband and I decided to book the Alcatraz and city combo custom tour for our parents and in laws, we were a group of 7 persons, our local tour guide was amazing, informative and fun, and he is fluent in Spanish. Booking a SUV tour, allowed us to make many stops in many places for photos without having to walk at all, we had lots of fun. San Francisco is a beautiful city and Alcatraz island prison is a must see. Ensure you book Alcatraz prison tickets ahead of time!
Beatriz R.
Miami, Florida
We did it! We made it to Alcatraz and escapade from the rock!
Yeah, we did it! We finally made it to Alcatraz island, toured the prison, and escapade from the rock! we can now check off Alcatraz tour off our bucket list): - Yeah,
We recommend this combo adventure of Alcatraz with the city tour, we had nothing to worry about, we got picked up at our hotel, did the city private tour, and Alcatraz prison self-guided tour.
Worth every penny.
David Th.
Phoenix, Arizona
Whether you live in San Francisco Bay Area or visiting SF from the US or overseas, this day trip is a must-do for all ages and even for folks with mobility issues. Alcatraz island and prison are one of the most handicapped accessible tours and places I've ever been on. Alcatraz guided tour is amazing, yet, can be a little confusing unless you follow the guided trail step by step.
The ferry ride to Alcatraz island offers beautiful views of San Francisco downtown, islands in the bay lie Ange island, treasure island and bridges like the Golden Gate bridge. Be on time for the ferry departure or you get turned down as they only allow the exact time and departure stated on each ticket. Alcatraz tickets are so valuable and hard to find, we were lucky we got a last-minute cancellation from Alcatraz Tours otherwise we would have missed out on the best attraction in California. Many visors show up at last minute by the ferry terminal looking for tickets and willing to pay any price to get their hands-on tickets to Alcatraz, but Alcatraz tickets get sold out weeks and month in advance.
Definitely a 5-star experience for this Alcatraz and Redwoods combo tour. Our tour guide drove us away from muir woods traffic jams to a small forest of redwoods in Marin County, we were the only ones roaming through the tall and big redwoods there, so nice to enjoy nature without putting up with traffic and a horde of people pushing and shoving like in Muir Woods. I’ve been there, and I honestly prefer these alternative groves of redwoods we went to visit in Marin. This tour company and tour guide are highly recommended
Frank L.
Tampa FL
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This is great alternative tour experience when Alcatraz tickets are sold out. We were happy with this trip, it combined our city private tour, and the ferry cruise around Alcatraz island, that was perfect as it was our last day in California.The cruise ship trip was over an hour, a ferry trip that took us around SF bay, around Alcatraz Island, and under the Golden Gate Bridge.
From the city tour to Alcatraz Island, we and our kids had an amazing adventure, a bit cold in San Francisco Bay in summer ironically, but were very interested in the criminology and forensics stories of Alcatraz and San Quintin prison like Charles Manson, the Zodiac, Fong “Little Pete” Ching, Zebra killers, Felix Mitchell, the Unabomber, Scott Peterson, and Clarence and John Anglin and Frank Morris and their famous ‘Escape from Alcatraz’. Wow! the feeling visitors get when you are stepping onto Alcatraz island.
Our Muir Woods & Alcatraz combo tour was exactly what we needed as we only had one day in SF. The tour is Well Worth the money that you spend. The big redwoods in muirwoods forest are impressive but the forest was crowded, and Alcatraz tour must be on everyone’s bucket-list, these sights and attractions in SF are amazing places to visit and see when you visit san fran.
Why everybody is so crazy about Alcatraz? Alcatraz Island is dim, cold, morbid, and crowded. We felt nothing, seen nothing, heard nothing that made it so appealing, a bit overrated in our opinion. Why criminals have become victims? They deserved to incarcerated in Alcatraz prison! Some visitors were even asking for autographs from a former inmate of Alcatraz, this makes no sense to me.
This is an incredible tourist attraction of San Francisco bay area, if you plan on visiting San Francisco you got to add Alcatraz to your bucket-list, more than Muir Woods or Napa. Alcatraz Island history itself is a very interesting story, before it even was used as a federal prison. How anyone could even escape from this remote Island? The audio headphone guided tour is informative and the stories and sounds of prison officers makes the guided tour so real. I am taking back amazing pictures to show my friends in Japan.
Worry-free vacation package, we were lucky to find and book this all-inclusive SF Alcatraz tour package, it was a worry-free reservation all included, the perfect way to indulge in San Francisco if you have no time. It was convenient, affordable, and fulfilling combo trip of SF city attractions and Alcatraz tour, a must-do when visiting the city by the bay, and worth every penny you spent.
Reserve Alcatraz tickets in advance, the tour was So much better than I was expecting. You get a ferry ride from San Francisco pier to the Alcatraz island. It was rainy, and foggy that day, but still well worth the trip. The trip was very well run, we were welcomed in the dock by a ranger who let us know some key information and rules before visiting the prison.
Alcatraz prison is just as portrayed as in the Hollywood films about Frank Morris (with Clint Eastwood) in this maximum-security prison Alcatraz, the cell still preserved as seen in the Clint Eastwood’s movie “Escape from Alcatraz”. No trip to San Francisco is complete without visiting Alcatraz Island. It took me 2 tours in Alcatraz before I felt the strong atmosphere and energy you get after stepping off Alcatraz cruises ferry and onto the dock. This city private tour and Alcatraz is an exceptional combo trip I recommend for all visitors (worry- free).
Alcatraz Island tour is outstanding and a stunning sight and my favorite attractions in California, but you got to book your Alcatraz tickets very early. We booked our Alcatraz tickets 2 months in advance as a tour combined with the city tour, but the next day, Alcatraz park service got sold out. The energy and the impression you get when vising Alcatraz is something you need to experience for yourself. We loved our city tour as well with Jonathan, the tour guide was amazing and fun.
Book your Alcatraz tickets immediately when you plan your trip to san fran, we had initially planned to book Alcatraz Island night tour but it’s 100% impossible to get. The day tour was not bad at all apart from the fascinating story of Alcatraz, the trip to the island is phenomenal, and the city tour completed the package trip and appeal to all ages. That’s was a good company to work with.
Book your Alcatraz tickets months in advance before you travel to San Francisco, this is a must-see attraction when visiting San Francisco and Northern part of California. A police officer from South Africa who traveled with us on the ferry had a stop over in SFO, just to visit Alcatraz. Dress in layers, ironically summer is not warm, weather is cool and gets foggy in the SF Bay. The views of Alcatraz from San Francisco are better than the views of SF from the island, but this combo tour is a must do and saved us time and money.
This is an incredible tourist attraction. We did the tour with our kids, and they loved it too. The audio tour was well done, we took tons of pictures, hanged out and enjoyed the views of the city from Alcatraz Island. The views are spectacular from Alcatraz, go to the officers’ gardens’ side that overlooks the golden gate bridge, but watch out for the steps, they are very steep. Army officers and their wives who stationed on the Island in the early 1900s, planted all kind of vegetables there (The beauty on the beast).
