Alcatraz
 

Hi. I will be in San Francisco from Nov. 5-9 and would like to visit Alcatraz. Is it better to take an organised tour, or go independently?

I am travelling alone, staying at the Days Inn Downtown/Civic Center. Is it worth renting a car, or can I rely on public transit?

I don't know if there is an organized tour, but I recommend the audio tour which is self paced. Depending on what you plan to do in SF there is usually no need for a car.

Thanks. I'm hoping to visit Alcatraz, see the iconic sights like the Golden Gate Bridge, check out the Pacific scenery and generally chill out by the bay with some good food, before heading off on a 4-week road trip towards Arizona and Texas.

Consider going to Alcatrez on a weekday rather than the weekend - much less crowded.

Thanks. That will make it Monday or Tuesday, then.

Some googling came up with this tour option:

https://m.viator.com/tour/san-francisco/alcatraz-tour-plus-muir-woods-giant-redwoods-and-sausalito-day-trip/0-2660SFOMUI3/info.htm

Pretty pricey, but worth it?

The night tour!!!

Sounds interesting!

It does. I've never done it, but I'm guessing it's really neat.

The key with Alcatraz is to book your tickets as soon as you're sure on your visiting dates. So many visitors arrive here without having done that, and they discover too late that Alcatraz is sold out for the rest of their time here.

I recommend not having a car. Use transit, taxis, and/or Uber/Lyft. Also, consider renting a bike for a day if you're comfortable with that.

I'd visit Alcatraz independent on a night tour. Be sure to get you tickets asap via https://www.alcatrazcruises.com

How much is parking at Days Inn? You won't need a car in SF, parking is difficult and expensive anyways. Rely on Uber/Lyft, SF is ride sharing capital of the world.

Do Alcatraz independently. The self-guided audio tour they have is very good. Be sure to buy your tickets from the official website, and well in advance.

Don't rent a car if you're only visiting SF. Uber/Lyft or Taxi will be cheaper and easier probably.

All booked up for Monday Nov. 7. Thanks for all the responses.

S.F. Public Transit is A+
 

Not too many locals would give San Francisco Muni (light rail, trolleys, buses & cable cars) an A+. Slow and unreliable are all too common. The regional BART system gets better grades.

Still, most of us here recommend not having a car if you're staying in San Francisco and not venturing out of the city. Uber, Lyft and taxis are everywhere.

Four of us 2 adults 2 teens want to go to Alcatraz; all sites i'm looking at are sold out however I found this (see below)

Question: My 16 YO son has a passport but will a Global Entry card work as a gov't form of ID? he doesn't have a D/L.

GF's 12YO son doesn't have a passport or GOES card. No D/L obviously; how does he get in on this tour? How many young kids have gov't issued ID? sure FT'ers your kids have passports duh, but I'll bet that the majority of kids don't.

From this site:

http://www.inside-guide-to-san-franc...r-tickets.html

Same Day Ticket Sales Advisory

Alcatraz Cruises releases a limited amount of tickets each day for same day, walk-up sales only.
Tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis. Alcatraz Cruises does not guarantee immediate availability.
The maximum number of tickets sold to one person is one.
Tickets are sold one ticket per person, physically present. All members of the party must be present in line until the time of purchase at the ticket window for a ticket.
Government issued photo identification is required for purchasing tickets and for picking up pre-paid tickets.

Question - Is there any other way of touring the island if alcatraz cruises is sold out during out stay?

the ID requirement is for the person buying the tickets
 

Not all members of the party.

So in the summer the word is that people are lining up as early as four or 5 AM to get those tickets that are sold on the same day. By 7 AM the line is reported to be 50 or 60 people long. So unless you like to spend most of your morning standing online I would look for other alternatives.

There are places selling tickets when they're sold out at a premium. You can also buy them as part of another tour and call and explain you're not going to go to the rest of the tour.

https://www.sanfranciscotourhub.com/...z-tickets-faq/

You can do a cruise that takes you around the island without actually going on. I don't personally see the appeal of Alcatraz so I've done this to her and enjoyed it quite a bit.

https://www.extranomical.com/HTML_PA...M_THE_ROCK.htm

Thanks for that link to SF tour hub, it has tickets to Alcatraz on the Sat we are there, works out perfectly, little pricey but we still combined it with the city tour on Sunday

Great find ^

as for why, I don't ask, its what she wants ha!!!

I think Alcatraz is awesome -- particularly the audio tour. Different strokes I guess...

Yay, glad you got tickets. Alcatraz tix are tough once sold out but premium is worth it. Enjoy your visit!!

Post if you have any qs on other stuff.

If I take the 8:45 am Early Bird boat to Alcatraz on a Tuesday (in late October) and want to do a full, unrushed tour before catching a flight out of SFO to the East Coast later that day (with no checked bags), what's the earliest flight I should try to book? Would 6:00 pm be doable, or is that too early? I'd have to pick up my carry-on at the Hyatt Centric after Alcatraz and then take BART over to SFO. Thanks.

6pm is more than doable, and will give you plenty of time to tour Alcatraz, pick up luggage and head to SFO. 3 hours is sufficient for a full unrushed tour, particularly on a midweek early bird ferry. I think the earliest flight would be 3'ish.

Excellent. Thank you.

If I end up with a 6:00 pm or later flight, is there anything in that general area that I should try to see before heading to the airport? Thanks again.

USS Pampanito
 

Want to go inside a WWII submarine? I think it's pretty cool. USS Pampanito

If it's a clear day, I'd go up to Coit Tower...head up the Greenwich stair a few blocks away from Pier 33.

Both the Greenwich stairs and the Filbert stairs are worth a visit -- they are parallel, a block apart. Go up one and down the other. (And yes, Coit Tower is worth a visit too, of course.)

I strongly agree with the Coit Tower recommendation, and especially the Filbert stairs route to get there. Take your time going up through that unique and isolated little neighborhood.

At the tower, there is often a long line to get up to the top of the tower (must buy a ticket). It's a nice view up there, but I think 90% of what's great about the place is walking around the tower at the top of the hill, and the Depression-era murals on the interior walls of the ground floor. That part you can do for free.