IS VISITING ALCATRAZ ISLAND WORTH IT? | OUR REVIEW OF DAY TOUR | SAN FRANCISCO | CALIFORNIA TRAVEL
Hello friends and subscribers, welcome to Episode 3 of our weekend escape to San Francisco. We want to thank all of you for watching episodes 1 and 2. If you haven’t, we provided the link on the description box.
For the final episode, we will share with you our experience touring the island of Alcatraz. Is it worth visiting this place? You will find out.
We are now in Pier 33. Since we still have time, we checked out this beautiful scaled to size model of the island of Alcatraz. Visitors are encouraged to stop by the model before embarking on the tour to gain perspective and knowledge of the island’s many areas of interest. It took 19 months to create this mode and every 15 months of so, they pull the model off the landing for spot refurbishment.
We originally purchase tickets for San Francisco Bay cruise but unfortunately there was an issue with the boat, so we decided to switch it to Alcatraz Island Day tour which takes about 2-3 hours. The trip over to Alcatraz Island is 12-15 minutes each way.
Alcatraz Island , also known as “The Rock,” is a rocky island in San Francisco Bay 1.5 miles offshore. This island is famous for many reasons. This was a maximum-security federal prison from 1934 to 1963 housing some of the most dangerous criminals in the United States. After 29 years of operation, Alcatraz closed because the institution was too expensive to continue operating. It was nearly three times more expensive to operate than any other Federal prison at that time.
In 1973, Alcatraz was opened to the public and has become one of the most popular Park Services sites more than 1 million visitors from around the world visit the island each year.
Upon arrival to Alcatraz Island, we disembarked, and a large crowd gathered in front of the Administration building. From here, a guide explained important information about where to go before we could explore freely. There’s no official Alcatraz tour length - you are welcome to stay as long as you like. Most people will stay for about 2 to 3 hours before heading onto a ferry back to the city.
The day tour is a self-guided audio tour. You pick up a headset and listen as you walk along. You get to hear stories from past guards and prisoners. The day tour covers the main cell house and mess hall.
You’ll also get to explore parts of the island on your own as you walk up the steep hill to the cell house. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes because this tour requires a lot of walking. You’ll see the guard family housing, the remnants of the officers' club building, and the lighthouse, among other buildings..
Also, be sure to pick up a brochure/map to get the stories behind these buildings as they aren’t included in the audio tour. We are not sharing on this video the jail cells inside the federal penitentiary tour because we want you to experience it yourself when you visit.
Is it worth to tour Alcatraz? Yes, it is worth a visit and the ferry ride is fun with some great city views. It has an incredible, amazing setting surrounded by a view that will stop your heart. It has a fascinating history that goes all the way back to the civil war. Lastly, it offers a self-guided tour with interesting storytelling which you will feel like you really were there. A lot of people recommend the night tour because it offers special programs not available on day tours.
Now, the caveats: Book ahead of time especially in the summer months. There’s a ton of walking on the island so wear comfortable walking shoes. People with mobility issues will have challenges. If you really cannot walk up and down the hill, there’s a tram that can take you. But the walk is great! There’s no food on the island so make sure you eat. Bring water with you and of course a camera!
We hope you guys enjoy this video and you find it helpful. We are looking forward to your comments. Please don’t forget to like and subscribe to our channel!
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