Beitel travel advice

If you’re visiting San Francisco, you should take the time to check out Alcatraz Island.  This historic site has been a prison, a lighthouse, a military base, and finally a tourist attraction.  Taking the tour of the island is very interesting, and it’s certainly worth an afternoon.  You can take the ferry ride from Pier 33 straight to the island.  The pier is located near Fisherman’s Wharf, which is located on many bus and subway lines, so getting there from most San Francisco hotels is very easy.

There are two tours available: the day tour and the night tour.  Most people go during the day.  Both tours include the ferry ride to and from the island.  You can also purchase an Island Hop ticket that takes you out to both Alcatraz Island and Angel Island.  No matter which ticket you buy, it is recommended that you call ahead and reserve tickets.

The ferry ride will take about 15 minutes, and once you’re on the island, you can stay as long as you’d like to—just be sure to catch the last ferry back to the pier.  It’s important to note that there are no restaurants or concession stands on Alcatraz, so you won’t want to be on the island around lunchtime.

When you first arrive on the island, a tour guide will give you a short introduction and then turn you loose with a guide book.  You can also rent headphones for an audio tour if you’d like to hear all about the history of the prison and military base.  There are several educational films and exhibits you can visit as well.