{"id":13094,"date":"2016-02-04T11:13:02","date_gmt":"2016-02-04T16:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"\/inspire\/?p=13094"},"modified":"2017-12-11T23:05:41","modified_gmt":"2017-12-11T23:05:41","slug":"planning-trip-alcatraz-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/inspire\/planning-trip-alcatraz-island\/","title":{"rendered":"Planning Your Trip to Alcatraz Island"},"content":{"rendered":"

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San Francisco is about a six hour drive from our home in Southern California. Even so, we\u2019ve only been there a handful of times \u2013 but each of those times has been a completely new experience. I love the city of San Francisco so much that at one point in my life, the Hubster and I actually considered moving up there! I mean, we went apartment hunting and everything, but I digress. On our last trip up there, we did something we had never done before \u2013 we visited Alcatraz Island. Planning a trip to Alcatraz Island is something that I strongly suggest if you\u2019re traveling to the San Francisco area, and I\u2019m sharing a few tips to make it a great visit.<\/p>\n\"planning-your-trip-to-alcatraz-island\"<\/a>\n

Get Your Tickets Early<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Tickets sell out really quick, no matter the season. I strongly suggest you visit AlcatrazCruises.com<\/a> and purchase your tickets well in advance.<\/p>\n

Get There Early<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Even with tickets, you definitely don\u2019t want to be late for the cruise. Get there with at least 20 minutes to spare. You\u2019ll need to stand in line before boarding the boat. Food is available for purchase while you wait.<\/p>\n

Pack Accordingly<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The boat ride offers inside seating, but even so, I strongly suggest you bring a jacket with you. Bring along some food as well (food is allowed on the island), but keep any oversized luggage or backpacks at home.<\/p>\n

Wear Comfortable Shoes<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Turns out, Alcatraz Island is technically a national park. I suggest you treat it as such. You\u2019ll need to start your tour at the top of the hill, and that means that you\u2019ll need to walk a bit up to the prison. For those with difficulty getting up the hill, there is a tram that leaves from the dock every 35 minutes.<\/p>\n

Give Yourself Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Plan for at least three hours to get there, get through the tour (at your own pace), visit the gift shop and walk around a bit. You can catch a boat back whenever you\u2019d like. Boats are loaded on a first-come first-serve basis.<\/p>\n

Watch Movies Featuring Alcatraz<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This one you\u2019ll have to do from home. Try to watch as many Alcatraz movies as you can and then point out everything you saw in the films, as you go through the tours.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Skip the Audio Tour<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Listening to the audio tour as we walked through the prison was an amazing experience. Not only did it feel like we had someone right next to us telling us what we were seeing, but it also gave accounts from ex Alcatraz prisoners and guards! And yes, they talk about the infamous escape from Alcatraz.<\/p>\n\"alcatraz-cruises\"<\/a>\n

Alcatraz Island Tour Highlights<\/strong><\/h3>\n

My family and I took the tour and let the kids have their own headsets so they could follow along too. It was very easy to use and it gave us a lot to talk about later during lunch.<\/p>\n

While it felt like I could have taken a thousand pictures and still not have done it justice, I\u2019m happy to share a handful of them with hopes that you\u2019ll soon visit. It\u2019s definitely a bucket list line item!<\/p>\n\"alcatraz-view-san-francisco\"<\/a>\n

The views from Alcatraz might have been the best, and worse for me because I could only imagine how the prisoners must have felt being so close to San Francisco (less than two miles), but know that they couldn\u2019t leave the island.<\/p>\n\"alcatraz-yard\"<\/a>\n\"alcatraz-tours-san-francisco\"<\/a>\n

To cheer myself up, I like to think of the beautiful wilderness at the island. There\u2019s a group of people who tend to the gardens, and there are always a lot of birds who stop by for a visit.<\/p>\n\"flowers-at-alcatraz\"<\/a>\n

Inside the prison, cells were set up so we could get an idea of what the prison functioned and looked like before it was shut down. Everything was so small, permanent and dreary.<\/p>\n\n\t\t