Me again with a SF? Do we have to book tickets to go see Alcatraz if we are not taking a tour? Sounds as if we get on the boat at the pier but I am confused as to whether or not we need to book tickets for the boat in advance?
Thank You,
Robin

The tickets for the ferry to Alcatraz should probably be booked in advance, especially during peak season. They can easily be booked online. See http://www.blueandgoldfleet.com/abcsc.htm for details.

Tracy

A boat to Alcatraz IS the tour to Alcatraz. There is no public transportation.

Yup - if you want to go to Alcatraz you have to book a tour, you can't just book a ride. You can't just visit it on your own. It does get booked up, so I would suggest booking in advance unless you really don't mind if you show up and are turned away. There are many times you can choose from, but I think the evening one (where you leave in daylight, see the sunset while there and then travel back in the evening) is really unique. Unfortuntaely if you're going in the summer it might stay light too late for this to work.

"You can't just visit it on your own" - not true if you are a good swimmer

I understand it is best to book in advance, especially for weekends. However, hubby and I were just there on Monday and there were spaces available for that day! Definately pay the extra few dollars for the "audio" with your tour. The tour is self guided and I can't imagine doing it without the tape--I've been twice in he last 15 months and enjoyed it each time! I hear the evening tour is very unique, but on Monday we went on the first tour out(9:30). The nice thing about it was that we were the first in and didn't get stuck behind the masses trying to read plaques and see areas the tape was talking about--food for thought...