I'll be in San Francisco for 2 days (mid Dec). Should I include Alcatraz as one of the must sees in San Francisco?

It might be helpful if you did a search on Alcatraz, as the topic has been covered in depth here already.

I think that Alcatraz was really not worth the time. It is basically a tourist trap.

Call it what you want, basically I am a tourist, I loved Alcatraz, and I didn't feel trapped. I respect your opinion Beth but millions of people go to San Francisco and enjoy the Alcatraz "trap".

Not a trap but an interesting bit of American history. Worth the time to visit, but you must allow the time in your schedule as you must take ferry out and back. The audio tour is very good. Also a good idea to buy tickets ahead of time as the tour sells out fast, but in December might not be as much as a problem.

Meg,

We just got back from SF a week ago and Alcatraz was one of the highlights of our trip. The weather was beautiful, the views were breathtaking and the tour was very interesting. I would encourage you to take the audio tour. It is very well done and makes the experience real. I also agree that you should buy tickets the day or two before you want to go, and go early in the morning if you can. We left at 10:15 and by 11:00 the island was PACKED! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

We went to SF for our honeymoon and Alcatraz was a highlight. If it's a tourist trap, then I got duped. Twice. I had been there once more than 20 years before and told my husband he would love it and he did.

I liked Alcatraz, it was better than I expected. Buy tickets ahead of time, the line is loooonnnnggg. Its touristy because of all the beggar type people hanging around trying to sell you souveniers.

For anyone visiting SF, I would not say that Alcatraz is a highlight. It is nothing but a small island with an abandoned dirty prison. Hardly anything to go out of the way for. There are many other things to do in the area that warrant your time, especially since you only have 2 days.

I was in SF last week, and I agree with the poster who advise skipping Alcatraz. It is a total wate of time. The lines were way too long. What a disappointment.

We lived close to there and took most of our visitors to Alcatraz. It is a nice boat ride and has great views(cheaper than some of the bay tours) Be sure to book ahead, and get the audio tour. That is what makes it great. Old inmates and guards talk on the tape about the life there. I would agree, it is a highlight. Every guest we took loved it.

Elaine...

" We went to SF for our honeymoon and Alcatraz was a highlight"

If that was a highlight, it sounds like a great mariage!!!!

Good Luck!!

GO FOR IT!! buy your tickets ahead of time. We loved the stories, had a ball. I would reccomend it

Thanks guys. Appreciate your comments.

Make resevations for with The Blue & Gold Fleet at least 2 weeks in advance. Alcatraz tours sell out very quickly!

Definitely do the Alcatraz tour. My husband and I believed that renting the audio-tour made a difference in making the tour "come alive". When we returned home we rented a bunch of Alcatraz movies ("Birdman of Alcatraz", "Escape from Alcatraz").

I have to wonder about anyone who did not like Alcatraz. It is very interesting and the boat trip there great.

It is not sold out and so popular because it is dull, it is popular due to word of mouth because it is SO INTERESTING!

I wnet to San Francisco at least two or three times before going to Alcatraz. I was really suprised how much I enjoyed it. As far as it being touristy, most of us traveling are tourist, and I found it to be as interesting as many of the other pieces of Americana that we tourist like to visit.

Don't waste your time going to Alcatraz. It is way overrated.

I don't get this whole concern about something being touristy. So what? If you're traveling out of town, you're a tourist. When did that get such a bad connotation? Besides, your only alternative is to either stay home, or travel somewhere where all you do is go into supermarkets, gas stations, post offices, etc. just like the locals. Why would you want to do that? Yes, go to Alcatraz. It's unique and interesting, and you won't find it back in your own hometown.