one of the guidebooks i was reading suggested buying tickets for alcatraz before we go to SF. is this necessary and how do i do this? i am not going until mid-march, so still have plenty of time, but Alcatraz is a must-see as i am going with 2 teens. karen

Absolutely by tickets before you get there. You'll save time in line or the chance of not getting in at all.

Definitely buy tickets before you get to SF. We went in July and tried to get tickets almost two weeks in advance and had trouble. We couldn't even get close to the day that we had originally planned to go to Alcatraz.

thanks fo much for you replies; i will definitely buy tickets for alcatraz now...what is the best way to buy them ahead of time? i live in connecticut, so obviously mail order or internet is needed. thanks again, karen

After several trips to SF and always waiting to get our tickets to Alcatraz after gettting there, and always finding them sold out, this past year we ordered them about a month in advance. Wouldn't you know we picked the date of Sept. 11 to go, and they cancelled all the trips and closed the entire place. With everything in a turmoil that week, we were able to get tickets to go several days later, when they reopened, but I'd definitely suggest getting them in advance to avoid disappointment.

Definetley get your tickets in advance, or you might not make the trip. It's the biggest tourist attraction in San Fran and well worth the time!

"Blue and Gold Fleet" : 1-415-705-5555* located at Pier 41 (The Wharf) or, The "Red and White Fleet": 1-415-447-0591 or 1-800-229-2784 Pier 43@1/2.
We went on the Blue and Gold line and liked it and it's easy access to Pier 41. Seafood restaurants, shops, @ home of "Ghirardelli Chocolate". Decadence.

The tours offer the option of renting a headset or going without (if I remember correctly) Rent the HEAD SET. It's much easier to absorb the info. provided and easier to hear with all the chatter going on around you.

Have fun! Bring a warm sweatshirt with you, it gets breezy on the water.

Karen - I took my family to Alcatraz as part of a GrayLine tour which included a half day bus tour of SF and the tickets for the prison. There was a huge discount on the tour through AAA and the tour gave us a great oversight of the city. The bus then dropped us at the pier and we spent the rest of the day on Alcatraz. It was well worth the money...

thanks so much for all your info re: the alcatraz trip. i have booked it and feel sooo much better; they are mailing me my tickets tomorrow. the other advantage to doing it this way is that they charged my credit card now, and since i am not going for 6 weeks, my travel expenses will be spread out over 2 credit card bills. (I also bought some restaurant gift certificates on ebay already, so a couple meals will seem "free" when i go in march). don't you hate it the month after a vacation when you get the credit card bill and it is twice the usual amount? thanks, karen