Best time for Alcatraz?
 

We're visiting San Francisco for the first time in late August. We need to book in advance for Alcatraz, and we're wondering which is the best time to visit. I've read that the evening tours are more comprehensive and fully-guided, less free-ranging, than the day tours, but am wondering if evenings may still be a little chilly in August. If we were to opt for a day tour, is morning or afternoon best (for views, light, angle-of-sun etc)? We wondered also about the early bird (8:45 am) tour - less crowded perhaps. Grateful for any suggestions, thanks...

>>but am wondering if evenings may still be a little chilly in August. <<

Day time is just as likely to be chilly/foggy (yesterday it was a high of 100F in the Central Valley and 59F in SF - sometimes in August the temp differential is even wider)

No matter which time you book you will need a warm jacket (unless you hit a rare SF heat wave)

Book the tour that best fits you schedule and whether you want day or night . . . .

I personally wouldn't book early bird (or any early AM tour) - that will definitely be cold/chilly.

We booked the first tour of the day and liked the lack of crowds . . we had it to ourselves for an hour or so. It was chilly, but we planned for that

depends on where you are staying and how long it will take you to get to the dock for the coat ride over. I wouldn't do the night tour as that would be way too cold and windy for me. Day time anytime. It is a wonderful tour. have taken it several times and taken my grand daughter who loved it too.

We loved doing the tour just before sunset. You get to go places that aren't open on day tours- including Bird Man of Alcatraz's cell and the hospital.

The views heading back are amazing as the city lights come on.

We had time on our own; the tour wasn't fully guided.

And the best part - it is very eerie!

Book sooner rather than later; tickets go fast.

Before sunset is my favorite, then pretty much any time during the day (not too early--too chilly!), then night. It's eerie at night, and seeing the city from the island is beautiful, but I think you can see the facilities better in some daylight, so near sunset offers the best of all worlds.

Thanks everyone for those tips. We're staying around the Union Square area, so I guess a sunset/late afternoon tour would have the added advantage of giving us plenty of time to get there.

A follow-up question, to prepare myself before going online to make a booking. Heeding your advice that a pre-sunset tour is a good one to go for, how do the bookings work? Do I book specific ferry times out and back; or do I book a specific time out and take my chances about coming back. If the latter, is there a risk of ferries filling up and me being stranded till a night-time return rather than a pre-sunset one? (Probably a silly question to those of you who know these tours, but I have no idea how big the ferries are).

1st --
If you want to do night tours BOOK now IF you can; I just looked and there are no tickets left for the first half of August.

2nd --
DAY--
You book the time for the trip out and then take any boat back; they run ever 30 minutes.

NIGHT --
There are only 2 boat TO Alcatraz and there are to returns to San Francisco so it's your responsibility to be at the dock for one of the 2. They know how many people they take over and I think they count as you board for the return.
https://www.alcatrazcruises.com/webs...ule-chart.aspx

Have you even looked at the website??
https://www.alcatrazcruises.com

Yes DebitNM, I looked at the website. It didn't answer my particular question. Your own response re day tours ["take any boat back; they run every 30 minutes"] highlights my point exactly. If I've booked a late day tour, so there's only one boat remaining to back on (6:30pm), how certain can I be of getting on that boat? It was a fair question for someone who has no idea of how big the boats are and how big the crowds might get. (Limiting the no. of bookings doesn't prevent earlier passengers hanging around for that last boat back, thus putting pressure on it). The website didn't answer this question, but fortunately, since I asked it, other people now have.

So thanks everyone. On the strength of assurances that the ferries will accommodate all who want to board, I've booked us on the 3:50pm ferry, returning (at the latest) on the 6:30 pm ferry. A little early for sunset (on the day in question sunset is 7:55pm), but it's the best I can do. (Unless we took a night tour, and that doesn't really appeal).

>>how certain can I be of getting on that boat? <<

If you are on the island at that time you will get off on that boat. They don't have any stragglers.