I know that it has been advised many times to SF visitors that if a visit to Alcatraz is on your list of things to do, you should book a trip in advance. But I wanted to remind people again. I was walking with the dog in Golden Gate Park today and I met a lovely couple on their honeymoon from Philadelphia; in talking about what they had seen and wanted to see, they talked about how disappointed they were that they couldn't visit Alcatraz. No bookings available whilst they were here. Only one company is permitted to dock at Alcatraz --it is a National Park--and there are only so many trips per day, so during the peak season you must make advance reservations.

I too have been in conversation with tourists in SF that were heartbroken that they didn't get to tour Alcatraz as they didn't make reservations in advance SAB.

We also did not book in advance but discovered we were able to get on a tour by booking a city day bus tour.

Gail, I believe that is true however tix for Alcatraz from official site are $26 whereas other tour company packages are $70 or so.

No memory of exact amounts - but that sounds about right. While we had not planned on the city tour, it actually was an informative overview to the city and gave us a sense of goegraphy and priorities sa we explored on our own for several more days.