Lyndsay

We are planning on visisting Alcatraz and wondered if there was a better time of day to go. AM PM or Evening.

Thanks

Paul

I would say as a rule it is best to take a ferry about 2pm. The fog has usually burnt off by then and it is possible that it could start rolling back in by 4pm.

kam

I would move that back a bit to around noon. You'll most likely be there for 2-2 1/2 hours so that's the least foggy time.

ezron

Just a quick note. We tried to go to Alcatraz and they were sold out. So, if possisble get your tix in advance(usually 24-48 hrs)

ian

Hi Lyndsay
We were in San Fran in Jan and did an excellent tour to Alcatraz in the late afternoon - got to see the sun setting on the bay and the city in a golden glow - we then hit the island in the early evening. At that time they were running a ghost tour kind of thing with access to areas normally closed. We also had a great view of the city at night on the way back. The evening tour was a couple of dollars dearer, but worth the trip. Someone local would let you know about the fog problems - we had none.
Have fun.

ronr

We just got back from SF, and took the 1:45 ferry on Sunday to the island. It was a good time to go. We had spent most of the day at Fishermans
Wharf, and it was the best part of the day for me.
Make sure you order in advance. When we picked up our pre-paid tickets, They were sold out until Wednesday. I would order them before you leave home.
The audio tour was pretty good. Next time I would book the evening tour - it would have been a little eerie.

Mark

Hi ...

There is a combined tour of Alcatraz & Angel Island by Blue & Gold .... not sure of price ... but is it worth doing ???

Mark

David

Definetly get tickets in advance (you can call and order using credit card). In addition, I'd recommend that you not take the last ferry of the day. I did and felt a little rushed.

kam

To Mark, the combined tour of Alcatraz and Angel Island is nice, but if you are the typical tourist, it's pretty long. You probably only want to see Alcatraz, although Angel Island is interesting as well. It depends on how much of your time you want to spend on tour. If you are first timers to SF, just take the Alcatraz Tour and spend the rest of the time in the city. BTW, Ian's experience is typical for January ---June through September is more foggy.

donna

By all means take the night tour of Alcatraz. Its a haunting place to visit and the evening tour gives you a real feel of how dark an dismal this place was. Bonus is the San Fran skyline viewed after dark from the island!