Visit to the Alcatraz Island San Francisco

As promised I will share more content from San Francisco starting with our visit to the Alcatraz Island as this is the first thing we actually did. Alcatraz is a special place and even locals we met out there told me that this is such a cool thing to do. We did a bunch of water related activities which I will share throughout this week but Alcatraz is definitely the most historically important one.

As some of you already know this used to be home to some of America’s most notorious criminals. The prison operated from 1934 to 1963 and is known the be the world’s most legendary prison and once home to infamous inmates like Al “Scarface” Capone, and the “Birdman” Robert Stroud. The island is located just 20-ish minutes boat ride from San Francisco Bay and Fishermans Wharf and a must visit if you find yourself on this side of California. We got our tickets via Alcatraz Cruises and it’s really recommended to book as early as possible, we booked ours together with our plane tickets. The boat leaves the Pier 33 every 30 minutes and I recommend you check Alcatraz Cruises site HERE to familiarise yourself with all the key dates taking place around the Pier 33 to avoid any potential disappointment.

When we visited the island we spent approx an hour on the island. We literally went all around including the cells and dining area. You are also able to see the props from the film Escape from Alcatraz starring Clint Eastwood. Many believe that this is the reason the prison closed, however, this isn’t the case as the poor living conditions forced the Alcatraz to shut. The cells where inmates stayed were really small and in one of them you can actually see the hole inmates dug up to escape the prison.

Aside from being known for the prison, Alcatraz is actually really rich in marine wildlife, rare plants and flowers and sea birds. This truly is one of San Francisco’s most important sights and for sure a must see. I took a lot of pictures to show you the areas we visited. Alcatraz offers immense views of San Francisco and surrounding bridges and it really took our breath away.

Have you ever visited?

Tania xx