from $77 Alcatraz ticket with ferry and self-guided city app
Ferry to the island and the cell-house audio tour, bundled with an app-based city guide. The simplest way to secure an Alcatraz date.
San Francisco: tours & tickets
Alcatraz tickets, bay cruises and half-day trips to the redwoods — the San Francisco experiences worth reserving before you arrive.
Our picks
Top tours & tickets in San Francisco
Alcatraz is the one thing you must book early: ferry capacity is limited and summer dates often sell out weeks ahead. If plain tickets are gone, combination tours that include Alcatraz sometimes still have seats. Bay cruises and bus tours rarely sell out but are cheaper online.
from $77 from $135 Inside Alcatraz tour with bay cruise
Combines the Alcatraz visit with a separate cruise under the Golden Gate Bridge — two of the city’s essentials in one booking.
from $159 Alcatraz with Muir Woods and Sausalito
A full day: a guided trip to the redwoods and Sausalito in a small group, plus your Alcatraz ticket.
from $39 Golden Gate Bay Cruise
The classic one-hour loop from Fisherman’s Wharf: under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz, with audio commentary.
from $56 Hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus
Open-top buses linking the main sights, including a crossing of the Golden Gate Bridge. Useful on a first day to get your bearings.
from $99 Muir Woods and Sausalito small-group tour
Half a day among coast redwoods followed by free time in Sausalito, with transport and park reservations handled for you.
from $72 Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito cycling tour
A guided ride along the waterfront and across the bridge to Sausalito, returning by ferry (ferry ticket usually extra).
from $85 City tour by vintage VW bus
A small-group loop through the neighbourhoods big buses cannot reach, in a restored 1970s Volkswagen.
Prices are indicative “from” prices in US dollars and ratings are as shown on GetYourGuide when we last checked; both change often.
GetYourGuide
Live availability in San Francisco
Real-time tours and tickets from GetYourGuide for San Francisco and its surroundings.
Booking tips
- Alcatraz ferries leave from Pier 33 on the Embarcadero. Allow about three hours for the round trip and visit, and bring a jacket — the island is windy.
- Fog can hide the Golden Gate Bridge, especially on summer mornings. Bay cruises are usually clearer in the afternoon and in September and October.
- Muir Woods limits visitor numbers; a tour takes care of the parking or shuttle reservation that independent visitors need.
- For a longer outing, see our pages for Yosemite day trips and wine-country tours, most of which leave from San Francisco.
Destinations
Combine it with
San Francisco & Northern California Napa & Sonoma
Two neighbouring valleys an hour north of San Francisco with several hundred wineries between them — one polished and famous, the other broader and more relaxed.
Central Coast Big Sur & Monterey
The most dramatic stretch of the California coast: Highway 1 clinging to the cliffs of Big Sur, with Monterey’s aquarium and Carmel’s cottages at its northern end.
Sierra Nevada & national parks Yosemite
Granite cliffs a kilometre high, some of the tallest waterfalls in North America and groves of giant sequoias — the Sierra Nevada at its grandest.
Plan your trip
Book tours in San Francisco
Compare real-time prices and availability on GetYourGuide. Most tours can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours ahead.