It's so important to book tickets in advance! There is very little chance that you'll get a place on a trip otherwise. The audio facility available is brilliant, it really makes the tour mean something.
https://www.alcatraztrips.com/index2.asp
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When you arrive on Alcatraz, take one of the ranger tours, which are free for anyone who steps off the ferry. A park ranger will lead you around some of the areas of the island that are out of bounds to unaccompanied tourists, tell you tales of (failed) escape attempts and show you where some famous movie scenes were shot. We recently visited San Francisco and bought our tickets from www.AlcatrazTickets.com. The audio-guided cell block tour was the highlight, and we put our children in the solitary confinement cell for a quick second...very scary. The views from the ferry boat were breathtaking, and our double decker tour of the city was also very enjoyable. I highly recommend this tour for anybody visiting California.
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