Excursion Alcatraz & north beach district tour at San Francisco

Discover two of San Francisco Bay's most famous Islands, Alcatraz and Angel Island, making for a fascinating, active day on the bay.

Depart at the pier, with a brief stop at the Ferry Building for great views before driving on to Pier 33 for the ferry ride to Alcatraz. Once on Alcatraz, tour the island on foot including the award-winning Cellhouse audio tour.

The roads and walkways on Alcatraz are steep and the distance from the dock to the Cellhouse is approximately 1/4 mile (.4km). The elevation change is 130 feet (40 meters), the equivalent of walking up a 13-story building!

You can tour the Cellhouse at your own pace, listening to the audio, "Doing Time: The Alcatraz Cellhouse Tour."Stop to picture yourself in a dark solitary confinement cell, hear the stories of life inside from real prisoners, and feel the intensity of a prison breakout from correctional officers who lived and worked on the Island.

Say goodbye to Alcatraz ("The Rock") before taking the ferry back to San Francisco.

Take a short bus ride to the North Beach District - this buzzly neighborhood is steeped in Italian heritage and draws you to its checked-tablecloth trattorias, retro-flavored bars and coffee shops.

Enjoy lunch in 'Little Italy' and then head out on foot exploring North Beach. Feel the spirit of the Beat Generation in North Beach (that does not have an actual beach). Situated along San Francisco Bay between Fisherman's Wharf and Chinatown, North Beach is an authentic, charming and lively area packed with local history.

During our walking exploration, which will be approx. 1.2 miles, we will visit the east side of Washington Square, where vintage wooden houses climb Telegraph Hill, crowned by Coit Tower. We will also see the famously crooked Lombard Street, the coffee haunts that sparked the 'Summer of Love' and Saints Peter and Paul (Roman Catholic) Church.

The Summer of Love was a social phenomenon that occurred during mid-1967, when as many as 100,000 people, mostly young people sporting hippie fashions of dress and behavior, converged in San Francisco's neighborhood of Haight-Ashbury.

Late afternoon, bus transfer back to the cruise terminal.

Note

Please note: Order of sites may vary from description. The roads and walkways on Alcatraz are extremely steep, guests must be physically fit to participate. The distance from the dock to the Cellhouse is approximately 1/4 mile (.4km) and the elevation change is 130 feet (40 meters), the equivalent of walking up a 13-story building. The roads and walkways are wide with several places to stop along the way to rest. Comfortable athletic or walking shoes are strongly recommended. This excursion is not recommended for guests that have mobility issues.