San Francisco: Alcatraz, Ferry & 72-Hour Hop-on Hop-off Bus

Three Days Riding Open-Top Buses Through San Francisco, Plus the Prison That Built the City's Legend

You get guaranteed timed entry to Alcatraz Island with the award-winning audio tour, a 72-hour hop-on hop-off Big Bus pass covering seventeen stops across San Francisco, entry to the Aquarium by the Bay, a sunset city tour, and a Chinatown walking tour. The Big Bus app tracks buses in real time and stores all your tickets, so you activate everything on your phone and move through the city at your own pace. Check in at the Visitor Center before 9am on your tour date to collect your Alcatraz ticket.

Step-by-step itinerary

Alcatraz and City Hop-on Hop-off Tour

• Visit Alcatraz Island
• Walk original cell blocks
• Listen to Doing Time audio tour
• Enjoy views of San Francisco Bay
• Use 72-hour Big Bus pass
• Hop on and off buses
• See Union Square and Chinatown
• Visit Fisherman’s Wharf
• View Golden Gate Bridge
• Explore other city landmarks
• Enter Aquarium of the Bay
• Take 1-hour Panoramic Sunset Tour

The experience

You're standing at the Big Bus Visitor Center the morning of your tour, and the first thing you do is check in for your Alcatraz Island ticket. The staff hands you a timed entry slip (yours might be 10:30am, might be 2pm, depends what Alcatraz assigns), and suddenly the day has a spine. You've got a few hours to kill before the ferry leaves Pier 33, so you board one of the open-top double-deckers heading toward Chinatown. The bus climbs through North Beach, and you're sitting high enough to see into the windows of old Italian delis and the narrow streets where City Lights bookstore still sits. The audio commentary plays in your ears, but mostly you're just watching the city move below you.

When your entry time comes around, you're on the ferry crossing the bay toward Alcatraz Island. The audio tour ("Doing Time," it's called, and it won the award for a reason) starts playing the moment you step into the cell house. Real inmates and guards recorded their stories decades ago, and you hear them in the actual cells where they lived. The isolation ward is smaller than you thought it would be. The dining hall echoes. By the time you walk back out onto the island, you've spent two hours inside America's most famous prison, and the Golden Gate Bridge is right there in the distance, the thing that inmates could see but never reach. The ferry ride back gives you time to sit with that.

The 72-hour Big Bus pass starts the moment you activate it in the app, and that's where the real flexibility kicks in. You've got three full days to hop on and off at seventeen stops: Fisherman's Wharf (where the sea lions pile up on the docks), Union Square, the Palace of Fine Arts, Haight-Ashbury, Golden Gate Park on weekdays, Alamo Square with the painted ladies. You don't have to plan it. The app shows you where the buses are in real time, so you can see one coming and just step on. Some people ride straight through. Others get off, spend an hour in a neighborhood, and catch the next bus. The rhythm is yours.

Included in the package is the 1-hour Panoramic Sunset Tour: a separate guided ride through the city after dark when the lights come on and the fog rolls in off the bay. You also get entry to the Aquarium by the Bay, which sits right at Fisherman's Wharf, and a 1-hour digital walking tour of Chinatown that you can do whenever you want. There's also a bike rental perk: buy one hour at Blazing Saddles, get another free, which means you can pedal across the Golden Gate Bridge if you feel like it. You check into the Visitor Center one day before your Alcatraz date, or by 9am on the morning of, and from there everything is in the app: your tickets, your bus tracking, your entry times. No paper, no second-guessing where to go next.

What’s included

• Alcatraz Island admission with roundtrip ferry from Pier 33.
• "Doing Time" audio tour of the cell house with real inmate and guard stories.
• 72-hour Big Bus hop-on hop-off tour covering seventeen stops across San Francisco.
• Aquarium by the Bay entry.
• 1-hour Panoramic Sunset Tour of the city.
• 1-hour digital walking tour of Chinatown.
• free bike rental hour at Blazing Saddles (buy one hour, get one free).
• Big Bus Tours app for ticket storage, live bus tracking, and mobile ticket activation.
• multilingual audio commentary on the buses.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day15 departure times: the first at 08:40, the last at 15:50

AgesAdult (5 and older) · Under 5: can't be included in the booking

Cancellation and refundsNo refund if you cancel.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Big Bus Tours - USA

Is this one for you?Right for travelers who want to see Alcatraz and explore San Francisco neighborhoods without renting a car or planning a detailed itinerary: the timed Alcatraz entry and the 48-hour bus pass mean you've got structure where it matters and freedom everywhere else.

Traveler reviews

4.26★★★★★★★★★★

676 verified traveler reviews

5 ★416

4 ★133

3 ★56

2 ★26

1 ★45

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. No refund if you cancel.

What time do I go to Alcatraz?

Your timed entry is assigned by Alcatraz five days before your tour date. You'll receive a specific time slot (for example, 10:30am or 2pm) and cannot change it once assigned. You must check in at the Big Bus Visitor Center one day prior to your Alcatraz tour, or by 9am on the tour date itself, to collect your ferry ticket.

How long is the Alcatraz Island visit?

The ferry ride takes about 15 minutes each way. Once on the island, plan for roughly two hours to walk through the cell blocks and listen to the "Doing Time" audio tour, which includes stories from real inmates and guards.

Can I use the hop-on hop-off bus on the same day as Alcatraz?

Yes. Your 72-hour Big Bus pass is valid for 48 hours after you first activate it in the app, so you can ride the buses before or after your Alcatraz visit, or split your time between both. The timed entry for Alcatraz is separate from the bus schedule.

What stops does the Big Bus cover?

Seventeen stops including the San Francisco Visitor Center, Chinatown, Embarcadero, Ferry Building, Union Square, Civic Center, Alamo Square, Haight-Ashbury, Golden Gate Park (Monday–Saturday only), Golden Gate Bridge North Vista Point, Palace of Fine Arts, Marina, Lombard Street, Pier 39, and Fisherman's Wharf.

How do I activate my tickets?

Download the Big Bus Tours app before your tour date. After checking in at the Visitor Center, you'll activate your hop-on hop-off ticket in the app, which also lets you track buses in real time and board using your mobile ticket. No physical tickets needed.

What's included in the package?

Alcatraz Island ferry and cell house entry with audio tour; 72-hour Big Bus hop-on hop-off pass; Aquarium by the Bay entry; 1-hour Panoramic Sunset Tour; 1-hour digital Chinatown walking tour; and a free bike rental hour at Blazing Saddles (buy one hour, get one free).

Is there a photo ID requirement?

Yes, photo ID is required for Alcatraz Island entry.

Can I bring a stroller or wheelchair?

Yes. Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller. The tour is wheelchair accessible, and you should advise at booking if wheelchair assistance is required.

What if I need to change my Alcatraz time?

Once your timed entry is assigned five days before your tour date, changes cannot be made. The time slot is allocated by Alcatraz and is not personally selectable.

How does the Big Bus app work?

The app stores your ticket, shows live bus tracking so you know when the next bus arrives at your stop, and lets you board by displaying your mobile ticket to the driver. You can hop on and off as many times as you want during your 48-hour window.