The ferry pulls away from the city, and across the cold grey water the island grows closer: the lighthouse, the water tower and the long concrete cellhouse on the summit.

The island

Alcatraz Island lies about 1.25 miles off San Francisco near the Golden Gate. In the mid-19th century it gained a lighthouse, a military fort and a military prison. In 1934 it became Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, where strong tides and cold water made escape nearly impossible. The prison closed on 21 March 1963. From November 1969, Native American activists occupied the island for more than 19 months. It joined the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1972 and became a National Historic Landmark in 1986. It has the oldest operating lighthouse on the US West Coast and a seabird colony of gulls, cormorants and egrets.

Visiting

There is no park entrance fee, but you need a ferry ticket from Alcatraz City Cruises, the only authorised operator, at Pier 33 between the Ferry Building and Fisherman's Wharf. Book up to 90 days ahead. Tickets include the ferry and the cellhouse audio tour: day tours are $47.95 for adults and $29.15 for children 5 to 11, and night tours $59.65. Plan on 4 to 5 hours. About 1.4 million people visit each year.

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  Main Cellhouse With the audio tour.
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  Recreation Yard Inside the prison walls.
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  Lighthouse Oldest operating on the West Coast.
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  Warden's House Ruins.