Home › Ticket Cost

How much do Alcatraz tickets cost in 2026?

Ticket Cost
Short answer: every genuine Alcatraz ticket is the same core product — a round-trip ferry from Pier 33 run by Alcatraz City Cruises, island admission and the “Doing Time” cellhouse audio tour. The official walk-in ticket is the cheapest way onto the island. The packages I compare on this site cost more because they add things on top: a self-guided app tour, a night departure, a bay cruise, a 72-hour bus pass or a Muir Woods day trip. The extra money buys extras and, just as often, availability on dates the official calendar has already sold out.
Official day tour$47.95
Official night tour$59.65
Behind-the-Scenes$104.65
Cheapest package$48
Most-booked package$78
Priciest package$159

The official prices first

I’ll give you the baseline before anything else, because it’s the number every package should be judged against. Alcatraz City Cruises is the only company authorized to land passengers on the island, and its adult prices are $47.95 for the day tour, $59.65 for the night tour and $104.65 for Behind-the-Scenes. Children under 5 ride free. Every ferry ticket, at every price, includes the “Doing Time” cellhouse audio tour, which runs about 45 minutes, and the ranger programs on the island cost nothing.

So why would anyone pay more than $47.95? Two reasons. First, official tickets open 90 days ahead and summer weekends sell out weeks in advance — I cover the mechanics in how to get tickets. Second, some people want more than the bare crossing: a narrated day, a night departure, or Alcatraz folded into a bigger San Francisco day.

What the six packages cost

The packages on this site run $48 to $159 per person. The $48 option is the official ferry product itself sold through GetYourGuide — essentially the $47.95 ticket with a nickel of rounding, and the one I’d point a budget traveller at first (my full notes are in the Alcatraz City Cruises review). The $78 app package adds a self-guided phone tour and is the most-booked ticket I compare. The $95 option adds the choice of a night ferry. Then come the combos: $120 with a 72-hour hop-on-hop-off bus, $135 with a separate 60-minute bay cruise, and $159 for a seven-hour small-group day trip that pairs Alcatraz with Muir Woods and Sausalito.

Alcatraz City Cruises with Ferry & Audio TourTop pickAlcatraz Ticket, Ferry & Self-Guided AppAlcatraz Island & 72-Hour Hop-On Hop-Off Tour
Price per person$48$78$120
Ferry + island entryIncludedIncludedIncluded
Cellhouse audio tourIncludedIncludedIncluded
ExtrasNoneSelf-guided app tour72-hour bus, 2 city tours
Time needed2–3 hours3–5.5 hoursAlcatraz + up to 3 days of bus
CancellationFree up to 24 hFree up to 24 hFree up to 12 days before
View →Book this →View →

Where the extra money goes

Be clear-eyed about the markup. On the $78 app package you’re paying roughly $30 over the walk-in price for the app tour and, frankly, for a bookable slot when the official calendar is empty. On the combos the math is easier to defend: the $135 bay cruise ticket has the $45 Alcatraz entry built in plus a separate hour on the water, and the $159 Muir Woods trip includes a live guide, a van, and the $45.25 Alcatraz entry — though the $15 Muir Woods entrance fee is paid separately at the gate. I walk through the value logic in the combo comparison.

Insider tip

Read the cancellation terms before you pick. Most of these packages cancel free up to 24 hours out, but the bay cruise combo is non-refundable and the bus combo needs 12 days’ notice. On a fog-prone coast, flexibility is worth something.

If you’re still weighing whether any of this is money well spent, my verdict page covers what the ticket actually buys.

Check prices for your dates

The widget below shows live availability for the $48 official ferry product, the cheapest genuine ticket I list.

Check dates for the official ferry
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure on most tours — book now, decide later.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest way to visit Alcatraz?

The official ferry ticket at $47.95 for adults, booked directly with Alcatraz City Cruises, or the near-identical $48 package I compare on the tours page. Both include the ferry, island admission and the cellhouse audio tour; the ranger programs on the island are free.

Why are some Alcatraz packages so much more expensive than the official ticket?

Because they bundle the genuine ferry with something else — an app tour at $78, a night option at $95, a bus pass at $120, a bay cruise at $135 or a Muir Woods day trip at $159. They also tend to have availability after official dates sell out, which I explain in how to get tickets.

Does the Alcatraz ticket include the audio tour?

Yes. Every genuine ferry ticket, official or packaged, includes the “Doing Time” cellhouse audio tour, which takes about 45 minutes. Nothing extra to pay once you land, unless you buy books or snacks.

Are children free on Alcatraz?

Children under 5 travel free on the official ferry, and the $135 bay cruise combo carries kids 4 and under free. Ages and terms vary by package, so check the listing for your date before booking.