Alcatraz

Alcatraz, in San Francisco

Alcatraz is the most famous prison island in the world, set in the middle of the bay of San Francisco. The San Francisco audio-guided tour stops here, with respect, to evoke this place laden with history, a former federal prison become a museum.

The prison island of the bay

Nicknamed The Rock, the island of Alcatraz long housed a high-security federal prison, reputed inviolable because of the cold waters and the currents of the bay that surrounded it. It detained, until its closure in the 1960s, some of the most famous criminals of the United States. The island was also, at the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, the scene of a notable occupation by Native American activists. Today a museum, it keeps the cells and the austere buildings of the prison, witnesses of a grave and fascinating history.

What to see

Here you discover the cells and the austere buildings of the former federal prison, in the middle of the bay, in a spirit of memory and reflection. Alcatraz, the prison island nicknamed The Rock, keeps a grave and fascinating history. It is a major stop to be discovered with respect, by crossing the bay.

Practical information

Alcatraz lies on an island in the middle of the bay of San Francisco, accessible only by boat from the seafront. The visit has a fee and follows its own hours, which vary with the season; the crossing must be organised in advance. It is best to check the arrangements and to plan your visit.

What is Alcatraz in San Francisco?

An island in the middle of the bay that housed a famous high-security federal prison, nicknamed The Rock, closed in the 1960s and become today a museum.

Where is Alcatraz?

On an island in the middle of the bay of San Francisco, in California.