Eventually, Alcatraz became outmoded and too costly. The US government officially closed its doors as a prison on March 21, 1963. Today Alcatraz island is a unique place to visit, and a study in contrasts. The former prison, which was once a terribly forbidding and bleak house of corrections, retains million dollar views of the Bay and San Francisco. The tide pools, florae and fauna are unaware of the tortured souls that lived and died on the infamous island.
Departures are available about every half hour.
The Island is open for tours every day except Christmas and New Year s Day. Advance tickets are strongly recommended and tickets often sell out a week in advance during the busy summer months. Fisherman s Wharf.