What is the difference between Alcatraz day trip and night tour?
The difference between Alcatraz Island day tour is that visitors can see parts of Alcatraz prison that are normally closed off during the day but available for Alcatraz night tour visitors. However, most of Alcatraz Island outdoors activities and overlooks are inaccessible and not available during the night tour. It’s just a question of preference – some travelers prefer Alcatraz prison day trip over Alcatraz night tour as they get to see more places that are closed during the night excursion. However, other visitors like the night adventure to Alcatraz jail and find it more fun and spookier to tour the island at night.
San Francisco Alcatraz Island day and night excursions both include a round-trip by ferry from San Francisco Pier 33 to the Island, as well as the “cellhouse audio guided tour” available in multiple languages. There are also limited Alcatraz night tours offered twice a week guided and conducted by the US park rangers.
Alcatraz tour is an awesome way to explore Alcatraz prison as you hear the actual interviews of Alcatraz former guards and inmates while walking and seeing the of jail cells in Alcatraz former federal penitentiary.
Alcatraz night tour is a limited small group guided tours conducted by the US park rangers and is reserved to just a few hundred visitors per evening/night, and runs only twice a week, for which you must book long in advance. It includes special programs, tours and activities not offered during the day trips to Alcatraz prison. The post-COVID-19 era may change the way Alcatraz tours are conducted.
Alcatraz tickets were hard enough to get before COVID-19 era and will be even harder to reserve in the future. The sooner you book your Alcatraz tour and tickets, the better.
The ‘Behind-the-Scenes Tour’ is an additional Alcatraz tour experience that includes all the night tour activities, but takes visitors further into hidden rooms, paszsageways and underground cells of an Alcatraz Island long forgotten.
What is the length of the Day or Night Tour of Alcatraz? The average length of the Alcatraz Night Trip is about 2 to 3 hours, and visitors cannot stay longer than the allocated time by the staff and park rangers. Most of the Alcatraz Island outdoor areas are closed to the public after dark and during the night tour, so apart from the tour itself, there is nothing else to do at night. The day trip takes about 3 hours but can be extended, as long as you catch the last ferry back to the mainland (San Francisco).
Alcatraz tours and tickets are available on our website. Save time and book directly online.
