Alcatraz tickets sold out? What still works

Start with the official ferry

Alcatraz is on the United States' list as "Visit Alcatraz Island", and the island is reached only by one company's boats. The National Park Service charges no entrance fee, but you need a ferry ticket, and it names Alcatraz City Cruises "the ONLY NPS-authorized ferry transportation provider" and "the ONLY ferry permitted to dock" there. Its site is alcatrazcitycruises.com. Other boats only sail around the island.

This is a planning guide, not a report of a recent visit. The rules and prices below come from nps.gov and alcatrazcitycruises.com, checked on 25 October 2026. The ferry's booking calendar runs on scripts that must30 did not test, so this guide does not say which dates are sold out.

Why it sells out

The island is open 362 days a year, but the boats are the limit: every ticket is for one departure from Pier 33, and the ferry company sells them up to 90 days ahead. It says plainly that Alcatraz is "frequently selling out a week or more in advance" and that "Tickets are rarely available for same-day sailings". The park goes further for the busy season: tickets "may sell out several weeks ahead during summer months and around holiday weekends", and another park page says "as much as a month or more in summer and near holidays".

When a time is gone, the ferry site shows "TICKETS NOT AVAILABLE" next to it. If every departure on a date says that, the day is full.

Official options first

1. Try the Night Tour. It runs Tuesday to Saturday, from $59.65 for adults, with a different route: the ferry goes around the island with live narration before docking, and then you take the cellhouse audio tour. It is cold and windy at night, and some parts of the island open in the day are closed after dark.
2. Look at Behind the Scenes. It is a guided tour for 30 people or fewer into areas closed to other visitors, followed by the whole Night Tour, from $104.65 for adults and not for under 12s. The park says to plan on 4 to 5 hours in all.
3. Check again 72 hours before. Buyers can cancel or reschedule with a refund up to 72 hours before departure, so in must30's view seats can come back around then.
4. Book further ahead. With sales open 90 days out, a date in the busy season is safest booked as soon as it appears.
5. In season, look at the Alcatraz and Angel Island combination. In 2026 it ran daily from 23 May to 7 September and at weekends in September and October, from $88.

Packages with an Alcatraz ticket

The ferry company is clear about resale. Tickets sold by people who approach you are "often sold at an inflated price (scalping) and are illegal", and may not be valid. Genuine tickets sold by other companies "get the tickets from us and are only included as part of a larger experience ticket", with no mark-up on the Alcatraz part and its price shown separately. It also warns that "Outside companies do not have access or any control over our inventory, so they may not always be able to confirm tickets for you."

That is the only kind of offer must30 links here: packages that combine Alcatraz with something else, such as a city tour or a bus pass. Packages are worth a look when the ferry site is full, but check that the listing confirms a specific Alcatraz departure and that the Alcatraz part costs what the ferry company charges.

If you book through these links, must30 earns a commission at no extra cost to you.

Timing that helps

Day departures leave Pier 33 about every half hour from 8:45, and you can come back on any ferry. The island closes at 6:30 pm in summer and 4:30 pm in autumn, winter and spring. The park suggests planning a couple of hours on the island. The walk from the dock to the cellhouse is about a quarter of a mile with a 130-foot climb, around 10 to 15 minutes; a small electric shuttle runs every half hour for visitors who cannot make it.

Bring layers: the park says it is often chillier on the island than on the mainland, with fog common in summer and rain in winter. There is no food service on the island; food is sold on the ferry.

What not to do

• Do not buy from people approaching you on the waterfront. The ferry company calls it scalping, and the tickets may not be valid.
• Do not pay a mark-up for a bare ticket on another site. Valid resold tickets come inside a package, at the official price plus at most a booking fee.
• Do not book a narrated bay cruise thinking it lands. Only Alcatraz City Cruises docks at the island.
• Do not count on the ticket booth on the day. Same-day tickets are rare.
• Do not cancel late. Refunds and changes need 72 hours' notice.
• Do not plan a visit on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day or New Year's Day. The island is closed.

Keep planning

• The United States' list, where the island appears as "Visit Alcatraz Island".
• The case for doing the famous thing early, on timing the big sights.
• The other ticket guides, including the Statue of Liberty crown, another island reached by one ferry, and Stonehenge.