Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary
United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island, also known simply as Alcatraz (English: , Spanish: [alkaˈtɾas] "the gannet") or The Rock, was a maximum security federal prison on Alcatraz Island, 1.25 miles (2.01 km) off the coast of San Francisco, California, United States. Running it is Federal Bureau of Prisons. A short trip away is Chase Center, 4.5 mi off.
A museum inside San Francisco
One of the most looked-up attractions in the U.S.
About 261K people a year read its Wikipedia article, more than for 99% of the 7,770 attractions we track.
Places to stay about a mile away
Argonaut Hotel is 1.3 miles away; Hostelling International (1.4 mi) and HI San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf Hostel (1.4 mi) are close too. 468 places to stay are within 4 miles. Hotels nearby ↓
A day trip from San Jose
San Jose is about 50 miles southeast (straight-line). Hotels nearby ↓
Best months: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct and Nov
April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November are the mild months, with highs of 62–72°. When to go ↓
Established in 1934
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary dates from 1934 and is run by Federal Bureau of Prisons. About ↓
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
A month-by-month look
Here is how the weather at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary changes month by month.
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary
United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island, also known simply as Alcatraz (English: , Spanish: [alkaˈtɾas] "the gannet") or The Rock, was a maximum security federal prison on Alcatraz Island, 1.25 miles (2.01 km) off the coast of San Francisco, California, United States. The site of a fort since the 1850s, the main prison building was built from 1910 to 1912 as a U.S. Army military prison.
The United States Department of Justice acquired the United States Disciplinary Barracks, Pacific Branch, on Alcatraz on October 12, 1933. The island became adapted and used as a prison of the Federal Bureau of Prisons in August 1934 after the buildings were modernized and security increased. Given this high security and the island's location in the cold waters and strong currents of San Francisco Bay, prison operators believed Alcatraz to be escape-proof and America's most secure prison.
- Type
- Museum
- Established
- 1934
- Run by
- Federal Bureau of Prisons
- Wikipedia readers
- 261K a year
Stay near Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary
468 places to stay are within 4 miles. For the closest bed, Argonaut Hotel is 1.3 miles away.
Closest places to stay
- 1Argonaut Hotelhotel · 1.3 mi southDirections
- 2Hostelling Internationalhostel · 1.4 mi southDirections
- 3HI San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf Hostelhostel · 1.4 mi southDirections
- 4The Wharf Innhotel · 1.4 mi southDirections
- 5Kimpton Alton Fisherman's Wharfhotel · 1.4 mi southDirections
- 6Hotel Zephyrhotel · 1.4 mi southDirections
- 7Hotel Cazahotel · 1.4 mi southDirections
- 8Holiday Inn Express & Suites San Francisco Fishermans Wharf by IHGhotel · 1.5 mi southDirections
- 9Hotel Riu Plaza Fisherman´s Wharfhotel · 1.5 mi southDirections
- 10Fairmont Heritage Place - Ghirardelli Squarehotel · 1.5 mi southDirections
Places to eat nearby
174 restaurants, cafés and bars within 1½ miles
Compare 8 towns to stay in
| Town | From Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | in town | — | 528 426 hotels · 24 motels · 37 inns & B&Bs · 5 lodges & cabins · 27 hostels · 6 campgrounds · 3 RV parks | 826,079 | $1,395K | D |
| Oakland | 12 mi east | 15 min | 89 56 hotels · 22 motels · 7 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 hostel · 2 campgrounds | 440,838 | $930K | D− |
| Berkeley | 7 mi east | 10 min | 30 24 hotels · 4 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 hostel | 121,911 | $1,414K | D− |
| South San Francisco | 12 mi south | 20 min | 36 32 hotels · 2 motels · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 RV park | 64,941 | $1,189K | C |
| Sausalito | 4 mi northwest | 5 min | 10 5 hotels · 1 inn or B&B · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 hostel · 2 campgrounds | 7,019 | $1,895K | B− |
| Richmond | 9 mi north | 15 min | 14 9 hotels · 3 motels · 2 lodges & cabins | 114,861 | $668K | D |
| San Rafael | 12 mi northwest | 15 min | 18 15 hotels · 1 motel · 2 inns & B&Bs | 59,410 | $1,356K | D |
| Emeryville | 7 mi east | 10 min | 8 6 hotels · 1 inn or B&B · 1 campground | 13,251 | $605K | D− |
Day trip from
Straight-line miles.
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Combine it with these
Every place here is under 10 miles away.
Big draw5 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw2 mi LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw3 mi GardenPresidio of San Francisco
Big draw4 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw8 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
2 mi LookoutCoit Tower
8 mi TheatreCow Palace
9 mi National MonumentMuir Woods National Monument757K visitors a yearPhoto credits
Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Coit Tower: Chris6d, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cow Palace: Dante Alighieri , CC BY-SA 3.0 · Muir Woods National Monument: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in questions
Is Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in San Francisco?
Yes. It’s inside San Francisco, CA.
When is the best time to visit Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary?
April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November, with highs of 62–72°.
How far is Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary from San Jose and Stockton?
About 50 miles southeast of San Jose and about 62 miles east of Stockton, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary?
Oakland San Francisco Bay (OAK), about 13 miles away.
What hotels are near Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary?
Argonaut Hotel (1.3 mi), Hostelling International (1.4 mi) and HI San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf Hostel (1.4 mi). 468 places to stay are within 4 miles.
Local know-how from San Francisco
Questions and tips go in San Francisco’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.