Best Alcatraz Prison Tickets & San Francisco Combo Tour

San Fran Tour

Mary, our tour guide was exceptional - 5 Stars! Growing up in San Francisco, she was intimately aware of so many interesting facts about the city and the sites. She filled the entire time, with so many areas of the city which were so interesting. She was amazing.

Response from the operator: Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear you had such a great experience on your Alcatraz & San Francisco Combo Tour. Mary truly is a gem—her deep local knowledge and passion for the city make her tours unforgettable, and we're so glad she made your visit special. Your kind words mean the world to us, and we hope to welcome you back for another adventure soon! Warm regards, The Golden Horizon Tours Team

via Tripadvisor

Meh…

This is the private response I left for the operator. They never responded so when the email came to rate the experience I thought I would leave my feelings here… Our guided tour just ended and I wanted to reach out to you before I gave any public review of how disappointing it ended up being. I have two kids with me both of which needed to eat before we went to Alcatraz after the guided tour. This was all communicated very clearly with John and he said we would have an hour to do so. At the beginning of the tour he asked if there were any places we wanted to see and my kids specifically asked to see the Mrs. Doubtfire and the full house location. John took us to several fogged out bridge locations where we couldn’t see anything and then did not have time to take us to the locations we requested at the beginning of the tour. He also dropped us off late so we do not have time to feed the kids prior to having to get in line for the ferry. Paying over $1000 for a tour where half the time my kids are going to be upset and starving is not ideal. I called John while we were waiting for him to get the Alcatraz tickets and asked if we could go at a later date or time so I could have time to feed the kids. He said that there was nothing he could do. We’re now in line to get on the ferry and my kids are hungry. What could have been a fantastic day did not end up being so. The tour had a lot of potential and John did have some good moments (like taking us yo Lucas films) but overall it was a lot of money and a disappointing adventure. Won’t be a returning customer or recommending

Response from the operator: Dear Mrs. Davis,      “The whole world is short-staffed due to Covid-19. Please be kind to those that show up.” With all due respect Mrs. Davis , this is one of the most dishonest reviews we have even read in 20 years! You got all your facts wrong, and you are so confused.    Allow me to clarify that for you:                First of all, no, we didn’t send you any email to get your feedback as we don’t have your contact information; that was your travel agent of Viator , and not us. You have not booked directly through us but through Viator/ trip advisor  who never provide  us with customers’ emails. We comply with their guidelines, and we respond promptly through their own platform as we don’t have your email -  If they didn’t respond to you, we are not to blame!  You didn’t book with us, we have no access to your messages and communication with them!   Did you read their website tour description and terms ?  How could you even ask your driver to change your Alcatraz National Park departure time? Don’t you see the contradiction ? No one can change Alcatraz ferry departure as it was made by Alcatraz National Park Service in advance with a special departure time for everybody, particularly during this pandemic.  I wish you could have read your “illogical” feedback before you posted it online.  You knew exactly what to expect and you couldn’t find any Alcatraz tickets availability elsewhere, we had to work so hard to accommodate you and get you all Alcatraz tickets for the same departure time and at the same time.  Users and readers may laugh at this, but Nobody has any control over the weather forecast ma'am! The Golden Gate Bridge is foggy 95% of the time , particularly in the summer, everybody knows that fact, but no customer or travelers has even blamed a tour company for the fog, fires, and weather forecasts like That. You obviously  had a bad day, and you were upset before the tour started for private and personal reasons - we understand that but please  don’t blame us for something we didn’t do!    Regardless of where we make stops along the way, when the bridge is foggy, there is nothing we can do about it! I wish we would have that magical power, but we are humans! With all due respect, this is nonsense!      Did you know that Viator/Trip Adviser charge us over 25% commission (almost $300.00) which makes this private tour almost unprofitable for us as a small business during these tough economic times? Their rates are posted on their own website and it’s not a secret; you could have declined their rates/booking instead of blaming us for their own website rates and terms to which you had agreed! It was their job to follow up with you which they did as shown on their platform. We are 100% responsive and transparent and we always follow up with our clients promptly.   Again, you didn’t book through us ma'am, and we are not liable for the lack of communication you had with your own provider “Viator”. They only pay for the service we provide  almost 2 months after it’s delivered!     Regarding your comment about snacks, this is totally misleading and nonsense. Your driver Jon did not drop you off late, this is totally inaccurate, we have our GPS record here to share it with you if you want. He complied 100% with the tour scheduled and terms, he even drove you  by the area where Mrs. Doubtfire was filmed but he couldn’t  point it out as he  couldn’t  interrupt your arguments with your family. Jon was very respectful, and patient with you as you seemed unhappy before you even started the tour.  We respect family privacy, whatever is happening between you and your family or kids, that’s a private matter and has nothing to do with us.  No, that's not accurate , you had over 50 minutes to buy something to eat before you got on the ferry. Right where Jon dropped you off, there are a couple of options where you could have bought something to eat including the “Queen's Louisiana Po-Boy Cafe and “Hillstone”.  But you said you have a special diet and requested a later departure time to Alcatraz  -not even the US park rangers can change the departure time, how do you expect the driver to do that ?    Rather than spending your time writing a bad review before you even complete your tour (which shows how much time you had on your hands before the ferry departure ) you could have asked Alcatraz ferry staff about those options and why they don’t allow anyone  to change  the departure time instead of blaming us for that! We have complied 100% with the tour schedule and terms you have booked and agreed to. I understand that you have all special diets regarding food, but you knew this tour and schedule would be this way -  you could have bought your own food or sandwiches prior to the tour. Most customers enjoy a good meal after the Alcatraz tour as it only lasts a couple of hours.       We don’t deserve this inaccurate and negative feedback, it’s really a shame and unfair to your tour guide!                              “The whole world is short-staffed due to Covid-19. Please be kind to those that show up.” Nick Customer service       Reservations & Operations Aug 15, 2021, 04:38 PM

via Viator

Highly recommend

Highly recommend this trip for anyone wanting a good overview of San Fran. Our driver was amazing and tailored the tour to our pace. He was also a wealth of information when it came to explaining the city history and landmarks. The fact that all Alcatraz arrangements were made as part of this tour was an added bonus. Wonderful day!

via Viator

A great way to see San Francisco when you’re only in town a few days!

Adam was a fantastic guide. He took us so many places we would have never seen on our own! He was super accommodating and entertaining. We were a group of 8 and he made it special for each one of us!

via Viator

Great San Francisco Tour

John was an excellent tour guide. We loved hearing about historical facts while visiting the sites. I would definitely recommend this tour. They should have tours like this in every state.

via Viator