before deciding to do a contiki I'd never heard that it was such a popular tourist option. why is this? what is so good about it?

Simply by reputation. It's a prison on a remote island that housed noteworthy criminals :-)

In addition to having housed a lot of noteworthy prisoners, it also has a reputation that you could not escape from it. It was also featured in the movie The Rock. It has a long and dynamic history.

Plus a good view of downtown San Francosco.

when i vistited alcatraz all i could think of is the movie THE ROCK with sean connery - the history of the whole island is amazing and the night view of san fran...amazing

all the same i think i'll still give it a miss. visiting a jail on my holiday just doesn't excite me. no matter what the history!

seeiing as we have such limited time in san fran really i think i'd rather use my time to explore the city. it looks like such a beautiful place i cant wait to start exploring it.

Alcatraz IS a part of the City and its history and just as worthy of recogniton and exploration as any other San Francisco site!
I think it is an absolute must! I was blown away when I went there, it was incredible!! do the audio tour of the cell block, it gives a narration of sorts and is spoken by an old cell mate and one of the guards, they've put it in background noise like talking, yelling and clanging bars and it feels so real!

I'm going to San Francisco for a couple days before heading to NY for my Grand Northern tour next year... and I wouldn't feel like I've done everything there is to do without going to Alcatraz. I'll definitely be going there and can't WAIT!

Alcatraz.... San Francisco is my favourite city in the world!! Alcatraz just topped it off! Rich with history and information but it's given to you in such a fun way you'll feel as if you're really there! I would highly recommend it. There is a reason why you have to book the tour before you leave, cos teh tours are so popular you're unlikely to get a spot if you leave it til you get there.

I got a tour the same day I went. Very interesting history. And the photos you can take of Golden Gate bridge while on the ferry ride can be stunning!

hey all
I've now been to San Francisco 3 times. And like alot of other people Alcatraz is one of the 1st things i did when there. i have now been to Alcatraz twice and i saw things there the 2nd time that was unable to on the 1st trip. even met a guard that worked there when it was a prison, he was signing books.

so yeah go to alcatraz as there is so much history involved in the place and u really won't regret it. and its only about $25 u can't beat that. and as others have said u get to do a bit of a cruise on the harbor as well.
cheers Daz