San Francisco Combo: Ferry Building Food Tour and Alcatraz
4.8
LIKELY TO SELL OUT*

San Francisco Combo: Ferry Building Food Tour and Alcatraz

By Edible Excursions
Recommended by 96% of travellers
96% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
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Experience two of San Francisco’s most famous attractions—its celebrated cuisine and its notorious prison island, Alcatraz—on one combined tour. Taste your way through the historic Ferry Building with a industry expert while sampling bites from some of the public market’s most beloved restaurants and shops. Plus, take a scenic ferry ride to Alcatraz Island, where you can explore on your own with a self-guided audio tour.
Lowest price guarantee

Ages 0-99, max of 10 per group
Duration: 1–4 hours
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English, French
More

Highlights
  • Enjoy a Ferry Building food tour followed by an Alcatraz island excursion
  • Get two classic San Francisco experiences on one convenient combined tour 
  • Indulge in tasty samples, included in the tour cost, with a culinary guide
  • Explore Alcatraz independently with an audio tour and flexible return ferry

  • All food tastings
  • 90-minute guided food tour
  • Self-guided audio walking tour of Alcatraz
  • Alcatraz Island ticket including round trip ferry ($45.25 USD value)
  • Entry/Admission - Alcatraz Island
What's not included
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Transportation from Ferry Building to Alcatraz Landing

Meet your guide at the entrance to the Ferry Building, where you begin the first half of your excursion. With the help of your culinary guide, taste your way through this landmark structure. Built in the 19th century and renovated in 2003, the Ferry Building’s concourse is now lined with farm stands, artisan food shops like Cowgirl Creamery, and restaurants like the celebrated upscale Vietnamese restaurant Slanted Door. Then, with a satisfied stomach, head for Pier 33, where you board a ferry to Alcatraz. Once you arrive, get a brief orientation and pick up your audio tour, which the tour allows you to explore at your own pace while listening to commentary from employees and inmates of the former federal prison, which is now a national park. When you’re ready to return to the city, hop one of the ferries.

Start:
  • Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA
    We will meet in front of the historic steps in the front of the ferry building, underneath the clock tower. Your guide will be holding a canvas tote with Edible Excursions printed on it.
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    • Wheelchair accessible
    • Pushchair accessible
    • Service animals allowed
    • Near public transportation
    • Transportation is wheelchair accessible
    • Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
    If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 5298ALCFERRY

    • All traveler names are required at time of booking. Failure to provide this information will result in cancellation of your tour. All travelers over 18 MUST have photo I.D.
    • Please advise any specific dietary requirements in the "Special Requirements" box at time of booking
    • If excursion fails to meet minimum enrollment (total of 4 guests), Edible Excursions will contact guests 10 days in advance to reschedule or offer a refund.
    • All food tastings are subject to change depending on availability
    • Children 0-4 years are free provided they will not be eating on the food tour. Alcatraz tickets are free for ages 0-4 years
    • Alcatraz ferry tickets departure are typically at 12:30pm. Departure timing may change depending on availability. If this is the case, you will be notified of the new time by Edible Excursions on the day of the tour.
    • Alcatraz audio tour is available in English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Mandarin, Portuguese and Korean
    • Alcatraz is steep and hilly. A moderate amount of walking is involved, so comfortable walking shoes are recommended
    • You may depart Alcatraz Island at any time; ferries depart every 30-40 minutes
    • Most travellers can participate
    • This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
    • This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
    • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travellers

    • All sales are final and incur 100% cancellation penalties.

    If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 5298ALCFERRY

    From
    AU$293.43
    per adult
    Select date and travellers
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    Similar experiences

    Itinerary
    • San Francisco, CA 94105, USA
      We will meet in front of the historic steps in the front of the ferry building, underneath the clock tower. Your guide will be holding a canvas tote with Edible Excursions printed on it.
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    About the operator
    Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
    • Edible Excursions
      4.9 of 5 bubbles229
      United States
      Joined in April 2011
    • X9999VXkatiee
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      What a great experience!
      We went on the Japantown Food Tour with Alice. She was so friendly and knowledgeable. I enjoyed hearing about her personal connections. All the food was excellent. Come hungry! We took leftovers and got an origami class! I would highly recommend!
      Written 8 November 2024
    • Rick S
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Amazing tour. Do it!
      Fantastic experience. Your was easy to book and they were super responsive. Lisa, our guide, was amazing, knowledgeable, and great to hang with. The food recommendations were spot on and even made some recommendations for exploring further after the tour. Highly recommend
      Written 20 October 2024
    • punyas2021
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Amazing experience
      Such a beautiful experience! Joshua was so knowledgeable and well versed not only in the food but also the history of the neighborhood. We all learned so much and it was amazing to meet the owners of all the restaurants and learn more about the stories. We went as a family for a Father’s Day celebration and I would 10/10 recommend for anyone with foodies in their family!
      Written 28 July 2024
    • katherinerains
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Japantown tour with Alice was awesome!
      We did the Japantown with Alice and it was great! We are local but wanted a deeper knowledge of Japantown and all it has to offer. Alice is 3rd generation Japanese American so shared her personal family experience as well as her strong ties to Japantown. She was very knowledgeable and not only did we eat delicious food, but also made origami! This is my second Edible Excursion tour, and I've loved both. This first was the Temescal tour. I'm doing north Berkeley later this summer too. Great experiences with super knowledgeable guides. Can't recommend enough.. come hungry!
      Written 8 June 2024
    • 647lisal
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Don't give up on the Mission district in San Francisco-Take the Mission 18th Food Tour
      If you are a Bay area resident or someone coming in for a visit to San Francisco, the Mission 18th Street San Francisco Food Tour by Edible Excursions is not to be missed! We were so fortunate to have Lisa, the owner as our guide. She was a wealth of knowledge and clearly had relationships with the restaurant owners and staff. It is a three-hour walking tour, but it is all flat and not a lot of distance is covered. We started at Arepas, a Venezuelan restaurant. The food was excellent, and the Sangria divine. If you are looking for some Venezuelan food products, they also have a small store with edibles generally not found in the US. We moved onto Abanico for coffee and had a wonderful chat with the owner. Next, we ate at Cafe de Olla, a Oaxacan restaurant. It is small and bustling and the food authentic. Most of our group was up for trying Chapulines, or edible grasshoppers with their fresh tortilla chips. They were spicy and, no, they did not taste like chicken, haha. If you are craving the food of Oaxaca, you definitely need to try this small, charming place. The last "main" stop was at Tacolicious. We were treated to the Tuna Tostada Contramar-Style. Having eaten at Contramar in Mexico City, I was really excited to try this. The tuna melted in my mouth, so delicious. Lastly, we rounded out the tour with dessert at Dandelion Chocolate where we learned the process by which chocolate is made and finished the three hours with a visit to Bi-Rite Ice Cream. The salted caramel ice cream was so creamy and true to the flavors. This tour was an amazing view into the revitalization of the Mission. Along the way we passed the vibrant murals and learned about this forgotten area. Having taken the wonderful Edible Excursions tour at Ferry Plaza, I would say you can't go wrong with any of their tours, but this one felt really special getting out into the neighborhood may people avoid. Don't miss it.
      Written 6 May 2024
    • Q7976HJcarrieg
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      JAPANTOWN tour - so special
      We talked all the way home about the day, the experience, and mostly Alice’s stories. She opened our minds to learn so much, and our hearts (and tummies) were quite full from our special experience. She went above and beyond in so many ways. The shopkeepers and proprietors were wonderful. We did some shopping before we left . A day and people we won’t forget —Thank you for sharing this important place in the world with us.
      Written 18 February 2024
    • keithcR648HA
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great tour with our guide, Joshua.
      It was a great tour with our guide, Joshua. I was surprised how much food was included. I will be back for more!
      Written 6 January 2024
    • Oakerry
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Sign-up Now! Without a second thought!
      I organized this event as a team building activity and we had the most incredible time. It was seamlessly organized and just the right balance of information with all the delectable foods. We work right across the street from the Ferry Building and yet many people mentioned that they hadn’t tried some the spots that we visited. It was a casual, low-key way to connect with my colleagues and wonderful exposure to the gems hidden within the Building. I will definitely recommend this tour and especially Tori (she made everything come alive).
      Written 24 October 2023
    • ritavish
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fabulous food tour. Highly recommended
      We did a private tour with our friends and family. There were many dietary restrictions amongst us but all the places we visited were able to accommodate us all. There was a nice variety of places we visited and we were absolutely stuffed at the end of the 3 hours. Lisa was great. She continued to help us with questions of where to eat even after the tour ended. She made sure that we enjoyed delicious food for the rest of our visit. Her recommendations were spot on. I would highly recommend this company.
      Written 2 August 2023
    • tinawA8831OR
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great tour with Eve!
      Great tour. We often do food tours when we travel. We find it a great way to check out places we may not find on our own. From the pizza to pastrami sandwiches to the cupcakes, this was a perfect way to explore Nirth Berkley.
      Written 18 February 2023
    • Diane R
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Very pleasant working with the knowledgeable staff. Excellent experience.
      I worked with Edible Excursions to schedule our staff post-holiday party. Amy was our contact. She was so helpful, great communication & timely. Amy took care of all the details which made it perfect & easy for me to work with. Joshua was our tour guide for the SF Ferry Building. He was so delightful, knowledgeable & FUN our entire group couldn't stop talking about how much fun they had! I plan on scheduling another tour with Edible Excursions very soon!
      Written 13 February 2023
    • Donna G
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Excellent tour, great food
      Loved this tour - Eve was great, food was amazing, learnt so much and ate so much! Highly recommend.
      Written 5 September 2022
    • Marcia P
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great tour!
      We had an excellent tour with our guide Tori - she was very knowledgeable about the history of the Ferry Building, the food market and the vendors. We had delicious tastings of chocolates, cheese, bread and burgers - you won’t go away hungry!
      Written 2 July 2022
    • ilovemysandyfeet
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Seeing the Ferry Building w a new lens
      We had a great tour w Rebecca. As a chef, she had a lot of add in discussions which were interesting. We had bread, cheese, tacos, tuna burger, and sweets. I think my favorite tasting was….strawberries. Who knew how many varieties of strawberries existed and how different they taste? Thanks for a great tour!
      Written 29 May 2022
    • williambI8126US
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Excellent food tour!
      Loved the variety of food and the history of the Ferry Building. Rebecca was a great guide and the food portions were enormous!
      Written 24 May 2022
    See all 229 reviews
    These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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    Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


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    4.8
    4.8 of 5 bubbles28 reviews
    Excellent
    24
    Very good
    3
    Average
    0
    Poor
    0
    Terrible
    1

    Mass F
    Castro Valley, CA11 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Did Ferry Building Food Tour without Alcatraz on 2/22/20. Varied food selections to try from the Ferry Building and Saturday Farmers’ Market. All selections were tasty, and our guide, Carrie Sullivan, was super knowledgeable about both the Ferry Building’s and Farmers’ Market histories, and details about the vendors and the food choices we were offered. 2 hour tour provided delightful and ample portions and will keep us coming back to enjoy this local “foodie haven” for years to come. Excellent way to introduce out of town guests to the various SF cuisine options besides those at Fisherman’s Wharf. Looking forward to trying Edible Excursions East Bay next.
    Written 23 February 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thank you so much for the wonderful review! We loved having you on tour with us and hope you'll join us again some day.
    Written 2 March 2020
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Diandra C
    New York City, NY14 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Apr 2022 • Friends
    Our guide Rebecca was the best! She was knowledgeable and extremely helpful; answered all our questions. The one thing I emphasize is to come to this tour hungry. You will be given a variety of wonderful, tasty local foods to eat. This is a must tour; I highly recommend!
    Written 3 May 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thanks so much for the wonderful review! We are so glad you enjoyed your day with us and we hope to see you again soon. Yes, Rebecca is fabulous!!
    Written 4 May 2022
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    kelly s
    5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    July 2024 • Family
    Such a fun food tour and so much great information about the food at the ferry building! Rebecca was absolutely charming and knowledgeable. The Alcatraz tour is great. This made such a fun day by combining the Alcatraz tour with the food tour. Thank you for a wonderful experience!
    Written 12 July 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thank you for joining us, Kelly! Rebecca loved having you and your family, and we love sharing our passion for San Francisco and the SF food scene with our guests! We hope you'll join us again someday!
    Written 13 July 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Helen V
    Cranberry Township, PA14 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Aug 2019
    Our first day in SF, we booked this tour as a way to get to Alcatraz (like many others). It was a great tour - the food was delicious and our tour guide, Quinn, was super cool. The tour is through the Ferry Building - all the food is fresh and there's a story behind everything. The pasteries and chicken and waffles were our favorites. Highly recommend it!
    Written 17 August 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Hello, Helen! Thanks so much for the great review. We are so glad you had a wonderful time with Quinn at the Ferry Building. We hope you'll join us again for one of our other tours.
    Written 18 August 2019
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Scrapbookfan
    Ontario11 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Aug 2019
    This experience was to die for. The food tour was amazing and our tour guide Quinn was very knowledgeable. Also appreciated the fact that one stop was closed for the day for staff training but the owner still came and delivered our portions. Everything was very tasty, I would definitely recommend. DO NOT EAT BREAKFAST BEFORE YOU GO!
    The Alcatraz tour was very good too, take note it is smelly on the island but don't let that discourage you from going. The audio cell self guided tour was amazing, very well done.
    Written 19 August 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Hello! Thanks so much for the wonderful review! Quinn was so happy to be able to share the incredible SF Ferry Building with you. We hope to see you again someday!
    Written 20 August 2019
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Chris F
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Like many other folks, we signed up for this tour because it is difficult to get tickets for to Alcatraz. I am happy to say that the ferry building food tour was excellent. Our excellent guide Carol, was knowledgeable about the building, the vendors, and the food. We had selections from six different local vendors with a wide variety of taste from sweet to savory. Each tasting was excellent. Bring your appetite as we were full when the tour was done. The Alcatraz ferry is about a 20 minute walk from the ferry building and you have about an hour to get there. If the weather is good, it’s a nice walk.
    Written 25 July 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thank you for the great review. We are so glad you enjoyed your tour with us!
    Written 26 July 2019
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    hpk123
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania10 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Ferry building tour with Carrie was unexpectedly AWESOME! Food stops were delicious and perfect tasting size. Carrie was very knowledgeable. We chose this tour for the Alcatraz access but recommend it for the Ferry Building tour!
    Written 23 July 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thank you for coming on tour with us, and for the great review. We are so glad you had a great time with Carrie!
    Written 3 August 2019
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Blond_e005
    Maidstone, UK56 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Sept 2019 • Couples
    Had the food tour at the Ferry building with guide- Henry. It was good fun, and Henrys knowledge of the background to some of the many food producers gave some insight to this side of san frans foodie world. Glad we did it. I would like to come back and do a more in depth foodie tour- one day perhsps!
    The Alcatraz ferry goes from a terminal around 20 mins walk- Alcatraz is worth foing- headphone tour of prison a must.
    Written 23 September 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thanks so much for the wonderful review. I'm so glad you had a great day with us. We definitely want you back for another tour!
    Written 24 September 2019
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    karengF4022FT
    Pittsburgh, PA90 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Aug 2018 • Family
    Like so many others, we booked this tour because we were desperate to get Alcatraz tickets. The Ferry Building food tour was not our priority. However, we may have enjoyed the Ferry Building food tour more than the Alcatraz tour. Alcatraz is a great piece of American history, and well worth seeing. But the food tour was so interesting and taught us so much about the local SF food scene. And the free samples were delicious. We ended up returning to have dinner at one of the restaurants from which we received a sample. We'd have otherwise not known of that restaurant or gone there, and it was excellent. Shout out to our culinary tour guide Carol. She was excellent!!!
    Written 4 October 2018
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Sherry W
    North Olmsted, OH8 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    I will admit we took the tour for the Alcatraz tickets. But it ended up being a very tasty part of the day. Everything we tried was great! The best was the stone fruit tartlet from Frog Hollow.
    Written 16 September 2018
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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    *Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.

    San Francisco Combo: Ferry Building Food Tour and Alcatraz provided by Edible Excursions

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