San Francisco

San Francisco Combo: Ferry Building Food Tour and Alcatraz

San Francisco, USA

1 to 4 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Tour San Francisco's Ferry Building Marketplace with a industry expert guide and sample many products from artisan and local food purveyors. Then visit the former maximum-security prison, Alcatraz, to shed light on the history-packed location during this full-day excursion in San Francisco.

San Francisco food tour and Alcatraz combo
Dive into San Francisco food culture on a food tour of the Ferry Building and Farmers' Market
Sample foods from popular local purveyors
Indulge in handmade chocolates and macarons
Spend your afternoon exploring Alcatraz, San Francisco's premier attraction
Learn about infamous island with the award-winning 'Cellhouse Audio Tour'

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

Get a Ferry Building experience with a flexible afternoon exploring Alcatraz at your own pace.

What's Included

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)

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Transportation from Ferry Building to Alcatraz Landing

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

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.

Start time

10:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Meet your industry expert guide in front of the Ferry Building's main entrance along the curb of the Embarcadero for a walking tour. This landmark, built in the late 19th century, features a 245-foot (75-meter) clock tower and was renovated in 2003. If you're looking for a taste of San Francisco, this concourse featuring artisans and farmers peddling their wares is the best place to get it.

As you stroll, you may see some of the city's most-revered chefs buying fresh produce to serve at their restaurants that evening. Taste artisan chocolates from Recchiuti, fresh-baked bread from ACME Bread Company, award-winning cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery, Out the Door's fresh Vietnamese spring rolls, and more!

After your culinary tour, get directions to Pier 33 and stroll down the Embarcadero to catch the ferry to Alcatraz. Onboard, enjoy the sights of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge, and the city's receding skyline on the way out.

Arrive at Alcatraz, a former federal prison that's now a National Park and get a brief orientation to the maximum-security facility, which operated from 1934 to 1963. Pick up your self-guided audio tour, available in several languages, and start exploring. Listen to commentary from former staff and inmates and learn about the stints that famous inmates like Machine Gun Kelly and Al Capone served.

Spend as long as you like exploring Alcatraz, then hop back on the ferry, which departs regularly, for the ride back to the city.

Ferry Building Marketplace

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Embarcadero Farmer's Market

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

The Embarcadero

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Alcatraz Island

3 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
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.
Wheelchair accessible
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.
Stroller accessible
All food tastings are subject to change depending on availability
Service animals allowed
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

Near public transportation
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
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Alcatraz is steep and hilly. A moderate amount of walking is involved, so comfortable walking shoes are recommended
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
You may depart Alcatraz Island at any time; ferries depart every 30-40 minutes
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

151 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 151 reviews

Great Experience

Lauren_O, Mar 2023

Our guide, Rebecca, was so welcoming and was very informative. I loved getting to try foods that I've never had before. Even my picky husband liked all the food we tried, even the fruit! Thank you for broadening our horizons! We will remember this experience forever!

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Lauren, thanks so much for the fabulous review! We love sharing our passion for the SF food scene and the historical SF Ferry Building with guest from near and far. We hope to see you again someday.

Great combo tour

lac12sfc18, Jun 2022

Lisa was upbeat, knowledgeable, and nice. Gave us just the right amount of history with lots of yummy food. We loved the food tour. Alcatraz was awesome as well! A must see while in San Francisco.

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Thanks so much for joining us this week! We really enjoyed our time with you. We love sharing our passion for San Francisco and it's food scene with our guests! We hope you'll join us again soon.

Loved the tour!!

Nancy_B, Jul 2021

Our host was very knowledgeable, the food was great and we had a very enjoyable time! We got to learn lots of history of the Ferry Building and learned a lot about the vendors and the local sourcing there.

Response from Host, Jul 2021

Nancy, thank you for joining us and for the great review. We love sharing our beloved Ferry Building!

Delicious Food but Overpriced

Suzy_I, Aug 2019

I took this tour because I couldn’t get Alcatraz tickets and this included a ticket. The food was delicious but I feel as the tour is overpriced for what you get.

A fun adventure

Aimee_S, Aug 2019

This attraction was one we picked only because we wanted to see Alcatraz, but we were happy we did. The food was a good variety and Carol was a great tour guide. We were full for the whole day. The ferry building was so fun, we went back to shop around again before our trip ended. Thanks for a fun time.

Response from Host, Aug 2019

We are so glad we were a happy surprise!! Thank you for the great review! We hope you'll join us for another tour some day.

Food Tour and Alcatraz

Greg_G, Aug 2019

Great food, super guide (Henry) and fun/interesting tour of Alcatraz. Enjoyed by all. Only wish it could have lasted longer.

Response from Host, Aug 2019

Thanks for the great review! We are so glad you had a wonderful time with Henry. Come back on tour with us soon.

Great Experience

JCKVT10, Aug 2019

Tori lead this food tour, and she was awesome. She grew up in San Fran, so gave her personal insight on the city and the history of the Ferry Building. We walked around this neat attraction while sampling all kinds of foods that the unique vendors had to offer. It was def more than just nibbles, too! It was all so good and tasty- I def recommend this experience! After the sampling is done, tickets for Alcatraz are handed out and it's a quick walk to the pier from the Ferry Building. Thanks for the wonderful experience!!

Response from Host, Aug 2019

We are so happy you enjoyed your day with Tori. She is fabulous! We hope to get you back some day. Thanks so much!

Full of surprises!

fututreboy3, Aug 2019

We were very pleasantly surprised by the awesome food tour! Honestly, we booked this tour so that we could get tickets to Alcatraz (because the those tickets were sold out everywhere else) but the food tour was great. Our tour guide was lovely and very knowledgeable about the area, the shops and the chefs. We sampled many vendors, we loved the chicken and waffles, macaroons, chocolates, cheeses, spring rolls and more! This tour was at 10:00 am and we were glad we didn't eat breakfast first so we could thoroughly enjoy the portion sizes. You won't go home hungry, lol. Wish we knew about the Ferry Building before our last day in San Francisco so we could have eaten at more of the shops. This tour took around an hour and then Alcatraz was in the early afternoon. The ferry ride was nice, not to crowded. It's definitely a hike to get to the cell block audio tour but it's very informative and the view is gorgeous. We had a great time!!

Response from Host, Aug 2019

Thank you for such a wonderful review! And, thank you for joining us at the historic Ferry Building! We love sharing this treasure with visitors. We hope to see you back some day.

overpriced

Curious608198, Jul 2019

$160.00 dollars per person to walk around and sample some food. Rip-off. The Alcatraz trip was only $40.00 so $100,00 for these sample food. Never again and I will review this scam on trip advisor

Response from Host, Aug 2019

We are so sorry to hear you didn't love your tour and tastes of the historic SF Ferry Building. Usually our guests say this was a highlight of their trip. We are sorry we missed the mark with you.

Kind and Lucky

Dana_M, Jul 2019

We were late for our food tour and the organizer emailed me saying the guide was looking for us. So kind! We are able to still go on the Alcatraz tour-which was very cool. So lucky!

Response from Host, Jul 2019

We are so happy you were able to find the guide mid-stream, and that you enjoyed your tour. Join us again someday. Safe travels.

Súper!

Helena_M, Jul 2019

Santino was great: very creative and full of energy!! Order in tastings may be improved, and any kind of beverage added a must.

Response from Host, Jul 2019

Thank you for your great review. We are so glad you toured with us. Santino is fabulous!

Fun and Delicious

DaphneB101, Jul 2019

Loved the Farmers Marketplace. Our guide, TRAVIS, was so knowledgeable and fun! The foods he chose were not only delicious but complimented each other. The strawberry macaroon was the perfect ending!

Response from Host, Jul 2019

Thank you for letting us know what a wonderful time you had and how much you enjoyed Travis. He’s great! Safe travels.

An excellent tour for foodies & more

Amy_H, May 2019

This was a fantastic tour! Our guide, Travis, was absolutely wonderful; he was knowledgeable and personable. He gave us background about the Ferry Building's history as well as interesting stories about the San Francisco food scene, with emphasis on the vendors whose delectable wares we happily sampled. My husband and I were both astounded at the deliciousness (and quantity!) of the food included in the tour. Definitely come hungry! After our time at the Ferry Building, we were grateful for the opportunity to walk to Pier 33 to catch the ferry to Alcatraz. Getting tickets and boarding the ferry to Alcatraz were easy, and it was nice to decide on our own pace for the rest of the excursion. I recommend this tour to anyone visiting San Francisco, but especially to those who really love food.

Response from Host, May 2019

Thank you so much for joining us on tour, and for the wonderful review! We are so glad you had a great experience. Please join us again someday!

Excellent

Lynn_M, Dec 2018

Our tour guide Rebecca was informative and friendly. She knew a lot of fun facts and history of the foods we were sampling. I have two picky teens and they even enjoyed it!

Yum!!

Mark_F, Dec 2018

Our tour was great. Our guide Rebecca was knowledgeable and full of food. The macaron and apple tarts were amazing! She even let me divert to purchase a few nibbles for our Alcatraz trip. I loved this part and can’t wait to do another on the weekend!

Fun in San Francisco

Diana B, Sep 2018

The food tour was interesting and Torri, our guide was excellent. She gave us tidbits of history about the pier area and ferry building. The Alcatraz tour was great.

Would Do Again

Gregory_G, Aug 2018

We were looking for a tour of Alcatraz, and this was the only tour available that got us to Alcatraz. However, it ended up being great. We met at the Ferry Building, and our guide (Carol) took us around the building and gave us a history of the building and many of the merchants in the building. The food tasting ranged from cheese, to bread, to the meat purveyor. The sample at Slanted Door led us to book dinner reservations there the next day. There are many tours that go to Alcatraz, but this one was the best way to get there. The samples were so plentiful that we skipped lunch we were so full.

Lack of clear directions by tour company

Jonelle_J, Aug 2018

We loved the Alcatraz portion of the tour - so worth it! However, we had signed up for the Ferry Building Food tour and were not able to attend that part because of the unclear directions on the Viator email. The directions told us to go to Pier 33 - just outside the entrance to the Alcatraz tour- and meet the tour guide curbside for the tour. We never saw the tour guide. Turns out we were supposed to go to 1 Ferry Building first - a 20 minute walk away from Pier 33. The tour guide was nice enough to call me to find out where we were and if we wanted them to wait for us and I explained that, by the time we walked down to 1 Ferry Building, it would be halfway through the tour time and to please go ahead without us. Very disappointing that we paid for an additional tour and missed it because of inadequate directions from Viator. The directions need to clearly state that you are to meet at 1 Ferry Building FIRST and then go to Pier 33.

Food Tour and Alcatraz

Jeannine_C, Jul 2018

This tour was a nice package! We started the day sampling some wonderful foods from various vendors at the Ferry building. The food was fabulous, and our tour guide Carol was very informative. We left her feeling very full and ready to begin our tour of Alcatraz. The ferry ride alone is great - especially if it's a nice day. Exploring the Prison and taking the Audio Tour was so interesting. Highly recommend!!!

A great experience all round

Matthew_E, Jul 2018

The food tour was a perfect way to start the day - delicious! Our guide, Tori, was brilliant. And Alcatraz is exactly what you're told it is by all and sundry - a really incredible experience that is not to be missed.

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Likely to Sell Out