What age is the Behind the Scenes Tour for?

Ages 12 and up, due to steep stairs, low passages, and uneven historic terrain on the route.

What does the Behind the Scenes Tour include?

A small-group guided tour of restricted island areas closed to regular visitors, plus the award-winning Doing Time Cellhouse audio tour, typically concluding into the evening program.

Alcatraz Behind the Scenes Tour

The Behind the Scenes Tour is the deepest access Alcatraz offers — a small-group, guide-led experience that opens areas of the island closed to regular visitors, followed by the full Cellhouse audio tour. If the day tour is the classic and the night tour is the atmospheric one, this is the enthusiast’s Alcatraz.

What Makes It Different

Small groups — capped at roughly 20 people, led by expert guides
Restricted areas — spaces off-limits on the standard tours, including underground sections and passages of the old fortifications beneath the prison
Longer format — plan on roughly 4–5 hours total, versus 2.5–3 for the standard tours
Ends with the night program — the tour typically concludes into the evening, so you also get the night tour’s smaller crowds and lit-up return crossing
Age 12+ — the tour involves steep stairs, low passages, and uneven historic terrain, and isn’t suitable for young children

Alcatraz Island silhouetted at sunset on San Francisco Bay — Behind the Scenes tours typically conclude into the evening program.

Is It Worth It?

If it’s your first visit and you have one afternoon, the day tour covers the essential Alcatraz. The Behind the Scenes Tour is for return visitors, serious history readers, and anyone who wants the parts of the island that 99% of visitors never see. It runs limited days with very small capacity, so it sells out further ahead than any other Alcatraz experience.

Underground passage beneath the Alcatraz prison as it appears today — Underground passages beneath the prison — the kind of space this tour opens up.

Booking & the Closest Alternative

Behind the Scenes departures are extremely limited, and we don’t currently offer them for direct online booking. The closest experience you can reserve today is the Alcatraz Night Tour — it shares the evening ranger programs and the after-dark Cellhouse access. Want to be notified when Behind the Scenes dates open? Set a date alert.

Behind the Scenes FAQs

How long is the Alcatraz Behind the Scenes Tour?

Plan for roughly 4–5 hours, including the guided restricted-area portion and the Cellhouse audio tour.

Can kids join?

The tour is limited to ages 12 and up due to the physical demands of the route.

How far ahead does it sell out?

Further than any other Alcatraz tour — capacity is a fraction of the standard departures. Book as far ahead as your plans allow.

We provide genuine reservations and e-tickets for tours, including ferry service, with 24/7 customer support every day, even on holidays. As a private booking company, our goal is 100% customer satisfaction. Please note, we are not affiliated with any government agency or the official box office. Prices at checkout may exceed face value.