Your combo tour begins at Madame Tussauds, a wax museum in San Francisco’s famous Fisherman’s Wharf district. But this isn’t your predictable dusty wax museum. With celebrities, famous politicians, A-list athletes, it feels like you’re walking through a series of performances frozen in time. Take a bow with Elton John, get up close and personal with Marilyn Monroe and explore the rest of the dozens of incredibly lifelike figures. You’ll see today’s hottest actors, like George Clooney, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as leaders like Barack Obama. And there’s a special exhibit just on Bay Area figures and prominent San Francisco icons. Take a peek behind the scenes and see how these life-size models are created by the experts. Be sure to give yourself at least an hour to explore the museum.
Next, visit San Francisco Dungeon. This interactive theatrical experience at Fisherman’s Wharf covers 200 years of San Francisco’s often dark and dirty history. You may laugh, you may scream, you may end up in the clink — it’s all part of the fun as live actors draw you into their fascinating tales of the Gold Rush, Alcatraz, Chinatown and more.
Allot approximately 5 to 10 minutes to walk through Fisherman’s Wharf to Alcatraz Landing. The next part of your journey kicks off with a scenic, wind-whipped ride across San Francisco Bay to Alcatraz Island, aka ‘The Rock.’ You’ll have breathtaking views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline as you approach your destination. In the past hundred years or so, Alcatraz has gone from military prison to maximum-security penitentiary to National Park Service site. You can tour the cells that once held America’s most notorious prisoners, including Al ‘Scarface’ Capone. The roughly 2.5 hour tour will give you a captivating overview of the intriguing, and scary, history of this little island on the bay. Your tour ends with your ferry ride back to Alcatraz Landing.