San Francisco Cruise Port at Pier 27

San Francisco’s cruise ships dock at Pier 27 on the Embarcadero, the city’s waterfront boulevard, at the foot of Telegraph Hill; a few minutes’ walk north, the ferries to Alcatraz leave from Pier 33, and the F line’s vintage streetcars stop outside the terminal on their way along the waterfront.

Pier 27 on the Embarcadero, below Telegraph Hill

The James R. Herman Cruise Terminal, opened in 2014 on Pier 27, takes almost every cruise ship that calls in San Francisco, with Pier 35, a few minutes north, handling a second ship on busy days. Princess, Holland America, Celebrity, Norwegian, Carnival and Cunard all use it. Taxis and cars can drop off and pick up at the curb but can’t wait there, and the terminal has no public bag storage. Across the Embarcadero, the Coit Tower guide climbs Telegraph Hill by its wooden stairways, and Fisherman’s Wharf is about 15 minutes’ walk north.

Alcatraz, the island prison a ferry ride from Pier 33

The ferries to Alcatraz leave from Pier 33, a few minutes’ walk north of Pier 27 along the Embarcadero, and cross the bay in about 15 minutes. The island held a military prison before it became a federal penitentiary in 1934, taking prisoners the rest of the system couldn’t hold, until it closed in 1963; it is now part of a national park, with the old barracks, guardhouse and lighthouse on the climb to the top.

At the top stands the main cellhouse, three tiers of barred cells along corridors the inmates named after city streets, toured with an audio guide narrated by former guards and prisoners. Day ferries run about every half hour from 8:45am to mid-afternoon, an adult day ticket is about $48, and tickets go on sale 90 days ahead and often sell out weeks in advance; an Alcatraz tour with a bay cruise is another way to get a place. Bags larger than a backpack aren’t allowed on the island, and Pier 33 has no storage.

The F line’s vintage streetcars along the Embarcadero

The F line is San Francisco’s heritage streetcar route, run by Muni, the city’s transit agency, with restored cars from its own past and from cities around the world: streamlined cars from the 1940s painted in the colors of other American cities’ fleets, and cars built in 1928 for Milan. It runs along the Embarcadero from Fisherman’s Wharf, past Pier 27, to the Ferry Building, then up Market Street to the Castro. A ride is $3, the same as any Muni fare.

Luggage storage near Pier 27

Pier 27 has no public luggage storage, and Pier 33 turns away anything larger than a backpack for the Alcatraz ferry, so bags need a home before the island. Luggage storage points operate around Fisherman’s Wharf and the Ferry Building, and the visitor center at Pier 39 has self-service lockers.

The airport train leaves from Embarcadero station

Embarcadero station, at the foot of Market Street by the Ferry Building, is about 20 minutes’ walk south of Pier 27, or a short ride on the F line, and BART, the regional rail system, runs from it to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in about 35 minutes. By road the airport is about 14 miles away, 25 to 40 minutes depending on traffic, roughly $65 to $80 by taxi, often less by rideshare. Allow at least two and a half hours between leaving Alcatraz and a domestic flight.