Friday, May 30, City Cruises runs a combination tour hitting both Alcatraz and Angel Island in a single trip. Departs from Pier 33, Embarcadero. Tickets through City Cruises' site; prices vary by departure time and seat type — book ahead, these sell out mid-week. No age restriction, but check the site for under-5 policy. Closest BART: Embarcadero station, walk north along the waterfront about 10 minutes.

The combination tour is the thing here. Most people do Alcatraz alone and call it a day, but Angel Island adds a ferry stop that most weekenders skip entirely — the immigration station, the hilltop views of the entire Bay, the relative quiet. Doing both in sequence means you're on the water most of the afternoon, which in late May is genuinely pleasant rather than hypothetically pleasant.

Practical notes: arrive at Pier 33 at least 20 minutes early; the dock gets backed up and they do not hold departures. Bring a layer — it's always 10 degrees colder on the water than it is at Market and Powell. Food options on Angel Island are limited, so eat before you go or pack something. The audio tour on Alcatraz is included in the ticket price and genuinely good; don't skip it.

If you only have two hours: skip Angel Island on this trip, do the full Alcatraz audio tour start to finish, and catch the last ferry back.