Before the rocky islet of Alcatraz became America's most dreaded high-security prison , in 1934, it had been home to little more than the odd pelican ( alcatraz in Spanish). Surrounded by the freezing, impassable water of San Francisco Bay, it made an ideal place to hold the nation's most wanted criminals - men such as Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly. The conditions were inhumane: inmates were kept in solitary confinement, in cells no larger than nine by five feet, most without light. They were not allowed to eat together, read newspapers, play cards or even talk; relatives could visit for only two hours each month. Escape really was impossible. Nine men managed to get off the rock, but there is no evidence that any of them made it to the mainland.

Due to its massive running costs, the jail finally closed in 1963. The island remained abandoned until 1969, when a group of Native Americans staged an occupation as part of a peaceful attempt to claim the island for their people, citing treaties which designated all federal land not in use as automatically reverting to their ownership. Using all the bureaucratic trickery it could muster, the government finally ousted them in 1971, claiming the operative lighthouse qualified it as active.

At least 750,000 tourists each year take the excellent hour-long, self-guided audio tours of the abandoned prison, which include some sharp anecdotal commentary and even the chance to spend a minute (it feels like forever) locked in a darkened cell.

Boats to Alcatraz leave from pier 41 ($13.25 including audio tour, $10 without; frequent departures from 9.30am, last boat leaves Alcatraz at 6.30pm). Advance reservations strongly recommended, especially in peak tourist season (allow two weeks; tel 415/705-5555, ). Night tours are also available in the summer, from Thursday to Sunday departing at 6.20pm and 7.05pm and returning at 8:15pm and 9.30pm.

Alcatraz

• Alcatraz

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