Making the most of Juneau AK
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Marine Park, Ferry Terminal or S. Franklin Dock are the three cruise terminals of Juneau. Ships may anchor and tender passengers to town when more than three ships are docked. All within easy walking distance to town. There is also a shuttle bus that provides a ramp available for fully confined guests or cruise passengers with mobility difficulties.
The AJ dock is further away. For $3 per person, you can get a day pass for the AJ dock shuttle which runs every 15 minutes. The shuttle takes you to the Mount Robert Tram station. There are lots of booths there that sell tours along the street.
A $54 million project to add a pair of floating cruise ship berths to Juneau’s downtown waterfront has just been completed.
Royal Caribbean is building a new cruise port on Douglas island, across from tha Gastineau Channel and connected by the Juneau-Douglas bridge. Two floating berths with vieuws of the Chilkat Range and a recreated 1800's Tlingit village.
This structure will reduce downtown traffic and will be completed in spring 2027
The Airport is located 10 miles from downtown. From the airport, travelers can make their way into town by taxi, with cars stationed at the airport, or via a local shuttle service that offers hotel transfers. Some hotels also provide free airport pick-up service. Capital Transit, the city's public transportation system, provides bus service from the airport.
Printable map to take along.
Sightseeing:
At the base of grand mountain peaks and at the pristine waterfront of the Gastineau Channel is Juneau, Alaska's Peak Experience. Alaska's capital city, Juneau is located in the Southeast. The Tongass Rain forest climate provides Juneau with lush terrain and vibrant wildflowers. Early settlers included miners during USA's gold rush and Russian fur traders. The Tlingit and Haida Indians were the first settlers to our area. Native USA influence is prominent today in Juneau. Juneau offers unparalleled glacier viewing from Tracy Arm Fjord, Mendenhall Glacier, the Juneau Ice field and Glacier Bay National Park. Outdoor enthusiasts will love…
Nearby Admiralty Island National Monument, features one of the largest concentrations of brown bear in the world. Icy Strait offers unprecedented whale watching. Mendenhall Glacier - When in Juneau take a shuttle bus from the center of town, where the boats dock, to the Mendenhall Glacier park. Fees range from about $65 to $80. You can buy two tickets to the glacier at one of the many kiosks on the dock. Although you can't get right up to the glacier, you get a great view of it and the visitors' center is very informative. Or take the tour buses they are a very good value, give an interesting commentary, several stops. Yes, you load in the…
Getting around
Juneau is an easy walking town.
Taxis in Juneau are very expensive
It rains a lot here, as Juneau is located in a rain forest. Wait with booking excursions till you are there.
It's fairly easy to get to key attractions beyond downtown, such as Mendenhall Glacier, without renting a car. Numerous shuttle services offer inexpensive round trip rides ($65-80 USD). Inquire at the tourist kiosks lined up along the cruise docks. Juneau taxi rates are set by the City. There is a local bus but the closest stop is almost 2 miles away from the glacier.
The Mount Roberts Tramway climbs from 27 to 2000 feet bringing you into a pristine alpine environment in just six minutes. At the top you will find trails, an observatory, nature center, restaurant, bar, theater and two gift shops. It is right on the pier. when you get off the ship you will see it. $50 for an all-day pass.
Of the cruise ship tour options, an air tour leaves the biggest impression-especially if the weather is clear. Behind Juneau lies the Juneau Ice field. Helicopter and floatplane tours are available. The most popular floatplane tour is with Wings Airways to the Taku Lodge. Most of the helicopter tours include a stop landing on the glacier. Alternatively, get a group together and charter an small airplane tour. These will generally be less expensive (you pay by the hour) and allows you to customize your experience.
Whale Watch Tours offer an exhilerating experience that puts you in close proximity of some of Alaska's most unique animals including Humpback whales, sea lions, orcas and bald eagles. Many tour boats have heated cabins as well as viewing decks for photography.
Nearby places
Glacier Bay National Park & Gustavus Located just 37 miles west of Juneau, the homestead community of Gustavus is the entry point for Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve. With no road access, Gustavus is easily accessible by year round scheduled commuter air service and during the summer by a scenic three-hour ferry ride or a 14-minute flight on a USA Airline 737 jet. The area is famous for its incredible country inns and lodges, most of which offer high levels of personal service and outstanding gourmet meals. Visitors to Gustavaus, population 386, can stay in the community or within the Park. During the day there are opportunities to take…
Skagway Located northeast of Juneau is Skagway, home of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and the beginning of the world-renowned Chilkoot Trail. Visitors to Skagway can retrace the steps of the Klondike Gold Rush miners by climbing the Chilkoot Trail or taking the famous White Pass and Yukon Railroad, which follows the Dead Horse trail. The railroad is one of the few narrow gauge railroads left in the world. Much of downtown Skagway has been restored to its turn of the century splendor. One of only three communities in Southeast USA accessible by road, daily ferry service during the summer is provided by the USA Marine Highway…
Haines Northwest of Juneau, just ten miles west of Skagway is Haines, USA. Former home of Ft. Seward, USA's first army post, was built 1903 to protect northern Lynn Canal's deep-water ports. Also located in Haines is the 48,000-acre Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. The preserve is home to 250 pairs of resident eagles; however, from November to March bald eagle numbers increase dramatically to 4,000. Also located on the road system, Haines is accessible by the USA Marine Highway System (4 _ hours), commercial fast ferry (summer season 2 hours) and scheduled commuter air service.
Food and shopping
Visitors will find incredible specialty shops featuring limited edition designer jewelry and beautiful Native USA design jewelry. Native carved silver bracelets with totemic designs are also popular items from our region. These bracelets will usually bear the animal representation of the wearer's moiety and clan house. Sculpture and carved totem poles are popular art pieces for discriminating collectors of usan artwork. Totems were created to tell the stories of USA's Native people. Totemic designs also adorn bent wood boxes, ceremonial paddles and Tlingit halibut hooks.
Money
The official U.S. currency is the United States dollar (symbol: $). ATM's everywhere.
Major credit cards such as Visa and MasterCard are widely used and accepted, even for transactions worth only a few dollars. In fact, in some cases, it may be the only way to make a transaction. Note to overseas visitors: Prices of goods and services always seem lower than they really are, as taxes and gratuities are seldom included.
Most states have a sales tax, ranging from 2.9% to nearly 10% of the retail price; 4-6% is typical. Sales tax is almost never included in posted prices (except for gasoline, and in most states, alcoholic beverages consumed on-premises), but instead will be calculated and added to the total when you pay.
Staying connected
The U.S. has no official language at the federal level, but English is by far the standard for everyday use. Several states have declared their official state language as English. Spanish is also official in the state of New Mexico, where it is widely spoken; French is official in Louisiana and the Hawaiian language is official in Hawaii, but neither approaches the use of English and are official for primarily historical reasons.
Keep in mind that the wi-fi in the port is limited. Cafes with WIFI are in town.
The Juneau Public Library, located at 292 Marine Way adjacent to the Cruise Ship Docks, offers free internet access. The library is open from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm Monday through Thursday, and from noon to 5:00 pm on Friday through Sunday.
Emergency 911
Opening Hours and
In major metropolitan areas like New York and Los Angeles, many drugstores and supermarkets are routinely open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, while department stores, shopping centers and most other large retailers are typically open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and often with shorter hours on Sundays - generally 11 a.m. or noon to 5 or 6 p.m. On holidays, the tendency is to remain open (with the exception of the most important holidays like Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day where stores are generally closed)