Things to do in Juneau
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Juneau
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best for most first timers. Long daylight, all tours running, whales feeding, festivals stacked, peak prices and crowds.
Best value shoulder months. May brings festivals and returning whales. September brings silver salmon and thinning crowds but more rain.
Alaska Folk Festival month. Local, musical and pre cruise season, with trails clearing at sea level.
Late summer. Salmon runs, bears fishing, still busy early in the month, with days shortening late.
Winter. Eaglecrest skiing, legislative session buzz and possible aurora on clear nights, with only 6 to 10 hours of daylight.
Quietest and wettest. Most boat tours have stopped and many restaurants cut hours. November is the worst month for a first visit.
What's on
- Alaska Folk Festival mid April, about a week
A free all comers folk festival running since 1975, with hundreds of performers, dances and workshops.
- Juneau Jazz & Classics May, dates vary by year
Jazz, blues and classical concerts in venues around town as the season opens.
- Juneau Maritime Festival typically the first Saturday in May
A free waterfront celebration of the working harbour, with boat tours and seafood on the docks.
- Celebration Early June in even numbered years, next in 2028
The largest gathering of Alaska Native peoples in the state, organised by Sealaska Heritage Institute. The city sells out.
- Juneau Gold Rush Days Usually a weekend in late June
Mining and logging competitions, fair food and live music at Savikko Park in Douglas, drawing about 5000 people.
- Fourth of July fireworks on the night of 3 July, parade on 4 July
Juneau starts early, with midnight fireworks over the channel and a parade through Douglas and downtown.
- Juneau Public Market late November, Thanksgiving weekend
The region's big holiday craft and food market at Centennial Hall, and the place to buy Alaska made gifts.
- Gallery Walk early December
Downtown galleries and shops open for the holidays with artists, music and food.
Best things to do in Juneau
Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center
The essential Juneau sight, a Forest Service centre facing a 13 mile glacier with trails, ranger talks and lake views.
Nugget Falls
An easy flat walk to a powerful waterfall beside Mendenhall Lake, with the glacier across the water.
Goldbelt Tram
A steep tram ride up Mount Roberts for the best channel panorama in town, with alpine trails at the top.
Alaska State Museum
The best museum in Alaska, pairing a major Alaska Native collection with Russian and natural history.
Sealaska Heritage Institute
Living Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian culture in the Walter Soboleff Building, with monumental art and authentic Native work.
Perseverance Trail
Juneau's favourite town hike, up the Gold Creek valley past waterfalls and mining ruins, minutes from the Capitol.
Alaska State Capitol
A working, domeless state capitol you can simply walk into, with free summer tours and a civic history walking loop.
Shrine of St. Therese
A stone chapel on a wooded island above Lynn Canal, among the most peaceful and beautiful spots on the road system.
Where to stay in Juneau
Downtown Juneau
first trip, best overall base, no car needed
Walk to the tram, museums, dining and tour pickups, and enjoy the town after the cruise ships leave.
Mendenhall Valley and the Airport Corridor
self drivers, families, glacier first trips
Quiet residential streets, the glacier five minutes away and Auke Bay close, with downtown a drive for dinner.
Auke Bay
fishing and whale watching first trips
The harbour and the fleet at your door and the glacier ten minutes away, with the thinnest dining choice.
Douglas Island
quiet, local stays with a car
Sandy Beach, the Treadwell ruins and sunset views, mostly vacation rentals, five minutes across the bridge.
Think twice about
- South Franklin bar strip for sleeping
Not unsafe, but the loudest beds in Juneau on weekend nights as the bars empty. Sleep a side street back instead.
- Glacier Highway motel strip between downtown and the airport
Older highway properties walkable to nothing, so every outing becomes a taxi ride. Check the actual map pin before booking.
- Far out the road rentals marketed as Juneau
Lovely wilderness addresses 25 to 35 minutes from dinner. Fine for a wilderness trip, a mistake for a town trip.
Best restaurants in Juneau
Tracy's King Crab Shack
Juneau's food pilgrimage, red king crab by the bucket and crab bisque under a heated tent on the waterfront.
Salt
Juneau's fine dining room, cooking Alaska seafood and steaks with a serious cocktail list a street back from the docks.
In Bocca al Lupo
Wood fired Italian cooking in the Silverbow building, with handmade pasta and nationally praised pizza.
The Hangar on the Wharf
A big waterfront seafood room in a historic seaplane hangar, with channel views and floatplanes below the windows.
Zerelda's Bistro
The Valley's chef driven neighbourhood bistro, seasonal and local, full of residents rather than cruise name tags.
V's Cellar Door
A small downtown room doing Mexican Korean fusion, the most original cooking in Juneau, with a loyal local following.
Island Pub
Douglas's neighbourhood pub for pizza and local beer, where Juneauites actually eat, across the bridge from the crowds.
Deckhand Dave's Fish Tacos
A food truck serving halibut, rockfish and salmon tacos in a fire pit park, the cheap eat that needs no apology.
Best bars in Juneau
Red Dog Saloon
A historic gold rush saloon with sawdust floors and live piano, best in the evening after the ships have sailed.
Alaskan Brewing Public House
The downtown showcase of Juneau's famous brewery, with self pour taps, a waterside pavilion and strong pub food.
Devil's Club Brewing Company
Juneau's adventurous small brewery in a historic building, known for sours, hazy IPAs and the most local taproom feel downtown.
Best coffee in Juneau
Heritage Coffee Company
Juneau's hometown roaster, with downtown and Valley cafes where the city starts its rainy mornings.
Outdoor things to do in Juneau
Harv and Marvs Outback Alaska Whale Watching
Small boat humpback watching from Auke Bay, with deck space for everyone and a captain who can hear your questions.
Allen Marine Tours
The standard full day catamaran trip to Tracy Arm Fjord and the Sawyer Glaciers, with seals on ice and calving walls.
Coastal Helicopters
Helicopter flights onto the Juneau Icefield, including the signature landing at a summer sled dog camp.
Above and Beyond Alaska
Guided kayaking and big canoe trips on Mendenhall Lake to the glacier face and Nugget Falls, led by glacier specialists.
Pack Creek Bear Viewing Area
Permit controlled brown bear viewing by floatplane, watching bears fish a salmon creek from supervised ground.
Moore Charters
Well reviewed salmon and halibut fishing charters close to Auke Bay, with processors who ship your catch home.
Eaglecrest Ski Area
Juneau's community owned ski mountain, with big terrain, ocean views and day tickets far below destination resort prices.
Mendenhall Golf
A friendly 9 hole par 3 course in full view of Mendenhall Glacier, with salmon in the creek and eagles overhead.
Best hotels in Juneau
Silverbow Inn
A locally owned 16 room boutique inn downtown, with rooftop hot tubs and staff who go out of their way.
Four Points by Sheraton Juneau
The downtown chain flagship by the museum, with refreshed rooms and channel views, best booked at a fair price.
Baranof Downtown, BW Signature Collection
Juneau's grand 1939 hotel on North Franklin, historic and central, best in a renovated room category.
Ramada by Wyndham Juneau
A long established full service hotel by the museum quarter, on downtown's quieter civic side, with on site dining.
Juneau Hotel
All suite, kitchen equipped lodging popular for longer stays, letting families cook and cut Juneau's food costs.
The Alaskan Hotel & Bar
A 1913 gold rush hotel above a great historic bar, cheap and characterful, with thin walls and no elevator.
Pearson's Pond Luxury Inn & Adventure Lodge
Juneau's luxury inn splurge, a romantic garden property in the Valley that builds glacier, whale and fishing days.
Frontier Suites Hotel
Spacious kitchen suites near the airport, a pragmatic base for early flights, fishing mornings and family stays with a car.
Is Juneau expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $185 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $340 a person |
| Splurge | $650 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure: a few days ahead
- Harv and Marvs Outback Alaska Whale Watching: weeks ahead
- Allen Marine Tours: weeks ahead
- Coastal Helicopters: months ahead
- Above and Beyond Alaska: weeks ahead
- Pack Creek Bear Viewing Area: months ahead
- Moore Charters: weeks ahead
- Salt: weeks ahead
- Helicopter dog sledding and Pack Creek bear permits go months ahead for summer.
- Book the helicopter early in your stay, never on the last day, because about one in five days cancels for weather.
- Hotels and cars for June to August and for Celebration sell out months ahead.
Is Juneau safe?
- Bears, cold water and glacial terrain are the real risks. Carry bear spray where legal and never walk on a glacier unguided.
- Rain is the climate, not bad luck. Waterproof layers and flexible day ordering make any week work.
- Emergency number is 911. Bartlett Regional Hospital is in the Mendenhall Valley.
Juneau travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- South Franklin at peak cruise hour. Time shift to early morning or evening instead.
- Riding the tram into fog. Look up and check the top station is clear before paying.
- Seeing Mendenhall only from the visitor centre windows. The Nugget Falls walk is the experience.
Getting around Juneau: public transport and more
- There is no road to Juneau. Arrive by plane, Alaska Marine Highway ferry or cruise ship.
- Downtown is walkable. Capital Transit buses cover the Valley, Douglas and the airport corridor cheaply.
- A rental car transforms multi day stays and sells out in summer. Book it months ahead.
Who Juneau suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Juneau your trip
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