Juneau, you little overachiever. What a great town! If you're looking for shopping, food, drinks, or just a reason to wander with a cocktail in hand -- Juneau delivers. From souvenir shops to boutique finds, there was no shortage of ways to swipe a credit card and justify it as "supporting the local economy." The bar scene? Poppin'. Whether you wanted a laid-back pint or to eavesdrop on someone's bad decisions over whiskey, options were plenty. Add in the food -- restaurants, outdoor vendors, and that one spot that smelled too good to walk past -- and this place had a vibe. Compared to Skagway, Juneau felt like the fun cousin who travels, drinks craft beer, and knows all the best street food spots. We loved it. read more

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You know, Juneau is a beautiful little city! And on the day I was there, the population was doubled for a few hours due to all of the cruise ships stopping. So ignore that bit of goofiness for a moment. This is a beautiful city sprawled along the foot of the glacier carved rocky shores. Yes, it relies on those big boatloads of tourists, as those tourists spend money and the locals hire temporary seasonal help who also spend money. Other tourists fly into here or take the ferries. The city does have areas to help separate money from tourists, but it is also built to please the residents. It is very pleasing and very beautiful! It doesn't have harsh winters like some deeper in Alaska. The climate is not that bad. You likely won't get your tan deepened, but you can fill your eyes with gorgeous sights of eagles (lots of them), leaping salmon, whales, maybe a few bears, snow capped mountain tops, relaxing scenery and a LOT of trees! read more

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Lovely town. Juneau is the capital of Alaska. It has many souvenir stores that sells tshirts, jewelry and much more. I bought a nice colorful stone from one of the stores at Juneau. They also some really nice restaurants and brewery downtown. The downtown is located where the cruise port is located. This is a tourist #1 spot. read more

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Even though it was raining it didn't matter, Juneau is beautiful. Pack rain gear in case you need it. We even saw an Eagle outstanding. read more

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Juneau, AK. Located along the Inside Passage area of Southeastern, Alaska. In fact, prior to arriving here, I was unaware that Juneau is the capitol city of Alaska! Who knew? I would have thought that Anchorage or Fairbanks was the capitol...with those cities being much more accessible to arrive to by automobile. Yet, here in Juneau...no roads lead to town. It's either you fly by airplane or take a ferry on the waters of the Alaskan Peninsula. Juneau, I must say, first...is the star, highlight city for cruise ships making their voyages from Seattle and Vancouver. Basically, if you're going to take an Alaskan Cruise...pretty much, you're going to visit Juneau at some point. And...as you can imagine with any cruise ship/port city, once a vessel arrives at the dock...get ready for busyness. Be prepared for chaotic roaming around by tourists! For me, coming here just recently for the very first time (and I did this by car), I figured out that when a cruise ship arrives in port, the hecticness gets uncomfortable. I couldn't wait for the latter part of the day for passengers to return to their boats, so things could quiet down, lol. Regardless, Juneau is still a fun place to explore, with things to see and do...no matter how many people roam the streets of the downtown area. Walking around downtown Juneau... The boardwalk pier, stores, shops, and restaurants are all accommodative for tourists. The surroundings are scenic with a mountainous backdrop combined with charming looking storefronts and eateries. Seafood is always a good option being next to the water. Tracy's King Crab Shack is well advertised. I enjoyed Deckhand Dave's Fish Tacos in the historic district area. Also, for cruise ship passengers... If you haven't already pre-booked a day tour yet and are spontaneously exploring... Along the boardwalk section right on the pier... There will be tons and tons of wooden plank stands with "guides" encouraging you to join one of their tours. Even just hanging out on the boardwalk, these people...their sole missions are to invite you and convince you that their tour is best suited for appreciating Juneau. Lol, don't fall victim to the peer pressures. Take your time, and decide what's best for you. And...the Visitor Center is located right in downtown. You can speak with a representative at the VC, who will have brochures and recommendations. Just to back up...when you step foot on the pier...you MUST take a picture with the "Welcome to Juneau, Alaska Sign"! It's a terrific moment to announce that you have arrived. Everyone takes pictures with The Sign, located on the boardwalk. Although I'd say taking a bus ride to Mendenhall Glacier is the most popular activity in Juneau...I would rank riding the GoldBelt Skytram to the top of Mount Roberts being the #1, most memorable activity I did. Especially, if it's sunny outside...the views from high above Mount Roberts and taking a day hike to Gastineau Peak were simply stunning!!! If you choose the GoldBelt Skytram, it was $45 roundtrip. I believe, if you choose the ride out to Mendenhall Glacier, by bus...it's $50 - $60 roundtrip. My big issue with Mendenhall Glacier was that... It's a shell of its former self. Because of receding over time...it's just (in my opinion), not that photogenic anymore. I wasn't impressed. But, if you pick Mendenhall Glacier...there's some hiking to do there in nature, with walking to Nugget Falls as an exciting thing to witness. Nugget Falls was a picturesque waterfall. Btw...unless you shell out good money for a guided tour out onto Mendenhall Glacier (by helicopter or kayak, etc.)...the best you'll get to it...is by reaching viewpoints of "The Toe". Eh...I wasn't so thrilled. Although wildlife viewing is not my forte...a popular activity is taking whale watching tours. There will be people suggesting that excursion. Here are a few worthwhile hiking trails that were recommended to me by some of the locals (although I never got to attempt any of them)... - West Glacier Trail. - Mt. Jumbo Trail. - Perseverance Trail. You may ask...why didn't I hike these trails? Well, lol, if you didn't know...Juneau (and this part of Alaska) is situated among a rainforest. Unfortunately, during my time here...the amount of rain was so common and so frequent. It was relentlessly difficult conditions. One local I spoke with said... "It rains 260 out of the 360 days of the year". Ultimately, you may get lucky, and a lot of times...the weather does not cooperate. I guess, just keep this in mind and lower your expectations.?! One other thing...if you're not here on a cruise and actually drove... Downtown Juneau was hard to find parking. Be prepared to pay to leave your vehicle. I parked in the library garage frequently. There, it was only .75 cents per hour and after 4pm, parking was free. Finally, Juneau is yet another seaside town within Alaska's popular cruise ship inlet. It's as touristy as it gets. Still, it's a cool place to discover. read more

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This was another pit stop during our Alaskan cruise...and this was a huge improvement from our last stop in Skagway. As the capital of Alaska, it was probably a tad more cultured than most towns/cities...with many more attractions, as well as shops and restaurants. Think Anchorage might have been bigger and a tad more modern, but Juneau had more character. Still, seemed all Alaskan towns/cities were quaint...as anticipated. Of course, being part of Alaska, the views were amazing! So despite all the quaintness (obviously I'm not a fan of "Quaint" lol!), I was impressed with the natural beauty/landscaping in these towns/cities. Again, we weren't here too long...just long enough to take a good, long walk up and down the streets, and have lunch. And OH...earlier in the day, we jumped on a helicopter and went to Mendenhall Glacier for dog sledding! Now that was a truly awesome, breathtaking experience (more on that in another review). Based on our short, but very sweet experience, how can I NOT like this place? read more

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This capital city is probably the most modern looking towns along the cruise port trail. The town is very walkable and follows the Covid Safety protocols more than Ketchikan and equal to Skagway. In Juneau, you can find some great places to eat during the season which ends October 1st. We missed out on that as everything was closing down for cold weather. There was lots of construction going on and still a few shops that cater to the tourists. From the cruise port, there is pretty views of the mountainside with the sky tram to the mountain peak. There are also great views of the fishing boats in the port. read more

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It was quite sightseeing place . Hard to find Uber and taxis. we got ripped off by taxi . read more

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I was on the Celebrity Alaskan Cruise (which I love), and one of the port stops was Juneau. If you are not incredibly fit for excursions up the mountain, this is a nice town where you can have fun walking in the village or on the boardwalk. There is a lot of places to shop or eat. The place makes it very friendly for tourists! read more

Juneau - Local Flavor Near Me

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