Juneau, Alaska, is the most unusual state capital! You can’t drive there—this charming little port is accessible only by air or sea.
Juneau is located at the northern end of Alaska’s Inside Passage, with its back to a steep set of mountains and vast tracts of roadless wilderness.
A gold strike in the aptly named Gold Creek led to the town’s formation in 1880. The creek is still there, running straight along the fringe of downtown.
During August, you can still see salmon swimming up the creek to spawn, with great blue herons and bald eagles. You might even come across the occasional black bear coming down to partake of the mobile feast. But that’s only a fraction of what Juneau offers to savvy cruise visitors.
That’s only scratching the surface of the third-largest city in Alaska and one of the oldest settlements in the region. In this Juneau Cruise Port guide and information, I put together everything you need to know before planning your visit. Enjoy your trip!
Pier location
Juneau’s cruise docks are located at the south end of the downtown area. With multiple berths that can accommodate large ships connected by a broad boardwalk, you’re perfectly poised for access to most of the visitor-oriented shops and activities in town.
The heart of the cruise area consists of a visitor information center, a pretty seaside park with a few food trucks, and the aerial cable cars of the Mount Roberts Tramway.
The most important street in town for cruisers is Franklin Street — the main street that links the cruise ship docks to downtown Juneau proper. As you might expect, Franklin Street is designed to catch and hold your attention. But if you’re willing to walk just another couple of blocks along Franklin Street and into downtown, you’ll find a world of locally owned shops and souvenirs.
Local flavor (food and beverage)
Perhaps it’s Juneau’s status as state capital or the cosmopolitan nature of its visitors, but for whatever reason, it’s one of the foodie-friendliest places in Alaska. All of the following eateries are located within just a few blocks of the cruise docks:
Case in point, V’s Cellar Door offers a creative Mexican fusion menu, with most of the ”fusion” ingredients coming from Korean cuisine. Their Taco Tuesday makes for cheap eats, and the vinegar-infused shrubs are divine.
READ MORE: The Best Local Restaurants In Juneau
Just down the street, the Rookery Cafe focuses on creative, made-from-scratch cooking. They’re part coffee shop, part restaurant, and the restaurant part is so good it’s won the local paper’s “#1 restaurant” title for several years.
The atmosphere doesn’t get much more Alaskan than the old-timey Red Dog Saloon in the heart of the cruise district, where you can enjoy robust pub food with a serving of live music and Alaska-brewed beer.
Until recently, Alaska was home to The Deadliest Catch. Visitors couldn’t come without sampling the crustacean that sends fishermen out to brave the wild seas. We’re talking about crab, of course, and Tracy’s King Crab Shack was the place to get it. This season’s crab population fell by 90%, which is way below the safe limits. Thus, the king and snow crab fishing season was officially canceled.
The cuisine at Salt is so world-class you might feel inspired to dress up. That’s saying a lot in always-relaxed Alaska! They offer modern, casual cuisine and an extensive selection of wine and cocktails.
Deckhand Dave’s is a modest food stand serving only fresh, locally caught seafood. There’s a reason the locals love it so much.
Speaking of local love, if you enjoy ice cream, don’t miss a chance to visit the much-loved Coppa Cafe. It’s in Glacier Ave, a bit of a walk from downtown. They used to have an amazing ice cream cart off Franklin Street, but since ownership changed hands, they no longer offer that delicacy.
Most tour bus operators will tell you the Salmon Spot, a little food shack just across the street from the cruise docks, offers great burgers. Well, guess what — they’re right.
Every which way you look in Juneau, you’ll find beautiful mountains or the sea. But the best restaurant view in town goes to Hangar on the Wharf, an easygoing, seafood-oriented pub where you can watch seaplanes come and go from Gastineau Channel, the waters just offshore from Juneau.
You’ll find strong flavors of Russian culture throughout Southeast Alaska. One of the most delicious ways they manifest is in Pel’menis, located in the same building as Hangar on the Wharf. This low-key, hole-in-the-wall eatery is named for the Russian dumplings it offers. A serving costs $7 or $8, cash only.
Heritage Coffee is a low-key, locally-owned chain of coffee shops. Their downtown location is enormous and offers some of the best WiFi near the cruise docks, although they usually limit access by providing a short-term passcode with each purchase.
Shopping
Juneau has its share of big box stores, including Fred Meyer (the local version of Kroger), Safeway, and Walmart, but you’d need a taxi to reach them. The city bus does get you within easy reach of these locations, but service is infrequent.
But if you crave snacks while downtown, all is not lost. A small grocery store, the Foodland IGA, is a short walk from downtown Juneau. And you can get almost any non-grocery essentials at Juneau Drug Co., just a couple of blocks from the cruise ship docks.
Regarding souvenirs, you’ll find the best authentic Alaska Native goods in the Sealaska Heritage Institute gift shop in the Walter Soboleff Building, a major downtown landmark. Also, Trickster Company is a hip, young-minded boutique owned by a Native formline artist. (The form line is the basis of the intricate, evocative shapes characteristic of Southeast Alaska Native art.)
If you’re interested in all local art, one of the best downtown galleries is the eclectic Annie Kaill’s. For souvenirs of the Russian history that weaves through much of Southeast Alaska, make a trip to the House of Russia on Franklin Street.
Cultural attractions (museums, arts institutions, etc.)
If you don’t visit the Sealaska Heritage Institute’s Walter Soboleff Building, located just a few short blocks from the cruise docks, you’re missing out. From the awe-inspiring carved panels on the outside of the building to the full-size clan house and interactive displays inside, this is the best opportunity in the world to learn about the Native peoples and lifeways of this region.
Another great history repository in the state is Juneau’s SLAM, or State Library, Archive, and Museum, all housed in one building. They don’t shy away from telling tough stories here, making this stately museum a one-stop shop for learning the ins and outs of Alaska’s sometimes conflicted history.
If you don’t mind an uphill walk (or calling a cab), the Wickersham State Historic Site is a house that’s been converted into a museum dedicated to its former owner, Judge James Wickersham. Wickersham was also an adventurous mountaineer, and his personal history offers a great glimpse into the intrepid spirit that characterized early settlers here.
One of Juneau’s most conspicuous signs of Russian history is the St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church. Although the exterior looks humble, the interior is rife with the gilt icons and ornate paneling typical of this type of church.
Strolling beside Juneau’s downtown coastal highway, Egan Drive, you’ll find the lovely Juneau Seawalk. This elevated boardwalk showcases a rehabilitated stretch of coastline and ends at a life-size statue of a breaching humpback whale. Eventually, the plan is for the sea walk to connect to the cruise boardwalks.
Top Cruise Excursions
If you only have time for one shore excursion in Juneau, it’s hard to beat the Mendenhall Glacier. Shuttle buses depart for the glacier from right beside the cruise docks, and the trip there and back again doubles as a short city tour.
READ MORE: Visit Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska
Depending on your activity level, you can view the massive glacier and its lake from an indoor visitor center or hike. Your trail options range from the relatively easy one-mile trek to the base of Nugget Falls (also visible from the visitor center) to challenging loop trails into the nearby mountains.
There’s also a small elevated boardwalk over a creek near the visitor center. If the salmon are running, you might see black bears catching fish here.
Mount Roberts is a marvel of a different sort, rearing almost 4,000 feet straight into the sky behind the cruise ship docks. An aerial tram goes about halfway up the mountain — you can see its cables from the docks. At the upper tram terminal, you’ll find stunning views, a small cafe, a modest nature center that’s especially great if you have kids along, and a theater that shows either a short film or live cultural performances, depending on your timing.
Yet another massive Alaskan marvel lives in the sea: Humpback whales, and taking a whale watching tour out of Juneau is a rare opportunity to see them engaging in bubble-net feeding, a cooperative, learned behavior in which they surround fish with a “net” of bubbles then, at the leader’s signal, lunge up through the middle of the fish and gulp them down. Several tour operators specialize in getting you out to the whales, then return in good time to catch your ship again.
A short cruise stopover isn’t enough time for a full-on bear-viewing expedition. If you’re starting or ending your cruise in Juneau, leave yourself time for a day tour to nearby Admiralty Island. That’s where the massive brown bears have the human population outnumbered!
And finally, for a thrill of a different sort, you can head out on a zip line tour or catch a fishing charter for your chance at some of the world’s best seafood.
An insider’s perspective
The cruise docks naturally funnel you onto Franklin Street. Although you’ll find some great restaurants and a few locally-owned shops here, it’s well worth walking just a couple more blocks into the heart of downtown Juneau, where everything is locally owned, and you’ll have access to a much wider variety of souvenirs.
Downtown Juneau is built into the side of a mountain, so bring sturdy walking shoes and a “hillwalking” sense of adventure — you’ll need them.
WiFi is at a premium in Alaska, and that goes double in popular cruise ports like Juneau. Sometimes, you can get access to coffee shops or bars with a purchase. But for the most reliable and free WiFi, head to the public library when it’s open.
In Juneau, the library is on the top floor of a parking garage, right next to the cruise docks.
FAQs
Q1: Where do cruise ships dock in Juneau, Alaska?
The docks of Juneau are testaments to smart planning. Cruise ships dock at the southern end of downtown Juneau. Multiple berths accommodate large and small cruise vessels, such as the Cruise Ship Terminal, South Franklin Street Dock, Marine Park, and AJ Dock.
A boardwalk connects all these docks, which is more like a promenade. You can find many shops, restaurants, and cafes along the port. From there, you can take the Mt. Roberts Tramway, which provides access to the mountain.
Q2: How far is downtown Juneau from the cruise port?
The cruise docks are pretty close to downtown Juneau. Most places are a 5-15 minute walk from the docks, and many destinations are located right at the port.
Q3: What is the weather like in Juneau?
Juneau has lovely temperate maritime weather. Summers are typically mild, with occasional highs reaching 65°F. Winters are moist and long but much less arctic than the rest of Alaska. Rains are common all year round, so always carry an umbrella! Other than that, it’s best to dress in layers.
Q4: What is there to do with kids in Juneau?
Juneau is more geared towards grown-ups, but you can still find plenty of kid-friendly activities. Whale-watching tours are the best attractions. And if you’re in town, you can enjoy the Mount Roberts Tramway, Alaska State Museum, and the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery tour.
Q5: What are the best souvenirs to buy in Juneau?
Juneau offers a wide variety of unique, authentic souvenirs. I would start with Alaska native art and complement that with Russian lacquer boxes. Locally made jewelry is always a great gift for friends and family, and if you like books, check out the natural history ones. Finally, make sure to load up on smoked salmon. It is such a treat that no one visiting Juneau should ever miss!
