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Back to Juneau

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Voykit pocket guide · United States

Juneau

Give Juneau 2 nights (3 if you add a whale-watch or the ferry to Haines). No road in: fly or ferry, and book Mendenhall transport before you land.

Juneau is the US state capital you cannot drive to: mountains, water and ice on every side, reachable only by air or sea. Downtown is compact and walkable, but the glacier, the ferry terminal and the trails sit 13–14 miles out on Glacier Highway, so plan transport, not just sights. Cruise ships land thousands of day visitors from May to September; go early or go in the shoulder months.

New YorkAberdeenAbileneAbington TownshipAbiquiuAbita SpringsAdaAdamsAdamsAddisonAdrianAftonAgoura HillsAkronJuneau1,000 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
United States
Best months
May–Sep (long days, most tours running); late May–Jun and Sep for fewer ships
Avoid
Nov–Feb (dark, wet, many tours closed)
Stay
2 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
USD
Money
Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
Daily spend
Budget $90–150 excl. bed · Mid $150–260 excl. bed · High $260+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data
AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
Emergency
Police, fire, ambulance 911
Plugs
Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
Tipping
Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
Water
Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
Toilets
Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.

What things cost

ItemPrice
Coffee$4–7
Diner or pub main$16–28
Draft beer$7–10
Capital Transit single ride$2 (check)
Taxi, downtown to Mendenhall Valley$30–45 (check)
Alaska State Museum entry$12 May–Sep, $7 Oct–Apr (check)
eSIM or data SIM, about a week$20–40

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

JNU · Juneau International Airport
7 mi northwest of downtown; Alaska Airlines and Delta connect Seattle and Anchorage, with regional flights across Southeast Alaska.

Typical fares

JNU airport → downtown, taxi
about $30–40, 15–20 min (check)
Downtown → Mendenhall Glacier, shuttle
about $30 round trip, 30 min (check)
Capital Transit single ride
$2 (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card

Get around

Downtown is walkable, though streets above 4th are steep. Capital Transit buses run downtown and the Mendenhall Valley; the route stops about a mile from the glacier visitor centre, so most visitors take a shuttle or taxi from the docks. Taxis and rental cars cover the out-of-town sights; the ferry terminal at Auke Bay is 13.8 mi from downtown.

See and do

Known for

  • Mendenhall Glacier
  • Alaska State Museum
  • Mount Roberts Tramway
  • Gold rush and Tlingit history
  • Whale watching in Auke Bay

Day trips

WhereHowTime
Mendenhall GlacierShuttle or taxi from the cruise docks, or Capital Transit plus about a mile on footAbout 30–45 min each way
Auke Bay and the Shrine of St ThereseCar or taxi along Glacier Highway, past the ferry terminalAbout 30 min each way
HainesAlaska Marine Highway ferry, about 5 h conventional or 2 h on the fast catamaranHalf a day each way
SitkaAlaska Airlines flight, about 45 minAbout 3 h with airport time

Sleep

Downtown (Franklin, Seward, Main)
Walk to the capitol, museum, docks and tram; priciest and noisiest when ships are in.
Mendenhall Valley / Auke Bay
Near the airport, ferry terminal and glacier; cheaper, but you need a car or bus.
Douglas Island
Across the bridge: quiet residential base, 10–15 min drive to downtown.

Phrase card

EnglishSay or show
Thank youGunalchéeshgoo-nul-CHEESH

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
  • Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
  • Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
  • Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
  • Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned

Scams and watch-outs

  • No road or rail access: you arrive by plane or ferry, and cars come by ferry or barge only.
  • Rain is normal in any month: bring a waterproof shell, not an umbrella that turns inside out.
  • Black bears feed on salmon at Steep Creek in Aug–Sep; some trails close and food is banned in the recreation area.
  • Cruise days flood downtown and the glacier shuttles: check the ship schedule and go early.
  • Summer accommodation and tours sell out; book beds and Mendenhall transport ahead.

Juneau is a small, safe capital; the real risks are weather, slippery trails and wildlife. Tell someone your route on glacier and ridge hikes, keep food sealed against bears, and treat boat and flight schedules as weather-dependent.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Juneau yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Mendenhall Glacier
  • Alaska State Museum
  • Mount Roberts Tramway
  • Gold rush and Tlingit history
  • Whale watching in Auke Bay

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Juneau

To this address, please

To this address, please

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

  • Police, fire, ambulance911

No embassies in Juneau; consulates sit in Anchorage and Seattle. US visitors: 911 and local numbers above.

Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/juneau). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.