Juneau

Introduction

South View from Mount Roberts viewpoint, Juneau, Alaska

© All Rights Reserved jengelman

Juneau is the capital of Alaska, located in the southeastern panhandle of the state. Although the urban surface is just around 30 square kilometres, the total municipal area covers a massive 8,430 square kilometres, making it one of the biggest in the world. To give an idea: that's almost a quarter of the Netherlands.
For more information, visit the official Travel Juneau website.

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

The city itself doesn't have much to offer, but the immediate surroundings more than make up for this. There are also a few things to do and see in the city itself. Most of the popular ones are included here.

• Alaska State Museum
• Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church
• Alaska State Capitol
• Mendenhall Glacier and Visitors Center
• Wintersports
• Fishing and hiking (summer)
• Mount Roberts Tramway
• Plane and helicopter tours of nearby glaciers, including optional dog sledding tours
• Alaskan Brewing Company Brewery Tour

Events and Festivals

Weather

Juneau's climate is a mild maritime one can not be compared to much of Alaska's bitter cold climate. Summes last from June to August when daytime temperatures average around 18 °C and nights are just under 10 °C. During winter, days are mostly around zero and nights around -5 °C. Occasionally, temperatures plummit way below though. Juneau is a wet place, with around 100mm of precipitation a month, though September and October see double this amount. Snow is possible from October onwards, though usually won't start before November. It peaks in January with around 75 centimetres of snow.

View of tramway from top (Mount Roberts, Juneau)

© All Rights Reserved jengelman

Getting There

Juneau can only be reached by ferry or plane, though you can take your car on the ferry if you wish.

By Plane

Juneau International Airport (JNU) currently only receives Alaska Airlines flights to/from Anchorage, Seattle, Ketchikan and several other smaller places. Alaska Seaplane Service flies to a few places as well, just like Wings of Alaska. Both have small airplanes/seaplanes to serve communities as well as tourists wishing to explore more of the region.

By Boat

Juneau can be reached by Alaska Marine Highway, which handles transport along most of Alaska's southern coastlines. It's officially even part of the National Highway System. In summer, there are about one million visitors who come to Juneau by cruiseship. To add, there fast car ferries connecting Juneau with Haines and Skagway, which have road access further away.

Getting Around

By Car

There is about 300 kilometres of paved roads and rental cars are available at the airport. Many international rental companies have a wide selection of rental cars and these include Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.
If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.

For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.

By Public Transport

The government runs a bus services, called Capital Transit, which has services throughout the city and surroudings.

By Foot

Most of Juneau itself can easily be negotiated on foot.

By Bike

Bikes are a good way to go if you want to explore more of the outskirts of town and further away, though outside the summer season it is not really advised to go out.

Eat

• Doc Water's Pub and Restaurant
• Fernando's
• The Hangar on the Warf

Drink

Sleep

Budget

• Juneau International Hostel

Mid-Range

• Goldbelt Hotel Juneau
• Prospector Hotel

Upscale

• Beachside Villa Luxury Inn

Work

Learn

• University of Alaska Southeast

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

Post

The US Postal Service is very good and well priced mail system. There are post offices in every small and large town for sending packages internationally or domestically. If wanting to send a letter or postcard it is best just to leave it in a blue mail box with the proper postage. There are also private postal services like FedEx, UPS and DHL.