Why Visit Juneau: What Makes the Capital City of Alaska so Cool

I love talking about Juneau, and if you’ve done an Alaska cruise you’ve likely had a stop in Juneau, but it’s also a really cool city to visit on your own. We’ve been here lots of times and have some great ideas for things to do. But should you plan a visit for several days or just enjoy what you can from a cruise ship port stop? Well, I believe that Juneau is great over the course of several days, with 3-4 being optimal.

Consider this article my little love letter to Juneau, the state capital, as I think it does a wonderful job representing so much of why people love Alaska. If you’re trying to decide if a few days here are worth your time, read on and I think you’ll be convinced. If you have any questions about our experiences in Juneau or the recommendations we provide, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and talk about everything we love in Alaska.

Why Visit Juneau, Alaska

Juneau is the capital of Alaska, so it’s got it’s going on. In addition to the standard tourist activities and sights, being the capital means there are a few extra things: the Governor’s Mansion, the capitol building, and the Alaska State Museum. Within the capitol building there are government offices, but also a really cool collection of Alaska art on each floor. Everyone is welcome to visit and check it out.

The setting of Juneau is really pretty. The main part of the city is right on the water, with mountains coming directly up from the Gastineau Channel. Across from downtown is Douglas Island with its own activities, including the fascinating Treadwell Mine and a great pizza spot, and then north of town is the Mendenhall Valley and Auke Bay. Visiting Juneau means access to several different sorts of landscapes and a wide variety of activities.

Downtown Juneau is very easy to enjoy on foot. Because it’s both an active city AND a tourist destination, there are lots of things to do and see, plenty of restaurants in the downtown, and of course the regular services you would need living in a city. It’s not a metropolis in comparison to other capital cities, but Juneau’s downtown is exceptional for being interesting and a breeze to enjoy on your own.

Is Juneau or Anchorage a Better Destination? 

I got an email asking me about this so I wrote a whole article about it. Anchorage and Juneau are very different cities. Juneau is small, quiet and quaint. Anchorage is large, sprawling and very much a city-city. Both are gateways to different parts of the Alaska wilderness, but in unique ways. Anchorage is between the Kenai Peninsula (Kenai Fjords NP and Homer) and Denali NP, but those are both a few hours drive away. Juneau is twenty minutes from the Mendenhall Glacier in the Tongass National Forest, and then there are lots of day trips and flight seeing to other glacier areas. You cannot drive to Juneau, whereas you can drive to Anchorage.

Whale watching from Anchorage means driving to either Whittier or Seward to board a boat tour, but Juneau itself is the whale watching capital of the world. With cruise ships sailing into the main port area, most Juneau whale watching tours leave from Auke Bay north of the city, which is still much closer to access than you get when you’re doing whale watching on an Anchorage trip. Choosing which one to visit depends on the activities you’re most interested in and how much time you have. 

Something else to consider is that from Juneau you can also catch the Alaska Marine Highway to other Southeast Alaska towns, such as Ketchikan or Sitka, or the Alaska Fjordlines to Haines and Skagway, which is a bonus of visiting. For Juneau you’ll need 3+ days, but for Anchorage you’ll need 5 or more. I love both so much, so ask away if you have specific questions about planning to visit one.

Small Ship Cruises from Juneau

In addition to being the capital and a primary cruise port for the mega ships, Juneau is also the starting or ending point for most of the small ship sailings in Southeast Alaska. UnCruise Adventures and The Boat Company both depart from downtown Juneau, so adding a few days in conjunction with your expedition boat is very easy to do. Because the expedition boats are all about exploring the Inside Passage and going where there AREN’T people, if you can add time in Juneau you’ll get to see a different side of Southeast Alaska. The nature and wilderness of the Tongass National Forest is amazing, but the culture and fun of Juneau is great too.

Top Things to Do in Juneau

So what are the fun things to do in Juneau? Hmm, where to begin?! I really like that it’s a walkable city with good vibes throughout the neighborhoods. There are parks, tours, hikes and lots of ways to get out on the water, so let’s see what sounds interesting to you!

Whale Watching from Juneau

Indeed, Juneau is the whale watching capital of the world, so there are lots of tours that leave from here, most of which depart from Auke Bay. Humpback whales and orcas are in the waters all around the area, and they’re so consistently present that many operators offer a guarantee that you’ll see them.

We recently went out with Harv and Marv’s, which was really cool. They have smaller whale watching boats and do slightly longer tours than other operators, so they’re able to cover more ground which is great for wildlife sightings. They also do a trip that visits the Sentinel Lighthouse, which is actually really unique for an Alaska boat tour.

There are lots of whale watching tours offered from Juneau, but Harv & Marv’s is our top pick. Also, we get to offer our readers a discount if you want to book with them. Check out Harv & Marv’s here OR Juneau Lighthouse Tours here! Use code 2traveldads for a 10% discount on your booking!

Visiting Glaciers

The easiest glacier to visit from Juneau is the Mendenhall Glacier. Just north of downtown, you can either drive yourself, get an Uber, or visit as part of a tour. At the glacier there are several trails, a great visitor center, and awesome wildlife opportunities. Some people book canoe or kayak tours on the glacial lake too. If you visit during the sockeye run, there are boardwalks along and over the streams that come from the lake, so you can actually watch the fish spawning.

Another way to experience glaciers from Juneau is flight seeing, or doing a compound tour that includes another type of activity as well. We flew on Alaska Seaplanes to Norris Glacier and had a beautiful flight and then pack-rafted on the glacial lake before hiking on the glacier itself. Talk about a unique, fun adventure! Many cruise ships arrive in town just after visiting Tracy Arm or Endicott Arm to see tidewater glaciers, so glacier tours from Juneau are usually less busy than you might expect since people have just visited some.

NOTE: if you’re visiting Juneau in August, every year there is a glacial dam burst event, called a jökulhlaup, during which the Suicide Basin glacial lake overflows and crashes through the Mendenhall Valley from the glacier. This causes all activities at Mendenhall Glacier to be cancelled and often there are partial evacuations depending on the flow. Just be aware of this if you’re visiting Juneau in August.

Alaska Native Culture Around Juneau

You cannot visit Alaska, and specifically Southeast Alaska, without appreciating Alaska Native culture, and Juneau is a great place for that. The Tlingit peoples have called the area gone and been stewards of the land and waters for thousands of years, so their presence is very strong and beautiful. If you’re just walking, take the time to visit the totem pole walk along the water to Takhu, the humpback whale sculpture. When you’re downtown there are more totem poles and a beautiful mural of Elizabeth Peratrovich, who was an Alaska Native woman whose activism and her fight for the acceptance and preservation of indigenous cultures in the state is well known all across the state. 

Visiting the Sealaska Heritage Center and Alaska State Museum are both great opportunities for learning about the history and current ways of life for the Tlingit peoples. You can see modern arts and preserved artifacts, talk with curators and tribal members, and just really you’ll get a better understanding of Southeast Alaska and its indigenous people.

More Fun Juneau Activities

Of course there are lots more things to do when you visit Juneau. Just walking around AWAY from the cruise port is a fun adventure. There are lots of shops and good little restaurants. If you head up the hill, you’ll make it to Cope Park which is beautiful with its turquoise water and playground, and then you can see how cool of a city Juneau really is. The Mount Roberts Goldbelt Tram is fun, and at the top there’s another totem pole trail, but currently (summer 2026) it’s closed due to an incident during preseason operations. Hopefully it’ll be open again before the end of summer or in 2027. 

Fishing is a fun activity in Juneau, and you can get just a day license if you want. We did a really fun/funny fishing excursion during the chum run where we literally got to cast and reel over and over, landing salmon repeatedly. It was catch and release, but it was a good way to get the kids interested in more fishing in the future. Also, visiting the DIPAC McCauley Fish Hatchery is a pretty cool activity and is a great opportunity to learn about the salmon cycle. 

Clearly you can see that I think Juneau is worth visiting with lots of great reasons to love it. You can enjoy the destination on its own, or if you’re exploring the Inside Passage via the Alaska Marine Highway or a cruise you can make this an awesome stop. If you have any questions about planning a visit or need some more recommendations, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a great Alaska trip!