Juneau - Juneau - Things To Do Reviews

Juneau is a surprisingly typical American city. Deep in the Alaskan wilderness, no connection to the rest of the continent by road or rail, surrounded by mountains and glaciers and with an unusual Russian heritage, it still seems 100% middle America.

Most of the Russian heritage has been lost. There is St Nicholas's Church, a Russian Orthodox Church built in 1894, and a few older homes around the edges, but most of the architecture is modern American or typical Pacific North-West. The worst part of town is the waterfront - once the most authentic, it is now a Disneyland built for cruise-line passengers - and lots of them. In a town of 30 000 there are 1 000 000 cruise line passengers a year, an influx equal to the size of the town every ten days. Unfortunately bad city planning and no public transport leaves the entire tourist population stuck in the first two streets from the port, over-riding the town.

There are great sites to see around the city, hundreds of walks and treks, but don't expect to be able to get around anywhere without a car. In fact, the limited public transport system doesn't even connect to the ferry system, and it is illegal to walk along the bridges leaving town. Also, this is not a city for anyone with luggage, there is no apparent luggage storage in the town (according to the tourist information office).

If you do have a car, there is great (but expensive) accommodation out of town, where you can appreciate the amazing setting that Juneau is in. Bald Eagles are very common and the Mendenhall Glacier is beautiful. One of the few walks you can do without a car is up Mount Roberts. Otherwise Juneau is best as a necessary stop-over on the Inside Passage ferry.