You expect freezing cold and get a heatwave instead. That’s exactly what happened to us in Fairbanks. This isn’t just any ordinary city — it’s one of the best places to discover the best things to do in Fairbanks Alaska. A rugged corner of the world just 195 miles from the Arctic Circle, where winter temperatures plummet far below freezing and summer brings endless daylight with the sun refusing to dip below the horizon.

Lukáš and I fell head over heels for this place, mainly because of one magical show in the sky. Fairbanks sits directly beneath the auroral oval, making it simply one of the best spots on Earth for chasing the northern lights. We’ve put together 12 must-see places and experiences that we wouldn’t dream of leaving without. And yes, I’ll get to the bit about bringing flip-flops for the showers too. 😅

TL;DR

• Best time for northern lights: The aurora season opens from late August to mid-April, but the absolute peak is from December to March.
• Summer midnight sun: If you visit in June or July, you won’t see the northern lights due to the endless daylight, but you’ll enjoy fantastic nature and river cruises.
• Where to stay: For full service and river views, go for Pike’s Waterfront Lodge; for a more reasonable budget, we recommend Wedgewood Resort.
• Top experience: Soaking in the outdoor rock lake at Chena Hot Springs when it’s -22 °F outside and your wet hair freezes solid on your head.
• Getting around: You simply can’t manage without a rental car here — distances are enormous and public transport is so infrequent we didn’t spot a single bus all week.

When to Fly to Alaska and How to Get to Fairbanks

Planning a trip to Alaska takes a bit of strategic thinking, because the climate here can seriously test your limits. Fairbanks holds the official title of the coldest city in the US, with winter temperatures routinely hitting minus 40. If your main goal is the northern lights, you need to visit between late August and April. The sun only shines for a few hours a day in winter, and the long dark nights provide the perfect canvas for the celestial show. We regularly spend freezing nights outdoors here, so seriously — don’t underestimate the importance of quality layered clothing.

Summer is a completely different world. From May to August the city comes alive, temperatures can climb close to 90 °F, and around the solstice the sun shines for 22 hours a day. It’s the ideal time to explore national parks and try gold panning, but you simply won’t see the aurora because it never gets dark enough. Definitely avoid April and early May though. Locals call this period “breakup season,” when the river ice cracks, the snow melts, mud is everywhere, and most tourist attractions are still closed.

As for getting there, from the UK you’ll most commonly fly via Seattle or Chicago, or catch a domestic flight from Anchorage. Look for affordable flights on comparison sites — we love using aggregators for complex itineraries. Once you land, head straight to the car rental desk. Lukáš and I have had consistently great experiences with Booking.com for accommodation, and a solid SUV with good tyres is absolutely essential up here — without one, you won’t get far.

Where to Stay and How Much Fairbanks Costs

Budgeting for Alaska is often a painful conversation, because neither accommodation nor food comes cheap. Fairbanks offers everything from classic hostels to luxury glass igloos, but always expect to pay a premium for a location at the edge of the world. Standard hotel prices range from around $150 to $300 (roughly £120–£240) per night for two. A restaurant meal will set you back at least $30 per person, and once you add organised excursions, a week-long stay can add up to quite a hefty sum.

If you’re after comfort and excellent service, have a look at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge. It sits right on the banks of the Chena River near the airport and, besides gorgeous views, boasts a highly regarded restaurant. We often head here when we want a dependable base after a gruelling day in sub-zero temperatures.

If you prefer a city-centre location and don’t mind larger hotels, Westmark Fairbanks Hotel is a classic choice frequently used by major tour operators. For families or travellers who need more space, the sprawling Wedgewood Resort is an excellent option. And if you’re travelling on a shoestring and crave a communal atmosphere, Billie’s Backpackers Hostel is a legendary stop for every independent adventurer.

12 Best Things to See and Do in Fairbanks, Alaska

Right then, where to begin? Our notebooks are overflowing, but we’ve narrowed it down to twelve experiences that would make it impossible to drag us away from Fairbanks. This little city blends untamed wilderness with a fascinating gold rush history, and we guarantee you won’t be bored for a single minute.

1. Chase the Northern Lights from Murphy Dome

Murphy Dome is an absolute legend among local aurora hunters. It’s a former US Air Force radar station located just over 20 miles from the city. At an elevation of 2,884 feet, it’s the highest accessible point in the wider area, which means a perfect 360-degree view with absolutely zero light pollution from town. Entry is completely free, so all you need to do is fill up the tank, brew a thermos of hot tea, and hit the road.

I do need to give you an honest warning about the drive, though. The road up can be unforgiving in winter, and quality winter tyres are an absolute must. It’s also frequently windy at the top, so the wind chill makes it feel far colder than down in town. But when the sky above you suddenly ignites with green ribbons dancing from horizon to horizon above the snow-covered spruce tops, you instantly forget that you can’t feel your toes. ☺️

2. Warm Up at Chena Hot Springs (With Eyes Half-Closed)

About an hour and a half’s drive northeast of Fairbanks, you’ll find the famous Chena Hot Springs resort. The journey takes you through beautifully desolate scenery, and at the end of it awaits an outdoor rock lake filled with natural thermal water at a blissful 106 °F. Soaking in hot water while snow falls on your head and your hair turns into frozen icicles is an absolutely iconic Alaskan experience you simply cannot miss. The resort operates year-round, and in winter it’s also a brilliant spot for stargazing and aurora viewing.

Now for the less romantic bit that guidebooks tend to gloss over. The resort has seen better days. The changing rooms and indoor pool aren’t exactly shining examples of pristine cleanliness, and I’d strongly recommend bringing your own flip-flops for the showers. The outdoor rock lake itself, however, is fantastic. You can also pay to visit the Aurora Ice Museum for around $25 (about £20). Just be very careful on the drive back to Fairbanks at night — after a long hot soak, exhaustion hits hard, and driving through a dark, snowy landscape demands your full concentration.

3. Walk with Reindeer at Running Reindeer Ranch

About 25 minutes from the centre lies Running Reindeer Ranch, and it’s no sad zoo — it’s a genuine family project where the reindeer simply walk alongside you. During the hour-long visit, you’ll stroll through an enchanting birch forest with free-roaming reindeer by your side. They’re not penned in; they just amble next to you, occasionally stopping to nibble on twigs, and the whole time they feel more like very large, very fluffy pets.

The owners have tremendous respect for their animals, and their stories are packed with fascinating insights into life in the tundra. The experience costs between $85 and $120 (roughly £70–£95) per adult depending on the season, and it wraps up with a cosy sit-down indoors over homemade biscuits and tea.

4. Museum of the North and Mammoth Skulls

On the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus, there’s a building with strikingly modern architecture that houses the Museum of the North. Even if you’re not typically a museum person, this place will genuinely captivate you. It brings together the most valuable treasures of the entire North. It helped us understand what we’d actually been looking at during all those days outdoors — far better than wandering through the landscape completely clueless. Admission is $22 (about £17) for adults and you’ll need roughly two hours.

The star of the “Gallery of Alaska” exhibition is an enormous mounted brown bear that truly drives home the sheer size of these animals. The woolly mammoth skull is equally awe-inspiring, as is a perfectly preserved mummified bison from the Ice Age. They also have brilliant displays explaining the physics of the northern lights — well worth understanding before you head out into the middle of the night to hunt for them yourself.

5. Sternwheeler Cruise on Riverboat Discovery

During the summer months, a cruise along the Chena and Tanana rivers aboard the historic sternwheeler Riverboat Discovery is probably the most popular activity in town. The three-hour trip costs $106 (about £85) and runs roughly from late May to early September. This is no boring sightseeing cruise — the entire voyage is packed with action and demonstrations of local life from start to finish.

During the cruise, a small floatplane — a “bush plane” without which life in Alaska simply wouldn’t function — lands on the water right beside your boat and takes off again. You’ll watch a sled dog training demonstration at the kennel of a famous Iditarod champion, and at the end you’ll disembark at a carefully constructed replica of a Native Alaskan village. There, locals show you the traditional way of life of the Athabascan people, including traditional fish smoking techniques for salmon.

6. Gold Panning and History at Gold Dredge 8

Fairbanks probably wouldn’t exist at all if it weren’t for the gold rush at the turn of the twentieth century. The excursion to Gold Dredge 8 takes you back in time and shows you the staggering history of industrial gold mining. The trip begins with a ride on a replica of the narrow-gauge Tanana Valley Railroad and costs $76 (about £60) per adult. Along the way, you’ll also get a close-up look at a section of the famous Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which we’ll cover in the next tip.

The highlight of the tour is exploring the enormous rusting dredge that once devoured the landscape and spat out precious gold. At the end of the excursion, every visitor receives their own pan filled with gravel and gets to try traditional gold panning. Finding gold flakes is practically guaranteed, and the staff will weigh your haul on the spot and value it at the current market rate. 😁

7. Luxury Borealis Basecamp for the Discerning Traveller

If you want to experience the northern lights in maximum luxury and aren’t afraid of splashing some serious cash, Borealis Basecamp is the place for you. This resort sits north of the city, well beyond the reach of any light pollution, and its main draw is its modern glass igloos. Imagine lying in an enormous warm bed while green ribbons dance across the sky directly above you.

I do need to add a small note about the price, though. A night here starts at a minimum of $625 (around £500) per person, and stays are usually sold as two-night packages. Locals sometimes chuckle and shake their heads at tourists paying that much for something they see for free from their car window on a hilltop. That said, if you’re planning a proposal or an unforgettable honeymoon, this is a sure-fire winner.

8. Stress-Free Fun with an Organised Aurora Tour

Not everyone fancies driving frozen roads at night and searching for deserted pull-offs in the dark. That’s precisely why Fairbanks has countless agencies ready to take you on an organised aurora hunt. We can personally recommend Greatland Adventures, which offers eight-hour trips for around $345 per person. The big advantage is that the guides know exactly where to go based on real-time weather and cloud cover.

The price includes comfortable heated transport, hot drinks, and — most importantly — professional photography. Capturing the aurora on an ordinary phone is often disappointing, and the guides will take stunning portraits of you right under the glowing sky. They even offer a money-back guarantee if the weather doesn’t cooperate, which you’ll genuinely appreciate in unpredictable Alaska. Our guide told us about the time his engine froze solid at -49 °F and he had to wait for rescue in a sleeping bag in the boot of his car. That story properly got me.

9. Engineering Marvel: The Trans-Alaska Pipeline

You might wonder why on earth you’d drive out to admire a giant pipe, but the Trans-Alaska Pipeline is an engineering marvel that essentially shaped the modern history of the state. I’ll admit I originally wanted to drive right past it without stopping, but Lukáš talked me into it. And I have to say, when you see it up close, the sheer scale of it just hits you. Over 800 miles of pipeline transporting oil from the Arctic Ocean all the way south.

The official Trans-Alaska Pipeline Viewpoint is just north of the city, right off the Steese Highway, and it’s completely free. You can get up close to the enormous pipe — over three feet in diameter — and read the information boards explaining how engineers had to solve problems with permafrost (permanently frozen ground) and earthquakes. It’s a quick stop, but absolutely essential for understanding the Alaskan economy.

Lukáš and Lucie recommend

Where to Stay in Fairbanks

6 accommodations — wellness hotels, resorts and other lodging options

⭐ TOP CHOICE 🏨 Hotel

Pike’s Waterfront Lodge

Located right on the bank of the Chena River near the airport, offering beautiful views and a renowned restaurant. Ideal for comfort and excellent service after a demanding day in the cold.

★★★★ Check prices

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Westmark Fairbanks Hotel

An absolute classic in the city center, often used by large tour companies. Suitable for those who prefer downtown and don’t mind larger hotels.

★★★★ Check prices

Check availability 🌲 Resort

Wedgewood Resort

Spacious resort, great choice for families or travelers who prefer more space. Recommended for a reasonable budget.

★★★★ Check prices

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Billie’s Backpackers Hostel

Legendary stop for all independent adventurers. Ideal for budget travelers who prefer a community atmosphere.

★★★★ Check prices

Check availability ⭐ Luxury

Borealis Basecamp

Luxury resort with modern glass igloos north of the city away from light pollution. Maximum luxury for aurora viewing – you lie in a huge warm bed with green bands dancing directly above you in the sky.

★★★★ from $625/night per person

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View all accommodations in Fairbanks

Explore all available lodging options in Fairbanks and find the best one according to your preferences and budget.

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10. Skiland and Views from Cleary Summit

About 20 miles north of Fairbanks lies the Cleary Summit ridge, which opens up some of the most breathtaking views across the Tanana River valley and the distant peaks of the White Mountains. In summer, it’s a gorgeous spot for a short outing with stunning panoramas; in winter, the entire area transforms into another strategic location for aurora viewing.

This is where you’ll find Skiland, which boasts the northernmost operating chairlift in all of North America. Don’t expect an Alpine mega-resort with endless runs — it’s more of an intimate, local affair — but it has enormous charm. The resort also operates as a special Aurora Viewing Lodge during winter, so you can duck inside for warmth with a mug of hot chocolate while it’s bitterly cold outside.

11. Dog Sledding and the Spirit of the Iditarod

Alaska and dog sledding go together like fish and chips. The legendary Iditarod race usually starts down in Anchorage, but when the area lacks snow, organisers move the official restart straight to Fairbanks. Mushing is taken deadly seriously here, and mushers are huge local celebrities.

Even if you don’t time your visit for race day, there are several fantastic kennels around the city where you can go for a ride. We recommend Black Spruce Dog Sledding. Gliding through a silent, snow-covered forest where the only sounds are the dogs’ breathing and the runners hissing over the snow is pure magic. You’ll typically pay between $100 and $250, and you get to help harness the dogs and reward them with a proper fuss afterwards.

12. Say Hello to Santa in the Town of North Pole

Alright, this one’s a bit kitsch, but when you’re this close you simply have to stop. Southeast of Fairbanks lies a town called North Pole, where Christmas clearly never ends. Streets here go by names like Snowman Lane and Kris Kringle Drive, and the lamp posts are shaped like giant candy canes. The main attraction is the enormous Santa Claus House shop.

Entry is of course free. You can buy just about every Christmas ornament known to humankind, and you might even bump into the official Santa himself. What Lukáš and I enjoyed the most, though, was the local post office. You can send a postcard to anyone back home and it’ll arrive stamped with the official North Pole postmark. For family or friends, it makes a wonderfully thoughtful souvenir. 😉

Where to Eat Well in Fairbanks

Let’s be honest — Alaska isn’t exactly a foodie destination. Most things are flown in from the Lower 48, which you’ll realise the moment you open a menu and your jaw hits the floor. But a few places genuinely surprised us.

For a romantic dinner, definitely head to The Pump House Restaurant & Saloon. This iconic restaurant is built in a stunning gold rush-era style and specialises in local seafood and fantastic steaks from premium beef. Expect to pay around $45 for a main course, but the local fillet with fresh halibut and a crème brûlée to finish is absolutely worth it. Another excellent, slightly more upscale option right in the city centre is Lavelle’s Bistro.

If you’re after something more relaxed and budget-friendly during the day, try The Crepery in downtown Fairbanks, where they make excellent savoury and sweet crêpes priced from $10 to $18. For a hearty, massive Alaskan breakfast, you must visit Sam’s Sourdough Cafe. They make legendary sourdough pancakes from a starter that allegedly dates back to the very first gold prospectors.

FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions About Fairbanks

I’ve gathered the most common questions readers send me when planning a trip to Fairbanks. If there’s anything I’ve missed, don’t hesitate to drop me a message.

The first time you step off a small plane onto a runway lashed by the ocean on every side, it hits you immediately: Sitka, Alaska is a completely different world. An overcast sky, the ever-present scent of pine and salt, and then — right in the middle of the American wilderness — an Orthodox cathedral with onion-shaped domes. It looks as though someone took a slice of Tsarist Russia and accidentally dropped it into the heart of an Alaskan rainforest. And, as it happens, that’s pretty much what did happen.

This town, which absolutely no roads lead to, wins you over on day one. Maybe it’s the bald eagles perched on the spruce trees like pigeons back home, or maybe it’s sitting in a pub eating fresh salmon next to burly fishermen in rubber waders. Sitka is simply a place where the bloody history of Russian colonisers blends with the ancient culture of the Tlingit people and the wildest nature you can possibly imagine.

We’ll go from the Russian cathedral to bears, from orphaned eagles to whales that hunt inside rings of bubbles — I’ll simply show you twelve things that will make you fall head over heels for Sitka. And I’ll also tell you honestly what costs more here than you’d expect.

TL;DR

• No roads lead here: You can only reach Sitka by plane or boat. Leave the car at home, you won’t need it.
• Russian history: Don’t miss Saint Michael’s Cathedral and the Russian Bishop’s House — they’re a striking contrast to the surrounding wilderness.
• Bears and eagles: Fortress of the Bear and the Alaska Raptor Center are absolute musts, especially if you don’t have time to track down animals in the forest.
• Weather: Expect rain. It rains here on average 230 days a year, so a quality Gore-Tex jacket and waterproof boots are survival essentials.
• Book accommodation months ahead: Capacity here is tiny and the summer season is short. Hesitate and you’ll be sleeping in a tent (in the rain, with bears around).

When to Visit Alaska and How to Get to Sitka

Planning a trip to southeast Alaska is governed by an unforgiving calendar and Mother Nature. Trying to improvise off-season trips here is a losing battle from the start. The town comes alive in May, when the first cruise ships arrive, and by the end of September it settles back into hibernation.

Peak Season and What to Pack

The best time is from June to the end of August, but even then temperatures barely scrape eighteen degrees and it usually drizzles during the day. Sitka lies in a temperate coastal rainforest, where snow drifts and bitter frosts belong to the interior — here, water rules.

The constant rain will leave you feeling a bit despairing at times, but you’ll come to understand it’s simply part of the deal. Quality waterproof layers and high rubber boots — which the locals affectionately call “Alaskan sneakers” — really aren’t optional. Without them you’re completely lost in Sitka (trying it in ordinary trainers is a mistake you won’t forget). If you’re coming with hopes of the Northern Lights, I have to disappoint you — thanks to the constant cloud cover and the location, you probably won’t see them here. But you’ll get your fill of whales in summer.

Getting to a Town With No Roads

This is probably the biggest shock for most British travellers. You simply cannot drive to Baranof Island, where Sitka sits. The absolute rule here is “no road access”. The only way in is Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport on the neighbouring islet of Japonski Island, which is connected to the centre by a substantial bridge.

The quickest option is to fly in, but plenty of people use the ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway system. The boat journey from nearby Juneau is gorgeous — you glide through bays full of forested islets — you just need to set aside considerably more time for it. From the UK, the easiest route is a transatlantic flight to Seattle or Anchorage with the likes of British Airways or Virgin Atlantic, then a regional Alaska Airlines hop to Sitka. To compare connections and find cheaper fares, we always check the booking portals first.

Where to Stay in Sitka and How Much It Costs

Finding good accommodation in this Alaska town for a reasonable price is a real art. Hotels here can be counted on one hand, the season lasts only a few months, and anyone who doesn’t start looking around January ends up staring at vacancies at the campground (in the rain, with bears nearby). Prices stay fairly high, which is typical for Alaska, because almost everything has to be shipped in at great effort.

As a rule, expect to pay between $250 and $400 (roughly €230 to €370) per night for an ordinary mid-range room during the summer months. It’s not cheap, but if you want a peaceful, dry night’s sleep, you don’t have many other options.

Historic Charm or Modern Comfort

If you want to treat yourself, probably the best-known spot is the Sitka Hotel right on the main drag, Lincoln Street. It has undergone a wonderful renovation that married Victorian style with modern touches, and the windows look straight out over the harbour. We really love these old buildings with soul, even if the walls can occasionally be a touch thin 😅. Sometimes you can even hear the gulls as if they were standing right on your nightstand, but that’s simply part of the harbour atmosphere.

For families or anyone planning to stay several days, the Aspen Suites Hotel Sitka is a huge win. They have fully equipped kitchenettes, which will save you absurd sums on restaurant meals. Shopping at the local supermarket isn’t exactly cheap either, but it still works out better than eating breakfast and dinner out every day.

Options for a Tight Budget

If you’re travelling with a backpack and watching every penny, your only salvation will be the Sitka International Hostel. It’s a classic hostel with shared rooms and a kitchen, but be prepared for fairly strict rules, including a curfew.

Plenty of people also try their luck with small Bed & Breakfasts run by locals, who often even offer to pick you up from the airport for free. That contact with local people who were born here and know every stone is often simply priceless.

Things to See and Do in Sitka: The 12 Best Tips

Russian icons of incalculable value in the morning, feeding orphaned bears at noon, and panting up a steep hill through dense rainforest in the afternoon — that’s Sitka in a nutshell. So let’s get to it.

1. Sitka National Historical Park

This is the smallest national historical park in all of Alaska, and personally I rank it among the most magical places of all. There’s no need to worry about boring, dusty display cases — instead, an amazing trail runs right through the coastal rainforest. Sitka National Historical Park hides a roughly two-and-a-half-kilometre trail that runs along perfectly flat ground, lined the whole way by enormous, hand-carved totem poles of the indigenous Tlingit people.

The park protects the site where, in 1804, a bloody battle was fought between the Tlingit and Russian settlers. The silence that now reigns there makes those events weigh on you in a strange way. Only the ocean murmurs, and somewhere above you an eagle cries. I realised there that I’d never in my life walked through such a charged place. A huge bonus is that for 2026, admission to the entire park and visitor centre is completely free. Be sure to set aside at least two hours for it.

2. Saint Michael’s Cathedral

Walking down the main road, you suddenly come upon a roundabout with no obelisk in the middle, but a beautiful Orthodox cathedral. The green domes and golden crosses look utterly surreal against the backdrop of the rugged Alaskan mountains. The original wooden structure stood here from 1844 and was the nerve centre of the Russian Church in North America.

As beautiful as the building is, it carries a sad yet heroic history. In 1966, the original cathedral burned to the ground. The locals at the time, regardless of which god they happened to believe in, ran into the flames and rescued almost all the precious icons and artefacts with their bare hands. The cathedral was then rebuilt to the exact original plans.

When you step inside, you’re immediately enveloped by the heavy scent of incense and beeswax from the candles. Visitors stand there utterly spellbound before the embossed frames of the rescued icons — the whole atmosphere inside has an incredible power, despite the newer walls.

3. Fortress of the Bear (Bear Rescue Centre)

I’ll admit I didn’t know what to expect from a bear rescue centre built on the grounds of an old paper mill, but this turned out to be one of our biggest experiences in Sitka. Fortress of the Bear is home to orphaned bear cubs that state authorities would otherwise have ordered to be put down. It’s about 8 kilometres from the centre, and the amazing thing is its setting — the enclosures are formed from the huge tanks of a former pulp factory. It looks like something out of a post-apocalyptic film, but the bears get excellent care here.

Admission is $15 (about €14) for an adult, and children under seven go free. Since lots of people arrive from the giant cruise ships, the centre sometimes limits walk-in entries, so if you’re travelling independently like we were, I warmly recommend buying tickets online in advance so you don’t end up standing disappointed outside the gate.

Visitors here often catch little scenes, like a young brown bear spending a good half hour determinedly trying to sink a plastic barrel. It’s incredible fun, and for a moment you completely forget what unbridled predators they are out there in the wild.

4. Alaska Raptor Center

Just a stone’s throw from the national park you’ll find another top-class rehabilitation centre, this time dedicated to birds of prey. The Alaska Raptor Center takes in and treats around two hundred injured bald eagles, owls and other raptors each year. Their main goal is to release the birds back into the wild, which they mostly manage.

Some birds, however, suffer injuries so severe that they wouldn’t survive in the wild, and they stay on as permanent ambassadors. And seeing a bald eagle from two metres away, staring at you with those huge pale eyes, is an experience that sent shivers down our spines for a good hour after we left. Adult admission is $17 (about €16), and honestly? Very cheap.

They also have a huge flight aviary here, where the birds retrain their muscles after treatment before release. It’s like an avian gym, and watching their gradual return to form, with those enormous wingspans, is incredibly moving and worth every cent of the admission.

5. Russian Bishop’s House

At first glance you don’t expect any miracle here — another museum, another historic building. But it really gets you. It’s the oldest Russian building in the entire United States, dating from 1842, and the whole massive log structure of spruce timber was built back then without using a single nail. Today it’s one of only four surviving buildings from the Russian era.

The house is now managed by the rangers of the National Park Service, and the interiors are restored with incredible precision. As you wander through rooms full of original furniture, you genuinely feel transported back to the nineteenth century.

In one of the rooms you’ll see a beautiful old samovar, and suddenly you can vividly imagine all the building’s residents gathering around hot tea during those harsh Alaskan winters. That raw historical atmosphere simply hangs in the air and pulls you in, even if you’re not exactly a history buff.

6. Whale Watching and Bubble-Net Feeding

The waters around Sitka and the whole Inside Passage are bursting with life in summer. We were mainly interested in the humpback whales, which migrate an enormous distance all the way from Hawaii to fatten up here. If you come in August, you have a huge chance of seeing something absolutely unique — so-called bubble-net feeding.

It’s a hunting technique in which the whales create an impenetrable ring of bubbles underwater, drive entire shoals of fish into it, and then surface together with their mouths gaping wide open. Anyone who sees it with their own eyes will never forget the sight and sound for the rest of their life. On top of that, sea otters routinely loaf around the boats, lying on their backs and looking like they haven’t a care in the world.

One tip well worth following: skip the giant cruise catamarans built for a hundred people and pay a bit extra for a small boat with a local skipper instead. That feeling, when you’re sitting just above the surface and feel yourself rocked on the wave with every breach of a huge whale, simply can’t be put into words.

7. Castle Hill

At first glance it’s just an ordinary bare little hill near the harbour, but world history was rewritten here. It was on this very mound, on 18 October 1867, that the ceremonial handover of Alaska to the United States took place. The Russian flag with its double-headed eagle came down, and the American one went up.

Today you won’t find any castle here, even though the name Baranof Castle State Historic Site suggests one, but the view of Sitka Sound and Mt. Edgecumbe volcano in the distance is absolutely phenomenal. There’s no admission fee — you just climb a few steps, lean into the cold wind and soak up the view.

It’s genuinely incredibly windy up top, though, so even in the August summer you’ll happily pile on just about every layer you’ve got in your backpack. The stunning photos with the volcano in view will absolutely make up for those frozen fingers — photographers here usually burn through about half a memory card.

8. Sheldon Jackson Museum

This unassuming museum, founded in 1887, is actually the oldest museum in Alaska. We expected some small exhibition, but inside it took our breath away. The Sheldon Jackson Museum hides an incredible collection of indigenous artefacts, put together by a rather active missionary of the same name.

You’ll find goods and tools of the Inuit, Aleut and Tlingit from the days before the modern American world steamrollered their traditional culture. From masterfully carved masks to skin-covered kayaks, this museum is a gem for anyone interested in anthropology.

For me personally, the most fascinating thing by far was the huge collection of wooden ritual masks. Some look quite terrifying, others almost comical, but each of them breathes the age-old skill of the people who carved them through long, dark evenings by a crackling fire.

9. A Walk Along the Indian River Trail

Sitka offers incredible hiking options right on the edge of town. If you’re not exactly a mountaineer and would rather have an easy stroll, head out on the Indian River Trail. The trail measures a little over four kilometres one way, is essentially flat, and leads through gorgeous rainforest along the river to a smaller waterfall.

This route is truly beautiful, but you need to be on your guard. In autumn the river fills with migrating salmon, which naturally attracts the local furry residents. If you set off here, definitely take bear spray with you and chat loudly the whole time so you don’t surprise anyone in the bushes.

It’s recommended to walk the trail in groups of two or more and to loudly sing or holler every few minutes, so every bear within a kilometre knows you’re coming. It feels a bit comical at first, but all the local rangers will confirm with a straight face that this really is the best possible life insurance.

10. Hiking Mount Verstovia for the Bold

If you’re in good shape and want to see Sitka from a bird’s-eye view, this is the hike for you. The Mt. Verstovia route is only five kilometres there and back, but over that short distance you climb a brutal 760 metres of elevation. It’s essentially an endless ascent up steps made of roots and mud.

You’ll swear a few times on the way up 😅, but once you finally scramble onto the viewpoint called Picnic Rock, you forget all your aching muscles. A view opens up over the whole bay with its hundreds of green islets. People don’t tend to go up to the actual rocky summit any more, as the ridge is unmaintained and dangerous.

The way down is perhaps even a touch worse than the slog up, because that ever-present mix of mud and roots is unbelievably slippery. My knees remembered that descent for a good three days afterwards, but with hindsight I have to admit that epic feeling at the top was worth the effort — and the swear words.

Lukáš and Lucie recommend

Where to Stay in Sitka

5 accommodations — wellness hotels, hotels and other lodging options

⭐ TOP CHOICE ⭐ Luxury

Westmark Sitka Hotel

Luxury hotel in Sitka, the highest category of accommodation in this remote Alaskan town.

★★★★ Check prices

Check availability 🏨 Hotel

Aspen Suites Hotel Sitka

Mid-range hotel with fully equipped kitchenettes, ideal for families or longer stays. You’ll save on restaurant costs.

★★★★ Check prices

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Sitka Hotel

Historic hotel on main Lincoln Street with Victorian style and modern renovation. Windows overlook the harbor directly. On the ground floor is Mangiare restaurant with affordable Italian cuisine.

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Sitka International Hostel

Classic hostel with shared rooms and kitchenette, the only option for travelers on a limited budget. Has strict rules including curfew.

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11. Mt. Edgecumbe: Alaska’s Fuji

When you look out over the ocean from Sitka, your eye is immediately drawn to the perfect cone of the dormant Mt. Edgecumbe volcano, rising nearly a thousand metres on neighbouring Kruzof Island. Because of its shape it’s often nicknamed the Japanese Fuji, and it’s a huge challenge for all capable hikers.

Getting to it is no joke, though. You have to rent a boat in town, get dropped off on a beach, and then face an 11-kilometre trek one way. The route starts in annoying bogs (locals call them muskeg), continues through forest, and ends with a climb through loose volcanic ash. This is definitely not a Sunday-afternoon outing for beginners.

During the small-boat crossing to the island, it often gets pretty rough on the more open water, so seasickness tablets should probably be mandatory kit for any landlubber. But this gruelling sea voyage is simply an inseparable part of the whole rugged adventure.

12. Sitka Sound Science Center

If you have time left over or have children with you, be sure to stop by the mouth of the Indian River, where the local research centre and aquarium are based. The Sitka Sound Science Center is no enormous sea world, but they have excellent touch tanks with starfish and sea anemones that you can carefully feel.

The centre is also home to a fully functioning salmon hatchery. You’ll learn everything about the harsh life cycle of Alaskan fish, and overall it’s a very pleasant stop for an hour, especially when it’s bucketing down outside (which is pretty likely here).

I was initially quite reluctant to touch anything in those touch tanks at all, but in the end I gently stroked a purple starfish and, to my surprise, it was remarkably hard. It may be a complete trifle, but it somehow connects you with that fascinating underwater world far more personally.

Where to Eat Well: Alaskan Seafood and Coffee

In Sitka you eat what the fishermen pulled out of the ocean that morning, and you can tell instantly on the plate. Halibut, wild salmon and fantastic Dungeness crab don’t travel halfway around the world here — they journey from the icy water almost straight onto your plate. Eating out is fairly expensive, with an average dinner for two with drinks easily setting you back $100 (around €92), but the experience is usually superb.

If you want to experience something special and don’t mind paying extra, head to Beak Restaurant. They cook with the best of the morning’s catch, and the salmon there is an experience in itself. What’s more, as one of the few establishments in the USA, they refuse tips because they simply pay their people a decent wage. Refreshing. Another huge hit is Ludvig’s Bistro, a little slice of the Mediterranean in Alaska, but the space is genuinely microscopic and you’ll need a reservation roughly from the moment you book your flights.

For families with children or a laid-back evening, Mean Queen Pizza is great. It’s fairly loud, they make excellent pizza, and you can look straight out at the bay and harbour from your table. For a quick energy boost after a hike, or when you need a good coffee to perk you up, pop into Highliner Coffee, where even rugged commercial fishermen come to soak up caffeine in the morning before heading out to sea. And if you’re after something cheaper, the Mangiare restaurant on the ground floor of the Sitka Hotel serves fairly affordable Italian classics.

Where to Go Next in Alaska

Alaska is enormous, and Sitka is often just one stop while travelling along the southeast coast. If you’re planning to explore the Inside Passage region further, definitely take a look at our article about the capital, Juneau, which is an easy hop by plane from Sitka.

If you’re planning to travel by boat, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to Alaska cruises, where you’ll find tips on what to expect and how to choose the right route. The amazing gold-rush towns of Haines and Skagway are also well worth a stop — they’ll instantly transport you back in time more than a hundred years.

Tips and Tricks for Travelling (Not Only) Around Alaska

When you’re packing for wilderness like this, logistics play the leading role. Planning a trip like this takes a fair few evenings, and a few things can really catch you off guard.

So that you don’t have to google everything from scratch, I’ve gathered the most important practical tips neatly in one place. It’ll save you a lot of time, nerves and, in the end, a bit of money too, which you can then better spend on a nicer dinner or a boat trip.

Where to Find Flights

For searching out flights, especially here in North America, we constantly use the same approach. From the UK, you’ll fly transatlantic to a hub like Seattle and then connect on a regional Alaska Airlines flight, so it pays to compare combined routes on a good flight search engine to nab the cheapest fares.

Always pay close attention, though, to the permitted baggage weight — on small Alaskan planes this is taken very strictly for safety reasons, and oversized cases attract hefty fines.

Renting a Car

Although you won’t need a car in Sitka, you can’t get around the rest of Alaska without one. We’ve used RentalCars long-term all over the world — we first tried them in Canada, where they bumped us up to a bigger car on the spot at no extra charge, and we haven’t switched since. They have good insurance and so far haven’t surprised us with anything unpleasant.

On top of that, in Alaska’s peak season the best and most reliable SUVs disappear very quickly. I’d definitely recommend locking in a car as soon as you have your paid flights in hand, so you don’t end up stuck with some tiny city runabout on muddy roads.

Booking Accommodation

Booking.com is our favourite hotel search engine — I recommend setting up reservations as early as possible (this goes double for places like Alaska), because they often offer free cancellation up to a few days before arrival.

For the first few days it pays to make two backup reservations at different places (where free cancellation is allowed) and then make your final decision based on the current itinerary and weather.

Don’t Forget Insurance and Connectivity

Don’t even think about heading to the States without proper insurance. For shorter holidays we choose insurance from AXA, where we have a 50% discount for you, while for longer adventures and long-term trips we swear by SafetyWing. And to avoid ruining our wallet on roaming, and to have data even in the rainforest where possible, we use the Holafly eSIM.

Thanks to the ever-present mud and rain, ordinary trainers won’t cut it in Alaska. If you’re not sure what to put on your feet, take a look at our article on how to choose the right hiking boots.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

When we flew to Alaska all those years ago, I had a huge number of questions in my head, and I’ll admit some of them were probably pretty naive. We’d read up on plenty, but reality occasionally looked a bit different.

So here I’ve gathered the most common questions our friends ask when we tell them over a glass of wine about our experiences in and around Sitka. Maybe it’ll help you form a more complete and better picture of this amazing and wild corner of the world.

Alaska isn’t some manicured national park in Utah where you cruise in on perfect tarmac and grab an overpriced coffee at the entrance. This is a raw, unforgiving ecosystem, and you’re stepping straight into the living room of the planet’s largest predators.

A lot of visitors arrive with this romanticised catalogue fantasy of sitting on a log and photographing Alaska bears catching salmon from five metres away. The reality, though, is that bears, Alaska, and safety are three words you absolutely must take deadly seriously here. So here’s everything we’ve learned over the years — told straight, and sometimes with our hearts genuinely in our throats. You’ll find out how to make the most of this incredible wilderness, how to avoid being eaten alive by mosquitoes (or something bigger), and what to prepare for, because this state will test you in every possible way.

TL;DR

• Best time to visit: Mid-June to late August if you want to see bears catching salmon.
• Top spots for bears: Katmai National Park (the legendary Brooks Falls) and Lake Clark. Bear in mind you can only get there by bush plane, and it costs a fortune.
• Essential gear: Bear spray (buy it when you arrive — it’s not allowed on planes) and insect repellent with at least 40% DEET.
• Grizzly vs. black bear: With a grizzly, play dead. With a black bear, fight for your life.
• Biggest danger: Surprisingly, it’s not bears — it’s moose, which aren’t afraid of people, attack without warning, and frequently cause fatal road accidents.
• Budget: Alaska is an extremely expensive destination. Bear viewing trips cost between $1,200 and $3,000 (roughly £950–£2,400) per person, so start saving well in advance.

When to Go and How to Get to Alaska

Planning a trip to Alaska is not something you leave to the last minute — the tourist season is incredibly short and the best excursions sell out months in advance. We learned that the hard way. Focus on a very specific window during summer.

If you want to witness those famous scenes of bears snatching leaping salmon, you need to be there between mid-July and early August. That’s when the salmon run peaks and the rivers are teeming with fish. May and June are beautiful — the mountaintops are still capped with snow and nature is waking up — but bears are only just emerging from their dens and tend to forage in meadows instead. September brings stunning autumn tundra colours, but winter is already knocking at the door and many tourist services start winding down.

The journey from the UK is a long one and usually requires at least two connections. We’re big fans of hunting down cheap flights through Kiwi, which is probably our favourite tool for piecing together more complex itineraries. You’ll typically fly from London via a US hub on the west coast — Seattle is a popular option — and then catch a connecting flight straight to Anchorage. The whole journey takes at least 18 to 24 hours, so definitely pack a good book and some compression socks for the plane.

Because Alaska is enormous and public transport is practically non-existent (apart from trains between a few main towns), you’ll absolutely need a car. We typically use DiscoverCars.com to compare prices across different rental agencies. Make sure you book a 4×4, because many of the most interesting spots sit at the end of gravel roads where a standard saloon would struggle — or the rental company simply won’t allow it. We always reserve our car as soon as we’ve bought our flights, because during Alaska’s summer season vehicles vanish before your eyes and prices skyrocket.

Where to Stay and How Much It All Costs

When planning a trip to Alaska, you need to brace yourself for one uncomfortable fact: it’s seriously expensive. Most goods have to be shipped in, the season is short, and locals try to earn their entire year’s income in just three months.

As a rough guide, a decent motel room in peak season will easily set you back $250 to $350 a night (around £200–£280). A main course at a restaurant typically runs about $30 (£24), and excursions are a whole chapter unto themselves. If you want to fly out on a bush plane for a bear viewing trip, expect to pay at least $1,200 to $1,500 (£950–£1,200) per person for a single day. We saved a fair bit by cooking our own meals from groceries bought at local supermarkets like Fred Meyer or Walmart. Booking.com is our go-to hotel search engine — we’d recommend booking your accommodation a good six months in advance.

Anchorage will most likely be your gateway. It’s a pragmatic sort of city that won’t wow you with historical beauty at first glance, but it has everything you need before heading into the wilderness. You could stay at The Lakefront Anchorage, which offers stunning views of floatplanes landing on Lake Hood — the atmosphere is incredible. If you’re after something more budget-friendly and functional, try Qupqugiaq Inn, though good luck pronouncing the name on your first go 😅.

If you head south to the Kenai Peninsula, you’ll almost certainly end up in Homer. It’s a gorgeous fishing town at the end of the road with views of volcanoes and glaciers. Homer is famous for the narrow strip of land jutting out into the sea known as Homer Spit. Try staying at Land’s End Resort right at the tip, where you can watch sea otters straight from your room window.

Alaska Bears: 12 Tips for Safe Bear Viewing & What to See

Right, now for the main event. Turning up here unprepared would be genuinely foolish, so here are our most important tips for getting close to bears, making the most of it, and — crucially — coming home in one piece. The wilderness here does not forgive mistakes.

1. Katmai National Park and the Legendary Brooks Falls

This is the absolute epicentre of bear viewing on the entire planet. Those iconic photographs of brown bears standing on the edge of a waterfall catching leaping salmon mid-air? They come from right here. Katmai National Park alone is home to an estimated 2,200 brown bears, and in July dozens of them congregate along the Brooks River.

There’s no road into the park, so the only way in is by floatplane — which is a mini-adventure in itself. A day trip from Homer costs around $1,255 (roughly £1,000), while from Anchorage it’s about $1,540 (£1,230). Be aware that the viewing platform at the falls has a strict limit of 40 people and a one-hour-per-person time slot, so there’s nearly always a queue.

If you’d like to stay overnight, you can try your luck in the lottery for a spot at the legendary Brooks Lodge. A cabin runs between $1,200 and $1,600 per night, and spots are drawn years in advance. The area is also home to the famous online phenomenon Fat Bear Week, where people vote each autumn for the fattest bear. These incredible animals can pack on a staggering 300 kilograms before winter hibernation — in 2025, the winner was a male bear named 32 Chunk, who triumphed despite having suffered a broken jaw during the summer.

2. Lake Clark: A Crowd-Free Alternative

If the thought of queuing on a viewing platform in Katmai fills you with dread, Lake Clark is a stunning and far more intimate alternative. This national park sits slightly off the main tourist radar and offers truly premium bear viewing, mostly in the Silver Salmon Creek area. The key difference is that there are no elevated wooden walkways here — you observe the bears from ground level, accompanied by highly experienced armed guides.

The atmosphere is completely different — much wilder and calmer. You’ll often find yourself walking through tall grass or across muddy beaches while bears graze nearby, completely unbothered by your presence. It does, of course, come with an even heftier price tag.

A three-day all-inclusive stay at a local lodge (Silver Salmon Creek Lodge, for example) starts at $2,950 from Anchorage (around £2,350). It’s a huge investment, but if you love wildlife photography and don’t want to just briefly glimpse the bears in passing, it’s probably the best experience we’ve ever had in Alaska.

3. Denali National Park and the Quest for the Mountain

Denali National Park is a legend in its own right, drawing visitors with Alaska’s famous “Big Five.” If you’re lucky, you could spot a grizzly, a moose, a caribou, a Dall sheep, and a wolf — all in a single day. Wolves, though, are incredibly rare; there are roughly 1,800 across the whole of Alaska and they tend to steer well clear of people. The park is dominated by North America’s tallest peak, which has been officially renamed back to Mt. McKinley (though the park itself retains the name Denali).

The catch with the mountain is a bit of a running joke 😅. It’s so massive that it creates its own weather and spends most of its time shrouded in thick cloud. Locals even have a name for it — “The 30% Club” — because only about 30 percent of park visitors are lucky enough to see the mountain fully clear. On our first visit, all we saw was a wall of thick grey mist, and we finally understood the frustration of all those people lugging expensive cameras around.

There’s one crucial practical detail you need to know before visiting. Since 2021, the only road leading deep into the park has been closed roughly at its midpoint (mile 43) due to a massive landslide called the Pretty Rocks Landslide. The park service has confirmed that repairs will take a long time, with full bus service not expected to resume until around 2027. You can still drive the shorter section, but you won’t be able to reach the most remote corners of the park.

4. Kaktovik and Polar Bears in Alaska (With an Important Warning)

This is an experience in a completely different league. The village of Kaktovik on Barter Island lies far above the Arctic Circle and has become world-famous for autumn polar bear viewing. The local Iñupiat community has permission to conduct traditional whale hunts, and the remains attract dozens of hungry polar bears, which tourists then photograph from small boats. So yes — there are polar bears in Alaska, and Kaktovik has long been the place to see them.

For a long time, it was the mecca of Arctic photography, but there’s a major development you need to be aware of. For the 2026 season, commercial tourism to Kaktovik has been completely suspended. The village was struggling under the weight of tourist numbers and is now working to establish a new, more sustainable model — premium operators are planning a return no earlier than 2027.

If you’re planning a trip in the near future, cross this one off your itinerary straight away and invest the (considerable) savings into a grizzly trip further south instead. Polar bears simply require enormous planning with several years’ lead time.

5. Alaska Brown Bear vs Grizzly: How to Tell Them Apart

A lot of people get confused by the terminology, but biologically, we’re talking about the exact same species (Ursus arctos). The difference is purely about where they live and what they eat. The coastal brown bear has access to unlimited supplies of fatty salmon, which is why it grows to enormous proportions — typically weighing between 350 and 450 kilograms. The inland grizzly is its leaner cousin, surviving mainly on roots, berries, and small mammals, and usually weighing “only” 200 to 350 kg.

What really matters, though, is being able to tell a grizzly from a smaller black bear, because the way you should react in an attack depends entirely on which one you’re facing. The single most important identifying feature is the massive muscular hump between the shoulders, which grizzlies use for digging. Black bears simply don’t have it.

Grizzlies also have a distinctly concave facial profile — almost dish-shaped — while black bears have a straighter profile. And if you come across tracks in the mud, just look at the claws. Grizzly claws are astonishingly long, easily five to ten centimetres, leaving deep imprints well in front of the pad itself.

6. Black Bear: The Smaller, More Agile One

The black bear (Ursus americanus) is a far more adaptable creature, and it’s the one you’re most likely to encounter near the edges of towns or at campsites. Don’t be fooled by the name, though — in Alaska, their fur colour varies wildly, and you can easily come across a “black” bear that’s a bright brown or even cinnamon.

As I mentioned, they lack that distinctive shoulder hump, and their nose runs in a straight line from the forehead when viewed in profile. What’s really important for your safety, though, are their claws. They’re only about three centimetres long, curved, and perfectly designed for climbing. Thanks to these claws and their lighter weight, a black bear can scramble up a tree with astonishing speed.

That’s a huge difference compared to a heavy adult grizzly, which generally doesn’t climb trees (though exceptions do exist, so don’t bank on it as your only escape plan). A black bear might seem slightly cuter than a one-tonne giant from Katmai, but it’s still a wild and dangerous predator that deserves your utmost respect.

7. Bear Spray Is an Absolute Must

Heading into the Alaskan wilderness without bear spray is gambling with your life, plain and simple. If you’re tempted to save a few dollars on this, you’re risking far more than it’s worth. Bear spray is essentially an oversized pepper spray — a highly concentrated capsaicin aerosol that fires an orange cloud under extreme pressure, reaching seven to nine metres. It costs between $50 and $60 (£40–£48) and is sold everywhere; we picked ours up at an REI store.

The biggest trap for tourists is that bear spray is classified as a pressurised weapon. In practice, this means you cannot take it on a plane — not in hand luggage, not in checked luggage. You simply have to buy it when you arrive and leave it at your hotel for the next traveller before you fly home, or hand it in at the airport’s dedicated disposal point.

For the spray to be of any use whatsoever, you must carry it on your chest in a dedicated holster or on your belt. If you’ve cleverly buried it at the bottom of your rucksack under a rain jacket and your packed lunch, it’s completely useless during a bear charge — which unfolds in seconds. Experts also recommend practising your draw regularly, because under stress, people often forget to flick the safety catch with their thumb. If the worst happens, fire short one-second bursts aimed slightly downward in front of the animal, so the bear runs into the stinging cloud itself.

8. Encounter Rules: What to Do When Things Get Serious

I’ll be completely honest with you — bear attacks in Alaska are not just horror stories designed to scare city tourists. Between 2023 and 2026, there were several very serious and, sadly, fatal incidents, including people who were simply out for an early morning jog on their own driveway near Kenai. You need to keep a cool head at all times and know exactly what to do depending on the type of bear and the situation.

If you spot a bear from a distance (more than 100 metres) and it hasn’t noticed you yet, simply back away quietly the way you came. There is one absolutely paramount rule: never, under any circumstances, run. Running instantly triggers a predator’s chase instinct, and since a bear can match the speed of a racehorse, you haven’t got a chance of outrunning it.

Sometimes a bear will perform what’s known as a bluff charge — an intimidation rush. It will sprint at full speed directly towards you and slam on the brakes just before reaching you. In that moment, you have to overcome the greatest fear of your life, stand your ground, speak in a calm, deep voice, and have your spray unsafetied and ready.

With a grizzly, the attack is usually defensive (it’s been startled or is protecting cubs), so curl into a ball, hands behind your neck, legs spread so it can’t flip you, and play dead. Keep your backpack on — it acts as excellent spine protection. Conversely, if a black bear attacks, or if any bear is silently stalking you (known as predatory behaviour), never play dead. In that situation, you must fight for your life with absolutely everything you have, aiming for the nose or eyes.

Lukáš and Lucie recommend

Where to Stay in Alaska

6 accommodations — resorts, hotels and other lodging options

⭐ TOP CHOICE 🏨 Hotel

The Lakefront Anchorage

Hotel in Anchorage with an amazing view of seaplanes landing on Lake Hood, which has incredible atmosphere.

★★★★ Check prices

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Qupqugiaq Inn

More affordable and functional accommodation in Anchorage, though you probably won’t pronounce the name on the first try 😅.

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Land’s End Resort

Resort in Homer right on the tip of the Homer Spit, where you can watch sea otters directly from your room window. Beautiful fishing town at the end of the road with views of volcanoes and glaciers.

★★★★ Check prices

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Brooks Lodge

Iconic accommodation in Katmai National Park right at Brooks Falls, where spots are allocated by lottery. A cabin right in the heart of Alaskan wilderness at the legendary waterfall with bears.

★★★★ from $1,200 – $1,600/night

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Silver Salmon Creek Lodge

Premium accommodation in Lake Clark National Park with intimate bear viewing directly from the ground accompanied by armed guides. Three-day all-inclusive stay with bear photography opportunities in a wilder and more peaceful atmosphere.

★★★★ from $2,950 for 3-day stay

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9. Alaskan Moose: Surprisingly the Most Dangerous Resident

This might surprise you, but the animal responsible for by far the most human injuries and fatalities in Alaska each year isn’t a toothy bear — it’s the moose. This half-tonne giant on long legs with enormous sharp hooves moves through the wilderness and cities in near-total silence, and it has absolutely zero fear of humans. They regularly graze on front lawns right in the middle of Anchorage.

The first danger window is the autumn rut, when bulls with massive antlers are pumped full of hormones and extremely aggressive. The second — and arguably even more dangerous — period is spring, when cows fiercely protect their calves. A mother with a calf can charge without any warning whatsoever. A safe observation distance for moose is at least 30 metres, and the moment the animal pins its ears back or the hair on its neck bristles, you’re in serious trouble and need to get behind a sturdy tree immediately.

The hidden and very common killer is vehicle collisions with moose. Hundreds of such crashes happen in Alaska every year. A moose’s dark, massive body perfectly absorbs headlight beams at night, so you only see it at the very last moment. Because the animal stands on such long legs, the impact takes its legs out and the entire half-tonne body comes crashing through the windscreen onto the front seats. If you’re driving after dark, you need to be on maximum alert.

10. Mosquitoes: Alaska’s Unofficial State Bird

Alaskan mosquitoes are the stuff of legend, and locals jokingly refer to them as the unofficial “state bird.” Tourists who think they know annoying summer bugs — whether from the south of England or a lakeside holiday — are often left in absolute shock at the sheer aggression with which mosquitoes descend on anything that moves here. As someone aptly put it on a local forum: “Alaska doesn’t have mosquitoes. Alaska has bloodthirsty dragons that are immortal and infinite.” 😅

Those lovely lemon-scented repellents you pick up at Boots back home? You can chuck them straight in the bin — they fail spectacularly here. You need the hard stuff. Look for products containing at least 40% DEET, though locals heading into the backcountry routinely use the 100% formulations. A great and slightly less toxic alternative is Picaridin.

What will truly save not just your skin but your sanity while trekking is a head net (mosquito net that goes over your cap). It costs a few dollars, you pop it over your hat, and suddenly you can breathe without swallowing a handful of mosquitoes. Especially if you’re heading to the interior or the swampy areas of Denali National Park, don’t even think about venturing out without one.

11. Whales and Bald Eagles: Rulers of Sea and Sky

Once you’ve had your fill of bears, make sure you head to the coast, because watching cetaceans in their natural habitat is pure magic. Humpback whales are probably the crowd favourite, and they can be spectacularly observed during August around Kenai Fjords or Glacier Bay. From a boat, you might witness the unique behaviour known as bubble-net feeding, where whales create a net of bubbles and cooperatively herd shoals of fish.

If you want to see orcas, head to the town of Seward and take a cruise into Resurrection Bay. Orcas frequently hunt salmon and marine mammals here, and the sight of that enormous dorsal fin slicing through the water is utterly mesmerising. Critically endangered belugas can sometimes even be spotted from your car as you drive along the Seward Highway south of Anchorage, following the shores of Turnagain Arm.

And while you’re watching the water, don’t forget to look up. Alaska is home to an estimated 50,000 bald eagles. They’re everywhere — literally perched on lampposts along the highways like pigeons. If you’re a real fan, head to the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near the town of Haines, where thousands gather in autumn for the late salmon run.

12. Salmon: The Beating Heart of Alaska

Alaska’s entire ecosystem — and particularly the lives of its top predators, led by bears — depends on the jaw-dropping annual spectacle of the salmon run. These fish dictate the rhythm of life, and if you want to connect with locals (or understand animal behaviour), you need to learn to recognise the five key Pacific species.

The largest is the majestic King (Chinook), which can weigh anywhere from 10 to 50 kilograms and runs from May to July. The most famous — the one you’ll recognise from every documentary thanks to its vivid red colour during spawning — is the Sockeye (Red). It runs from June to August and is the primary, most calorie-dense food source for the giant bears at Brooks River in Katmai.

Then there’s the Silver (Coho), a feisty, hard-fighting fish beloved by sport anglers, with its run peaking in late summer through August and September. This is the one bears gorge on last to pack on their final fat reserves before winter hibernation. Rounding out the list are the small Pink salmon (which arrive in massive shoals every odd year) and the autumn-running Chum. When bears manage to feast on these fish, they survive the brutal winter. When fish numbers are low, the whole ecosystem suffers.

Where to Eat Well in Alaska

Alaska’s food scene probably isn’t the reason foodies fly in from around the globe, but if you love fish and seafood, you’re in heaven. Any half-decent coastal restaurant will serve fantastic fresh halibut. This enormous flatfish gets turned into absolutely everything here — from luxurious steaks to the best fish and chips I’ve ever had.

In Anchorage, definitely check out Moose’s Tooth Pub & Pizzeria. Don’t be put off by the name — they do serve excellent pizza, but they also have their own superb beer from Broken Tooth Brewing, and the vibe is wonderfully laid-back. There’s always a massive queue of locals and tourists alike. And if you head south to Homer, don’t miss a stop at the legendary Salty Dawg Saloon right on the beach. This little wooden shack is completely covered inside with thousands of dollar bills left by visitors from around the world, and it has this brilliantly dark, friendly, seafaring atmosphere.

Alaska is full of tiny drive-through coffee huts — often just charming little wooden shacks by the roadside — and we once got a better flat white from one in the middle of absolute nowhere than from half the cafés in London. Lukáš still doesn’t believe me. ☺️

Further Reading

If Alaska has captured your heart the way it captured ours, here are some articles we wrote while the experiences were still fresh and our boots were still caked in mud. They’ll be a huge help for specific planning and on-the-ground logistics:

• Katmai National Park: How We Witnessed the Legendary Brooks Falls
• Homer, Alaska: The Most Beautiful Fishing Town at the End of the World
• Denali National Park: A Practical Guide to Seeing the Big Five

Before you head off into this rugged wilderness, don’t forget to sort out decent travel insurance — we use AXA for our trips (where we get a 50% discount) and True Traveller for longer expeditions. You can find a detailed comparison in our SafetyWing review here. And since mobile coverage outside major towns can be patchy, we’d recommend sorting your data in advance with our favourite eSIM from Holafly. For trekking through swamps and tundra, make sure you pack proper footwear — find inspiration in our hiking boots guide.

FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions About Bears in Alaska

I’ve gathered the most common questions I get from readers planning an encounter with Alaska’s bears. If something’s missing, don’t hesitate to drop me a message.

When you wake up on your Alaska cruise, pull back the cabin curtains, and instead of a boring stretch of ocean you see majestic snow-capped peaks rising straight out of turquoise water, you’ll know this is going to be an absolutely spectacular experience. Lukáš and I learned one crucial lesson in Alaska: organising a road trip eats up most of your energy and budget, because in remote areas you’re hunting for overpriced motels and praying you don’t hit a moose on a dark highway.

A cruise ship, on the other hand, takes roughly five percent of the effort — you simply board in Seattle and your floating hotel-restaurant carries you through some of the most breathtaking bays on Earth. ☺️ So next time, it’s definitely by ship.

So what’s in store here? I’ll help you choose the right ship, cabin, and route, reveal exactly how much this adventure cost us in 2026, and share local tips from every port — including the ones the guidebooks don’t mention.

TL;DR

• Best route: The most popular and logistically easiest option is a seven-day roundtrip cruise from Seattle or Vancouver. No complicated domestic flights to worry about.
• Glaciers are the main event: Always pick an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay National Park or Hubbard Glacier. That’s what you’re here for.
• A balcony is a must: Saving money on a windowless interior cabin is a huge mistake. In Alaska, you want to watch whales from your bed, not fight for a spot on the open deck in the rain.
• When to go: The season runs from May to September. July is the warmest, but the best prices and smaller crowds come in May or September.
• Budget: Expect roughly $1,500 to $2,500 (around €1,400 to €2,300) per person for a seven-day balcony cabin cruise, plus flights and spending money for excursions.

When to go on an Alaska cruise and how it all works

The Alaska cruise season is ruthlessly dictated by unpredictable weather. The first ships set sail in late April and the last ones leave the glacial bays around the end of September. If you’re looking for the sweet spot between a good price and bearable weather, I’d recommend targeting late May or early September. Seattle’s cruise terminal is expecting record numbers in 2026, so planning a year ahead isn’t just an advantage anymore — it’s an absolute necessity. The secret to surviving Alaska also lies in layering. It’s freezing in the morning, you’re stripping down to a T-shirt in the midday sun, and by evening on deck you’re reaching for a beanie again.

The 2024 Alaska cruise season already shattered every historical visitor record, and 2026 promises even bigger crowds as new cruise lines enter Alaskan waters. If you’re sailing from Seattle or Vancouver, you simply need to book a standard transatlantic flight from the UK. From the airport, you can easily get to the cruise terminal by Uber or a dedicated ship transfer.

People often ask us how to reach the port of Seward, and there are essentially two options. From Anchorage (where you’d fly into) you can get to Seward either on the scenic Alaska Railroad train (which is an experience in itself) or by a dedicated bus service. The journey takes roughly two and a half to three hours through jaw-dropping scenery.

How to choose a cabin

When it comes to picking a cabin, I need to give you a strong warning. Interior cabins with no window might look temptingly cheap — starting at around $400 to $700 for the week — but for Alaska, it’s probably the worst possible idea. The weather outside is often cold and drizzly, and the thought of battling three thousand other passengers for a view of a calving glacier on the open top deck in howling wind is hardly romantic.

Personally, I consider a balcony cabin an absolute must. Trust me, the feeling of wrapping yourself in a blanket with a hot cup of tea on your own private balcony while blue icebergs drift past is simply priceless. Interior cabins are fine for the Caribbean, where you spend all day by the pool, but Alaska is all about the views.

Prices in 2026 average between $1,300 and $2,500 (roughly €1,200 to €2,300) per person. It’s a premium, sure, but the moment you carry your morning coffee out to your private balcony in a dressing gown and spot an orca gliding past, you’ll forget every dollar you spent. The traditional market leaders are Princess Cruises and Holland America Line, which have priority access to the glacial bays. Celebrity Cruises is a superb choice for more discerning adults. On the other hand, if you’re travelling with kids and don’t mind livelier entertainment, Norwegian Cruise Line Alaska or the magical Disney Cruise Alaska will be right up your street.

The base cruise fare is just the beginning, though, so definitely factor that into your budget. You’ll need to add port fees and taxes (around $250), mandatory crew gratuities (roughly $18 to $25 per day), and optional packages for Wi-Fi or alcohol, which can easily drain another $100 a day from your wallet.

Before embarkation (or after disembarkation) you’ll almost certainly need to spend at least one night in the port city. Never fly in on the day of departure — any flight delay could mean the ship simply leaves without you. In Seattle, we like to stay near Pike Place Market, which is a short hop to the Pier 66 cruise terminal. You could try the lovely Edgewater Hotel, which sits right on the waterfront. For finding and comparing hotels, we always use Booking.com.

Itineraries: Where to sail and how to pick the right route

This is the decision that agonises everyone the most. A roundtrip from Seattle, or a one-way sailing from Vancouver? Spoiler: it mostly depends on how much logistical hassle you want with flights. Roughly four out of five people go for a roundtrip, and it’s also our recommendation for a first-time Alaska cruise. Each route has its own quirks and trade-offs, though. If you’re prone to seasickness, for instance, this is something you really need to consider.

The most popular choice is a roundtrip cruise from Seattle. The voyage starts and ends in the same place, which saves you a fortune on return flights from the UK. These ships, however, must round the western coast of Vancouver Island through the open Pacific, where the waves can occasionally get a bit rough. A typical itinerary takes you to Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and a scenic glacier cruise.

The second very popular option is a roundtrip from Vancouver, Canada. The advantage here is that from day one the ships sail through the sheltered waters of the Inside Passage, where the surrounding islands mean there are virtually no waves. Seasickness is genuinely minimal on this route — making a Vancouver to Alaska cruise a brilliant choice for nervous first-timers.

2. Humpback whale watching from small boats

If you love wildlife and want to see whales — specifically humpbacks and occasionally orcas — Juneau is arguably the best place on Earth for it. The whales migrate here in summer to feed and linger in the shallow waters near the port.

The biggest mistake you can make is buying a mass excursion through the cruise line on an enormous catamaran carrying a hundred people. Instead, book a trip with a local independent operator (such as Harv & Marv’s Outback Alaska), who’ll take you out on a small boat with a maximum of six passengers.

The price ranges from $180 to $360 (around €165 to €330), but the whales are so unbelievably close that Lukáš and I practically forgot to breathe — and there’s no annoying jostling at the railing. The local skippers know exactly where to go and guarantee you’ll spend a solid three hours on the water. Plus, these established operators guarantee they’ll get you back to the ship on time.

3. The town of Skagway and Gold Rush atmosphere

Skagway sits at the northernmost tip of the Inside Passage and essentially functions as a living museum of the legendary 1898 Klondike Gold Rush. Walking through the centre feels like stepping onto the set of a Wild West film. Close your eyes and you can almost picture desperate prospectors wading through the mud here over a century ago.

The entire centre is lined with wooden boardwalks, historic buildings, and period saloon bars. It’s incredibly photogenic, although I’ll be honest — in peak season up to four thousand tourists disembark here daily, which makes it a pretty crowded affair. 😅

Don’t miss the famous Red Onion Saloon, which used to operate as an upscale brothel for gold miners. Today you can enjoy a great beer while waitresses in period corsets cheerfully regale you with the raciest stories from its colourful past.

4. White Pass & Yukon Route train ride

While Skagway is a charming town, the real reason people come here is the train. The historic narrow-gauge White Pass & Yukon Route railway is an engineering marvel. Prospectors built it in an incredible twenty-six months, blasting through over 450 tonnes of explosives into solid granite rock.

Today, this gorgeous vintage train takes you on a three-hour breathtaking journey through a mountain pass, climbing to nearly a thousand metres. You’ll pass sheer cliffs, deep gorges, and thundering rivers. It’s arguably the most popular and most sold-out excursion in all of Alaska.

You have two options for buying tickets. Purchasing through the cruise line means peace of mind — you board the train conveniently right at the dock beside the ship (expect to pay around $170). If you buy directly from the railway, you’ll save a few dollars ($155), but you’ll need to walk about fifteen minutes from the port to the historic train station in the town centre.

5. Ketchikan, salmon, and totem pole culture

Ketchikan is the first Alaskan port that ships enter when sailing north. It’s nicknamed the Salmon Capital of the World, and you’ll find five different species here (fish lovers will be in seventh heaven). Ketchikan is also reportedly the rainiest city in America, and we can confirm that. It rained the entire afternoon we were there, but it gave the place that authentic northern atmosphere. We bought a hot tea and sheltered under the awning of one of the wooden houses on Creek Street.

It’s also home to the world’s largest collection of hand-carved wooden totem poles. If you’re interested in the culture of the indigenous Tlingit people, head to Saxman Native Village or the Totem Heritage Center, both near the port. It’s fascinating to watch the carvers at work, shaping enormous cedar trunks into art.

Right in the town centre, don’t miss the famous Creek Street. It’s a historic boardwalk built entirely on wooden stilts over a salmon-filled creek. It was once a red-light district full of bootleggers and ladies of the night; today the houses hold charming cafés, galleries, and souvenir shops. From the walkway, you can often spot seals playing in the water below.

6. Floatplane flight over Misty Fjords

If you’ve got budget left in Ketchikan and want an experience you’ll remember for the rest of your life, book a floatplane flight over Misty Fjords National Monument.

It’s a vast area of dramatic, glacier-carved granite fjords where no roads lead and no large ship can reach. The floatplane takes off directly from the water in the harbour and carries you over an incredible landscape of majestic mountains, deep lakes, and dense forests. Most pilots land on the surface of a remote mountain lake in the middle of absolute wilderness so you can soak in the silence and photograph the surrounding beauty.

The excursion costs a premium $300 to $400 (around €275 to €370), but everyone who’s done it agrees it’s the best investment of the entire holiday. Just be aware that these flights are quite often cancelled at the last minute due to low cloud cover and poor weather.

7. Sitka and a taste of Russian history

Sitka is the former capital of Russian Alaska (once known as Novo-Arkhangelsk) and has a completely different atmosphere from the other ports. The tourist crowds aren’t as overwhelming and the town has retained a much more authentic local character, partly because it sits on the open ocean coast.

The Russian legacy is palpable at every turn. The centrepiece is the beautiful wooden Saint Michael’s Cathedral with its distinctive onion domes, which I’d definitely recommend popping into.

Just outside town lies Sitka National Historical Park, with a coastal trail lined by ancient spruce trees and indigenous totem poles. When Lukáš and I walked it early in the morning, we barely saw another soul. After days spent jostling in crowds, it was pure luxury.

8. Icy Strait Point and an escape from commercialism

Icy Strait Point (near the village of Hoonah) is a slightly different kind of port. It’s privately owned by the local Tlingit tribal corporation. If you’re tired of diamond shops and tacky souvenirs in Skagway or Juneau, you’ll love this place. The emphasis here is on preserving local culture and respecting nature.

Besides fantastic, intimate whale watching, you’ll also find one big adrenaline highlight here. They have one of the world’s longest ziplines, called ZipRider. The seat whisks you at tremendous speed from the mountaintop straight down to the beach by the port.

Or you can simply sit by a fire on the shore, try the local halibut tacos, and chat with indigenous residents about what life is like in Alaska during the harsh, dark winter months.

Lukáš and Lucie recommend

Where to Stay in Alaska

2 accommodations — hotels and other lodging options

⭐ TOP CHOICE 🏨 Hotel

The Edgewater

Nice hotel in Seattle, located right on the water near Pike Place Market and Pier 66 terminal. Suitable for overnight stays before or after an Alaskan cruise.

★★★★ Check prices

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View all accommodations in Alaska

Explore all available accommodation options in Alaska and find the best one according to your preferences and budget.

★★★★ Compare prices

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9. Fortress of the Bear rescue centre

Seeing a bear in the wild in Alaska is probably everyone’s dream, but let’s be honest — bears keep well away from ports swarming with noisy tourists. If you want to see them, I’d recommend visiting the Fortress of the Bear rescue centre, located just outside Sitka.

This isn’t a zoo — it’s a non-profit organisation caring for orphaned bear cubs whose mothers were often killed in collisions with cars or by poachers. The bears live in huge enclosures converted from former paper mill water treatment tanks, which doesn’t look the most natural, but the animals have safety and first-class care.

Admission is just around $15, and honestly, seeing those bears up close made me wish I’d donated more. The keepers will tell you incredible stories about each animal by name.

10. A mandatory stop in Victoria, Canada

If your cruise starts and ends in American Seattle, you’ll almost certainly have a short stop in the Canadian port of Victoria on Vancouver Island. The reason is purely bureaucratic. US law (the Passenger Vessel Services Act, or PVSA) prohibits ships under a foreign flag from carrying passengers between two American ports without a foreign port call.

The ship typically docks in the evening, often for just four to six hours. Most people immediately rush off to catch buses heading to the famous Butchart Gardens — one of the most beautiful and immaculately maintained botanical gardens in the world.

If you’d rather not pay for the garden excursion, I’d suggest grabbing a taxi from the port or simply walking into Victoria’s centre. It’s a gorgeous little city with a deep British heritage, a beautifully illuminated Parliament building, and the elegant Fairmont Empress hotel.

11. Ship excursions vs. independent shore trips

Buying port excursions is the moment that makes or breaks your budget. Cruise lines charge an enormous mark-up on their excursions (commonly thirty to fifty percent). The trade-off for that price is peace of mind: a ship excursion guarantees the vessel will never leave without you, even if your tour bus gets a flat tyre.

Personally, we prefer booking independent local operators in Alaska. It means lower prices, much smaller groups, and a more personal touch (as I mentioned with the whale watching). There’s one massive caveat, though. If you miss the ship’s departure, the captain won’t wait. Hotel costs and a flight to the next port come straight out of your own pocket, with zero sympathy from anyone. Always give yourself at least a two-hour buffer before the all-aboard time.

12. Ferries for slow adventurers (AMHS)

If the thought of being crammed onto a mega-ship with four thousand other passengers and having to dress up for dinner frankly terrifies you, there’s a brilliant local alternative: the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS), the state-run ferry network.

It works like a highway on water for local residents. A one-way adult ticket from Washington State to Alaska costs roughly $250 to $350 (around €230 to €320). There are no pools or casinos on these vessels — just honest transport. You can slash your budget even further by skipping the pricey cabin altogether and pitching your own tent on the open rear deck, sleeping under the stars like a proper adventurer. ☺️

Where to eat

Food on the ship is a topic Lukáš and I can talk about for hours. Included in your fare is a main dining room with a multi-course evening menu and a massive buffet that’s open practically from dawn to midnight — which posed a certain danger for us. We were pleasantly surprised to find salmon served often on board, and it was excellent. What’s not included are the so-called specialty restaurants (steakhouses, sushi bars), which charge a cover of $30 to $50 per person. Remember that drinks beyond basic water, drip coffee, and morning juice at the buffet are all charged separately. If you enjoy wine with lunch and dinner or a few cocktails by the pool, definitely do the maths before sailing to see if an all-inclusive drinks package pays off.

Once you’re ashore, give yourself a break from ship food. In Skagway or Juneau you’ll find local restaurants serving Salmon Bake — huge fillets of fresh Alaskan salmon slow-roasted on a grill over open alder wood outdoors in the forest. It’s not the cheapest meal, but the aroma and flavour are something you won’t experience anywhere else on Earth. In Juneau, Lukáš and I always happily queue for the insanely good crab at Tracy’s King Crab Shack. And if you fancy a proper seafood feast with a harbour view right in Skagway, head straight to Skagway Fish Company — they do the best fish and chips under the sun.

Further reading

If you’re fascinated by America’s wild north and Alaska, make sure to check out our other detailed articles on this breathtaking destination, where we dive even deeper:

• Juneau, Alaska: 15 Things to See and Do
• Glacier Bay National Park: The Complete Guide
• Sitka, Alaska: The Most Beautiful Town with a Russian Soul
• When to Visit Alaska: A Weather and Season Guide

Tips and tricks for a smooth voyage

These are our tried-and-tested websites and services that Lukáš and I have used for years and never travel without.

Where to find flights

Search for cheap flights on Kiwi — it’s our favourite portal that brilliantly combines even budget airlines across America. For flights from the UK to Seattle or Vancouver, always book at least six months in advance. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and various oneworld and Star Alliance partners fly direct or with one stop from London.

Car hire

If you want to explore Alaska independently or travel before or after the cruise, we regularly use the comparison site DiscoverCars.com. We’ve had consistently great experiences with them worldwide, and they show you prices from all major rental companies in one place.

Don’t forget travel insurance

On a cruise — and especially in the US with its notoriously expensive healthcare — quality travel insurance is an absolute must. For shorter trips we typically go with a standard UK provider, and for longer exploratory journeys we rely on True Traveller. You can read more in our SafetyWing review.

Mobile data in Alaska

Don’t waste money on overpriced roaming from your UK network. I’d recommend setting up an eSIM from Holafly before you leave, which gives you fast unlimited data across the entire United States.

FAQ — Frequently asked questions about Alaska cruises

Here are the answers to the questions I get asked most often by readers planning their first Alaska cruise.

I remember it like it was yesterday — the moment Lukáš and I first sat down with a spreadsheet to work out the real Alaska vacation cost for two people. We had visions of untamed wilderness, majestic glaciers, and brown bears snatching salmon from rushing rivers. What completely floored us were the initial price estimates. Alaska isn’t just a slightly pricier version of the US mainland. It’s essentially a logistical island where everything has to be shipped in at enormous expense, and the tourist season lasts a mere hundred days a year. That said, skimping isn’t worth it — we still regret everything we decided to skip. You’ll probably only visit Alaska once in your lifetime.

There was nothing for it but to sit down and crunch those numbers properly, because Alaska will blow through your budget in ways no European holiday could ever prepare you for. Below you’ll find realistic breakdowns for different types of travellers — from road trips and campervans to cruise combinations — plus tips on where to save and what’s absolutely worth every penny.

TL;DR

• Peak season is extremely short: The ideal time to visit is late May through early September, when the weather is bearable and everything is open.
• Baseline budget for two: Expect a ten-day road trip for two with a rental car and mid-range accommodation to run roughly $11,000 (around €10,000).
• Car hire and flights are the biggest expenses: Renting a basic SUV in summer easily costs $150–$300 per day. Search for cheap flights well in advance — ideally as early as winter.
• Campervan to the rescue: Renting a campervan will set you back over $200 a day, but you’ll save a fortune on hotels and expensive restaurants.
• Bear viewing is a luxury: A trip to Katmai to see the famous Brooks Falls will cost nearly $1,000 per person just for logistics and flights — but it’s an absolutely spectacular experience.
• Don’t forget insurance and bear spray: The American healthcare system shows no mercy (trust me, you don’t want to find out the hard way 😅) and bear spray must be purchased on arrival — you can’t take it on a plane.

When to Go to Alaska and How to Get There

The best time to visit is unquestionably the Alaskan summer, which essentially runs only from June through August. We experienced days when the sun barely sets and you can photograph snow-capped peaks at midnight in broad daylight. If you want to save a bit, try the shoulder season in May or September, when prices can drop by a third. There’s a massive catch, though. The weather during those months is wildly unpredictable, and by mid-September many hotels, restaurants, and tour operators simply shut up shop for the winter.

Getting from the UK to Anchorage isn’t exactly a quick hop. There are no direct flights, so you’re looking at one or more likely two connections, with the total journey stretching to 16–22 hours. Think of it as a mini pre-trip before the real adventure even begins. We swear by good flight search engines. Hunt for cheap Alaska flights on comparison sites, booking well in advance. Return fares in economy typically range between $1,500 and $2,500 (roughly £1,200–£2,000). If you spot a ticket under £1,200, don’t think twice — snap it up immediately.

Before you travel, don’t forget the paperwork. As British citizens, you need an ESTA electronic travel authorisation, which costs $21 and is valid for two years. You can complete it online in a few minutes. One more very practical tip for staying connected: to have mobile data for navigation and finding accommodation the moment you land, I recommend setting up an eSIM from Holafly, which you can install on your phone before you even leave home.

Where to Stay in Alaska and How Much It Costs

I remember the moment I first pulled up hotel prices in Anchorage for July. I nearly slammed my laptop shut and went for a lie-down. A room that would cost $120 in winter was selling for a cool $400 in peak season.

Sticker shock will likely hit you the moment you start searching for your first night’s lodging. A room that would go for $120 in winter easily sells for $350–$500 per night in July. And we’re talking about average hotels here — nothing remotely luxurious. People on forums regularly share stories of a basic motel costing more than a luxury Caribbean resort 😅.

Anchorage offers the widest selection. If you want to treat yourself, consider the iconic Hotel Captain Cook with ocean views, where nights start at $450. Mid-range options like the Hilton Anchorage or Westmark Anchorage will run you $200–$300. If you need something cheaper near the airport after a long flight, check out the Coast International Inn by Lake Hood, where you can keep it under $150.

The area around Denali National Park is similarly eye-watering, especially in the strip known as Glitter Gulch right by the entrance. The popular McKinley Chalet Resort offers lovely log cabins, but be prepared to pay $250–$400 per night. On a tighter budget, you’ll need to look further from the park or settle for simple motels like the Denali Park Hotel at roughly $150–$220. The cheapest option is of course camping, which runs $30–$50 if you can snag a spot. I’d also recommend checking smaller platforms like Hipcamp, where locals rent out private pitches for tents or vans, often with jaw-dropping views at a fraction of the price of a regular campground.

Alaska Vacation Cost: 15 Things You’ll Spend the Most On (and How to Save)

Here’s everything we wish we’d known before hitting the “book” button.

1. Three Sample Budgets So You Know Where You Stand

To give you a realistic picture, we’ve put together three sample budgets for the 2026 season. The first scenario is a ten-day road trip for two with stops in Anchorage, Denali, and the Kenai Peninsula. With mid-range accommodation, a rental car, and several excursions, budget around $11,000 — roughly €10,000 or £8,700.

The second scenario is for a family of four over 14 days. Here the logistics really add up, and the total including all parks and a premium bear-viewing flight climbs to around $22,000 — just over €20,000. The third option is a combination of a one-week cruise followed by a week in a rental car. This so-called Cruisetour comes in at approximately $12,700 for two, or about €11,600.

2. Renting a Car Is a Battle for Survival

Sorting out transport is the absolute cornerstone of your entire trip, and leaving it to the last minute is pure financial suicide. A basic SUV from major companies like Hertz or Enterprise costs $150–$300 per day in July and August. Lukáš and I have had consistently good results using comparison sites to lock in the best deals well in advance.

Believe me — once Alaska’s season kicks off, cars at the airport simply run out. I’ve read stories of people whose ten-day rental price jumped overnight from $1,300 to an eye-watering $2,500, simply because they dithered over booking. If you know your dates, reserve as early as January.

3. Hidden Traps with Car Hire and Gravel Roads

Once you’ve reserved a car, read the fine print very carefully. Standard international rental companies strictly prohibit driving on unpaved gravel roads. That means your contract won’t cover you on the legendary McCarthy Road to Kennicott Glacier or on the remote Dalton Highway heading beyond the Arctic Circle.

If these iconic routes are on your itinerary, you’ll need to go with local outfits like Go North Adventures. They’ll happily rent you a properly kitted-out vehicle with two spare tyres for genuine backcountry driving, but expect to pay 30–50% more. Also watch out for hefty one-way drop-off fees. Picking up a car in Anchorage and leaving it in Fairbanks can easily tack on an extra $500.

4. Campervan: The Ultimate Budget Lifesaver

Feeling like hotel and car prices are completely detached from reality? Then it’s time to consider renting a campervan. You’ll merge transport and accommodation costs into one, and solve the massive problem of expensive dining by having your own little kitchen. Travelling with a house on wheels makes enormous sense in this vast wilderness.

Rentals through companies like Great Alaskan Holidays range from $200 to $400 per night. While that sounds steep, compared to $300 for an average hotel plus $200 for a car, you’re actually coming out ahead each day. Plus, you wake up in the middle of stunning forests or with views of towering mountain ranges — something no roadside motel room could ever match ☺️.

5. National Park Entries and the America the Beautiful Pass

Even though it feels like Alaska charges you an arm and a leg for everything, access to its incredible nature can be sorted quite neatly and cheaply. If you plan to visit multiple federal parks like Denali or Kenai Fjords, grab the America the Beautiful pass straight away. This annual pass costs $80 and covers entry for your entire vehicle at most national parks across the United States.

The investment pays for itself incredibly quickly — typically within just a few days of travel. Do note, however, that this pass doesn’t cover Alaska’s state parks, such as the popular Chugach. You’ll need to pay a separate daily fee for those, usually $5–$25 per vehicle.

6. Bears at Katmai: The Trip That’ll Break the Bank

Watching brown bears snatch leaping salmon right out of the air at Brooks Falls is the dream of pretty much everyone heading to Alaska. Unfortunately, it’s the kind of experience that’ll make you wince when the bill arrives. Katmai National Park isn’t accessible by road — you have to fly in.

The logistics are a bit like a jigsaw puzzle: a return flight from Anchorage to King Salmon costs around $500, and from there a floatplane ferries you to the camp for another $450. So that’s $1,000 per person on transport alone — before you’ve even spotted a single bear. If you want to sleep on-site in a cabin, nights climb above $1,200. Many people opt for organised day trips, which also cost a small fortune but spare you all the hassle of connections.

7. Boat Trips to Glaciers and Whales

Alaska’s coastline is best explored from the water, and these excursions are worth every single penny. Turquoise glaciers crashing into the ocean with a thunderous roar will leave you genuinely breathless. One of the most popular experiences is a cruise to Aialik Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park, departing from the port of Seward.

These full-day boat trips typically cost $200–$280 per person. If you love wildlife and want to see humpback whales, head out on a whale-watching tour around Juneau. Smaller boats carrying just a handful of passengers offer a more intimate experience and run $180–$360. Summer tours fill up remarkably fast — we nearly left it too late and there were only two spots left, so book in advance, ideally at the same time as your flights.

Lukáš and Lucie recommend

Where to Stay in Alaska

6 accommodations — wellness hotels, resorts and other lodging options

⭐ TOP CHOICE ⭐ Luxury

Hotel Captain Cook

Iconic hotel in Anchorage with ocean views. Luxury accommodation featuring the Crow’s Nest restaurant on the twentieth floor, offering an incredible wine collection and perfect halibut.

★★★★ from 450 USD/night

Check availability 🏨 Hotel

Hilton Anchorage

Mid-range hotel in Anchorage with good services and location. Common choice for tourists looking for comfort without excessive luxury.

★★★★ 200-300 USD/night

Check availability 🏨 Hotel

Westmark Anchorage

Another mid-range hotel in Anchorage. Reliable accommodation with reasonable price-to-quality ratio for city visitors.

★★★★ 200-300 USD/night

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Coast International Inn

Budget hotel near the airport close to Lake Hood. Ideal choice for the first or last night after a long flight, where you can save on cost.

★★★★ up to 150 USD/night

Check availability 🌲 Resort

McKinley Chalet Resort

Popular complex of beautiful cabins in the Glitter Gulch area right at the entrance to Denali National Park. Offers an authentic Alaskan experience close to nature.

★★★★ 250-400 USD/night

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Denali Park Hotel

Simple motel for smaller budgets in the Denali National Park area. Basic accommodation farther from the park, but at a more affordable price.

★★★★ 150-220 USD/night

Check availability

8. Buses in Denali and Scenic Flights

Denali National Park has one enormous quirk: you’re not allowed to drive your own car beyond a point just past the entrance. You have to use their official green buses. A basic Transit Bus ticket costs around $30, but far better are the narrated Tundra Wilderness Tours at $150–$200, where an experienced driver-guide will point out caribou, moose, and — with a bit of luck — grizzlies.

For those who don’t mind heights and are willing to splash out on an absolutely jaw-dropping experience, there are scenic flights from the town of Talkeetna. Small ski-equipped planes whisk you to the base of North America’s highest peak and even land right on a snow-covered glacier. This thrill costs $400–$700, but touching down on glacial ice at 4,000 metres is the kind of moment that leaves you grinning for a solid twenty minutes. We regret not booking it. To this day.

9. AMHS Ferries: A Slow Alternative to Cruise Ships

Commercial cruises are wonderfully comfortable, but if you’re on a tight budget with plenty of time, there’s the state-run Alaska Marine Highway System. Think of it as a massive floating motorway connecting coastal communities. The sailing from Washington State or Canada to Alaska takes several days.

Basic passenger fares work out to a very reasonable $220–$320, which is a huge difference compared to a commercial cruise at $2,000+. There are caveats, though. You pay extra for a vehicle, and a cabin costs additional money on top. The truly adventurous solve this by rolling out a sleeping bag on deck under the heated solarium or pitching a small tent up there. It’s rough, but incredibly authentic.

10. Travel Insurance Is an Absolute Must

If there’s one thing you must not cut corners on, it’s travel insurance for the United States. The American healthcare system is baffling to Europeans and, more importantly, staggeringly expensive. A routine treatment for a sprained ankle can run into tens of thousands of dollars, and if you need a helicopter evacuation from the backcountry, bills can soar toward $100,000.

Without solid cover, you’re essentially risking personal bankruptcy. We have firm rules for our trips. For shorter journeys we go with well-reviewed providers like True Traveller or SafetyWing, and always set the coverage limits as high as they’ll go. Make sure your policy specifically covers the USA and outdoor adventure activities.

11. Hidden Taxes and Tipping Culture

American tipping culture will catch up with you at every turn in Alaska. Coming from the UK, we’re not used to it being quite so pervasive, but staff here genuinely depend on tips for their livelihood. In restaurants, leaving 18–22% on top of the bill is automatically expected. But it doesn’t stop there — taxi drivers get 10%, porters get $2 per bag, and you should tip boat or hiking guides $10–$20 per day for their services.

Although Alaska has no statewide sales tax, don’t celebrate just yet. Individual cities levy their own local taxes. In Anchorage you won’t pay tax on food, but you’ll get hit with a hefty surcharge on accommodation and car hire. In towns like Seward or Homer, expect to add about 7% to every purchase at the till.

12. Unexpected Expense: Bear Spray

Your very first day will present an annoying logistical and financial snag. You simply don’t venture into Alaskan forests without bear spray — it’s your primary safety net in an unexpected encounter. The problem is that the FAA strictly prohibits carrying this spray on aircraft, even in checked luggage.

You can’t bring it from home or from another state. You’ll need to buy one for roughly $50–$60 right after landing, at outdoor shops like REI or at Walmart, and before your return flight you’ll have to toss it or give it away to someone in the airport car park. It’s a frustrating waste of money, but there’s simply no way around it.

13. When to Buy Alaska Flights and Why You Shouldn’t Wait for Sales

We’re often asked whether it’s worth holding out for last-minute flight deals. For Alaska, the answer is a resounding no. The season is so short and aircraft capacity so limited that as summer approaches, prices shoot up and never come back down.

The best time to buy summer flights is between January and March — that’s when you can still snag genuinely good deals with carriers like British Airways, Lufthansa, or Delta Airlines flying via hubs like Seattle. If you put it off until May, you could find yourself staring at fares of £2,000–£2,500+. And that kind of blow will send shockwaves through your entire budget spreadsheet.

14. Clothing and Gear to Bring from Home

One mid-July day, we were caught in a fjord by wind and horizontal rain so fierce I wondered why umbrellas even exist. Alaska will throw this at you three times a day without batting an eye. Outdoor shops there are predictably expensive, so bring everything essential in your suitcase from home.

The key is layering. You need quality base layers, a warm mid-layer (a lightweight down jacket works brilliantly), and a waterproof Gore-Tex shell jacket and trousers on top. On your feet, wear well-broken-in, sturdy hiking boots that can handle miles of muddy terrain. Forget the umbrella — in Alaskan winds it’ll just be a nuisance.

15. Buying Your Own Food Like a Local

As we’ve established, restaurants here are eye-wateringly expensive. So how do you cope if you don’t have a rock star’s budget? We handled it our way: shopping for ingredients at Fred Meyer or Safeway and cooking ourselves. We found that saving $50–$100 a day for two people is entirely doable once you let go of the idea that every meal has to be eaten out.

By making your own breakfast on a portable stove in the morning and getting by on loaded sandwiches at some scenic viewpoint during the day, you can easily pocket that $50–$100 daily saving for two. Also invest in a big thermos for hot tea or coffee — it’ll be an absolute lifesaver on those blustery hikes ☺️.

Food and Drink: Where to Eat Without Going Broke

Restaurant bills in Alaska perfectly mirror the logistical challenges of the entire state. Many visitors arrive with the romantic, naive assumption that they’ll be gorging on cheap salmon and enormous crabs fresh from fishermen from dawn to dusk. Not quite. Most of the best catch is frozen right on the boats and shipped to lucrative markets in the Lower 48 or Asia.

A simple lunch of a burger, chips, and a drink at an average place runs $20–$35 per person. A nicer dinner will cost $40–$65, and if you go for fine dining with a view, expect $120–$200 for the evening.

If you’re in Anchorage, here are a few specific recommendations. For families and pizza lovers, there’s the legendary Moose’s Tooth Pub & Pizzeria. It’s an independent pizzeria with the highest revenues in the US, they brew their own excellent beer, but be prepared to wait up to ninety minutes for a table. You’ll pay a reasonable $20–$40. For a perfect breakfast or brunch, head to Snow City Cafe right in the centre, where we’d recommend the eggs Benedict with Alaskan crab. The crab is pricey, but this morning treat is absolutely worth it.

For view-chasers and luxury seekers, Crow’s Nest on the 20th floor of the Hotel Captain Cook is the spot. They have an incredible wine list and superb halibut, but be prepared to leave a few hundred dollars behind. If you need to save, one of the few decent alternatives to fast food chains is the local Wraps Sandwich Cafe, where you can get a solid meal for under $15. We also became fans of small bakeries in Anchorage, where you can grab an excellent muffin and coffee for a few dollars — the perfect start before a long day on the road.

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