Oct. 26, 2026 • 16 min read Jump to section Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Copy URL Email The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information. Editor's Note This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. There are some cruise destinations — Barcelona or Sydney, for instance — where you really don't need to sign up for shore excursions . You can just walk off the ship and head to the major attractions on your own.
For the most part, the ports of Alaska aren't like that.
To get the most out of an Alaska cruise , you'll want to sign up for a tour in most, if not all, of the ports you visit. And not just any old tour. You'll want the best Alaska shore excursions that get you out into the Alaska backcountry.
In Alaska, many of the biggest "attractions" — breathtaking mountain landscapes, glaciers, fjords, breaching whales and feeding bears, for instance — are related to the great outdoors. As a result, many of the best Alaska shore excursions for cruisers are found outside of the towns where ships stop. If you just stay in the towns and explore on your own, you'll miss a big part of what Alaska is all about.
Related: The best Alaska cruises for every type of traveler
People who know me know that I love talking about what to do in Alaska ports. This isn't just because I've spent nearly three decades writing about cruising to Alaska and other destinations for major newspapers and magazines. For many years, I also was the co-author of Frommer's "Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call" guide. In researching nearly half a dozen editions of that book, I spent many days exploring each of the major cruise ports in the state. I've tried a large number of the shore excursions in places such as Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. And I've also poked around these towns a lot on my own.
As noted above, my biggest message to anyone planning an Alaska cruise is: get out of the towns . Sign up for something — a hike, a rafting trip, a train ride, a fishing outing — that gets you into Alaska's spectacular outdoor settings.
But I also have a few specific, top-line pro tips when you're thinking about the best Alaska shore excursions:
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Unfortunately, as you can see from the above, many of the most spectacular excursions in Alaskan ports are expensive. But Alaska is not a place to skimp. Alaska is a destination where you may want to budget almost as much per person for your shore excursions as you do for your cabin.
That said, you don't have to splurge for a big outing at every call. In Juneau, for instance, you can get an outdoor experience with a relatively inexpensive trip to nearby Mendenhall Glacier. It's just 13 miles from t…