After much research and deliberation, we have finally come up with a plan for our 7 day trip to Alaska next May. We will be staying the majority of the time in Cordova, where we will keep busy with miscellaneous active adventures. From there, we will fly to either Juneau or Sitka, arriving in the evening, have one full day there, and then fly out early the next morning. Whichever city we choose, we will just do on our own exploring, rather than tours or attempting lots of wildlife viewing, since that will be one of our focuses while in Cordova.
My questions are:
1. Of these 2 cities, which one is more overrun when the cruise ships are in port?
2. Which of the 2 cities would you recommend and why?
3. Suggestions for lodging. We really prefer B & B's, but since we will only have 2 short nights with a late arrival and early departure, we don't want too expensive of a spot.
Thanks!
Nancy

These are two completely different Alaska cities and both equally worthwhile. Juneau has way more cruiseships, most days unloading in excess of 10,000 passengers. But I will assume you are not going to either area to hang out downtown???

What I suggest is you request their visitor guides, then do some research on what is available and go with your interests. I have been to both many times and wonderful activities at each. www.traveljuneau.com www.sitka.org

Only a brief list- Juneau- glacier flightseeeing, excellent hiking, whale watching. Sitka, Russian heritage, Raptor Center, Sitka National Park, excellent hiking.

Budget Queen-
Thanks for your response. Our days in Cordova are filled with hiking, flightseeing, etc. We are looking for a contrasting experience in our other stop. We chose either Sitka or Juneau because they are convenient for our return flight, but we also would like to soak up some local culture and history through visits to museums, etc. that we could reach on foot. They both look fantastic- I think it will be a tough choice.
Nancy

Juneau vs. Sitka is a tough choice. As BudgetQueen notes, they are very different. Sitka has an incredible and interesting Russian heritage and is small enough that you can walk most places. It was my favorite amongst the Southeast Alaska towns. One day in Sitka will allow you to see most everything, whereas one day in Juneau is really not enough. I would go with Sitka. We stayed at the Westmark Hotel there and it was fine.

Sitka is my favorite town in Alaska! Small, and I liked the Russian influence. It`s a artsy, kraftsy type town. I saw the northern lights, too, but you won`t be there at the right time of year for that. In Juneau we just went to a bar, the one with the peanuts shells all over the floor.

I have visited both places. Sitka's only adventure in my mind was the ferry ship to get there. The journey was fantastic. Or vise-versa I suppose. Juneau would be the better choice. The Alaska state museum is fantastic and has lots of Alaska history. The Mendenhall Glacier state park is accessable by hourly tour buses. Lots more to do and see in and around Juneau than in Sitka. Juneau has more cruise ships but it does not distract from the experience. I would choose Juneau.

If you go to Juneau I Challenge you to find the state capital building. Its only a few blocks from the city center. I walked right by this building and didn't know what it was until the next day. Juneau is the oddest state capital in the US... and I mean that in a nice way.

BTW, Sitka was the former capital....when the Russians owned Alaska.