Help Me Decide On My Alaska Vacation

You know exactly what you want to do but none of the tours we offer are a match?

You have not found the right tour for you?

The information below will hopefully give you a better understanding of how you can see Alaska in the best possible way with the travel time available to you.
Alaska is a big state. We have a somewhat limited infrastructure and distances from one place to the other are big. Alaska offers many amazing landscapes and highlights! We have selected a few criteria which may help you in finding the right tour for you.

• How should I travel?

1) Travel by Train or Bus, independently

2) Travel by Rental Car, independently

3) Travel in a Group / Escorted Tours

4) Cruise Travel

• What should I see and visit?
  
  
• What are the distances like?
  
  
• What can I see in how much time?
  
  
• When is a good time to visit?
   

How should I travel?

1) Travel by Train or Bus, independently

• Traveling by train or bus is a relaxing and comfortable way to see Alaska

• Places and highlights to see on rail route are:
  Anchorage, Seward and Kenai Fjords National Park, Western part of Prince William Sound, Talkeetna, Denali & Denali National Park, Fairbanks.

• Places and highlights to see with scheduled and comfortable bus service are: Anchorage, Seward and Kenai Fjords National Park, Talkeetna and Denali with Denali National Park.

• Train service in Alaska is scenic sightseeing; we do not have high speed trains.
  
  

Here are our 3 most popular programs:
(Click on the tour name to see the full tour description)

	Visit Denali - Tour 158CTA Duration: 3 days Featuring: Anchorage and Denali with a guided Denali National Park tour. Tour starts and ends in Anchorage.
	Alaska Railroad Adventure – Tour 151CTA Duration: 7 days Featuring: Anchorage, Prince William Sound Glacier Cruise, Denali with Denali National Park tour and FairbanksTour starts and ends in Anchorage
	Alaska By Rail – Tour 149CTA Duration: 9 days Featuring: Anchorage, Seward with Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise, Talkeetna, Denali with Denali National Park Tour and Fairbanks Tour starts and ends in Anchorage

If doing part of your journey with rail or bus and then part of it with rental car, you will be able to see more of Alaska. For tour ideas, click here.

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2) Travel by Rental Car, independently

• Alaska's road system makes driving easy; there are no big highways or rush hours.


• The road system offers the opportunity to see more places and highlights of Alaska than traveling by rail or bus!
  
  
• Have the complete freedom to stop wherever you like and travel at your pace.
  
  
• For a chart of driving distances click here.
  
  
• Combine rail and road travel, to maximize your travel experience!
  
  

Here are 3 most popular programs for travel with just a rental car:
(Click on the tour name to see the full tour description)

	Alaska’s Finest – Tour 1548CTA Duration: 8 days Featuring: Girdwood, Alyeska, Prince William Sound Glacier Cruise, Talkeetna and Denali National Park at a remote lodge. Tour starts and ends in Anchorage
	Family Fun - Tour1520CTA Duration: 10 days Featuring: Anchorage, Seward, Alaska SeaLife Center, River Rafting on the Kenai River, Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Prince William Sound Cruise, Talkeetna and Denali with Denali National Park Tour Tour starts and ends in Anchorage
	All Alaska Classic – Tour 1517CTA Duration: 15 days Featuring: Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali with Denali National Park Tour, Fairbanks, Chitina, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Valdez, Seward, Kenai Fjords National Park and HomerTour starts and ends in Anchorage

Here are 3 most popular programs for travel with rail / bus AND rental car:
(Click on the tour name to see the full tour description)

	Alaska by Rail and Car – Tour 152CTA Duration: 8 days Featuring: Anchorage, Denali with Denali National Park Tour, Fairbanks, Valdez, Alaska Marine Highway across Prince William Sound. Tour starts and ends in Anchorage
	Quintessential Alaska – Denali, Glaciers and Fish – Tour 153CTA Duration: 8 days Featuring: Anchorage, Denali with Denali National Park Tour, Prince William Sound Glacier Cruise and Kenai River Fishing Tour starts and ends in Anchorage
	Circle Alaska Family Adventure – Tour 1549CTA Duration: 11 days Featuring: Anchorage, Denali with Denali National Park Tour, Fairbanks, Valdez, Alaska Marine Highway across Prince William Sound and Seward with Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise Tour starts and ends in Anchorage

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3) Travel in a Group / Escorted Tours

• You are a single traveler and/or enjoy traveling with different people in a group and explore Alaska together?
  
  
• A tour leader will provide inside knowledge about our destination, you just sit back and relax.
  
  
• Every aspect of the tour is organized, all that is for you to do is enjoy the journey.
  
  
• Escorted tours are a great way to see Alaska, yet cannot be customized.
  

Click here to find our escorted group tour options!

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4) Cruise Travel

• Traveling by cruise will give you a great opportunity to see the coastal area of Alaska.
  
  
• All cruises we offer are 8 days / 7 nights long; unfortunately no shorter cruises are available.

Cruise choices are:
(Click on the cruise name to see the full tour description)

Deluxe Cruises with Holland America Line
Explore Alaska's Inside Passage. Available cruises as roundtrip from/to Vancouver (Canada); from/to Seattle or as one way cruises between Vancouver (Canada) and Alaska. Cruises stop in different towns in Southeast Alaska and you have options for shore excursions. Cruises do not depart daily!

Alaska Adventure Cruises with Innersea Discoveries
These small ship cruises focus on nature and wildlife. The active person can enjoy kayaking and hiking. You will not stop at towns along the way, yet be amazed by the beauty of Alaska coastal landscape. Adventure cruises are one way cruises starting in Juneau and ending in Ketchikan or vice versa OR starting in Juneau and ending in Sitka or vice versa. Cruises do not depart daily!

Scheduled Yacht Cruises with America Safari Cruises
The yacht cruises provide a floating luxury. With those cruises you will focus of one famous area in Alaska's Inside Passage, Glacier Bay National Park. Cruises start and end in Juneau. Cruises do not depart daily!

Add a land program before or after the cruise?
Wanting to see more then Alaska Coastal areas? A land program of Alaska before or after your cruise will give you a more in-depth experience of Alaska. Alaska interior landscapes with Denali National Park and Mt McKinley are different to the coastal area. Click here to find popular choices for cruise / land tours!

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What should I see and visit?

National Parks	Glaciers	Bears	Whales	Fishing

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What are the distances like?

Alaska is a big state and distances are big. To give a better idea, to travel from Anchorage to Denali it takes approx. 5 hours driving time or 8 hours by rail. To travel from Anchorage to Seward (gateway to Kenai Fjords Nat Park) it takes approx. 2.5 hour driving time or 4 hours by rail.

Map of Alaska

Driving Distance Chart
Driving distances and times displayed as Miles / Driving Time

* Seward - Gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park
** Denali - Denali National Park Entrance
*** Chitina - Gateway to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve

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Remember Alaska is a big state and distances are big. The places you can visit will depend on the time you have.  Here are some ideas!

** Please note that with how the visit of Denali National Park works, we highly recommend a 2 night stay at the Denali Park Entrance.

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When is a good time to visit?

Alaska’s summers

The main tourist season is approx. May 15 to September 15. Tourist attractions and summer excursions mostly do not start / open before May 15 and have almost all closed down by September 15. The most popular time to visit is typically between mid-June and mid-August. During this time, we have the most sunlight (nearly 24 hours), the warmest temperatures (between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit) and the best weather (mostly sunny, very little rain). We typically receive steady rain from about the last two weeks of August through the beginning of September. After the first week of September, things quite down and it already can start snowing in higher elevation.


Alaska’s winters

Winter is also a spectacular season in Alaska. Starting end of August Northern Lights can be seen around Fairbanks (if weather is clear at night). We typically do not get the first snow until December, which means winter sport activities are not possible until then. February and March are the best winter month to enjoy all the Alaskan winters have to offer as we are gaining on day lights and temperatures are comfortable. Winter tours typically operate until the end of March.

If you have questions that we were not able to answer here, please e-mail us and we will answer within 3 business days!  

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