Juneau Car Rentals Near Port?

Considering renting a car to do our own thing in Juneau but when I search for cars on Expedia, it only shows rentals at the airport. However, I've seen several post about renting cars in port, there has to be a close location.

Please advise which agency had a pier location, if known.

Juneau is really just not that big, and there is literally nowhere to drive to!

If you really need private transport, you're probably better off hiring cabs.

If your ship happens to be at the AJ dock, there is Juneau Car Rentals with an office there. BUT, this dock is a mile+ from downtown- and no shuttle running, unless a ship is there.

Otherwise there is AVIS at the Goldbelt, which is walkable from all the ships (with the AJ dock shuttle to the tram parking lot)

We have rented a car from Juneau Car Rental for our Aug.22-29 cruise. They have an office close to docks.

We have rented a car from Juneau Car Rental for our Aug.22-29 cruise. They have an office close to docks.

It would not be considered "close" by a lot of people, about 3/4 mile walk up and down hill, from your dock- South Franklin. Plus- NO AJ dock shuttle running in your case. So either plan on extra time walking or taking a cab perhaps. Juneau car rental, hasn't been reported shuttling this year, that I've seen.

Juneau is really just not that big, and there is literally nowhere to drive to!

If you really need private transport, you're probably better off hiring cabs.

Absolutely NOT true! There are plenty of places to drive in Juneau!

We just rented a car in Juneau last week. We drove all the way to the end of the road, and we are glad we went that far because we saw a bear near the end. We stopped at Eagle Beach and saw numerous eagles. We stopped at the Shrine of St. Theresa and saw salmon swimming upstream. We could have gone to Mendenhall, but we've been there several times and didn't feel like going again in the pouring rain. We even stopped at Safeway and bought a 6-pack of Alaskan White. :D

We used Avis at the Goldbelt, and it was a bit of a walk from the Franklin dock, but not too bad. We checked out our car, then left it in the lot while we went across the street to have lunch at The Hangar. Very convenient!

Sorry, we are "walkers" & didn't stop to think that others might not be. Just quickly answered so the OP would be aware that cars are available at a location other than the airport. Again, my apologies!

If you're there on a week day, the airport is pretty reachable by bus also. The only real catch is the last bus back from the airport is at something like 6:11 or so, so for a late port stay that can cut some time. And depending on what you're doing, going to the airport might not really be all that out of the way.

We did this just a couple weeks ago. Depending on the costs, it might be worth it for people (in my case, the difference was we had free days available from National, so by taking the bus to the airport, our rental was somewhere around $2.45 or so, plus bus far :) ). Not sure what the regular daily rates are at the airport, but I know the ones by the pier tend to be fairly high.

Only real catch for us was we just missed the northbound bus because they were slow clearing the ship, and when I dropped the car off I just missed the southbound bus, and they only run every half hour.

We are walkers and tend to walk miles while traveling. So walking is not an issue. We do tend to prefer private tours and do not want to be herded like cats or have our time dictated by a bus schedule, etc. I also like to stop and take 'off the cuff' photos of anything that might catch my eye.

Reading the board, it seems that there are a few places we could go/stop (some mentioned by sherryf), if time allows. That would not be possible on a bus ride. I'd also read that renting s car was somewhat comparable in cost to cab fare, especially If making multiple stops.

I will look up Avis at the Goldbelt. Once I see where it is and get pricing we will determine if that is the right method of travel for us.

Thank you to those of you responding with relevant info and simply not judging. [emoji6]

We are walkers and tend to walk miles while traveling. So walking is not an issue. We do tend to prefer private tours and do not want to be herded like cats or have our time dictated by a bus schedule, etc. I also like to stop and take 'off the cuff' photos of anything that might catch my eye.

 

Reading the board, it seems that there are a few places we could go/stop (some mentioned by sherryf), if time allows. That would not be possible on a bus ride. I'd also read that renting s car was somewhat comparable in cost to cab fare, especially If making multiple stops.

 

I will look up Avis at the Goldbelt. Once I see where it is and get pricing we will determine if that is the right method of travel for us.

 

Thank you to those of you responding with relevant info and simply not judging. [emoji6]

Although you may like to "walk", it takes up valuable port time. I suggest you first find out what dock you are at, first. As I mentioned Juneau Car Rental, isn't all that convenient when a ship is not docked at AJ, and from the further docks then the poster above, it's a mile+ walk each way.

My point exactly with my hesitancy of recommending using the bus for an airport rental. They don't run often, and if you just miss a bus, you are adding valuable port time. In the above case, at least an hour. And with a late port time, not very convenient perhaps.

Think though all the ideas. :)

My point exactly with my hesitancy of recommending using the bus for an airport rental. They don't run often, and if you just miss a bus, you are adding valuable port time. In the above case, at least an hour. And with a late port time, not very convenient perhaps.

That said, we still had plenty of time to see what we'd planned on doing that day. We ended up turning the car in a little earlier than planned even with the slightly later pickup. Obviously I'd only recommend going to the airport if it saved significantly though. In our case it saved about $100, so the trade-off was worth it.

That said, we still had plenty of time to see what we'd planned on doing that day. We ended up turning the car in a little earlier than planned even with the slightly later pickup. Obviously I'd only recommend going to the airport if it saved significantly though. In our case it saved about $100, so the trade-off was worth it.

A significant point would also be your port time. Far from ideal, if only half a day and several stops of interest.

several years ago, we rented a car from a place called Rent-a-wreck. :)

Considering renting a car to do our own thing in Juneau but when I search for cars on Expedia, it only shows rentals at the airport. However, I've seen several post about renting cars in port, there has to be a close location.

 

Please advise which agency had a pier location, if known.

We just returned from Alaska and rented a car from Avis. We had been on a whale watching expedition and they dropped us off there on the way back. No problem at all, then caught a shuttle back to the ship. People were more than willing to help. So glad we rented and went out on our own. We too, don't like cruise tours, and if at all possible do our own. We drove out to St. Theresa,s chapel and walked around their grounds. We were able to stop and take pictures and move about as we needed. You will have a great time in Alaska.

several years ago, we rented a car from a place called Rent-a-wreck. :)

Juneau Car Rental bought them out.

I like the idea of renting a car and exploring Juneau at our own pace as well, vtx and judia. For those of you who have done this in Juneau (or plan to), would you mind sharing more about the points of interest that you drove to? I've seen St. Theresa's and Eagle Beach mentioned and Mendenhall Glacier/Nugget Falls is a must for us. Any other must-see spots or suggested routes?

A couple of weeks ago we rented a car from Juneau Car Rentals. We were at the next closest dock (not the A-J dock) so about 1/2 mile walk. The mini van we got ran a little rough but it was cheap enough at $70 incl. taxes. It was a quick and easy process and since no one would be there when we returned to just leave the keys in the car and leave it unlocked.

We went to the Alaskan Brewing Co., the Costco nearby where we got our picnic lunch for later. Visited the Shrine of St. Teresa, Eagle Beach where we had our lunch (several picnic tables) and saw a lot of eagles and salmon. Continued on to the end of the road, headed back and stopped at Mendenhall Glacier where we could spend more time exploring and hiking than the typical tour bus would allow. There was a Safeway near where the road to Mendenhall Glacier met up with the main road so we filled up there. Finished off with a stop in downtown for shopping before returning the van.

Sounds like a great time, fyrfytr! How long would you estimate it took to do all of that?

For others who may be interested, looked around some other websites and found additional points that may be of interest: Echo Cove, Chapel on the Lake, Glacier Gardens, Douglas Island, and Treadwell Mine Trail. Has anyone driven to these spots? I'd love to hear about your experiences. What is worth the drive/better to skip?

Sounds like a great time, fyrfytr! How long would you estimate it took to do all of that?

 

For others who may be interested, looked around some other websites and found additional points that may be of interest: Echo Cove, Chapel on the Lake, Glacier Gardens, Douglas Island, and Treadwell Mine Trail. Has anyone driven to these spots? I'd love to hear about your experiences. What is worth the drive/better to skip?

I have driven many times in Juneau. It can work out very well, with some preparation. Key is to route out your stops, so you are not backtracking more than you have to. With a long port day- I also usually have at least one whale watch. So, I include that easily, driving to the marina. There are some nice options to also consider right downtown, as an alternative- which would not be a good idea with a car (limited parking).

The Macaulay Salmon Hatchery was worth the stop since the chum salmon were running when I went a month ago. Ask the rental agent if the fish are still there. I wouldn't have gone but he told me about the fish and recommended it.