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If you’re used to sailing in the Caribbean, the prices for shore excursions on your Alaska cruise may surprise you.

Want to take a helicopter ride to the top of a glacier to enjoy a dogsled ride? It will cost more than $700 per person. Excited about an authentic Alaska fishing experience? That’s a tour of over $500. A scenic train ride of about three hours on the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad starts at just over $150 per passenger.

Why are tours so expensive? Not only is Alaska a remote location, where it costs more to fly in cargo and materials, but it is also part of the US, where wages and travel insurance costs can be higher than the islands. Plus, many Alaska tours include seaplanes, helicopters, specialty boats, and other equipment that only add to the value of your shore experience.

For many, an Alaska cruise is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and many tours are well worth the splurge. But you don’t need to spend money fist in every port. Whether you want to balance your budget with a few cheap days or you don’t have the resources to spend big every day of your vacation, you’ll want to find cheap or free things to do in an Alaskan cruise port.

Fortunately, you have plenty of options. I know because I have spent many days independently exploring the ports of Alaska. Plus, I’ve consulted with Alaska tourism representatives to bring you a comprehensive list of free (and cheap) things to do on a cruise in Alaska.

Free and Cheap Things to Do in Skagway, Alaska

Skagway is known for its Gold Rush history, but you don’t need an expensive tour to immerse yourself in the town’s storied past. Contains the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Four free museums Open to visitors, including the Visitor Center Museum (with interactive exhibits), the Moore House Museum (the former home of the first family to live in Skagway, with two restored Victorian-era rooms), the Jeff. Smith’s Parlor Museum (a former bar with a shady past) and the Mascot Saloon Museum (a restored Gold Rush saloon).

If you’re totally embracing the old-time saloon vibe, you’ll want to step up to the bar Red Onion Salon. At one time, it was Skagway’s signature bordello, but now it’s the place to snack on Alaska-brewed beer or apps and pizza named after girls from the good times of yore. For a reasonable 20 rupees a person, you can sign up for a quickie tour of the site’s supposedly haunted brothel museum. Ghost sightings do not cost extra!

One of my favorite things to do in Skagway is stretch my legs on a hike, and there are several trailheads within easy walking distance of your cruise ship. Options include Upper and Lower Dewey Falls, Reed Falls and Gold Rush Cemetery, and Icy Lake and Upper Reed Falls Trails. This National Park Service Kindly lists its hikes by distance from Skagway’s historic district as well as by difficulty level. No guide is needed, and you don’t have to pay to access the trails.

Related: Alaska Cruise Guide: Best Itineraries, Planning Tips, and Things to Do

Free things to do in Juneau, Alaska

Window shopping is a popular activity along the main streets by Juneau’s cruise docks, but you may be tempted to blow your budget on souvenirs. (Look for sales if you want to buy gifts for less, especially during end-of-season travel.)

You can pay $55 for an all-day pass up and down the old Goldbelt Tram, or if you’re in good shape, you can ride the Mt. Roberts Trail from your ship to the top of the tram for free. I did this hike on my recent Alaska cruise; It’s not technical, but it’s steep and can be muddy after a rainstorm. Make plenty of noise as bears may be on the trail.

At the top, you can visit the Chilkat Theater to watch a free movie about the Lingit people of the region. If you’re too tired to return, you can get a free ride on the tram if you spend $20 in the gift shop.

Other hikes accessible from your boat include the Gold Creek Flume Trail and the Perseverance Trail.

If strolling downtown is more your speed, self-guided tours of Juneau are free. This Juneau Voice The project features audio installations at 11 locations around the city where you can learn about the city through Native Alaskan stories. Or get a map from the tourist welcome center and follow The walking tour To see the highlights of the city.

You can find that too PDF Guide to Juneau’s Totem Poles Online.

Prefer to get your history and culture indoors (not a bad plan in Alaska with its pristine environment)? Juneau offers a few museums worth checking out for a modest entrance fee.

This Juneau-Douglas City Museum Offers a mix of permanent and temporary exhibits on area history and art. Admission is $7, but you may need a cab if you’re not up for the 20-minute walk. You can also book a series of walking tours from the museum; Tour price includes museum admission and gift shop discount.

Also, it is a 20-minute walk from the port Alaska State MuseumWhere you can learn about the culture of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian peoples. Admission is $14. For more about Native Alaskans and their cultures, visit Sealaska Heritage Institute’s Walter Soboleff Building ($7) and its gift shop of local art. Don’t miss its signature totem pole and handicraft clan house.

Related: Alaska Cruise Mistakes You Never Want to Make

Cheap and free things to do in Ketchikan, Alaska from a cruise ship

Ketchikan is known for its Creek Street Historic District, built on a wooden boardwalk over the salmon-filled Ketchikan Creek. Stroll through its historic buildings, shops and restaurants for free or pay $10 to enter Dolly’s house For a glimpse of the city’s former red-light district.

Not far from Creek Street, The Tongass Historical Museum and Totem Heritage Center Immerse yourself in the area’s history for a modest $6 fee (children and military are free). From there, you can embark on a self-guided, 1 1/2-mile Ketchikan Salmon Walk To learn about the impact of fish on the town (and maybe see some, in season, on the salmon ladder). The walk takes you past the Totem Heritage Center (also $6, or get a combo ticket to both museums for $9), which houses a collection of 19th-century totem poles salvaged from nearby islands.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can skip the tour and head to Saxman Native Village on your own. It’s 2 miles south of Ketchikan, and you can walk it, but for a few bucks, you can take the city bus there instead. It’s only $5 to wander the park on your own. You’ll find 25 replica totem poles, as well as original carvers working on new poles using traditional techniques.

Free or Cheap Things to Do in Snowy Straight Point, Alaska

Icy Strait Point is a developed cruise port near the town of Hoonah. It was built to provide everything cruisers need in port, so all the activities are planned to part you with your hard-earned cash. That said, there are still plenty of things to do for free or cheap in snowy Straight Point.

A free gondola ride takes visitors from one cruise pier area to another. If the line is long or you are afraid of heights, you can walk the same route on the nature trails instead. Keep your eyes out for wildlife.

The port has lots of beach access, so you can wander the icy strait shores, stop for scenic photos and watch the marine life for free. In the Hunah Cannery Building, you can browse the exhibits of the Hunah Packing Company Cannery Museum nestled among the shops. Or, get Native Dance Show tickets for $20 per person at the on-site ticket booth.

From the cannery, it’s a 1 1/2-mile (about 30-minute) walk to Hoonah, an actual town where many of the workers at Icy Straight Point live and home to Alaska’s largest Tlingit village. You can also take a cheap $5 shuttle into town, where you can admire the totem poles and sip a local beer at Icy Straight Brewing.

Related: The best Alaska cruise shore excursions – from heli-hiking to whale watching

Things to do for free or cheap in Sitka, Alaska

Sitka offers a fascinating mix of Native Alaskan and Russian history and culture, and a self-guided tour of the city’s main sites won’t cost you much (if anything).

You can get a free tour of the Russian Bishop’s House, an example of 19th-century architecture during Sitka’s colonization of Russia. Barnoff Castle State Historic Site (Castle Hill) was occupied over the centuries by both the Lingit people and the Russians. It is fitting that it was the site chosen for the transfer of Alaska from Russia to the US. You can check opinions and informative icons for free.

St. Michael’s Cathedral National Historic Landmark is an exact replica of the first Russian Orthodox Church in America. Because there is an active congregation on site, visitors can view the collection of 17th-century religious artifacts for a limited time each day.

Museums with small admission fees include the Sitka History Museum (featuring exhibits on local history) and the Sheldon Jackson Museum (featuring a collection of Alaska Native artifacts). If exploring old cemeteries is your thing, you’ll want to stop at the more than 200-year-old Sitka Russian Cemetery, which has tombstones made from the guts of Russian ships.

Sitka National Historical Park’s visitor center and grounds (with walking trails and totem pole installations) are open to all free of charge. It’s a lovely place for a simple nature walk, or you can come in to learn more about Sitka’s Russian and Tlingit cultures or join the ranger program.

You don’t need a tour to see eagles, hawks, owls and hawks at the Alaska Raptor Center. Admission is $16, though it’s a bit of a walk from downtown. Watch injured birds re-learn how to fly, and stroll through the center’s forested grounds.

Finally, you can attend various dance performances at affordable ticket prices. The Alaska Storytellers Dance Show ($15) celebrates traditional and modern Russian dance, while a performance by the New Archangel Dancers highlights Russian folk dances. Or, enter the home of a Tlingit clan to enjoy the music, costumes and choreography of the Na Kahidi Tlingit Dancers.

The bottom line

You don’t need to spend money on tours to explore Alaska’s culture and history or enjoy its natural splendor. You’ll find plenty of free things to do in port on an Alaska cruise. However, I encourage you to budget for a few excursions, whether it’s traveling outside the harbor area into the Alaskan wilderness or indulging in activities like dog sledding, kayaking, whale or bear watching, or fishing. You won’t regret spending money on amazing experiences and memories.

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