Hi there!
In May 2023, I took the shuttle from the Sitka cruise port. I was on the Sapphire Princess cruise ship.
Your experience may vary!
So if you’re going to Sitka by cruise ship, it doesn’t dock directly in the downtown area of Sitka.
The Sitka cruise port is called the Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal, which is what you will find it called on google maps. (map)
Downtown Sitka is where you’ll want to go if you want to do things in Sitka.
Explore the map.
Princess offers a shuttle to get from the Sitka cruise port to town.
The shuttle to get from Sitka cruise port to town is free.
And it is easy and convenient enough.
It is around a 15 minute shuttle ride from the Sitka cruise port to downtown Sitka.
You will be dropped off at the Sitka Visitor Center. On google maps, you will find it called Sitka Centennial Visitors Center. (map)
Note there is also a Sitka NHP Visitor Center on google maps, and this is not the visitor center that you will be dropped off at. Sitka NHP is Sitka National Historical Park which is good to see totem poles.
When I took the cruise port shuttle to and from the Sitka Sound cruise terminal, there was no line to get on the shuttle, and the shuttle left a few minutes after I got on.
Of course, this will depend on how many people want to go to downtown Sitka at the time you go.
My cruise ship had an 8am arrival into Sitka, and I got off the ship a little over an hour after that.
I got on the return shuttle around 2:15pm. There was a back-on-board time of 4:30pm.
👆 Once you get off the cruise ship, you will follow the signs to get on the free shuttle from the Sitka cruise port.
👆 There is a free shuttle from the Sitka cruise port to downtown Sitka. It’s around a 12 minute shuttle ride and goes every 10-15 minutes.
Once you get off the shuttle in downtown Sitka, make your first stop the visitor center to get a map and find other things to do around town.
When I walked in to the Sitka Visitor Center, I did see that there was some sort of Russian cultural show for $15 per person.
There is also a bathroom at the Sitka Visitor Center.
Right near the shuttle drop-off and visitor center is the Crescent Harbor where a lot of small boats are docked.
This was the meeting point for my marine wildlife tour with Sitka Sound Tours.
Towards Crescent Harbor is the direction you’ll go to do the easy coastal walk called the Sitka Sea Walk.
Towards the Crescent Harbor and starting the Sitka Sea Walk is also the direction of the Sitka National Historical Park.
You can walk from the shuttle drop-off spot to Sitka National Historical Park.
It will be around a 10 minute walk.
And that’s a bit about taking the Sitka cruise port shuttle!
I took the Sitka cruise port shuttle in May 2023. I was on a Princess cruise that made a stop in Sitka. Your experience may vary!
For my one day in Sitka, I did a Sitka Sound boat tour in the morning (sea lions and sea otters!), and then I went to Sitka National Historical Park to see totem poles.
See more about my easy-going day in Sitka: Things to do in Sitka from a cruise ship
HAPPY TAKING THE SHUTTLE FROM THE SITKA SOUND CRUISE TERMINAL!
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