Summer home of the humpback whale, once the capital of Russian America, home to the Tlingit, fur traders, artists and writers all spread out over Baranof Island and the Alexander Archipelago nestled under the shadow of Mount Edgecumbe, Sitka is a cultural and aesthetic goldmine for those who ply the waters of the Inside Passage.
Stay at - I recommend you visit Sitka as part of an Inside Passage Cruise, aboard Princess, Holland America or Regent Seven Seas
Go shopping - in town
Eat at -Ludvig's Bistro
The Channel Club
Take side trips to - Alaska Raptor Center
Fortress of the Bear
Sitka National Historic Park and Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center
Be sure to visit - St. Michael's Cathedral
Sitka Pioneer's Home
New Archangel Dancers
Best time of year to go - mid-to-late summer, up through Labor Day
Best things to buy - Fine Alaska clothing, souvenirs, artwork, jewelry, Native Alaskan art and culture, Russian-American art/icons and religious articles, gold, fish, books
Best indulgence - tendering in from ship to shore, with Mount Edgecumbe in the background in exquisite two-dimensional light and shadow as orcas play in Sitka Sound
Fly into - Sitka (SIT) if you're going directly there, otherwise fly to Vancouver (YVR) or Seattle (SEA) and take an Inside Passage Cruise
Transportation - If you are arriving by cruise ship, much of Sitka is walkable or transportation can be arranged by shore excursion. The Sitka Tribe of Alaska operates 'Sitka Community Ride,' an inexpensive community bus.
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