Skagway is a small coastal town in South Eastern Alaska which is a major tourist town for visiting cruise ships. It’s unique in that it is one of the few towns from the end of the 1800s that hasn’t had a major fires go through it.

Skagway experienced a major but short gold rush in the late 1880s which now forms the base of most of its tourist industry.

I totally loved this cruise port!  It felt very much like you were walking through a movie studio or a reenactment town. If you like to shop for expensive jewellery, tacky Alaskan souvenirs and assorted crap, you will find plenty to keep you entertained.  But there is also plenty to do if you interested in history.

The day we visited was fine but had a cool breeze. On the day we arrived, in middle of July, the town was booming with visitors from the 3 cruise ships in port (Disney Wonder, Princess and Holland America – Statendam).

By the number of trains running, the White Pass railway was the one excursion that most of the visitors were taking.

We being the thrifty travellers that we are, decided to “do it ourselves” rather than booking an excursion through the ship.

A few days prior to us leaving, I found a great walking tour online from the official Skagway.com website. This was very easy to follow and went past most of the main buildings of historical interest.

For part 2, click here