On a gray morning at Sea-Tac, the departures board is full of names that sound like another world: Anchorage, Juneau, Ketchikan. Seattle is where many Alaska trips begin, and the question is only which way to leave. You can fly, you can ride the state ferry from Bellingham, or you can start from the waterfront port where cruise passengers gather.
How do you get from Seattle to Alaska?
You get there by air, by ferry or by cruise, and each one starts from a slightly different place around Puget Sound. Seattle is built on an isthmus between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, and that setting explains a lot. The airport, the cruise piers and the ferry terminal are all part of the same Pacific Northwest gateway, though the ferry itself leaves from Bellingham rather than from Seattle.
By air from Sea-Tac
Flying is the way most people picture the trip. Alaska Airlines is headquartered in SeaTac, within the Seattle metropolitan area, and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport is its primary hub. That means the airline that carries the state’s name runs much of its network through the same terminals you will use in Washington.
The airline also keeps a hub in Anchorage, so a flight north often lands where the carrier has deep roots. Its predecessor, McGee Airways, flew its first service between Anchorage and Bristol Bay, and in the 1940s the company’s headquarters sat in Anchorage. Frequent flyers can collect miles in its Atmos Rewards program, and Alaska belongs to the Oneworld alliance, which matters if you are connecting from another airline.
By ferry from Bellingham
The Alaska Marine Highway is the ferry service run by the state, with headquarters in Ketchikan. Its route network reaches from Bellingham, Washington, to Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Chain, and it serves more than 30 communities along 3,500 miles of coastline. The ferry is one of the only ways to move a vehicle between Alaska and the contiguous United States without going through international customs and immigration.
This is not a cruise in the usual sense. Cabins cost extra and most food is served cafeteria-style. All mainline vessels have solariums, showers and lounges for sleeping, and the larger vessels also have staterooms. It suits people who like to watch the coast go by from a deck chair and do not need a program of activities.
| Ferry trip | Sample time |
|---|---|
| Bellingham to Ketchikan | 38 hours |
| Bellingham to Skagway | Just under three days |
| Sitka to Juneau | 18 hours |
By cruise from the Port of Seattle
Seattle has been the natural gateway to Alaska for more than 100 years, with Washington forests, mountains and Puget Sound as the backdrop to departure day. The Port of Seattle publishes a cruise schedule, and that schedule is subject to change throughout the season, so the dates you saw months ago are worth confirming against the port’s current listing.
A cruise gives you a different rhythm from the other two choices. The city is part of the trip, with Pike Place Market, the Space Needle from the 1962 World’s Fair and the first Starbucks all within reach of a day before you leave. Many travelers fold a day or two of Seattle into the front of the voyage and let the weather, which is often cloudy, set the pace.
Which Alaska cities can you fly to from Seattle?
Anchorage is the clearest answer, since Alaska Airlines runs a hub there and links it with its Seattle hub. Beyond that, the airline describes its network as connecting West Coast cities, including Alaska and Hawaii, to more than 100 destinations in North America, Asia, Oceania and Europe. Seattle is the junction where those routes meet.
Anchorage
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport sits at 5000 W. International Airport Rd. in Anchorage, and it is the arrival point for travelers who want to start in the state’s largest city. Because it is a hub for Alaska Airlines, it is also a place where you can change planes toward other communities.
At the airport, you may be asked for a Real ID or another acceptable form of identification to fly. The airport itself reminds travelers of this, so it is better to sort out the document at home in Washington than at the check-in counter. From the terminal you can go straight into town, onward to a lodge, or on to a connecting flight.
Juneau
Juneau International Airport serves the capital, and travelers will notice small signs of a working airport that is also part of the town. The Airport Dike Trail, known as the EVAR trail, is open next to the airport, which gives you somewhere to stretch your legs outdoors between a landing and a connection.
The ferry network treats Juneau as a regional hub too. Riders reach many Southeast communities by going through Juneau, Ketchikan, Whittier or Homer and then changing vessels. That makes Juneau a place where flying and ferry travel can meet in the same trip, if you want to arrive by one and leave by the other.
Planning a flight-based trip
A flight from Seattle puts you in Alaska in a short span, and the ferry and cruise options put you there more slowly. Alaska Airlines is based in Washington, so the Seattle end of the journey is the airline’s home base, while the Anchorage end is where it began. If you plan a trip that covers more than one town, connections through the two hubs are the thread to follow.
Think about which end of the state you want first. Anchorage is a hub in its own right, and Juneau is a capital reached by air and by water. Pick the city that fits the rest of your plan and let the others come later in the itinerary.
Which routes go by sea or by road?
By sea, the route is the Alaska Marine Highway from Bellingham, and cruise ships leave from the Port of Seattle. Both reach Southeast Alaska by water, while the ferry also lets you bring a vehicle along. A road trip to Alaska is the third option, but the details of driving through Canada are not covered here.
The Southeast mainline
One mainline route runs from Bellingham to Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Juneau, Haines, Skagway and Sitka. A second mainline route runs from Ketchikan to Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Juneau, Haines and Skagway. Between them, they link most of the towns along the Inside Passage, and most Southeast communities receive year-round ferry service.
Larger communities are served by mainline vessels, and day boats run regularly scheduled service to smaller ones. Scheduled routes include Juneau to Angoon, Gustavus to Hoonah, Juneau to Haines, Juneau to Kake, Juneau to Pelican, Juneau to Tenakee and Juneau to Skagway. The ferry gives you a way to see small waterfront towns that have no road link to the rest of the state.
Prince Rupert and the proposed winter schedule
Prince Rupert is a stop in British Columbia that has been dropped from some schedules. Under the proposed winter 2026/27 schedule, the Alaska Marine Highway will not travel to Prince Rupert. If your plan depends on that stop, treat it as unavailable for that winter and look at the Bellingham departures instead.
The ferry system includes 32 terminals in Alaska, British Columbia and Washington, so Prince Rupert is only one point among many. The Bellingham route is the one that connects Washington directly with Alaska, and it remains the starting point on the mainline map.
Cruise departures from Seattle
Cruise travel from Seattle follows a calendar that the Port of Seattle publishes and updates. The port notes that the schedule is subject to change through the season, so a departure you plan around is worth checking close to your dates. The port also says it aims to phase out seaport-related emissions by 2050, a goal you may see mentioned around the waterfront.
Choosing between ferry and cruise comes down to what you want from the water. The ferry is a working transport system with cafeteria-style food and extra-cost cabins, while a cruise departure belongs to the port’s cruise program. Both start in Washington and head toward the same coastline.
Good to know before you go
Seattle is cloudy for much of the year, and it rains often, so a flight or sailing day can start under a low sky. Bring the right identification if you fly, since you may need a Real ID or another acceptable ID.
On the ferry, cabins are an extra cost, and the Prince Rupert stop is out of the proposed winter 2026/27 schedule. Cruise dates can shift, so keep the port’s schedule in view as the season goes on.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Alaska Airlines (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Airlines), checked October 11, 2026
- Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (https://www.ancairport.com/), checked October 11, 2026
- Juneau International Airport (https://juneau.org/airport), checked October 11, 2026
- Alaska Department of Transportation, Alaska Marine Highway System, Route guide (https://dot.alaska.gov/amhs/route.shtml), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Alaska Marine Highway (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Marine_Highway), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Seattle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle), checked October 11, 2026
- Port of Seattle, Cruise (https://www.portseattle.org/maritime/cruise), checked October 11, 2026