Getting Around Anchorage: When You Need a Rental Car, Free Shuttles & Downtown Bike Rentals

Anchorage is a city of two halves: the compact, flat Downtown Grid (numbered 1st through 15th Avenues north-to-south, and lettered A through P Streets east-to-west) is walkable and cycle-friendly, while the surrounding glaciers, mountains and wildlife centres stretch out along two-lane highways for 50 to 120 miles. The smartest strategy is combining car-free Downtown days with a 1-to-3-day rental car for road trips.

1. How to Explore Anchorage Without a Car (Shuttles & Bikes)

1. The Free Alaska Native Heritage Center Shuttle: with a valid admission ticket, a complimentary shuttle bus runs several times daily in summer from the Anchorage Museum (C St & 7th Ave) and Downtown out to the 26-acre Alaska Native Heritage Center and back.
2. The Flattop Mountain Afternoon Shuttle (Departs Midday from 4th Ave & E St): drops you at the Glen Alps / Flattop Trailhead in the early afternoon and brings you back downtown three hours later (check the official shuttle site for current return fares).
3. Downtown Bicycle & E-Bike Rentals (4th & 5th Avenues): rent a cruiser or e-bike for a half or full day to cover the entire 11-mile Tony Knowles Coastal Trail and Ship Creek.
4. The People Mover City Bus: Route 40 links Downtown with Midtown and ANC Airport every 15 minutes; Routes 20 and 25 link Downtown with Midtown (including Moose's Tooth Pizzeria) and the UAA campus, with single-ride and day passes available on the mTicket app.

2. Two Insider Rental Car Tips for Alaska

• Book Your Summer Rental Car 3 to 5 Months Ahead (And Compare Downtown Pick-Up Branches): because Alaska has a fixed summer vehicle fleet, last-minute July car rentals sell out quickly. Book a refundable reservation 3 to 5 months early, and compare rates at the Downtown and Midtown Enterprise, Avis and Budget branches. Picking up a car downtown avoids the airport concession fee and daily airport facility charge, and saves paying for days when you are walking around downtown or riding the Alaska Railroad.
• Paved Scenic Highways vs Unpaved Gravel Roads: the Seward Highway (to Girdwood, Portage and Seward), the Glenn Highway (to Matanuska Glacier) and the Parks Highway (to Talkeetna and Denali) are completely paved highways where any standard 2WD saloon works smoothly in summer.