How much does it cost to travel to Fairbanks?
You should plan to spend around $272 per day on your vacation in Fairbanks. This is the average daily price based on the expenses of other visitors.
Past travelers have spent, on average for one day:
- $63 on meals
- $66 on local transportation
- $309 on hotels
A one week trip to Fairbanks for two people costs, on average, $3,814. This includes accommodation, food, local transportation, and sightseeing.
All of these average travel prices have been collected from other travelers to help you plan your own travel budget.
Independent Travel
Traveling Independently to Fairbanks has many benefits including affordabilty, freedom, flexibility, and the opportunity to control your own experiences.
All of the travel costs below are based on the experiences of other independent travelers.
Is Fairbanks expensive to visit?
Prices in Fairbanks are reasonable and comparable to your average travel destination. Hotels, food, and sightseeing are generally within normal price ranges.
Within North America, which is known to be an expensive region, Fairbanks is a moderately priced destination compared to other places. The overall cost of travel here is fair for the region and comparable to Arlington or Maui.
For more details, and to find out if it's within your travel budget, see Is Fairbanks Expensive?
How much money do I need for a trip to Fairbanks?
The average Fairbanks trip cost is broken down by category here for independent travelers. All of these Fairbanks travel prices are calculated from the budgets of real travelers.
|
Category
|
Cost
|
|
Accommodation 1
(Double Occupancy)
|
$309
|
|
Local Transportation 1
|
$66
|
|
Food 2
|
$63
|
|
Entertainment 1
|
$65
|
|
Alcohol 2
|
$13 -
40
|
Accommodation Budget in Fairbanks
Calculated from travelers like you
The average price paid for one person for accommodation in Fairbanks is $154. For two people sharing a typical double-occupancy hotel room, the average price paid for a hotel room in Fairbanks is $309. This cost is from the reported spending of actual travelers.
Looking for a hotel in Fairbanks? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options.
Transportation Budget in Fairbanks
Calculated from travelers like you
-
The cost of a taxi ride in Fairbanks is significantly more than public transportation. On average, past travelers have spent $66 per person, per day, on local transportation in Fairbanks.
-
Transportation1
Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
$66
How much does it cost to go to Fairbanks? Naturally, it depends on the dates. We recommend Kayak because they can find the best deals across all airlines.
The price of renting a car in Fairbanks will depends on dates, the type of car, the location, and your age. We recommend Kayak because they can find the best deals across all car rental companies.
Typical prices for Transportation in Fairbanks are listed below. These actual costs are from real travelers and can give you an idea of the prices in Fairbanks, but your costs will vary based on your travel style and the place where the purchase was made.
Food Budget in Fairbanks
Calculated from travelers like you
-
While meal prices in Fairbanks can vary, the average cost of food in Fairbanks is $63 per day. Based on the spending habits of previous travelers, when dining out an average meal in Fairbanks should cost around $25 per person. Breakfast prices are usually a little cheaper than lunch or dinner. The price of food in sit-down restaurants in Fairbanks is often higher than fast food prices or street food prices.
-
Food2
Meals for one day
$63
Typical prices for Food in Fairbanks are listed below. These actual costs are from real travelers and can give you an idea of the prices in Fairbanks, but your costs will vary based on your travel style and the place where the purchase was made.
Entertainment Budget in Fairbanks
Calculated from travelers like you
-
Entertainment and activities in Fairbanks typically cost an average of $65 per person, per day based on the spending of previous travelers. This includes fees paid for admission tickets to museums and attractions, day tours, and other sightseeing expenses.
-
Entertainment1
Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
$65
Typical prices for Entertainment in Fairbanks are listed below. These actual costs are from real travelers and can give you an idea of the prices in Fairbanks, but your costs will vary based on your travel style and the place where the purchase was made.
Alcohol Budget in Fairbanks
Calculated from travelers like you
-
The average person spends about $27 on alcoholic beverages in Fairbanks per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.
-
Alcohol2
Drinks for one day
$27
Fairbanks On a Budget
Fairbanks, Alaksa
Fairbanks is the only 'city' in the interior region of Alaska, and the largest settlement for hundreds of miles, but it has many characteristics of a small town where everyone seems to know everyone. Because the city sits at the nexus of some truly epic routes - north to the Arctic, east to Canada and south to Denali - you'll almost inevitably end up spending time here, and that time is rarely boring. The residential streets of compact downtown are pretty as a picture, and during winter, this is ground zero for viewing the aurora borealis.
Sights
Alaska is full of natural beauty. It's all around you, but there are some places you may want to explore in anchorage for even better vistas.
Take a scenic drive. The scenic, essential 323-mile-long Parks Highway connects Anchorage and Fairbanks, threading its way past some of Alaska's most iconic Alaskan areas, including Denali National Park and Mt. McKinley.
Drive the Chena Hot Springs Road. When you're driving Chena Hot Springs Road, keep in mind that it's best not to rush. This journey defines "scenic route" as a one-day road trip primed for spotting wildlife, exploring a new trailhead, and pulling over to cast a line. If it weren't for the hot spring at the end, this road probably wouldn't exist. The springs were discovered in 1905 and it didn't take long for Fairbanksans to want permanent access from town. At their behest, the U.S. War Department built the first trail to the hot springs in 1913. Today, Chena Hot Springs Road is fully paved and well-maintained. The journey from Fairbanks to the trail's end at Chena Hot Springs Resort is 56.5 miles. You can drive it in about an hour, but factor in more time for stops. And if you don't have a car the Chena Shuttle, operated by the resort, can be booked for round-trip transport from the airport or any hotel in Fairbanks. Wildlife spottings are common throughout the entire road.
The picturesque Wedgewood Wildlife Sanctuary borders the Wedgewood Resort and is preserved by Fountainhead Hotels, Fairbanks' locally owned hotel group. You won't find any cyclists, swimmers or fishing here, so that the focus can stay on what matters: the wildlife. Come visit and you might see up to 15 different kinds of mammals-from beavers to red foxes, flying squirrels, snowshoe hares and even moose-but this is also a birder's gold mine. Pick up the checklist of more than 100 bird species commonly seen here. In the winter, visitors can go cross-country skiing, snowshoeing or, of course, aurora-watching. You can also check out the Taiga Center, an interpretive center where you might see a live owl show.
Neighborhoods
Downtown Fairbanks is the main neighborhood in Fairbanks. It is a delightful blend of old and new. Historic buildings dating back to gold rush days, a vibrant contemporary art scene, an array of delicious eating and drinking establishments, museums, shops, a cultural and visitors center and, in the center of town, iconic Golden Heart Plaza. Year-round, one can always find a variety of unexpected public artworks around town. Steam vents are painted, murals abound and sculptures-both permanent and seasonal ice-sculptures-adorn downtown streets and businesses. Downtown Fairbanks also hosts outstanding events like the Winter Carnival in March, the Midnight Sun Festival in June and Golden Days in July. During winter months, Fairbanks has a storybook-like quality. The Chena River freezes over, snow blankets the ground and lighted snowflakes adorn lamp posts.
Activities
Alaska activities including famous wildlife, spectacular mountain vistas, fascinating cultures and icy blue glaciers all await your discovery. Here are just a few options to keep you entertained on your trip:
Experience Pioneer Park. The 44-acre Pioneer Park is a centrally located, historically themed park beloved by visitors and locals alike. The park offers a wide array of family- and visitor-friendly activities showcasing Fairbanks history through a bounty of museums and outdoor recreational areas. Many engaging attractions call the park home including the Bear Art Gallery, a historic sternwheeler, a carousel, a miniature golf course, a notable operational narrow gauge train, relics from the gold rush era and more. Historic log cabins that were moved to the park turn into summertime shops and eateries.
Visit the Ice Museum. Devoted to all things ice, this museum will put you in a winter mood no matter what the summer temperatures are like. You'll see several large ice displays, a freezer you can go in to feel like it's 20 degrees below zero, a huge-screen slide show with the annual World Ice Art championships, and freezers with huge ice tableaux.
Take an adventure on a dog sled. Plenty of people come to Fairbanks to look at the sky-for northern lights, or to bask in the midnight sun. But a dog-mushing experience in Fairbanks will prove that there's plenty more of Fairbanks to be seen at eye-or even paw-level.
Food and Dining
Fairbanks offers a wide variety of restaurants from elegant cuisine to ethnic dining to Alaskan- style home cooking. Many restaurants use local produce, meat and fish in their recipes. Try reindeer sausage or grilled Alaskan salmon alongside home-grown Yukon gold potatoes and sweet baby carrots. Fairbanks is also home to two craft breweries, three distilleries and multiple coffee roasters. Dining indoors or outdoors, ordering from a food truck or a drive thru hut, Fairbanks has great food and beverages for foodies and families alike.
Transportation
Airport Way is the main east-west thoroughfare in Fairbanks. As the transportation hub for Interior Alaska, Fairbanks features extensive road, rail, and air connections to the rest of Alaska and outside. Public transportation has been provided by the Metropolitan Area Commuter System, an agency of the borough government, since 1977. Bus service links much of the urban Fairbanks area, with most routes connecting at the downtown transit center. Commercial airlines connect Fairbanks to the rest of Alaska as well as the lower 48 and select international destinations via Fairbanks International Airport. The Alaska Railroad provides regular freight and passenger service between Fairbanks and Southcentral Alaska towns.
We've been gathering travel costs from tens of thousands of actual travelers since 2010, and we use the data to calculate average daily travel costs for destinations around the world. We also systematically analyze the prices of hotels, hostels, and tours from travel providers such as Kayak, HostelWorld, TourRadar, Viator, and others. This combination of expenses from actual travelers, combined with pricing data from major travel companies, gives us a uniqe insight into the overall cost of travel for thousands of cities in countries around the world. You can see more here: How it Works.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.