My family opted for Whitehorse, Yukon to chase the Aurora Borealis (as mentioned from my first post, Chasing Aurora ). Again one of the reasons why we chose Whitehorse as compared to Yellowknife was because our estimated total expense would be cheaper. But if you have a larger budget I suggest opting for Yellowknife as research will show that it is closer to the arctic circle (meaning the Aurora Borealis is brighter and easier to see. I saw some snaps and photos of friends who went to Yellowknife and saw the Aurora Borealis even around the city)
But, if you are like us who has a budget but would also like to see the Aurora Borealis keep reading this post to know where we stayed, ate and what we did in Whitehorse.
Our whole duration during our stay in Whitehorse was 4D3N.
AIRPORT > HOTEL:
There are no trains or buses (unless there is a package wherein your hotel offers free shuttle service from airport to hotel) outside the airport. The only thing we saw outside are cabs so you definitely have to take a cab. It will be helpful if you have a print out or a screenshot on the name of the hotel and the address so the driver won’t have a hard time.
WHERE WE STAYED:
Since we have a budget, we looked for hotels where price won’t be that expensive. Our family isn’t that picky when it comes to hotels. As long the place offers hot water and WIFI it was good enough for us.
Best Western was our first option but they were fully booked. After doing some research (aka. google), we came across Town and Mountain hotel and booked the hotel as soon as we confirmed that there is definitely hot water and WIFI.
taken using an iPhone
(ps. Town and Mountain is actually just beside Best Western)
My tip when you will stay in this hotel is that DO NOT BRING A VERY HEAVY LUGGAGE. There is no elevator nor escalator for you to go up the floors/go to your room. They only have stairs. We were fortunate enough to be placed on the 2nd floor. Our rooms were just okay since we weren’t really picky. We just had a hard time with finding space for each of our luggage since there was only a small space. (There are four of us sharing this room)
taken using an iPhone
WHAT TO DO IN TOWN:
To be honest, there wasn’t much to do tho you can go around by walking since everything is near each other. It’s your typical quiet town exactly like those you see in movies or shows.
There are shops where you can buy extra thick jackets or groceries but there’s not much to do or see.
My family decided to just book with a group for a “day adventure” which I wrote about previously (Up North Adventures)
Anyway, you also won’t last long outside since the weather is crazy cold.
weather forecast that was on display when we checked-in from Vancouver
WHERE WE ATE:
There are stand alone restaurants around town but I noticed that almost all or all of the hotels have their own restaurants on the ground floor so that guests won’t have to “brave” the cold to get a meal.
1. G&P Steakhouse & Pizza
taken using an iPhone
On the first night my family and I decided to “explore” the restaurants in town and try out what the place can offer and we stumbled upon G&P Steakhouse & Pizza. It was just across a street or two from our hotel.
G&P Steakhouse Pizza has been operating since 1974 and is a family owned restaurant. It is crazy how they were able to survive for many years and so it made us more curious to go try the place.
As soon as we entered there was a que since the place was fully booked. This obviously made us more excited to try the place and IT DEFINITELY DID NOT DISAPPOINT.
all photos taken using an iPhone
2. Red Devil Pizza
Red Devil Pizza was just located on the ground floor of our hotel (Town and Mountain Hotel) and since it was too cold to walk outside (and we were too lazy to wear all our xx layers of clothes). We opted to have dinner here for our 2nd and 3rd night. Food was okay it wasn’t that bad (but I was addicted to their Zorba). The only down side is the restaurant opens at 4pm which means you have to go out for lunch.
all photos taken using an iPhone
3. Tokyo Sushi
taken using an iPhone
Since the dates of our stay in Whitehorse are actually nearing New Year there wasn’t a lot of restaurants that was open.
We were lucky that one of the restaurants that were open (for lunch) is Tokyo Sushi.
The food wasn’t that bad considering we were at the rural part.
all photos taken using an iPhone
4. Tim Hortons
We didn’t really stay and eat at Tim Hortons but we just got take outs for brunch. It was our only option since it was the one that opens early and our activities with Up North Adventures starts at 12nn, which means we got picked up I think around 10:30 or 11am. (read Up North Adventures)
taken using an iPhone
5. Starbucks
We left Whitehorse on January 1 and Starbucks was the only one that was open during that time. It was again, just like Tim Hortons, our only option. (Tho, on the bright side you won’t go hungry here because you can always rely on Starbucks to be open even on holidays).
taken using an iPhone
You really don’t have to worry if you’re considering Whitehorse as an alternative to Yellowknife! You will never go hungry even if your chosen dates land on holidays (thanks to reliable Starbucks), get lost (since Whitehorse is just small and you’ll can just walk to get to places) or freak out because it’s a rural place and you don’t know if they have WIFI (hotels have WIFI).
Curious on how Whitehorse looks like?
Here are some snaps that I was able to take!
all photos taken using an iPhone
💚, R
TOWN & MOUNTAIN HOTEL
Read about my other Whitehorse stories!