Hiroshima Itineraries

Central Hiroshima is compact and flat. The Peace Memorial Park, the Genbaku Dome, Hondori’s covered arcade, Hiroshima Castle and Shukkeien garden all sit within a 2 km circle you can walk or cover by streetcar for 240 yen a ride. Hiroshima Station is on the east edge of that circle, about 15 minutes by streetcar from the Genbaku Dome.

Miyajima is the other half of any trip. The island lies about 25 km west of the city: take the JR Sanyo Line to Miyajimaguchi (about 26 minutes) and a 10-minute ferry, or the slower Hiroden streetcar line 2, or the direct World Heritage Sea Route boat from the Peace Park (45 minutes). Allow at least half a day; a full day lets you climb Mount Misen.

Two things shape the schedule. The Peace Memorial Museum sells timed web tickets and queues at the counter can be long from mid-morning, so book a slot online before you go. And the Itsukushima Shrine torii looks completely different at high and low tide: at high tide it stands in the sea, at low tide you can walk out to its base. Check the tide table on the Miyajima Tourist Association website and fit the island around it. For train and ferry details see our Hiroshima getting-around guide.

The essentials in one long day, starting early. It works as a day trip from Osaka or Kyoto by shinkansen, but you will be tired.

Pace: hard, about 20,000 steps. Mount Misen, Shukkeien and the castle are the casualties. If the tide is low in the morning, reverse the day: Miyajima first, the museum in an evening slot.

The best first visit: each place gets a full day, and you sleep one night in the city and one wherever suits the second evening.

Pace: moderate. Day one is mostly on foot, about 18,000 steps. Day two includes a real climb: the walk from the ropeway’s top station to the summit is steep steps, and the Daisho-in trail down takes about 90 minutes.

Day one, in detail: after the museum, walk north through the park along the river, past the Cenotaph that frames the Flame of Peace and the Genbaku Dome in a single line, to the Children’s Peace Monument hung with paper cranes. Cross the T-shaped Aioi Bridge, the bomb’s aiming point, to the Dome itself, then go north for 20 minutes to Hiroshima Castle. Its concrete keep closed in March 2026 because of deterioration, but the moat, grounds and the rebuilt Ninomaru gate buildings stay open free, and the keep is still a fine view from outside. Shukkeien, a 17th-century strolling garden around a pond with tiny islands and bridges, costs 350 yen and closes at 5pm or 6pm depending on season. The World Peace Memorial Cathedral in Noboricho is a short detour on the way back.

Days one and two as above, then pick one day trip. All are easy from Hiroshima Station.

Onomichi is the strongest choice. The town climbs a steep hill above a narrow strait: walk the Temple Walk past 25 temples, ride the ropeway up to Senko-ji for the view, and eat Onomichi ramen with its soy broth and pork-fat bits. Cyclists can rent a bike at the station and ride the first bridges of the 70 km Shimanami Kaido to Ikuchijima and back, or carry on to Imabari on Shikoku and sleep there.

Kure suits anyone interested in the navy. The JMSDF Kure Museum (free) puts you inside a retired submarine, and the Yamato Museum next door has a 1:10 model of the battleship built here; check its hours, as it has been under renovation. Eat navy curry, a different ship’s recipe at every restaurant.

Iwakuni’s Kintaikyo is the easiest extension to fit in: it lies just west of Miyajimaguchi on the same JR line, so you can do it on the morning of the Miyajima day and reach the island by early afternoon. The bridge toll is about 300 yen return, and combination tickets add the ropeway and the reconstructed castle. Spring blossom along the Nishiki River and the summer cormorant fishing are the best seasons.

Okunoshima is a lot of travel for a small island, but it is a memorable one. Ferries leave from Tadanoumi port, a short walk from the station, roughly hourly. Bring rabbit pellets or leafy vegetables from the mainland, never bread or snacks, do not pick the rabbits up and keep to the paths. The Poison Gas Museum is small and frank about the island’s role in Japan’s chemical weapons programme.

The full Shimanami Kaido needs a day of cycling and a night each end. Rent from the Onomichi terminal (around 2,000 to 4,000 yen a day plus a deposit, electric bikes more), ride the blue line painted on the road for 70 km over six islands and seven bridges, and drop the bike at Imabari. Fit cyclists do it in 6 to 8 hours; most people stop overnight on Ikuchijima or Omishima. Return by express bus or the ferry to Hiroshima from Matsuyama.

Hiroshima is cheaper than Tokyo or Kyoto. Per person, excluding your room:

A two-day trip with the sea route one way, the ropeway and mid-range food comes to roughly 15,000 to 20,000 yen (about 100 to 130 USD) per person before accommodation. Business hotels near the station cost about 8,000 to 15,000 yen a night for a double; a Miyajima ryokan with dinner and breakfast is about 25,000 to 50,000 yen per person. If you hold a Japan Rail Pass or a JR West area pass, the JR train and JR ferry to Miyajima are covered, though you still pay the 100-yen visitor tax.

First-timers should keep the museum and Miyajima on separate days if at all possible. The museum is heavy, and most people want a quiet afternoon afterwards: Shukkeien or the riverside walk is better than rushing for a ferry.

Families can cut the museum to the east building and the park; the main building’s displays include graphic images of victims that many parents choose to preview first. Miyajima’s deer, the ferry and the ropeway work well for children; do not feed the deer, which is banned. Okunoshima’s rabbits are a strong third day.

Slow travellers should sleep a night on Miyajima. After the last ferries the island empties, the torii is lit until 11pm, and you can walk out at low tide in the morning before anyone arrives.

Rain and heat: June and July bring the rainy season and August is hot and humid. Do the museum and indoor sights in the heat of the day, Miyajima early, and save Misen for a clear morning, as the ropeway stops in strong wind. Typhoons in late summer can cancel ferries and the sea route.

6 August: the Peace Memorial Ceremony fills the park from early morning, the museum is open late and the evening lantern floating on the Motoyasu River is moving. Hotels sell out months ahead; book early or avoid the week.