Tokyo Itineraries: 2, 3 and 5-Day Routes With Trains and Costs

Most sights open at 9am or 10am, temples and shrines earlier, and shops at 10am or 11am. Get to the famous places at opening time and save neighbourhood wandering for the afternoon, when crowds peak at Senso-ji and Takeshita Street. Avoid trains from 7:30am to 9:30am with luggage. Expect to walk 15,000 to 25,000 steps a day; the stations themselves are long.

Buy a Suica or Pasmo (or add one to your phone) on arrival and do not bother with day passes unless a day has four or more subway rides; getting around Tokyo has the maths. Every route below uses single IC fares of 160 to 330 yen. Two practical closures to plan around: the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace are closed on Mondays and Fridays, and many national museums close on Mondays. If your trip covers more of Japan, see Japan itineraries for Tokyo, Kyoto and beyond.

Base yourself in Shinjuku or Ueno. Day 1 is the old east, Day 2 the modern west.

The pace is full but not frantic. On Day 1, the Tokyo National Museum (1,000 yen) needs two hours for the main Honkan building alone; if museums are not your thing, swap it for a walk around Shinobazu Pond and Kan’ei-ji. Akihabara is at its best from late afternoon, when the arcades and multi-floor anime shops are busiest. On Day 2, Meiji Shrine is calm and free before 10am; the gravel approach takes 10 minutes each way. Book Shibuya Sky online for a slot just before sunset (about 2,500 to 3,400 yen depending on time; check before you go), or use the free observation decks at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku instead.

Cost line: trains about 1,000 yen a day; entries 1,000 to 4,400 yen across both days; food 4,000 to 8,000 yen a day per person.

Days 1 and 2 as above. Day 3 is central Tokyo: the fish market district, the gardens, Ginza and the palace, ending in Roppongi or at teamLab.

Tsukiji’s outer market stalls open from about 5am to 6am and most close by 2pm; many shut on Sundays, public holidays and some Wednesdays when the wholesale market is closed, and the palace East Gardens close on Mondays and Fridays, so Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday are the best days for this route. Hamarikyu costs 300 yen. In Ginza the main street, Chuo-dori, is closed to traffic on weekend afternoons. In the evening, Roppongi has the art museums and observation deck of Roppongi Hills plus the National Art Center; teamLab Planets is the stronger choice if you have not seen a teamLab show, but book timed tickets online, as prices vary by date.

Where to sleep: keep the same base for all three nights; changing hotels in Tokyo wastes half a day. Cost line: trains 800 to 1,200 yen; Tsukiji breakfast 2,000 to 5,000 yen; entries 300 yen plus any observation deck or teamLab ticket.

Days 1 to 3 as above. Day 4 is the Tokyo of old wooden lanes and the western suburbs; Day 5 is a day trip.

Yanaka is the most intact pre-war neighbourhood in central Tokyo: small temples, craft shops, cats and the “Yuyake Dandan” steps down to Yanaka Ginza. Walk south through Sendagi to Nezu, where the shrine’s azaleas peak in late April. The afternoon moves west to Kichijoji in Musashino, the city’s favourite suburb, for the boat pond in Inokashira Park and the museum on its southern edge.

Tokyo is easy with children: trains have lifts, toilets have baby seats, and the whole city is safe. A good family day starts at Ueno Zoo (600 yen for adults, free for children under 12, closed Mondays) and the National Museum of Nature and Science next door, then moves to Odaiba in the afternoon (Yamanote to Shimbashi, then the Yurikamome over the Rainbow Bridge, sitting in the front car) for Miraikan, the giant Gundam statue outside DiverCity and the beach at Odaiba Marine Park. Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea are 15 minutes from Tokyo Station on the JR Keiyo Line to Maihama and need a full day each, with tickets bought online in advance.

A rainy day needs a plan built around covered connections. Start under Tokyo Station, where the Yaesu underground mall has Tokyo Ramen Street and Character Street, then take the Marunouchi Line to Ginza for the department-store food halls. After lunch, go to teamLab (Planets in Toyosu or Borderless in Azabudai Hills, both bookable online), or spend the afternoon in the Tokyo National Museum. In the evening, Shinjuku’s station complex links Isetan, Lumine and the west-side towers without stepping outside, and Akihabara’s arcades work in any weather. Observation decks are a poor bet in rain, and Shibuya Sky’s rooftop closes in bad weather.

First-timers should keep the 2-day core in order and add days from the 3-day and 5-day routes rather than reshuffling. Slow travellers can split each day into two: a morning in Asakusa and a late afternoon on the Sumida river, or a whole day for Yanaka and Ueno Park with the museums. Food lovers can swap the palace afternoon for Tsukishima’s monjayaki, Ebisu Yokocho and a depachika crawl; see the Tokyo food guide. Night owls should push everything an hour later and spend evenings in Shinjuku’s Golden Gai, Shibuya or Nakameguro.

With one extra day, the next best options are Shimokitazawa and Koenji for vintage shops, the gardens of Rikugi-en and Bunkyo, or the sumo museum and chanko restaurants of Ryogoku. In cherry blossom season (late March to early April), move Ueno Park, Meguro River and Chidorigafuchi moat to early morning, and expect crowds everywhere. In summer, start at 7am, retreat indoors from 12pm to 4pm, and use the evenings for festivals and fireworks. With children under six, cut each table to three stops and travel between 10am and 4pm to avoid the rush.

Tokyo travel guide · Food · Getting Around