Private day, your own route
Private Hiroshima and Miyajima day
★ 4.9 · 1,612 reviews total
- From pricefrom $200
- Time on the day8 hrs
- Cancel ruleIncluded
Claim your spot
Name the date. See the price.
Choose when you want to go and how many people join: the total changes as you do, and the next page gives the live price and the open times.
- No-fee cancellation up to 24 hrs before
- Gets booked 6 days ahead
Practical details
Included, bring with you, excluded
Included3
- A live guide who speaks Japanese and English
- A private group of up to 10 people
- A route you shape by picking your must-see spots
Bring3
- Yen in cash for entrance fees, the boat and snacks
- Comfortable shoes for a walking day
- Your booking confirmation on your phone
Left out0
1,612ratings
ratings on Viator, mean 4.9
8hours
the length of the day in the listing
10people
the most in one private group
24hours before
notice for a full refund
Comparison
Four ways to fill a day in Hiroshima and Miyajima
Most-rated coach day on GetYourGuide
Hiroshima: Hiroshima and Miyajima UNESCO Sites 1-Day Tour
★ 5.0 · 3,684 reviews total
- From pricefrom $121
- Time on the day8 hrs
- Cancel ruleIncluded
Six hours, trains and trams
Hiroshima & Miyajima: 2 UNESCO Sites Small Group local guide
★ 5.0 · 109 reviews total
- From pricefrom $87
- Time on the day6 hrs
- Cancel ruleIncluded
From Osaka, bullet train option
From Osaka: Hiroshima and Miyajima Day Trip by Bullet Train
★ 4.8 · 320 reviews total
- From pricefrom $95
- Time on the day8 to 11.5 hrs
- Cancel ruleIncluded
Before you compare
Our private day beside a coach day with audio guides, a six-hour small-group day and a rail day from Osaka, each with its price and rating read live.
Starting price per person; the booking site shows it live.
In their words
In guests' own words
4.9
★★★★★1,612 reviews, verified
The guide met us on the train platform with clear instructions, gave us a good history on the way to the ferry and found us the best spot on deck for the shrine and its gate.
KristenOctober 2026
Our cruise departure was late, and the guide waited an hour, then reworked the plan so we still saw the places we most wanted, keeping us moving all day.
EleanaOctober 2026
The museum was a sobering stop and the island was a pleasure for the shrine and the food. Transport costs extra, so we used taxis and ferries on a wet day.
RosemarySeptember 2026
Our guide took every request into account when setting the schedule. We wished for more time in the museum, and low tide meant the gate did not look afloat.
MairimAugust 2026
Our guide wrote to us several times before the trip, then shared his own experiences and thoughts on the day, which made the visit feel full and personal.
KarenOctober 2026
Weeks ahead our guide sent options for sites and tailored the day to us. Our kids said afterwards it was the best tour of the whole trip.
JamesMay 2026
the day itself
What a private Hiroshima day tour covers
This is a private walking tour of Hiroshima and Miyajima with a licensed guide, listed at 8 hours, with a live guide who speaks Japanese and English. The group is capped at 10 people and the listing says groups are never combined, so the pace is set by your own party and not by a stranger's question at the back of a coach.
The route is yours to shape. You choose the stops you most want from a menu in the tour details, and the guide customizes the day to what you picked. The stops on offer are the Peace Memorial Park for 90 minutes, Hiroshima Castle for 90 minutes, Shukkeien garden for 90 minutes, Miyajima for 60 minutes, Itsukushima Shrine for 60 minutes and a hillside cafe house for 90 minutes.
Taken together, those stops add up to more than a day of walking once the train and the ferry are counted, so the useful skill a private guide brings is choosing what to keep. A day with fewer stops, seen well, can beat a full list seen at speed, and that is the argument for booking a guide who can cut the list as the day unfolds.
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Open tourSee what else Hiroshima has
Check everything in Hiroshima on GetYourGuide
Go through Hiroshima toursPhoto set
Torii, Dome, deer and temple lanterns
Photos from Hiroshima and Miyajima day tours
two places
Why Hiroshima and Miyajima belong in the same day
The two places sit close together and could hardly be more different. In the city, the Atomic Bomb Dome stood almost directly below the hypocenter of the blast at 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, and it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in December 1996. The Peace Memorial Park around it is a place for slow walking and quiet.
On the island, the mood changes. From Hiroshima Station a train to Miyajimaguchi takes about 28 minutes, and the ferry crossing takes about 10 minutes. At high tide Itsukushima Shrine and the Otorii appear to float on the water, while at low tide the mud flats are exposed and you can walk up to the gate.
A single day can hold both, which is why so many itineraries pair them, but the order matters and the clocks are tight. A private guide can set the order by the tide and the closing times on the day, and move the heavier museum visit to the hour when you are best able to take it in.
Book it, cancel at no costTemperatures
Heat and rain in Hiroshima by month
NOAA averages for 1991 to 2020: rainfall from its Hiroshima station 1.3 km from the center, temperatures from its Iwakuni station 34 km away; day length is calculated.
Select a month to see how warm and wet it gets.
Typical daytime highOne dot is 20 mm of rainNOAA 1991 to 2020 · Station Hiroshima (rainfall) and Iwakuni (temperatures)
opening hours
When the museum and the shrine are open
The Peace Memorial Museum is open 7:30am to 7:00pm from March to July and from September to November, 7:30am to 8:00pm in August and 7:30am to 6:00pm from December to February. It is closed on December 30 and 31 and for a spell in mid-February.
Itsukushima Shrine opens 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from 1 March to 14 October, to 5:30 p.m. from 15 October to 30 November and to 5:00 p.m. in December. The Great Torii ferries, which take you closest to the gate, run from 9:10 a.m. to 4:10 p.m.
Those times shape the day more than any other fact. A summer day gives you room, and a December day leaves little after the museum. When a private guide knows the closing time of your date, the order of the day can be set around it, and the stops that do not fit are the ones that quietly drop off the list.
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Your day in Hiroshima
Choose a date and set your own route.
Pick a day, add your party and book with an easy exit: cancelling is free until 24 hours out.
private or coach
How a private day differs from a coach day
The big coach day on Viator carries up to 45 people, lasts 8 hours and starts at 10:00 AM from the Shinkansen ticket gate on the 2nd floor of Hiroshima Station. It is priced from $126 and has 9,491 ratings at 4.9, so it is a well-proven product. It gives the museum 60 minutes and the shrine 50 minutes on a published clock.
Our private day starts from $200 and is built for a party of up to 10 who want to choose. The difference is not luxury but control: you decide how long the museum gets, whether the castle is worth the time and when to cross to the island. That control matters most for families, for older travelers and for anyone with a late start.
If the lowest price matters more than control, the coach day or a 6-hour small-group day from $87 is a fair choice. Our tours-compared page sets them side by side, and it does not hide that a private day costs more per head for small parties.
Book it, cancel at no costThe score
Judged by 1,612 guests
4.9
Excellent★★★★★
- 5-star ratings97%
- 4-star ratings2%
- 3-star ratings0%
- 2-star ratings0%
- 1-star ratings1%
Every one of the 1,612 ratings this tour has received is counted in the bars, and they average 4.9.
View dates and spots
from $200 · no fee to cancel
Instant confirmation · the booking platform
what guests say
What the reviews keep coming back to
The listing carries 1,612 ratings with a mean of 4.9, of which 1,556 are five-star. In the newest English reviews every one gives five stars, and the guide is the subject of many sentences: guests name the guide, praise the history they were told and describe a day that bent to their questions.
Several reviewers describe flexibility. One group was delayed leaving a cruise ship, and the guide waited an hour and rebuilt the day around the sites they still wanted. Others mention a restaurant chosen by the guide that a visitor would not have found alone, help moving through crowds, and a lesson in folding origami cranes.
The reviews are also frank about gaps. One guest wished they had known roughly how much cash to bring for entrance fees and the boat, and the record does not say what the price covers. We take that seriously, which is why the fees in yen are set out on this site and on our cost page.
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FAQ
Questions?Answered.
Is this a private tour?
Yes, for your party only.
The listing is a private tour for up to 10 people, and groups are not combined.
How long is the day?
8 hours.
The listing counts 8 hours, changed from 7 hours for bookings made from 6 November 2024.
Which languages does the guide speak?
Japanese and English.
The listing offers a live guide in Japanese and English.
Can we choose the stops?
Yes, from a list.
You choose the stops you most want from a menu in the tour details, and the guide customizes the day.
Can we enter Hiroshima Castle?
Only parts of it.
The main keep has been closed since March 2026, and the grounds and the Ninomaru buildings stay open.
What does the Miyajima visitor tax cost?
100 yen per person.
The island charges it separately when you enter, and the museum costs 200 yen and the shrine 300 yen for adults.
Can I cancel the booking?
Yes, up to 24 hours before.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance gives a full refund.
Where do we meet the guide?
Confirm with the operator.
The listing says you meet your guide at your hotel, and the record gives no meeting point, so check your confirmation.
Can we do it as a day trip from Osaka?
Yes, with a long day.
The bullet train takes about 80 minutes between Osaka and Hiroshima, and the day itself runs 8 hours.
What if it rains or the weather is bad?
Plan for a day outdoors.
August and September may bring typhoons that can thwart travel plans, and one guest toured a day of heavy rain.
from other cities
Coming from Osaka, Kyoto or Tokyo
Visitors arrive from elsewhere, so a Hiroshima day trip begins with a train. JNTO says the bullet train links Hiroshima and Osaka in just 80 minutes, and lists Kyoto, Tokyo, Nagoya and Fukuoka among the cities that reach Hiroshima on the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen. Our listing is a day on the ground in Hiroshima, so the journey is yours to arrange.
The Nozomi is the train that avoids a change, and it runs up to 13 trains per hour. A Japan Rail Pass holder needs a special ticket to ride it. During long holidays all Nozomi trains run with reserved seats only, so book early for those dates.
A guest in our newest reviews was met on the station platform, and another at the station by name, so ask the operator for the meeting point and time when you book. Our day trip pages from Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo walk through the legs, and the cost page sets out the fares and passes.
Book it, cancel at no cost1,556five-star ratings
How the stars fall
Of 1,612 ratings on Viator, 1,556 are five-star.
Only 10 of them are one-star, and the mean sits at 4.94, a record that points to guides who deliver the day the listing describes.
the tide
The tide, the ferry and the floating gate
The Miyajima Tourist Association tide page shows, for any day you pick, the hours when you can walk right down to the Great Torii Gate and the hours when the shrine looks as if floating on the sea. It also gives the time and level of high and low tide.
Neither state is better. At high tide the shrine appears to float, and at low tide you can stand beside the gate. One guest in a recent review noted that the gate did not appear to be floating on the day they went, because of low tide, and still came away with good pictures.
On the ferry, the view of the gate is on the right side when facing forward, and JR West notes that a restoration project is underway for the Great Torii. A guide who knows the tide can place you on the side of the boat and the stretch of shore that suits your date.
Book it, cancel at no costOur private day in brief
A licensed guide.Your choice of stops.Eight hours, one party.
Our pick for a Hiroshima day tour is a private walking tour of Hiroshima and Miyajima with a licensed guide, 8 hours long, for a group of up to 10 that is never combined with another. You choose the stops you most want from a menu in the tour details, and the guide shapes the day around them.
Free cancellation up to a day before
weather and shoes
Weather, season and what to wear
The weather decides the mood of the day. At the Iwakuni station, 34 km from the city, August has an average daily high of 30.7 °C, and the Hiroshima station records 145 mm of precipitation in the month. January has an average high of 9.7 °C and 60 mm of precipitation. The two stations are named in the climate block below.
JNTO says spring brings cherry blossoms to Hiroshima, autumn leaves blanket the country between late September and early December, and winter brings many sunny days and blue skies. It also warns that August and September may bring typhoons that can thwart travel plans.
This is a walking day, so shoes matter more than anything you pack. Wear comfortable shoes, dress in layers for the season, carry a small bag and keep large luggage elsewhere, since large bags are not allowed in the museum and lockers are on the 1st floor of the East Building.
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cash and fees
Cash, fees and what to budget
The listing price starts from $200, and the record does not say whether entrance fees or transport tickets are included, so plan for them separately. The official fees are quoted in yen: the museum costs 200 yen for adults, the shrine 300 yen and the Miyajima visitor tax 100 yen.
The ferry from Miyajimaguchi is cheap: the Matsudai Kisen standard one-way adult fare is 200 yen, and the JR West ferry accepts the Japan Rail Pass. A Hiroden streetcar ride from Hiroshima Station to the Dome stop costs 240 yen.
Keep yen in cash for these small amounts, since rail-day listings warn that cards and ATMs may not always be available. Ask your guide before the day which fees you are likely to meet, and carry a little more than you expect, so that the sums never surprise you.
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Search dates and spots
What you see is the live price on GetYourGuide and Viator itself, never retyped or adjusted by us.
See open dates
- No-fee cancellation up to 24 hrs before
- from $200 a person
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a heavy day
A day that is full and also heavy
A Hiroshima day is not a light sightseeing day. The museum's audio guide alone runs about 70 minutes in total, and explanations can be skipped or repeated, so you can set your own depth. Guests in the newest reviews call the museum moving and a sombre visit, and they are glad to have had someone to talk to afterwards.
Pace matters. The Peace Memorial Park gets 90 minutes on our listing, and you may find you want less time in the museum and more in the park, or the other way round. A private guide can leave a gap after the hardest rooms, take a slower route to the ferry and move lunch to the moment you need it.
The island half of the day is deliberately gentler. Miyajima gets 60 minutes and the shrine another 60 minutes, and the walk from the pier to the shrine is about 10 minutes. That contrast is one reason people recommend doing both places in one day.
Book it, cancel at no costwho it suits
Who this day suits, and who should choose another
It suits parties that want to choose: families, couples and small groups of friends who would rather decide on the day than follow a flag. It suits older travelers who need the order of the day set around the stairs and the walking. It suits cruise guests with a fixed return time, because several reviewers describe guides who kept to it.
It is not the cheapest way to see the city. Coach days start from $126 and $121, and a small-group day from $87. Hiroshima Castle's main keep has been closed since March 2026, so the castle stop is limited to the grounds and the buildings that remain open.
Booking is low risk. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before for a full refund. Our tours-compared page and the cost page lay out the alternatives, and you can come back to this page once you know which kind of day suits your party.
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