Museum early
City first
Private guide
- OpensThe museum, 1 hour
- ThenTrain 35 minutes, ferry 10
- GroupPrivate
Cost for your group
Hiroshima and Miyajima day trip: the route, the tide and the last boat
Peaceful Hiroshima & Miyajima UNESCO 1 Day Bus Tour
★ 5.0 · 9,491 reviews total
Answer in brief
A Hiroshima and Miyajima day trip fits in a single day if you pick an order, check the tide and keep the shrine and ferry closing times in mind.
The clocks that matter
Look at 4 options
Compare four ways to run the day
Choose how many are coming and see the from price for each style of day.
- Our private day8 hours · price from $200
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View - Private guide, city first6 hours · price from $98
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View - Small group, island first6 hours · per visitor from $87
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View - Coach day8 hours · per visitor from $121
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View
Figures are GetYourGuide from-prices, translated at the ECB reference rate. The booking step shows what you pay exactly.
Both places fit in a day if you choose an order and respect three clocks: the museum's, the shrine's and the tide's. Here is the route leg by leg and what to drop when time runs out.
Editorial team, hiroshimadaytour.com · Updated November 6, 2026 · Allow 6 min
Quick look
- The island legHiroshima Station to Miyajimaguchi is about 28 minutes by train, then about 10 minutes by ferry.1,2
- The city legA streetcar from the station to the Dome area takes about 25 minutes.3
- The tideAt high tide the shrine and gate look afloat, and at low tide you can walk up to the gate.4
- The clocksThe shrine closes at 6:00 p.m. in summer, and the Great Torii ferries stop at 4:10 p.m.5,6
- The private versionOur private 8-hour day lets you choose the stops, from $200.
Park first or island first
The route has only two sensible orders, and they differ in what you do while you are freshest. Starting in the city puts the museum first, a place that asks for attention and quiet. A private listing built that way begins with the museum for 1 hour, then the Cenotaph, the Flame of Peace and the Atomic Bomb Dome for 15 minutes, and only then takes a 35-minute train and a 10-minute ferry to Miyajima.
Starting on the island reverses the mood. A small-group listing takes a 27-minute train and a 10-minute ferry to Miyajima first, gives the torii 15 minutes, the shrine 40 minutes and the shopping street 50 minutes, then rides a 45-minute tram back to the Dome for 15 minutes, the park for 30 minutes and the museum for 1 hour. That order ends on the heaviest stop, which suits some travelers and not others.
The tide can settle the question. The Miyajima Tourist Association tide page shows, for any day, the hours when you can walk down to the Great Torii and the hours when the shrine looks as if floating on the sea.7,8 Pick the order that puts you on the island at the tide you prefer, and fix the other half of the day around it. The same logic serves a day trip from Osaka to Hiroshima and Miyajima, because the legs after the arrival at Hiroshima Station do not change.
Two orders
Park first against island first
| Order | Opens with | Ends with | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park first | The museum for 1 hour | Miyajima by train and ferry | Shrine hours close at 6:00 p.m. in summer5 |
| Island first | The torii for 15 minutes | The museum for 1 hour | The museum closes at 7:00pm for much of the year16 |
| Coach order | The Dome for 20 minutes | Miyajima free time for 40 minutes | Lunch only with notice for vegetarian meals |
The listings fix their own orders; on your own you can pick either, and the tide page decides which suits your date.
The city leg: Dome, park and museum
From Hiroshima Station a streetcar to the Genbaku Dome-mae stop takes about 20 to 25 minutes, and the fare is 240 yen for an adult.3,9 The Dome stood almost directly below the hypocenter of the blast on the morning of August 6, 1945, and it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in December 1996.10,11,12 The listings give it from 15 to 20 minutes on a tour clock.
The Peace Memorial Park gets 35 minutes on the big Viator coach day and 40 minutes on a rival, while the museum gets 60 minutes on both. The museum's own audio guide runs about 70 minutes in total, so a coach clock is a compressed visit.13 Adults pay 200 yen, large bags are not allowed in and the lockers are on the 1st floor of the East Building.14,15
The museum is open 7:30am to 7:00pm from March to July and September to November, 7:30am to 8:00pm in August and 7:30am to 6:00pm from December to February.16,17,18 If you plan to enter in the extended hours, a prior online reservation is needed.19 An early start in the city leaves the rest of the day for the island.
Stop lengths on our private listing
How long each choice of stop runs, in minutes
- Miyajima60
- Itsukushima Shrine60
- Peace Memorial Park90
- Hiroshima Castle90
- Shukkeien garden90
- Hillside cafe house90
The private listing gives these stop lengths and no fixed order, so you choose which to keep.
The crossing: train, ferry and tide
The train from Hiroshima Station to Miyajimaguchi takes about 28 minutes, and the ferry takes about 10 minutes.1,2 Two companies run the boats, the JR ferry and Miyajima Matsudai Kisen.21 The JR ferry sails at 10, 25, 40 and 55 minutes past the hour through the morning, and the Great Torii ferries, which take you closest to the gate, run from 9:10 a.m. to 4:10 p.m.22,6
On the Great Torii ferry the view of the gate is on the right side when facing forward.20 JR West also notes that a restoration project is underway for the Great Torii, so check what you will see before you plan photographs around it.23 The island charges a visitor tax of 100 yen when you enter it, separately from the fare, and the JR ferry accepts IC cards.24,25
Back to the tide: at high tide the shrine and the Otorii appear to float, while at low tide the foundation and mud flats are exposed and you can walk up to the gate.4 Neither is better, only different, and the tide page lets you pick the one you want for your date. The ferry also runs directly from the Hiroshima Peace Park to Miyajima in 45 minutes, which is worth knowing if you end the city leg near the river.26
A short chooser
Fix the order of your day
Start from the tide for your date and the time you can be at the station.
If The tide page shows low tide in the afternoon
Park first, island later
At low tide you can walk up to the gate.4
If I want the torii before the crowds arrive
Island first
The Great Torii ferries start at 9:10 a.m.6
If I only have until the museum closes at 6:00pm
Park first, then the island
The museum closes at 6:00pm from December to February.18
If I am short of time
Cut the castle and the garden
The private listing gives the castle and the garden 90 minutes each.
If I want to decide on the day
A private guide
The private listing lets you pick your stops.
Three ways to order the day
City first, island first or the coach order
Torii early
Island first
Small group
- Opens27-minute train, 10-minute ferry
- ThenTram 45 minutes
- ChildrenUnder 6 free
Your route
Our private day
You choose the order
- Length8 hours
- GroupPrivate, up to 10
- CancelFree until 24 hours before
On Miyajima: shrine, gate and the walk
From the passenger terminal it is about a 10-minute walk to the shrine.30 Admission to Itsukushima Shrine is 300 yen for adults, and a combined ticket with the Treasure Hall costs 500 yen, sold only at the shrine entrance.28,31 The shrine is open 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from 1 March to 14 October and until 5:30 p.m. from 15 October to 30 November.5,32 The corridors have gaps between floorboards, and high heels may get stuck.29
Tours allot different times to the shrine: 25 minutes on a private listing, 40 minutes on a small-group listing, 50 minutes on the big Viator coach day and 1 hour on a rival coach day. Pick the time that suits how much you want to read and photograph, because the shrine is a walk over boardwalks rather than a single viewpoint. The Daisho-in temple is a 30-minute walk from the pier.33
Lunch is part of the route too. Hiroshima's oyster season runs from October through May, with the peak for fresh shipments between November and March, and a growing number of restaurants serve oysters in okonomiyaki.34,35 The rival coach day gives lunch 50 minutes and the other coach day 50 minutes for the lunch option. If you are on your own, lunch is the easiest block to shorten.
A listed route in order
Island first: one small-group listing, stop by stop
27 minutes
Train to the coast
The listing starts at Hiroshima Station with a 27-minute train.
10 minutes
The ferry
A 10-minute ferry brings the group to Miyajima.
15 minutes
The torii
The Floating Torii Gate gets 15 minutes, and the shrine gets 40 minutes.
50 minutes
The shopping street
The listing gives the shopping street 50 minutes for a break and food.
45 minutes
Tram to the city
A 10-minute ferry and a 45-minute tram return the group to the city.
1 hour
The Dome, park and museum
The Dome gets 15 minutes, the park 30 minutes and the museum 1 hour.
What to cut, and the last boat home
Cut in this order. Hiroshima Castle goes first, since our private listing says its main keep has been closed since March 2026 and the grounds are what remains open. The Shukkeien garden is next, because the same listing gives it 90 minutes. Daisho-in and the ropeway come after, and a combined ferry and ropeway ticket costs 2,100 yen per adult.36
Protect the two anchors, the museum and the shrine. The shrine's hours and the boats govern the island half of the day: the Great Torii ferries stop at 4:10 p.m., and the regular timetable has a last boat from Miyajima at 22:14 and a first at 5:45.6,27
Finally, remember the way home. A small-group listing tells Shinkansen travelers to book tickets after 16:30, which shows how late its day runs. If your own day runs the full length of the shrine's hours, a train back to Osaka or Kyoto is a separate deadline, and it is the one to fix first.
Video
A day trip to Hiroshima and Miyajima
Julia Mellor T on YouTube · Until you tap play, no video is loaded.
Enjoy the breathtaking view on the right side when facing the forward direction.
Before you go
A checklist for the two-place day
Plan3
Carry3
Seasons and the best week for this route
The route works in every season, but the season changes the mood and the clocks. JNTO notes that spring brings cherry blossoms and hundreds of thousands of tulips and roses to Hiroshima, and that autumn leaves blanket the country between late September and early December.37,38 Winter brings many sunny days and blue skies, though the shrine closes at 5:00 p.m. in December and the museum at 6:00pm.39,32,18
Some dates need a different plan. In winter thousands take the ferry to Miyajima at New Year, and the shrine keeps its own New Year hours.40,41 August and September may bring typhoons that can thwart travel plans, so keep a flexible day in your schedule during those months.42 The August 6 memorial event at the Peace Park starts in the morning and ends with a river filled with glowing paper lanterns, and it has its own page on this site.43
A private day absorbs these changes better than a fixed clock, and that includes a day trip from Kyoto to Hiroshima and Miyajima with a late return train. The listing says you choose your stops from a list, and our newest reviews describe a guide who waited an hour for a delayed cruise group and rebuilt the itinerary around the sites they wanted. Whatever the season, set the order by the tide page and the closing times, and leave a margin at the end.
FAQ
Fast, clear answers, short.
Does a day cover both Hiroshima and Miyajima?
Should you do Hiroshima or Miyajima first?
How long do you need on Miyajima?
Listings allot 25 to 60 minutes to the shrine.
Tours give it 25, 40, 50 or 60 minutes.
What time is the last ferry from Miyajima?
How long should you give the museum?
A tour allots 60 minutes.
The museum's audio guide alone runs about 70 minutes.13
Is the Hiroshima and Miyajima day trip good with a private guide?
It suits groups that want to choose.
The private listing lets you pick your stops and caps the group at 10.
What does the Miyajima visitor tax cost?
100 yen.
It is charged separately when you enter the island.24
Sources
- West Japan Railway Miyajima Ferry · Access Information ↩
- West Japan Railway Miyajima Ferry · Route Information ↩
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum · Access ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization · Itsukushima-jinja Shrine ↩
- Itsukushima Shrine · Admission ↩
- West Japan Railway Miyajima Ferry · Route Information ↩
- Miyajima Tourist Association · Tide Info ↩
- Miyajima Tourist Association · Tide Info ↩
- Hiroshima Electric Railway · Streetcar Fares ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization · Hiroshima Peace Memorial (UNESCO) ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization · Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Dome ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization · Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Dome ↩
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum · Guide Services ↩
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum · Hours and Admission ↩
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum · Hours and Admission ↩
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum · Hours and Admission ↩
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum · Hours and Admission ↩
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum · Hours and Admission ↩
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum · Hours and Admission ↩
- West Japan Railway Miyajima Ferry · Route Information ↩
- Miyajima Tourist Association · Access ↩
- West Japan Railway Miyajima Ferry · Time Schedule ↩
- West Japan Railway Miyajima Ferry · Route Information ↩
- West Japan Railway Miyajima Ferry · Fares ↩
- West Japan Railway Miyajima Ferry · JR West Miyajima Ferry ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization · Mt. Misen Trekking and Miyajima ↩
- West Japan Railway Miyajima Ferry · Time Schedule ↩
- Itsukushima Shrine · Admission ↩
- Itsukushima Shrine · Route ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization · Itsukushima-jinja Shrine ↩
- Itsukushima Shrine · Admission ↩
- Itsukushima Shrine · Admission ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization · Mt. Misen Trekking and Miyajima ↩
- Cabinet Office, Government of Japan (Highlighting Japan) · Plump and Rich Hiroshima Oysters ↩
- Cabinet Office, Government of Japan (Highlighting Japan) · Plump and Rich Hiroshima Oysters ↩
- Miyajima Matsudai Kisen · Introduction of special tickets ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization · Hiroshima (Travel Japan) ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization · Weather in Japan (Travel Japan) ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization · Weather in Japan (Travel Japan) ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization · Hiroshima (Travel Japan) ↩
- Itsukushima Shrine · Admission ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization · Weather in Japan (Travel Japan) ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization · Hiroshima (Travel Japan) ↩