Chugoku
Hiroshima
Give the Peace Memorial Park a full, unhurried day and Miyajima's floating torii a second, sleep near the station or the park, ride the flat-fare tram, and slot it in as a two-night stop on the Kyoto-Hiroshima leg.
Best length
1-2 nights as a Golden Route stop
Airport
Hiroshima (HIJ), ~50 min east by limousine bus
From Kyoto
Nozomi bullet train ~1h40, about ¥11,940 (~£56)
Best base
Hiroshima Station for trains; Peace Park for sights
In short
Hiroshima at a glance
Hiroshima earns one full day for the Peace Memorial Park and museum and a second day for Miyajima and its floating torii. Stay near Hiroshima Station for bullet-train arrivals or near Peace Park to be walking distance from the sights, use the flat-fare tram rather than taxis, and treat the city as a two-night stop on a Kyoto-Hiroshima leg rather than a rushed day trip.
The short version
- Give the Peace Memorial Museum unhurried time in the morning before the school and tour groups peak; it is not a tick-box stop.
- Miyajima is the second reason to come: ride the JR ferry, see the Itsukushima torii, and stay past the day-trip crowds if you can.
- Stay near Hiroshima Station if you are arriving by Shinkansen, or by Peace Park if you want sights on your doorstep.
- The Hiroden tram is the city's spine at a flat ¥240 (about £1.10) a ride; a tram-and-ferry day pass pays off on a Miyajima day.
- Two nights is the sweet spot: one Peace Park day, one Miyajima day, with okonomiyaki and Shukkeien filling the gaps.
Most people come to Hiroshima for one reason — the Peace Memorial Park — and that is exactly how to plan it: give the museum a slow, undistracted morning before the school and coach groups arrive, then walk the open ground between the skeletal A-Bomb Dome, the Cenotaph and the Children’s Peace Monument as a single loop rather than scattered stops. It is sombre, well-told and worth the time it asks; entry to the museum is only about ¥200 (~£0.95), so the cost is your attention, not your wallet.
The mistake is treating the city as a half-day in and out. The second reason to come is Miyajima, the island in the Inland Sea where the Itsukushima Shrine sits over the water and its great vermillion torii appears to float at high tide. The JR ferry from Miyajimaguchi is about ¥200 (£0.95) each way and the shrine around ¥300 (£1.40); time your crossing for the tide rather than the clock. That is why two nights beats one — one Peace Park day, one Miyajima day, with okonomiyaki in the Nagarekawa back-streets and an hour at Shukkeien garden filling the gaps.
Getting around is simple: the Hiroden streetcar is the city’s spine at a flat ¥240 (~£1.10) a ride, linking the station, Peace Park and the ferry without a taxi in sight, and a tram-and-ferry day pass earns its keep on a Miyajima day. Below, the structured planning — where to stay, real costs in pounds, and how the bullet-train legs from Kyoto and Tokyo slot together — picks up from here.
Plan your Hiroshima trip
Keep a first trip focused: book the big timed sights, then leave room for neighbourhoods and food.
Top things to do in Hiroshima
Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Atomic Bomb Dome)
The Atomic Bomb Dome and the surrounding Peace Memorial Park are free and open all day; only the Peace Memorial Museum charges, and it is just ¥200 (about £0.95) for adults. Take a Hiroden tram from Hiroshima Station to the Genbaku Dome-mae stop, walk the Dome, the Cenotaph and the Children's Peace Monument first, then go through the museum. Give it a half day, go in the morning before the school and coach groups peak, and treat the museum as the emotionally heavy core rather than a tick-box photo stop.
Peace Memorial Museum
For most visitors this museum is the reason to come to Hiroshima, and it deserves a slow, undistracted morning rather than a rushed walk-through. It documents the 1945 atomic bombing through personal belongings, photographs and testimony, set within the Peace Memorial Park. Entry is a token amount. Go early, before the school and coach groups arrive.
Where to stay first
The areas that make a first visit easier — not an exhaustive directory.
Hiroshima Station (Ekimae)
££ mid-rangeThe easiest base if you are arriving and leaving by bullet train: hotels are above and beside the station, the airport limousine bus stops here, and trams to Peace Park and the Miyajima ferry leave from the door. Less atmospheric, but it saves luggage hassle on a short stop.
Best for: Shinkansen arrivals, short stays, day-trippers
Peace Park / Kamiya-cho
££ mid-rangeCentral and walkable, putting the museum, the Dome and the riverside parks on your doorstep and the Hondori shopping arcade a few minutes away. The best choice if you want to wander out for okonomiyaki in the evening rather than ride a tram.
Best for: First-timers, walkers, evening dining
Hondori and Nagarekawa
££ mid-rangeThe covered Hondori arcade and the Nagarekawa nightlife streets behind it are the city's eating and drinking core, stacked with second-floor okonomiyaki joints. Good for a lively night, noisier for sleep.
Best for: Food, nightlife, central buzz
Miyajima (overnight)
£££ premiumStaying on the island is the way to have the shrine and torii almost to yourself after the last day-boats leave and before the first arrive. Ryokan and inns here are a treat, but pricier and a logistical detour on a tight trip.
Best for: Slow travel, ryokan stays, torii at dawn
Airport to city centre
| Option | Time | Cost | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limousine bus to Hiroshima Station / Bus Center | ~50 min | about ¥1,370 (~£6.40) | Simplest option, runs every 20 min |
| Taxi from Hiroshima Airport (HIJ) | ~50-60 min | about ¥15,000-20,000 (~£70-93) | Only for late arrivals or groups |
| Nozomi bullet train from Kyoto | ~1h40 | about ¥11,940 (~£56) reserved | Most arrive this way on a Golden Route |
| Nozomi bullet train from Tokyo | ~4h | about ¥18,830 (~£88) ordinary | Book a seat; it is a long leg |
When to go
Sweet spot: Late March to early April for cherry blossom and late October to November for autumn colour are the standout windows, with mild walking weather either side. The 6 August Peace Memorial Ceremony is moving but busy, with crowds and hotel pressure across that week.
Summer is hot and humid and the Peace Park offers little shade; winter is quiet and cheap but the Inland Sea light is flatter. Spring blossom and autumn weeks fill hotels fast because they overlap with peak Golden Route demand, so book a Hiroshima night early if you are travelling then.
What it costs
There are no direct UK flights to Hiroshima; you fly into Tokyo or Osaka and reach the city by bullet train. UK return flights to Japan are often £600-£900 booked well ahead, more in spring blossom and autumn peaks.
Daily budget per person
Hiroshima is cheaper than Tokyo or Kyoto once you arrive: okonomiyaki is a £6-£9 dinner, the trams are flat-fare, and the headline sights cost pennies. The cost that matters is the bullet-train segment, so price your Kyoto-Hiroshima-onward legs before assuming a JR Pass is worth it.
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