How To Navigate Kanazawa Fuss Free

Every single time we decided on a new city in Japan, the transport options overwhelmed us

Which is why we’ve created this series, helping you figure out the best and easiest way to see the top sites in each city

Heading to Kanazawa soon and not sure how to squeeze it all in?

Don’t worry, we’ve got a travel hack that makes it way easier for first-time visitors to Japan.

But first, here’s a list of Kanazawa’s top spots in order of close proximity:

KANAZAWA STATION – Start here so you can hop on the Kanazawa Loop Bus (more on this soon) and see all the major sites

KENROKU-EN GARDEN – First stop! It’s 15 mins by Loop Bus to one of Japan’s most beautiful gardens

KANAZAWA CASTLE – Walk 5 mins further to the castle. The grounds are massive!

HIGASHI CHAYA DISTRICT – Jump back on the Loop Bus for a 10 min ride to the Geisha district. So many cute streets & gold leaf ice cream

GEISHA HOUSE SHIMA - a 3 minute walk brings you here, a historic geisha house turned museum. Take a peek inside

OMICHI MARKET – Walk 10 mins further to here - foodie HEAVEN! Stacks of fresh seafood and street eats from 9-5pm (no dinner)

NAGA-MACHI DISTRICT – A 15 min walk from the market (or a short Loop Bus ride) and you’ll hit the samurai district

TERA-MACHI TEMPLE AREA – Back on the Loop Bus for 10 mins and you’ll find 70 temples all close together

NINJA TEMPLE - Take the Loop Bus 10 mins further to this temple full of trap doors & hidden rooms

NISHI CHAYA DISTRICT – It’s a 5 min walk to here, much smaller and quieter than Higashi

SHIRAKAWAGO – Time for a day trip? You HAVE to take a bus (about 1 hour 15 minutes) from Kanazawa Station to our favorite UNESCO-listed village. Unmissable in our opinion

Pro tip: You can walk most of this or catch The Loop Bus. It stops at all the top sites. Single trips - ¥200, an unlimited day pass - ¥800

This list is ideally done over 2-3 days. BUT if you’re short on time, head straight for the Loop Bus and stop in at 3-4 of your bucket list spots.

And if you're heading to Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, check out our top tips on how to navigate these locations!