Is the Hakone Free Pass Worth It? Prices and What It Covers - Japan Travel Sights

The Hakone Free Pass（箱根フリーパス）is the ticket almost every guide tells you to buy before going to Hakone (箱根). It is genuinely good value for one kind of trip and a waste of money for another, and the difference comes down to whether you intend to ride the loop or just soak in an onsen.

This guide covers what the pass actually includes, what it costs from each starting station, the two conditions that catch visitors out, and how to tell in advance which side of the line your trip falls on.

Quick facts

What the pass actually covers

Inside Hakone the pass is a genuine free ride on eight services, which between them make up the famous circuit around the caldera:

• Hakone Tozan Railway, the mountain train with its switchbacks
• Hakone Tozan Cable Car
• Hakone Ropeway
• Hakone Sightseeing Cruise, the pirate ships on Lake Ashi
• Hakone Tozan Bus, within the designated area
• The Hakone sightseeing facility bus
• Odakyu Hakone Highway Bus
• Tokai Bus, within the designated area

That is the point of the pass. The standard Hakone day is a loop — train up to Gora, cable car, ropeway over the volcanic valley at Owakudani, pirate ship across Lake Ashi, bus back — and each of those legs is a separate ticket if you pay as you go.

The two conditions that catch people out

The Odakyu line is one return trip, not unlimited. From Shinjuku the pass gives you a single round trip to Odawara. It is not a commuter pass for hopping in and out of Tokyo during your stay.

The Romancecar is extra. Odakyu’s reserved limited express is the comfortable way to reach Hakone from Shinjuku, and the pass does not include the limited express supplement. If you want that train, you buy the supplement on top of the pass. The ordinary express trains are covered, and they are slower and busier.

One more exclusion worth knowing: the pass is not valid on the scheduled sightseeing coaches, only on the ordinary services listed above.

The buses are covered only inside the designated area. Hakone Tozan Bus and Tokai Bus are free rides within the zone Odakyu sets out, not across the whole region, so a trip that runs out towards Gotemba or down the coast can take you beyond the pass without warning. If your hotel is outside the usual circuit, check that its nearest stop sits inside the zone before you rely on the pass to get there in the evening.

When it is worth it, and when it is not

Where to buy it

You have more options than the queue at Shinjuku suggests. The pass is sold at ticket machines and counters at Odakyu stations, at the Odakyu Travel Service Centre, at stations around Hakone including Gotemba and Mishima, at Seven-Eleven stores through their ticket service, and digitally through the EMot app and the EMot online ticket site.

The digital version is the practical choice for visitors: you buy it before you travel and show your phone at the gates, which avoids the morning queue at the Shinjuku counter. Note that the start-station price applies, so buy the version that matches where you will actually begin.

Before you go

• Decide your start station first. The Shinjuku pass costs 7,100 JPY for two days; from Odawara or Hakone-Yumoto the same pass is 6,000 JPY, and from Machida 6,820 JPY.
• Two days is usually enough for the loop and a museum; the three-day version adds 400 JPY if you want a slower pace.
• Check the ropeway before you set out. It is the leg most often suspended for volcanic activity or wind, and the bus substitution changes the shape of the day.
• Carry the pass, not just the app screenshot. The discounts at participating spots are given on presentation of the valid pass.
• Children’s prices are low. A child’s two-day pass from Shinjuku is 1,600 JPY, so families gain more than couples do.

What to combine it with

The loop passes the volcanic valley at Owakudani, and our guide to Owakudani explains what you can see there and when it closes. Lake Ashi is also where the lakeside shrine stands, covered in our guide to Hakone Shrine and Kuzuryu Shrine.

For the rest of the area, including the open-air museums and the old checkpoint, start with our Hakone travel guide.

FAQ

Does the Hakone Free Pass include the Romancecar?

No. The pass covers the ordinary Odakyu trains for one return trip, and the Romancecar needs a separate limited express ticket on top.

Is it worth buying for one day?

There is no one-day version. The shortest is two days, so a single-day visitor doing the full loop should compare the two-day price against the individual fares for the legs they will actually ride.

Can I buy it after I arrive in Hakone?

Yes. Passes are sold at stations around Hakone, including Hakone-Yumoto, Gotemba and Mishima, at the lower local price that excludes the trip from Tokyo.

In short: if your Hakone day is the circuit, buy the pass and start from the station that matches your route. If it is a quiet night in an onsen town, keep the money and pay as you go.

Last updated: October 2026. Prices, coverage and operating conditions change, and the official information is published in Japanese. We check each figure against Odakyu, but please confirm before you buy.