Hiroshima Travel Guide - Japan Travel Sights

Hiroshima 広島 is a two-part trip, and both parts need a little preparation. The Peace Memorial Park 平和記念公園 is free and open, but the museum at its centre keeps unusual hours and reserves its quietest slot for people who book online. Miyajima 宮島, the island with the torii gate standing in the sea, now charges every visitor a small tax that is collected when you buy the ferry ticket — and almost no English guide mentions it. This page covers both, plus the practical detail you need before you go. Information here is current as of October 2026.

The Peace Memorial Museum: hours, price and the early slot

The park itself is open ground and costs nothing. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum 広島平和記念資料館 inside it is ticketed, and it is cheap enough that cost is never the reason to skip it.

Two things worth knowing. The 07:30–08:30 slot requires an online reservation — so does part of the evening — and that early hour is by far the quietest time to go through the permanent exhibition. And the museum has announced a temporary closure from 15 to 20 February 2027 for an exhibition changeover, so check before planning a February visit.

Allow more time than you think. Most visitors plan an hour and stay two. Our guide to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park covers what is in the park beyond the museum.

Miyajima charges a visitor tax

Since the Miyajima Visitor Tax 宮島訪問税 was introduced by Hatsukaichi 廿日市市 city, everyone arriving by boat pays 100 JPY per visit. It is a local tax, not a ferry surcharge, and it is collected for the city by the boat operators.

• You usually pay it without noticing. On the JR West Miyajima Ferry and the Miyajima Matsudai Kisen 宮島松大汽船, the automatic gates deduct the fare and the tax together.
• Package and travel-agency tickets vary. Some include the tax and some do not — if yours does not, you pay it at the operator’s staffed window. Check when you buy.
• There is an annual option of 500 JPY for a year, arranged in advance through the city, which only makes sense for repeat visitors.
• Exemptions exist for island residents, people commuting to work or school there, and certain pass holders, who show a city-issued certificate to the operator.

It is a small amount, but being asked for an unexplained extra at a ticket gate is a bad first five minutes on the island. Now you know what it is.

One more thing specific to Miyajima: check the tide times before you go. The famous torii stands in the water at high tide and on dry sand at low tide — both are worth seeing, but they are completely different photographs, and you cannot change your mind on the day. Our guide to Miyajima covers the island’s attractions and what to eat there.

Getting there and getting around

Hiroshima is on the Sanyo Shinkansen 山陽新幹線, which puts it between Osaka and Fukuoka on the main line west. For most itineraries that is how you arrive; Hiroshima Airport 広島空港 exists but is some way from the city.

Within the city, the streetcar 路面電車 is the thing to use. It reaches the Peace Memorial Park directly and is simpler than the buses. For Miyajima, you travel to the waterfront and cross by ferry — the island has no bridge.

Do you need a rental car? No. The streetcar and the ferry cover both halves of this guide, and a car is of no use on Miyajima itself.

What to see

• Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park 平和記念公園 — a journey through history and peace
• Miyajima 宮島 — the top attractions and the local food

The two fit one long day if you start early: the museum at opening, the park through late morning, then the ferry across in the afternoon so you are on the island as the day-trippers leave. If you have two days, split them — the park deserves an unhurried morning, and Miyajima is a different place once the last boats have taken the crowds away.

When to go

• Spring (late March–May). Blossom along the rivers in the park, and comfortable weather on the island’s walking trails.
• Summer (June–August). Hot and humid. Note that 6 August is the anniversary of the bombing: the park holds the Peace Memorial Ceremony, the museum opens later into the evening, and the city is at its busiest and most solemn. Visit with that in mind, or avoid the date if you want a quiet museum.
• Autumn (October–November). Our pick. Clear air, autumn colour on Miyajima, and the most pleasant month for the island’s trails.
• Winter (December–February). Quiet and cold, with shorter museum hours. Watch for the mid-February closure and the 30–31 December closing days.

Before you go

• Book the early museum slot if you want the exhibition without a crowd. It needs an online reservation.
• Carry cash. Smaller island shops and food stalls on Miyajima are not reliably card-friendly, and the visitor tax is simplest with a prepaid IC card at the gate.
• Check the tide before deciding which ferry to take.
• Deer roam freely on Miyajima. As in Nara, they will take paper and food from your hands — keep tickets and maps away.
• The museum is heavy going. Plan something gentle afterwards rather than another museum.

Where to stay

Staying in the city near the station or the park is the straightforward choice. Staying on Miyajima itself is the interesting one: the island empties in the evening, and the ryokan there are the reason to consider it. Our Where to Stay in Japan guide covers what to confirm before booking a Japanese inn.

Combine Hiroshima with

Hiroshima sits on the Sanyo Shinkansen between Osaka and Kyushu, which makes it the natural stop on that leg rather than a destination you double back to. From Osaka, Kyoto and Nara complete the Kansai side; eastwards lie Nagoya, Gifu, Nagano, Mount Fuji, Hakone and Tokyo. On the Japan Sea coast, Kanazawa. For warm water see Okinawa, and for snow Hokkaido or our Ski & Snow in Japan guide.

Last updated: October 2026. Admission prices, opening hours and the visitor tax are set by the museum and the city and can change — please confirm before you travel.