Kenrokuen Garden / Oilstreet · CC BY 2.5
ITINERARY
Kanazawa in 2 Days: Omicho Market to the Higashi Chaya District7 stops, in the order with the least travel time
Kanazawa's main sights sit within about 2 km of each other, so it's an easy city to explore on foot. Get the order right and that's all it takes to see it efficiently.
Planned and checked by Waka Travel (Japan) ·
- Trip
- 2 days, 1 night
- Stops
- 7
- Total travel
- 2 h 1 mintrain & bus
- Stay
- Korinbo areaWhere to stay ↓
Saves 34 min of travel compared with the obvious order(2 h 35 min → 2 h 1 min)
Assumes you arrive at Kanazawa Station at 11:00 on day 1 and are back at Kanazawa Station by 16:30 on the last day (a typical schedule when coming from the Tokyo area).
Myoryu-ji (the "Ninja Temple") can only be visited with a reservation made by phone (visits until around 16:00).
Route and arrival times
All times are Japan time (JST), in 24-hour format.
Day 111:00–15:44 · travel 44 min
- 11:00Kanazawa Station 金沢駅Depart
- ↓ Travel 17 min
- 11:17Omicho Market 近江町市場1 h
- 12:17Lunch 1 h
- ↓ Travel 14 min
- 13:31Kanazawa Castle Park 金沢城公園1 h
- ↓ Travel 7 min
- 14:38Oyama Shrine 尾山神社1 h
- ↓ Travel 6 min
- 15:44Korinbo area 香林坊周辺Stay here tonight
Day 209:00–16:02 · travel 1 h 17 min
- 09:00Korinbo area 香林坊周辺Leave your hotel
- ↓ Travel 4 min
- 09:04Nagamachi Samurai District 武家屋敷跡45 min
- ↓ Travel 14 min
- 10:0321st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa 金沢21世紀美術館2 h
- 12:03Lunch 1 h
- ↓ Travel 8 min
- 13:11Kenrokuen Garden 兼六園1 h
- ↓ Travel 23 min
- 14:34Higashi Chaya District ひがし茶屋街1 h
- ↓ Travel 27 min
- 16:02Kanazawa Station 金沢駅Arrive
Travel times are estimates based on straight-line distance. They don't include transfers, timetables or opening hours (how far off they can be).
Where to stay
Night 1: Korinbo area. An area with plenty of hotels, close to the first stop the next morning.
Visiting different places? Where to stay (general guide)
General guidance, not calculated by this site.
| If you're mainly visiting | Area to stay |
|---|---|
| Kenrokuen, 21st Century Museum (center) | Korinbo / Katamachi 香林坊・片町 |
| Higashi Chaya District (east) | Hashiba-cho / Kazuemachi 橋場町・主計町 |
| Arriving or leaving by shinkansen | Around Kanazawa Station 金沢駅周辺 |
| Going to the morning market | Around Omicho Market 近江町市場周辺 |
We don't link to hotel booking sites on English pages yet. Search for the area name on the booking site you use.
If you have time
- Nishi Chaya District にし茶屋街
- Myoryu-ji (Ninja-dera) 妙立寺
- Kazuemachi Chaya District 主計町茶屋街
- Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art 石川県立美術館
Left out to keep each day manageable.
Why this order
4 notes
- 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa: planned for around 10:00 (this itinerary arrives at 10:03). The exhibition zone opens at 10:00.
- Day 1 goes from Kanazawa Station through Omicho Market to Kanazawa Castle Park and Oyama Shrine. Day 2 starts on the Katamachi side, where you stay, at the Nagamachi Samurai District, then takes in the 21st Century Museum and Kenrokuen Garden, and finishes with a stop in the Higashi Chaya District before heading back to Kanazawa Station.
- On the last day you finish at Higashi Chaya District and get back to Kanazawa Station in 27 min (arriving 16:02).
- Night 1: Korinbo area. It's 6 min from Oyama Shrine, the last stop of the day, and 4 min to Nagamachi Samurai District, the first stop the next morning. There are plenty of hotels in the area.
FAQ
Can you see these 7 classic Kanazawa sights in 2 days?
Yes. In this order, even the longest day ends around 16:02, and travel adds up to 2 h 1 min over 2 days (travel times are estimates based on straight-line distance).
Where is the most convenient area to stay in Kanazawa?
Where you stay on this itinerary: Korinbo area. It sits between the last stop of one day and the first stop of the next, and there are plenty of hotels in the area.
Kenrokuen or Kanazawa Castle first?
This itinerary visits Kanazawa Castle Park on day 1 and Kenrokuen Garden on day 2. The two meet in front of the Ishikawa Gate, so you can walk straight from one to the other, and if you have time you can easily do both on the same day.
Can I walk around Kanazawa, or do I need the bus?
The main sights are all within a radius of about 2 km, so Kanazawa is an easy city to get around on foot. The travel times on this page are estimates based on straight-line distance.
Can I visit Myoryu-ji (Ninja Temple) without a reservation?
No. Visits are by reservation only, made by phone, and run until around 16:00. It isn't part of this itinerary; it's listed under "If you have time".