Hiroshima and Miyajima in a day: a timed route from 7:30am to dinner

Hiroshima and Miyajima fit into one day if you start early and let the museum come first. The route below runs from the Peace Memorial Museum at 7:30am to okonomiyaki in the evening, with each stop timed against the JR line, the ferry and the shrine's opening hours. It uses our Hiroshima travel guide and Miyajima travel guide for detail, and it is one leg of a wider Japan trip.

The plan works in most months, but tide and daylight change how it feels. In winter the museum and shrine close earlier, and in summer the walking is hot. If you have two nights, split the day: the city on one, the island on the next. Otherwise sleep in Hiroshima, and our guide to where to stay in Hiroshima shows which base saves the most time.

The order matters. The Peace Memorial Museum opens at 7:30am, and the first hour, which is open only to visitors with an online ticket, is the quietest. It is also emotionally heavy, so it works better before lunch than at the end of a long day. Miyajima is the lighter finish: a 25-minute JR ride, a 10-minute ferry and a shrine that is at its best when the day-trippers begin to leave.

Numbers on the map follow the order of the day. The main leg is between Hiroshima Station and Miyajimaguchi, and it runs on the JR Sanyo line, with ferries every 10–15 minutes during the day. The rest is on foot and by Hiroden streetcar.

7:00am to 10:00am: Peace Memorial Museum and Park

Take Hiroden line 2 or 6 from Hiroshima Station to Genbaku-Dome-mae. The ride takes about 15 minutes, and you arrive around 7:30am. The museum opens at 7:30am, and in December to February it closes at 6pm instead of 7pm. Adult entry is ¥200, and the 7:30am hour needs an online reservation. Allow 1.5–2 hours for the permanent exhibition.

Check the museum's official site for the current reservation slots before you go. After the museum, walk through the park: the Cenotaph for the Atomic Bomb Victims, the Children's Peace Monument, and the Atomic Bomb Dome on the river's east bank. The park is open and free, and the Dome is best seen from the river path. Allow another hour.

10:00am to 11:15am: JR line and ferry

Walk or take the streetcar back to Hiroshima Station, about 15–20 minutes. Take the JR Sanyo line toward Iwakuni to Miyajimaguchi, about 25 minutes, and follow the signs to the ferry pier, a short walk. The JR ferry crosses in about 10 minutes and sails every 10–15 minutes in the day, so you rarely wait long. You should arrive on the island around 11:15am.

The ferry fare page lists the current fares. The adult single is ¥180 on the JR ferry, plus the tax.

11:15am to 2:30pm: lunch, deer and the shrine

Walk the shopping street toward the shrine. Miyajima is known for grilled conger eel over rice, oysters in season (roughly November to March) and maple-leaf shaped momiji manju. Eat by about 12:30pm, before the busiest hour. The deer roam the town and feeding them is banned, so keep bags and paper out of reach.

Itsukushima Shrine charges ¥300 for adults, or ¥500 with the Treasure Hall. It opens at 6:30am, and closes at 6:00pm from March 1 to October 14, 5:30pm from October 15 to November 30, and 5:00pm in December. The shrine's admission page has the winter hours. The corridors have gaps between the floorboards for the tide, so avoid high heels.

2:30pm to 5:30pm: Mt Misen or the torii

If the sky is clear, take the ropeway from Momijidani. It runs in two stages and takes about 15 minutes to the station near the summit, then a short walk to the top. Check the hours and wind closures on the day. If you are tired, skip it and spend the afternoon on the shore instead, watching the tide change around the torii.

Plan the torii around the tide. It looks afloat at high tide, and you can walk out to it around low tide. The Miyajima Tourist Association tide table marks the hours when you can walk down to the gate. High and low tide are several hours apart, so a full day on the island often catches both.

5:30pm to 8:30pm: back to Hiroshima for dinner

Take the ferry back around 5:30–6:30pm and the JR train to Hiroshima Station. The last ferries run late, at about 10pm, so you do not need to rush. Eat okonomiyaki in the layered Hiroshima style, with noodles and cabbage, near Hondori or in the Okonomimura building. Streetcars take you back to the station in 10–15 minutes.

Where to sleep tonight

Sleep near Hiroshima Station or in Hondori. The station keeps the trains close for tomorrow, and Hondori puts dinner and the last streetcars on your doorstep.

The route above assumes a mid-day arrival, so check the tide table before you go. If it is high tide at noon, the torii and shrine appear to float, and you can walk the corridors with the water lapping under the boards. Do the shrine first, then lunch, then the ropeway.

If the tide is low, walk out to the torii across the sand first, before the water returns, then eat lunch and go up the mountain. High and low tide are several hours apart, so if you stay until late afternoon you often see both. For any date, look up the Miyajima Tourist Association tide table.

Entries, the ferry and the visitor tax come to under ¥1,000 for an adult: museum ¥200, shrine ¥300, return JR ferry ¥360 and tax ¥100. Add the JR fare to Miyajimaguchi and the streetcars. Food is the largest variable, and the shopping street sells both cheap snacks and sit-down conger eel meals. Budget $$ for the day.

Hiroshima Prefecture has charged an accommodation tax since 1 April 2026: ¥200 per person per night for rooms priced at ¥6,000 or more per person per night. It is worth knowing when you compare prices. The ropeway is extra, and it is optional.

Reserve a museum slot online if you plan to enter during the 7:30am hour. Carry some cash for shrine offices and small shops, since not every stall takes cards, and see our page on money in Japan for how IC cards work.

Two pages cover the basics: the best eSIM for Japan and travel insurance for Japan. For the trains, our JR Pass guide explains when a pass is worth it.

The route changes with the calendar. From March to November the museum and shrine keep long hours, so the plan above fits without trimming. In December to February, both close earlier, and you should drop the ropeway and leave the island by about 4pm. Oysters are a winter food, and the island is quieter then.

Some dates need extra care. Around 6 August, Hiroshima holds its Peace Memorial Ceremony, and the museum and park are busier than usual. Golden Week in early May and the autumn color season in November bring crowds to the ferry, so board early. Summer is hot and humid, and the rainy season runs through June, so bring water and a light rain layer. Typhoons in September can suspend the ferry, and our best time to visit Japan page explains the season by season risks.

It is enough to see the main sights, but not to enjoy both places slowly. The day involves about 8–10 km of walking, three transport changes and a heavy morning. If you have energy for only one long stop, keep the museum and the shrine, and drop Mt Misen.

Two nights are kinder. You could give the whole of day one to Hiroshima, including the museum, the Dome and a slow lunch, and go to Miyajima the next morning to see the shrine at opening time. In that case, book a hotel near Hondori or the station using our Hiroshima stay guide, and keep the return train for the afternoon.

A second night lets you slow down. Use it for Miyajima at dawn, when the shrine opens at 6:30am and the streets are empty, or for Iwakuni, a 40-minute ride away, where a five-arch wooden bridge crosses the Nishiki River. Art fans can add Naoshima by shinkansen to Okayama, then a local train and ferry.

If it rains, keep the museum and swap the ropeway for the covered shopping street and the shrine, which are still worth the trip. Check the best time to visit Japan for the rainy season and typhoon months.