繁中 Rail passes Plan a trip

旅

Day trips now

AutumnOct–Nov

Autumn leaves · Alpine and gorge close 30 Nov

Kurobe Gorge runs to 30 November, the Alpine Route to 30 November. Shirakawa-go and the Shinkansen trips run all year. Winter adds delays on the bus.

春夏秋冬

11 day trips · Shinkansen, bus and tour

Kanazawa · day trips

Day trips from Kanazawa金沢発日帰り旅行

Toyama, Kaga Onsen and Fukui are 18 to 35 minutes away by Shinkansen. Shirakawa-go is a reserved bus. Here is each trip with its time, fare, how long to allow and whether to go alone or on a tour.

Toyama 18–23 minShirakawa-go 1h 15m · ¥2,800Fukui 23–35 min

Checked 13 Oct 20267 min read

In brief

Kanazawa has eleven worthwhile day trips. The quick ones are on the Shinkansen: Toyama 18–23 minutes, Kaga Onsen about 18 minutes, Fukui 23–35 minutes. The one most people want, Shirakawa-go, is a reserved highway bus (1h 15m, ¥2,800 each way) with seats released one month ahead. In winter the Alpine Route is closed from December to mid-April and the Kurobe Gorge railway stops after 30 November. Noto is better as a night away than a day trip.

How to choose

Pick by what you want from the day. For thatched farmhouses, go to Shirakawa-go or the quieter Gokayama. For temples and cliffs, Fukui. For a second city with a great museum and sushi, Toyama. Times below start from Kanazawa Station and use the figures on the rest of this site; reserved Shinkansen fares are the standard-season price.

Most trips need no booking at all. The exceptions are the Shirakawa-go bus, the Alpine Route and the Kurobe Gorge railway, where seats or timed slots sell out in busy weeks.

From Kanazawa Station

All eleven day trips at a glance

Times are door to door from the station gate; fares are one way unless stated.

Destination	Time	Fare	Best season	Needs booking
Shirakawa-go	1h 15m by bus	¥2,800 each way	All year; January light-up is by reservation only	Yes, reserved seat
Gokayama	Shinkansen to Shin-Takaoka 13–14 min, then bus 1h 03m to Ainokura	Shinkansen fare, then ¥1,100 by bus (¥2,200 on the Kanazawa bus to Suganuma, April–November)	Winter light-ups, autumn	Bus seats partly reservable
Takayama	2h 15m by bus	¥4,200 one way	All year, delays in snow	Yes, reserved seat
Takaoka	Shinkansen 13–14 min, then 5 min by Jōhana Line	Less than the ¥2,860 unreserved fare to Toyama, plus a short local ride	Spring and 1 May festival	No
Himi and Amaharashi	Takaoka, then Himi Line about 15 min	Takaoka fare plus a local fare	November–March	No
Toyama city	18–23 min	¥3,390 reserved, ¥2,860 unreserved	All year; firefly squid March–May	No
Alpine Route	Full day: Shinkansen to Toyama, then the Chitetsu line and six vehicles	Tateyama to Murodō ¥4,090 one way, ¥7,380 return, plus the trains	Mid-April to 30 November (2026); closed December to mid-April	Yes for tours; route tickets for peak weeks
Kaga Onsen and Natadera	About 18 min	¥3,170 reserved	Autumn leaves; onsen all year	No
Eiheiji and dinosaur museum	Fukui 23–35 min, then 30 min by Eiheiji Liner	¥3,740 reserved, plus ¥1,000 bus	All year	Museum entry is timed
Tōjinbō and Awara Onsen	Awara-Onsen 23–28 min, then bus about 40 min	Less than ¥3,740, plus ¥790 bus	Winter waves, sunset	No
Noto and Wakura Onsen	About 1h by limited express	About ¥2,000 return by local train; the limited express costs more	Stay a night	Book the inn
Kurobe Gorge	35 min to Kurobe-Unazukionsen, then 26 min by Chitetsu	¥4,090 Hakutaka, ¥740 Chitetsu, ¥2,480 torokko to Keyakidaira	20 April–30 November (2026)	Yes, torokko seats

Fares and times are those on our destination pages, checked September to October 2026. Shinkansen fares are for reserved seats unless marked unreserved.

Thatched villages and the mountain road

Shirakawa-go, Gokayama and Takayama

No railway crosses these mountains. All three are reached by bus.

Shirakawa-go白川郷

Kanazawa Station West Exit, Bay 4 · 9 buses a day

The bus takes 1h 15m and costs ¥2,800 each way, with no return discount. A typical day leaves Kanazawa at 9:10, reaches the village at 10:35 and takes the 15:55 back (17:20 in Kanazawa). Allow 4 to 5 hours in the village. All seats are reserved and booking opens one month ahead.

DIY or tour? DIY is cheaper and simple when you can get a seat. A tour guarantees one when the bus is full and often adds Gokayama or Takayama. Shirakawa-go tour on Klook ↗ Shirakawa-go and Takayama tour ↗ Full Shirakawa-go guide · Kanazawa to Takayama by bus.

Time

1h 15m

Fare

¥2,800

Allow

4–5 hours

Book

Reserved

Gokayama五箇山

Ainokura and Suganuma · the quieter villages

Same UNESCO listing, a fraction of the visitors. Two ways in. The Kanazawa to Takayama bus stops at Suganuma for ¥2,200 on some trips, April to November only. Or ride the Shinkansen 13–14 minutes to Shin-Takaoka and take the World Heritage Bus: Ainokura 1h 03m, ¥1,100, departures at 8:25, 9:50, 11:10 and 13:35. Allow 2 to 3 hours in Ainokura.

DIY or tour? DIY works well; the connection is the only tricky part. The Klook tour below has a Gokayama course. Gokayama course on Klook ↗ Gokayama guide · Shirakawa-go or Gokayama?

Bus

¥1,100 from Shin-Takaoka

Direct

¥2,200 Apr–Nov

Allow

2–3 hours

Takayama高山

Via Shirakawa-go · 2h 15m by the same bus

The same bus continues to Takayama: 2h 15m, ¥4,200. Four and a half hours of bus makes it a poor day trip. Treat it as a one-way crossing with Shirakawa-go as the break, then sleep in Takayama. Book both legs when seats open one month ahead.

DIY or tour? DIY. Only the Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass covers this bus. Bus times and booking · Where to stay in Takayama.

Time

2h 15m

Fare

¥4,200

Better as

One-way crossing

Shinkansen east to Toyama Bay

Takaoka, Himi, Toyama and the Alpine Route

The Shinkansen reaches this side of Hokuriku in 13 to 23 minutes.

Takaoka高岡

Shin-Takaoka, then the Jōhana Line · about half a day

Shinkansen to Shin-Takaoka takes 13–14 minutes, then 5 minutes on the Jōhana Line to Takaoka. Zuiryū-ji, a National Treasure Zen temple, is 10 minutes on foot (¥500). Add the Great Buddha and the copperware lanes of Kanayamachi. Allow 3 to 4 hours.

DIY. No tour needed. Takaoka guide.

Time

13–14 min + 5

Allow

3–4 hours

Book

Himi and Amaharashi氷見・雨晴

Takaoka, then the Himi Line · winter for yellowtail and mountain views

The Himi Line runs from Takaoka past Amaharashi, a coast where the Tateyama range stands across the bay on clear days, to Himi and its fish market. It pairs with Takaoka in one day. Winter is best for buri (yellowtail) and clear air; the Himi Line takes about 15 minutes from Takaoka to Amaharashi.

DIY. Himi and Amaharashi guide.

Pair with

Takaoka

Best

Nov–Mar

Book

Toyama city and the Alpine Route富山・立山黒部

Toyama · 18–23 min · Alpine Route mid-April to 30 November

Toyama is 18–23 minutes from Kanazawa: ¥3,390 reserved, ¥2,860 unreserved. Allow a full day for the Glass Art Museum, Kansui Park, the tram out to Iwase and sushi at dinner. See Toyama city.

The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is a 12-hour day from Kanazawa and is open from mid-April to 30 November in 2026; it closes from December to mid-April. Tateyama to Murodō (2,450 m) is ¥4,090 one way, ¥7,380 return, plus the Shinkansen and the Toyama Chihō Railway to Tateyama. See Alpine Route tickets. DIY or tour? A tour handles timed tickets and the long return; the spring snow-wall one adds Zuiryū-ji. Alpine Route day tour ↗ Snow walls and Zuiryū-ji tour ↗ Alpine Route guide.

Toyama

18–23 min · ¥3,390

Alpine

Mid-Apr–30 Nov

Murodō

¥4,090 one way

Shinkansen west to Fukui

Kaga Onsen, Natadera, Eiheiji and Tōjinbō

Kaga Onsen is the first stop south of Kanazawa, then Awara-Onsen and Fukui.

Kaga Onsen and Natadera加賀温泉・那谷寺

Kaga-Onsen Station · about 18 min · ¥3,170 reserved

Kaga Onsen is a group of old hot-spring towns, Yamanaka, Yamashiro and Katayamazu, a short bus from Kaga-Onsen Station. The CAN BUS loop covers Yamanaka, Yamashiro and the cave temple Natadera (那谷寺) on a ¥1,300 day pass. Natadera is a temple built into a rock face and cave, and the Kaga area is at its best in autumn leaf season. See the Natadera guide and Hashitate shipowners' village. Allow 5 to 6 hours with a bath.

DIY. It suits a night in a ryokan better than a return trip. See the Kaga Onsen guide.

Time

About 18 min

Fare

¥3,170

CAN BUS

¥1,300 day pass

Eiheiji and the Dinosaur Museum永平寺・恐竜博物館

Fukui · 23–35 min · ¥3,740 reserved

From Fukui, the Eiheiji Liner takes 30 minutes (¥1,000 from 1 October 2026). Entry is ¥700, and drop-in zazen runs at 10:00, 13:30 and 15:30. The Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum is ¥1,000 with a timed entry and is closed the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays. It is 54 minutes by Echizen Railway to Katsuyama. Allow half a day for each.

DIY or tour? DIY is easy. The Klook tour does Eiheiji and Fukui castle town from Kanazawa with a guide. Eiheiji tour on Klook ↗ Dinosaur Museum ticket ↗ Eiheiji and the dinosaurs.

Time

23–35 min + 30

Eiheiji

¥700

Museum

¥1,000 timed

Tōjinbō and Awara Onsen東尋坊・あわら温泉

Awara-Onsen · 23–28 min · then bus about 40 min

Tōjinbō is a line of volcanic columns on the cliff edge, free and always open. From Awara-Onsen Station take the Keifuku bus 85 or 97, about 40 minutes, ¥790. The sightseeing boat is ¥2,000 and does not run on Wednesdays or from 29 December to 31 January. Stay for sunset, then soak at Awara Onsen on the way back (public bath ¥600). Allow 5 to 6 hours.

DIY by bus, or a taxi tour from Fukui covering Eiheiji, Tōjinbō and Maruoka Castle. Fukui taxi tour on Klook ↗ Tōjinbō guide · Awara Onsen.

Time

23–28 min + 40

Bus

¥790

Boat

¥2,000

North and east

Noto, Wakura Onsen and the Kurobe Gorge

One is best as a night away, the other is a seasonal ride.

Noto and Wakura Onsen能登・和倉温泉

Noto Kagaribi limited express · about 1h

The peninsula is still recovering from the January 2024 earthquake. Wakura Onsen, about 1 hour by limited express, had 11 of 19 inns open on 16 July 2026. Our Noto page advises a stay that supports the area, not a sightseeing day trip, and we agree: see Nanao and Wakura in an afternoon only if you must. The local train is about ¥2,000 return and the limited express costs more.

DIY. Book the inn first. Wajima and Suzu need a car and phone calls ahead.

Time

About 1h

Open

11 of 19 inns

Better as

Overnight

Kurobe Gorge黒部峡谷

Kurobe-Unazukionsen · 35 min · 20 April–30 November

Hakutaka to Kurobe-Unazukionsen takes 35 minutes (¥4,090), then the Chitetsu line 26 minutes (¥740) to Unazuki Onsen. The torokko open-air train runs to Keyakidaira for ¥2,480 one way. In 2026 it runs 20 April to 30 November and is closed through winter. Allow a full day, and book seats as autumn leaves peak late October to mid-November.

DIY. Kurobe Gorge guide has the booking steps.

Time

35 min + 26

Torokko

¥2,480

Season

To 30 Nov

Rail passes

Which pass pays for day trips

Short answer: the Hokuriku Area Pass, when you take two or more Shinkansen trips from one base.

Best for day trips

北

Hokuriku Area Pass

¥7,000 · 4 days

Unreserved Shinkansen cars from Tsuruga to Kurobe-Unazukionsen, plus the Himi, Jōhana and Nanao lines, the Echizen Railway and the Toyama trams. A Toyama return is ¥5,720 and a Fukui return ¥6,420 unreserved, so two trips already beat the pass. For foreign visitors only. Pass guide.

Book on Klook ↗

外

What it does not cover

Pay these as you go

The Shirakawa-go and Takayama buses, the Alpine Route, the Kurobe Gorge railway and Kagayaki trains. It also does not bring you to Hokuriku: Tokyo to Kanazawa is ¥14,600 on its own ticket.

Compare all passes →

周

Hokuriku Arch Pass

¥35,000 · 7 days

Worth it only when the same trip also runs between Tokyo and Osaka through Kanazawa. If you only want day trips, the Area Pass is cheaper.

Arch Pass guide →

Practical

Before you go

Five things that save a wasted day.

01
Book the Shirakawa-go bus the day it opens. Seats release one month ahead and peak dates in April–May, October–November and January sell out.
02
Stack Toyama-side trips. Takaoka, Himi and Shinminato fit in one day on the Hokuriku Area Pass.
03
Check the closing dates. The Alpine Route closes from December to mid-April and the Kurobe Gorge railway after 30 November. Eiheiji is open all year; the Dinosaur Museum closes the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays.
04
Send luggage ahead. Leave the big suitcase at your Kanazawa hotel and travel with a day bag. Kanazawa Station has coin lockers on both sides.
05
Allow for winter. Snow slows the Shirakawa-go bus. Do not plan a tight connection at Takayama between December and February.

Where to stay

Sleep by the station

The Shirakawa-go bus leaves from the West Exit and every Shinkansen day trip starts at the gates.

West Exit

Hyatt Centric Kanazawa

Opposite the Shinkansen exit · 2 min walk

Two minutes from the Shirakawa-go bus bay. The easy pick before a 9:10 departure.

Our notes →

Check rates ↗

Onsen

Dormy Inn Kanazawa Natural Hot Spring

2 min walk from the East Exit

A hot-spring bath on the top floor for tired legs after Fukui or Toyama.

Our notes →

Check rates ↗

Budget

Hotel Mystays Premier Kanazawa

By the station

Often the cheapest decent room beside the Shinkansen. Good for early starts and late returns.

Our notes →

Check rates ↗

See full Kanazawa hotels guide →

FAQ

Day trips from Kanazawa, answered

What are the best day trips from Kanazawa?

Shirakawa-go (1h 15m by bus, ¥2,800 each way), Toyama (18–23 minutes by Shinkansen), Eiheiji and the Dinosaur Museum in Fukui (23–35 minutes plus a bus), Kaga Onsen (about 18 minutes) and the Kurobe Gorge (35 minutes plus the gorge railway, April to November).

Can I visit Shirakawa-go as a day trip from Kanazawa?

Yes. The reserved highway bus takes 1h 15m and costs ¥2,800 each way. A common plan leaves at 9:10 and returns on the 15:55 bus, with about four hours in the village. Seats are released one month before travel and sell out in busy weeks.

Which day trips from Kanazawa work in winter?

Shirakawa-go, Toyama, Takaoka, Himi, Eiheiji, Tōjinbō and Awara Onsen all run through winter. The Alpine Route is closed from December to mid-April and the Kurobe Gorge railway after 30 November.

Is Noto a day trip from Kanazawa?

Not really. Wakura Onsen is about an hour by limited express, but the peninsula is still recovering from the January 2024 earthquake and only 11 of 19 Wakura inns had reopened by 16 July 2026. Stay a night and support the local inns instead.

Which rail pass is best for day trips from Kanazawa?

The Hokuriku Area Pass, ¥7,000 for 4 days. It pays for itself with two Shinkansen trips, for example Toyama (¥5,720 return) and Fukui (¥6,420 return) in unreserved cars. It does not cover the Shirakawa-go bus, the Alpine Route or the Kurobe Gorge railway.

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