Hiroshima広島県

Places to seeWhere to go in Hiroshima

Start with the first of these. Each is worth half a day.

Itsukushima Shrine厳島神社

A shrine and a great gate standing in the sea on Miyajima island.

A full day

MAP

Peace Memorial Park平和記念公園

The park and museum where the bomb fell, and the building kept as it was found.

Half a day

MAP

Onomichi尾道

A hillside town of temples, cats and narrow stairways, looking out over the inland sea.

Half a day

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Shimanami Kaidoしまなみ海道

A cycling route over six islands and their bridges, from Honshu to Shikoku. Bikes are hired at either end.

A full day

MAP

Okonomi-muraお好み村

Three floors of one building, each floor lined with counters, and every one of them makes Hiroshima okonomiyaki. Pick a counter and sit at the hot plate.

2 hours

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Tomonoura鞆の浦

A small port that kept its stone jetty, lanterns and warehouses. Used as a location by film-makers.

Half a day

MAP

Hiroshima Castle広島城

A rebuilt keep in a park with a moat, ten minutes from the Peace Park.

2 hours

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What Hiroshima is

One is a shrine gate standing in the sea. The other is a park in the middle of the city.

On the island of Miyajima, the great gate of Itsukushima Shrine stands in the water at high tide and on wet sand at low tide. You can walk out to it when the sea has gone. Deer wander the streets of the village. It is a ten-minute ferry, and it is worth staying until the day trippers have gone.

When to comeThe same place, four different places

Pick the season first and the days will arrange themselves.

March – May

Cherry blossom on Miyajima in early April, with the deer under the trees. The best season here.

June – August

Wet in June, then hot. The 6th of August is the anniversary, and the city is full.

September – November

Autumn colour in Momijidani on Miyajima in November. Clear air over the sea.

December – February

Cold but rarely snowy. Oysters are in season, grilled at stalls on the island.

Find it fastEverything in Hiroshima