Hiroshima city guide

Things To Do In Hiroshima

A city rebuilt around the Peace Memorial, with the A-Bomb Dome, layered okonomiyaki, and the floating torii gate of Miyajima island a short ferry away.

Where to stay What it costs

Hostels in the city

8.4

Average, from 8,815 reviews

1945

6 August

1996

The Dome joins UNESCO

1 h

To Miyajima

The city of peace

On 6 August 1945, Hiroshima became the first city destroyed by an atomic bomb. The ruin of the A-Bomb Dome has been left as a memorial, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, beside the Peace Memorial Park and Museum.

The city that was rebuilt around it is green, friendly and lively, known for its own style of okonomiyaki.

Miyajima, an island with a shrine whose great torii gate appears to float at high tide, is less than an hour away. Two days is right.

Where to stay

Most hostels are near the Peace Park and the covered Hondori shopping street, walkable to the main sights. Around Hiroshima Station, east of the centre, there are more hotels and direct trains to Miyajima and beyond.

Peace Park

First-timers

Near the museum and Hondori, walkable.

Hondori

Shopping

The covered street and bars nearby.

Hiroshima Station

Transport

Hotels and direct trains.

Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 8 top-rated hostels. Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Things to do

Things to do in Hiroshima

At 8.15am on 6 August 1945, the first atomic bomb used in war destroyed Hiroshima. The Peace Memorial Park, built over the old centre, is the city's heart.

The Peace Memorial Museum tells the story of that day and its aftermath through survivors' belongings and testimony; it is harrowing and essential, and costs ¥200. Allow two to three hours, and arrive early to avoid queues. The A-Bomb Dome, the ruined shell of a building almost directly below the blast, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the Children's Peace Monument, strings of paper cranes are left in memory of Sadako Sasaki.

Shukkeien, a landscaped garden, and Hiroshima Castle, rebuilt after the war, are a short walk away. The city's streetcars include some that survived the bomb.

Miyajima, under an hour away by train and ferry, is home to Itsukushima Shrine and its great torii gate, which appears to float at high tide; check the tide times. Deer roam the island, and a ropeway and trail lead up Mount Misen for views over the Inland Sea. Visitors pay a small island entry tax.

Free things

Free things to do in Hiroshima

The Peace Memorial Park, the A-Bomb Dome and the Children's Peace Monument are free. The Peace Memorial Museum costs only ¥200, one of the cheapest major museums in Japan.

Miyajima's streets and the view of the torii from the shore are free, apart from the island's small visitor tax.

Food and drink

Eating and drinking in Hiroshima

Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is layered rather than mixed: batter, cabbage, noodles, pork and egg, cooked on a hotplate in front of you. Okonomimura, a building of okonomiyaki stalls over several floors, is the place to try it.

Hiroshima is also famous for oysters, grilled on Miyajima, and momiji manju, maple-leaf cakes. A meal is €6 to €12.

Nightlife

Going out in Hiroshima

Hiroshima has a lively, friendly nightlife around Nagarekawa, the bar district east of Hondori, with izakaya and small bars.

A beer is €4 to €6.

Getting around

Getting around Hiroshima

Hiroshima Station has shinkansen to Osaka in about one and a half hours and to Fukuoka in about one hour. Hiroshima Airport is about 50 minutes away by bus.

Streetcars cover the centre and run to Miyajimaguchi, for the ferry, in about an hour; the JR train is faster, about 30 minutes. The ferry crosses to Miyajima in ten minutes.

Costs

What Hiroshima costs

Hiroshima is mid-priced. Dorms start around €18 and a careful day is €40 to €60.

The Peace Memorial Museum is ¥200, about €1.20. Miyajima's visitor tax is ¥100, and the Mount Misen ropeway several euros. An okonomiyaki is €6 to €10.

Since July 2026, the international tourist tax added to flights out of Japan is ¥3,000.

The currency is the yen (JPY); prices here are euro equivalents. Cards and IC cards work widely in cities, but carry cash: small restaurants, temples and rural places are often cash-only. Convenience store ATMs (7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart) take foreign cards.

Safety

Staying safe in Hiroshima

Hiroshima is very safe.

The Peace Park and museum are places of memory: be quiet and respectful. On Miyajima, feeding the deer is banned, and they snatch food and paper; keep bags closed.

Emergency: 110 police, 119 ambulance and fire.

Day trips from Hiroshima

The floating torii, a cycling route and the rabbit island.

Miyajima

Under 1 hour · Train and ferry

The floating torii and Mount Misen.

Onomichi

About 1 hour · Train

Temples, and the start of the Shimanami cycling route.

Okunoshima

About 2 hours · Train and ferry

The rabbit island, with a wartime history.

What's on

What is on while you are there

On 6 August, the city holds its Peace Memorial Ceremony.

Staff pick

20 December

Hiroshima Comike 265

Hiroshima Comike, also known as Hiro-Comi, is a beloved doujinshi convention in Hiroshima, Japan, where fans and creators gather to share self-published anime, manga,…

4 October

CLiP Hiroshima

Celebrate a decade of CLiP HIROSHIMA with a special anniversary event on October 4, 2026. The day includes an interactive RPG-style walk rally called…

17 October

Leo Ieiri

Leo Ieiri brings her powerful vocals and heartfelt songwriting to Hiroshima, performing the music that has made her one of Japan's most recognizable voices.…

24 Oct – 7 Nov

Cosmos Week

Over 2,100 cosmos plants transform the plaza beside the forest restaurant into a sea of autumn color at Hiroshima Botanical Garden. Pathways wind through…

24 Oct – 3 Nov

Autumn Green Fair

Hiroshima Botanical Garden hosts this seasonal autumn fair featuring activities and entertainment for visitors to enjoy while exploring the garden. The event takes place…

2 October

Six Lounge

SIX LOUNGE is a three-piece Japanese rock band formed in 2012 in Oita City, Oita Prefecture, whose love song "Rika" went viral on social…

3 October

Oisicle Melonpan

Oisicle Melonpan is a Tokyo-based rock band known for their "dark yet refreshing" three-piece guitar rock sound, and their live shows bring that dynamic…

3 October

Suspended 4th & Itabame

Goodbye My Roots Tour brings live performances by Suspended 4th and Itabame to the stage. The event starts at 19:00 with doors opening at…

All events in Hiroshima

Hostels

Where to stay in Hiroshima

The top-rated places to stay in Hiroshima right now, live from Hostelworld.

10.0 337

When to go

Spring and autumn are best.

10°

Jan

Cold, clear

11°

Feb

Plum blossom

15°

Mar

Cherry blossom starts

20°

Apr

Cherry blossom, Golden Week

25°

May

Good

28°

Jun

Rainy season

31°

Jul

Hot, humid

33°

Aug

Obon, hot

29°

Sep

Typhoons possible

24°

Oct

Excellent

18°

Nov

Autumn leaves

12°

Dec

Illuminations

Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets: quiet busy peak

Average highs.

What your trip will cost

Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.

Prices are in yen locally; these are euro equivalents.

Nights 3

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Beds—
Food and drink—
Getting around—
Doing things—

Hiroshima travel questions

The ones we get asked most.

How long should I spend at the museum?

Two to three hours. Arrive early to avoid queues.

When does the torii float?

At high tide; check the tide times before you go to Miyajima.

How do I get to Miyajima?

By JR train or streetcar to Miyajimaguchi, then a ten-minute ferry.

What should I eat?

Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, layered with noodles.

How many days do you need?

Two: one for Hiroshima, one for Miyajima.

When is the best time to visit?

Spring and autumn.

What happens on 6 August?

The Peace Memorial Ceremony, with lanterns floated on the river in the evening.

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