Station
TransportNear the shinkansen and buses.
Nagasaki city guide
Things To Do In Nagasaki
A harbour city on steep hills, Japan's window to the world for two centuries, with a Dutch trading island, hidden Christian churches, the Peace Park and one of Japan's great night views.
4
Hostels in the city
8.2
Average, from 695 reviews
1945
9 August
Dejima
The Dutch trading post
2018
Hidden Christian sites join UNESCO
Japan's window to the world
For two centuries, when Japan closed itself off, Nagasaki was the only port open to foreign traders: the Dutch on the small artificial island of Dejima and the Chinese in their own quarter. The city also sheltered hidden Christians, and its churches are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
On 9 August 1945, it became the second city destroyed by an atomic bomb, and the Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum remember it.
Nagasaki is hilly, cosmopolitan and beautiful. Two days is right.
Where to stay
Around Nagasaki Station are the hotels and transport, with the new shinkansen. Hamanomachi, the shopping arcade near the centre, is close to Chinatown and the bars. The city is long and hilly, so stay near a streetcar stop.
Hamanomachi
CentreShops and bars near Chinatown.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 4 top-rated hostels. Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Nagasaki
Nagasaki was Japan's only window to the West for over two centuries, and on 9 August 1945 it became the second city hit by an atomic bomb.
The Atomic Bomb Museum and Peace Park tell the story of the bombing; the museum is moving and essential. The Peace Statue, its right hand pointing to the sky, stands in the park, and the hypocentre is marked by a black monolith.
Dejima, a fan-shaped artificial island, was the Dutch trading post during Japan's isolation, and has been reconstructed with its warehouses and residences. Glover Garden, on the hill above the harbour, holds Western-style houses of nineteenth-century merchants. Oura Church, built in 1864, is the oldest surviving church in Japan, part of the UNESCO-listed Hidden Christian sites, where Christians practised in secret for centuries.
The ropeway up Mount Inasa gives a night view of the harbour, often rated among the best in the world. Boat tours visit Gunkanjima, Battleship Island, an abandoned coal-mining island; landing depends on the weather.
Chinatown, one of three in Japan, is the place for champon noodles.
Free things
Free things to do in Nagasaki
The Peace Park and the hypocentre are free, and so are the city's shrines, Chinatown and the harbourfront walks.
Meganebashi, the 'spectacles bridge', a stone bridge whose reflection forms a circle, is free to see, along the river lined with other old bridges.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Nagasaki
Nagasaki's food mixes Japanese, Chinese and Portuguese influences. Champon, a hearty noodle soup with seafood, pork and vegetables, and sara udon, crispy noodles with a thick sauce, were created in Chinatown.
Castella, a sponge cake brought by the Portuguese, is sold everywhere, and Turkish rice, toruko raisu, a plate of pilaf, pork cutlet and spaghetti, is a local oddity. A meal is €6 to €15.
Nightlife
Going out in Nagasaki
Nagasaki is relaxed at night, with bars and izakaya around Shianbashi near Hamanomachi.
A beer is €4 to €6.
Getting around
Getting around Nagasaki
The Nishi-Kyushu shinkansen reaches Takeo-Onsen, where you change to a relay express for Hakata; the trip to Fukuoka takes about an hour and a half.
Streetcars cover the city for a flat fare; use an IC card. The city is hilly, with steep slopes and steps.
Nagasaki Airport is about 45 minutes away by bus.
Costs
What Nagasaki costs
Nagasaki is mid-priced. Dorms start around €18 and a careful day is €40 to €55.
The Atomic Bomb Museum, Dejima and Glover Garden are a few euros each. A Gunkanjima tour is €25 to €35, and the Mount Inasa ropeway several euros.
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 Nagasaki
Nagasaki is very safe.
The Peace Park and museum are places of memory: be quiet and respectful. Gunkanjima tours can be cancelled or prevented from landing in rough seas.
Emergency: 110 police, 119 ambulance and fire.
Day trips from Nagasaki
Battleship Island, volcanic hot springs and a Dutch park.
Unzen
Hot springs and volcanic vents.
Huis Ten Bosch
A Dutch-themed park.
What's on
What is on while you are there
The Lantern Festival lights Chinatown at Chinese New Year.
Staff pick
7–9 October
Nagasaki Kunchi Festival
Nagasaki Kunchi Festival in Nagasaki, Japan, is a centuries-old celebration rooted in the city’s multicultural history and held in honor of Suwa Shrine. The…
Hostels
Where to stay in Nagasaki
The top-rated places to stay in Nagasaki right now, live from Hostelworld.
When to go
Spring and autumn are best.
Jan
Lantern Festival
Feb
Lantern Festival
Mar
Cherry blossom
Apr
Spring
May
Good
Jun
Rainy season
Jul
Hot
Aug
Peace ceremony
Sep
Typhoons
Oct
Kunchi
Nov
Good
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. Excludes the Gunkanjima tour.
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- Beds—
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- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Nagasaki travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Can I land on Gunkanjima?
On boat tours, if the sea is calm; in rough weather the boats only circle the island.
What is Dejima?
The fan-shaped island that was the Dutch trading post during Japan's isolation.
How do I get there?
By shinkansen and relay express from Fukuoka, about an hour and a half.
What should I eat?
Champon, sara udon and castella.
How many days do you need?
Two.
When is the best time to visit?
Spring, autumn, or the Lantern Festival at Chinese New Year.
What happens on 9 August?
The Peace Memorial Ceremony, marking the anniversary of the bombing.
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