Getting Around Kanazawa
Kanazawa's central sights are close enough together that you can cover a lot of ground on foot, and the city is well served by buses, bicycles and taxis for the rest. Note that the city has no metro or tram network, so buses, bikes and your own two feet are the main ways visitors move around.
By Bus
Kanazawa has a decent bus system to help you get where you need to go. There are three types of buses: city buses, a tourist bus, and community buses (Furatto-Bus).
- Tourist bus: makes a loop around the main sights in 15 minutes and costs ¥200 per trip or ¥500 daily.
- Community buses (Furatto-Bus): four routes make 15-minute loops around different districts of the city and cost ¥100.
- City buses: the general network covering the rest of the city.
Buses are wheelchair accessible.
By Bicycle
Bicycles can be hired from Kanazawa Station, and due to the winding streets and plethora of traffic lights and one-way systems, they are often the fastest way to travel around town.
- Machi-Nori bike share: the Kanazawa City bicycle share program. E-Bikes can be picked up at various points around the city, rented for specific time periods or for full days, and returned to any compatible port in the city.
- Hotel rentals: check if your hotel offers bicycle rental, as some may offer basic bicycle rental at rates lower than many city rental prices.
On Foot
As the central city is fairly compact, one of the best ways to get around (at least when the weather is cooperative) is simply walking and exploring the narrow side streets. From east (Higashiyama) to west (Teramachi) would take about an hour at a leisurely pace, though to see everything between them properly would take days.
By Taxi and Rental Car
Taxis are frequent though not cheap, and there are several rental car places in the area around Komatsu Airport. Driving in Kanazawa is not for the inexperienced: the old city in particular is a labyrinth of narrow twisting streets once you leave the main roads, and you need to be good at judging just how wide your vehicle is at times. Parking in the old city is also at a premium. However, the newer areas on the outskirts are car-friendly, and parking is ample. For those using Kanazawa as a base to explore the Chubu region, renting a car would be a good idea, as public transport between some of the more far-flung areas is few and far between.
Getting In from the Airport
The nearest airport serving Kanazawa is Komatsu Airport (KMQ) in the city of Komatsu. From the airport, buses run directly to Kanazawa, reaching JR Kanazawa Station in about 40 minutes for ¥1,300. Frequencies vary depending on the flight timetables; buses usually leave soon after the arrival of every domestic flight.
Alternatively, you could take a bus to Komatsu Station (12 minutes, ¥280) and a JR train from there, which is somewhat cheaper and, depending on your luck with connections, not much longer. Taxis are frequent though not cheap, and there are several rental car places in the area.
Arriving by Train
Kanazawa Station, a futuristic marvel that integrates a traditional wooden temple gate with glass and steel, is served by the Hokuriku Shinkansen. The fastest services, called Kagayaki, operate during the morning and evening hours, connecting Tokyo in about 2½ hours; seat reservations are mandatory for the Kagayaki. The more frequent Hakutaka makes all stops north of Nagano, taking about 3 hours. Without a Japan Rail Pass, these trains cost ¥14,380 each way for a reserved seat.
The Hokuriku Shinkansen continues south from Kanazawa to Komatsu, Fukui and Tsuruga. Connect at Tsuruga for the Thunderbird limited express services from Osaka and Kyoto. The Shirasagi limited express also runs on this line, but arrives from Maibara, with some trains starting from Nagoya.
All of the above trips are covered by the national Japan Rail Pass. Kanazawa is also covered by the JR Hokuriku Arch Pass, which includes unlimited travel between Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka via Toyama and Kanazawa for seven consecutive days using all of the above routes (with the exception of trains between Maibara and Nagoya). Unlimited seat reservations in standard cars can be made, but you'll have to pay extra for Green Car and GranClass seat reservations. Note that JR mainline trains on the Hokuriku line, now duplicated by the Shinkansen, have been transferred to private companies, and the Japan Rail Pass will not be valid unless you travel from Kanazawa to Tsubata Station to connect to the JR Nanao Line.
Arriving by Bus or Car
Several bus operators run daily trips to Kanazawa from cities including Nagoya (4 hr, ¥4,500), Kyoto (4 hr 20 min, from ¥2,800), Osaka (5 hr, from ¥3,000), Niigata (4 hr 30 min, ¥5,000) and Sendai (9 hr, ¥9,670). Highway buses also operate regularly to and from Toyama (1 hr, ¥930). From Tokyo, JR Bus runs two overnight services from Tokyo Station, Willer Express runs buses from Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal, and Nishi-Tokyo Bus and Hokutetsu Bus operate services from Shibuya and Hachioji; all of these take between 8 hr 30 min and 9 hr to reach Kanazawa.
By car, Kanazawa is served by the Hokuriku Expressway, which runs through the western edge of the city and has three interchanges: Kanazawa East and Kanazawa West feed into National Route 8, and Kanazawa Morimoto feeds into the Mountainside Loop Road. The national Route 8 is also a good option for those on a budget or who wish to take a leisurely trip, stopping off to see various sights along the way; it is four-lane for much of the way. There are other routes into the city, such as via the base of Hakusan, or over the hills from Toyama Prefecture. Avoid driving National Route 157 as much as possible: while the Kanazawa side looks okay, it becomes much harder to drive when going south, especially in Ono, and the road will be closed when the weather is bad enough.