Hiroshima: What to See
Hiroshima sits on the Ōta River delta, rebuilt under a 1949 law that declared it a “City of Peace” after the atomic bombing of 6 August 1945. What follows is a quick-reference rundown of the city’s core sights, so you can see at a glance what needs a ticket, what needs a booking, and what’s free. For the fuller planning narrative, see the main Hiroshima travel guide .
Peace Memorial Park, the A-Bomb Dome and the Museum
| Cost | The Dome and Park are free to view; the Museum charges a modest fee |
| Hours | Roughly 7:30am-7pm most of the year, shorter in winter, later in August |
| Time needed | At least 2 hours for the Museum alone, more with the full park |
| Booking | The first hour and last 90 minutes of Museum entry typically need advance online booking |
The Park occupies the delta area directly beneath the 1945 blast. The A-Bomb Dome, the preserved ruin of the former Industrial Promotion Hall, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. Nearby stand the Cenotaph, the Flame of Peace (lit since 1964, meant to burn until nuclear weapons are gone), and the Children’s Peace Monument, remembering Sadako Sasaki and the origin of Hiroshima’s paper-crane tradition. This is a memorial site, not a sightseeing stop: keep your visit quiet and respectful. Full visitor detail on the Dome itself is in the dedicated A-Bomb Dome guide .
Hiroshima Castle and Shukkeien Garden
| Cost | A modest entry fee for the castle keep; a separate small fee for Shukkeien |
| Hours | Both generally open daytime hours, roughly 9am-5pm |
| Time needed | About an hour each |
| Note | The castle keep is a 1958 concrete reconstruction; check current opening status, since parts have flagged possible closures for structural work |
Hiroshima Castle, the “Carp Castle,” was destroyed in the bombing and honestly rebuilt rather than disguised as original. Shukkeien Garden, an Edo-period landscape garden begun in 1620, sheltered blast survivors in 1945 and reopened to the public in 1951; its ponds, bridges and teahouse make a calmer counterpoint to the Peace Park.
Miyajima: the ferry crossing
| Cost | A ferry fare plus a ¥100 visitor tax collected on arrival |
| Time from Hiroshima | Roughly 45 minutes to an hour door to door (tram or train to Miyajimaguchi, then a 10-minute ferry) |
| Time needed | A full day; an overnight stay is worth it if your schedule allows |
| Highlight | The “floating” vermilion torii of Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996 |
Beyond the shrine, Mount Misen (535m) has a ropeway and a roughly 30-minute summit hike, sacred deer roam the town, and momiji manju and grilled anago are the island’s signature foods. It’s an active site of worship as well as a sight, so keep the same respectful register you’d use at any shrine.
Getting around and eating well
The Hiroden streetcars, Japan’s largest surviving tram network, connect the station, the Peace Park and Hondori for a flat per-ride fare; two prewar cars reportedly still run in passenger service, a direct link to 1945. IC cards tap onto trams, buses and the Miyajima ferry alike. For food, Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is layered rather than mixed (batter, cabbage, pork, noodles, egg, sauce), a full meal best sampled at Okonomimura’s multi-floor stalls; the prefecture also farms most of Japan’s oysters, and Saijō, a historic sake district, is a worthwhile detour for anyone who drinks. See the full guide to eating in Hiroshima and where to stay for more, or start with the 2-day itinerary if you’re still building your trip.
One concrete tip: whichever ticketed sight you prioritize, do the Peace Memorial Museum first and in the morning, while you’re fresh, and save the castle or garden for the afternoon.