Hiroshima is one of those rare cities where the sightseeing list is short, the depth is enormous, and the contrast between sites is dramatic. The Peace Memorial Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome ask you to slow down and confront one of the twentieth century’s most consequential moments. An hour later, a ferry deposits you at Miyajima, where a vermillion torii gate stands in the sea and wild deer wander between thousand-year-old shrine pavilions. In between, a samurai castle, a strolling garden, and a riverside arcade fill the gaps. Two full days will let you see all of it without rushing.

Peace Memorial Park (平和記念公園)

The Peace Memorial Park occupies the open ground where the central business district stood until 08:15 on 6 August 1945. The area is now a sprawling memorial precinct of monuments, museums, and quiet riverbank paths — and it remains an active, working place of mourning, education, and diplomacy.

Atomic Bomb Dome

Atomic Bomb Dome (原爆ドーム)

The skeletal remains of the former Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall — the building closest to the hypocentre that retained any standing structure — are preserved exactly as they were left by the blast. The site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996. View it from across the Motoyasu River for the iconic perspective, then walk the perimeter at ground level for the scale.

  • Hours: Open 24 hours (exterior viewing only)
  • Cost: Free
  • Best photo time: Early morning or one hour before sunset (golden hour on the dome’s exposed steel)

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (広島平和記念資料館)

The museum’s renovated main building (reopened 2019) is the single most important indoor experience in the city. The presentation is restrained and devastating — photographs, personal belongings, and survivor testimony rather than rhetoric. Allow 90 minutes minimum; English audio guide essential.

  • Hours: 08:30–18:00 (extended to 19:00 in August, until 20:00 on 5/6 Aug)
  • Cost: ¥200 adults / ¥100 students / free for under-18
  • Tip: Visit early in the morning before tour groups arrive — the museum is significantly quieter before 09:30.

Children’s Peace Monument & the Cenotaph

The Children’s Peace Monument commemorates Sadako Sasaki and the thousands of children killed by the bomb and its radiation. Glass cases at its base display thousands of paper cranes sent by schoolchildren worldwide. The Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims, framing the dome through its arched concrete form, holds the names of every confirmed victim — a list that is added to each year as new deaths are attributed to the bombing.

At the cenotaph: A quiet bow is the standard gesture of respect. Avoid loud conversation, posed selfies, or food consumption in the immediate area.

Annual Peace Memorial Ceremony — 6 August

If your trip coincides with 6 August, the Peace Memorial Ceremony (06:45–08:30) is one of the most moving public events you can attend in Japan. The Peace Bell rings at 08:15 — the exact moment of the bomb. That evening, the Tōrō Nagashi lantern floating ceremony on the Motoyasu River sees thousands of paper lanterns inscribed with messages set adrift towards the sea.

Miyajima & Itsukushima Shrine

The ferry from Miyajimaguchi to Miyajima island takes ten minutes and feels like a journey to a different century. The floating torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine — submerged in the sea at high tide, walkable at low tide — has stood in some form on this spot since 1168, with the current iteration dating from 1875.

Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社)

The shrine itself is built on stilts over the bay so that the entire complex floats at high tide. Walking the long, plank-floored corridors with the sea lapping a metre below is a uniquely Japanese architectural experience. The original founding is traditionally dated to 593, with the present layout established by the Taira clan in the twelfth century.

  • Hours: 06:30–18:00 (varies seasonally; check before visiting)
  • Cost: ¥300 adults; ¥500 combined ticket with Treasure Hall
  • High tide vs low tide: Both are worth seeing. Use the tide table on the official Miyajima tourism site to plan. High tide for floating shots, low tide for the walk to the base of the torii.

Mount Misen (弥山) — 535 m

Behind the shrine, Miyajima’s mountain rises straight from the sea. The Miyajima Ropeway (round trip ¥2,000) covers most of the climb; a 30-minute walk gets you to the summit observatory. The view at the top — the Seto Inland Sea scattered with islands, Hiroshima city in the distance — is one of the great panoramas of western Japan. The mountain has been considered sacred since the ninth century; the Reikado Hall preserves an “eternal flame” said to have burned since Kobo Daishi lit it in 806.

  • Allow: 4 hours including ropeway, summit walk, and shrine return

The Deer of Miyajima

Wild sika deer roam the island freely and are considered sacred messengers. They will approach you, sometimes aggressively, and they will eat anything paper — maps, tickets, your guidebook. Keep food in your bag, don’t feed them, and don’t antagonise them.

Practical Miyajima

  • Ferry: JR Ferry from Miyajimaguchi, ¥200 each way (covered by JR Pass). Crossings every 10–15 min.
  • Best photo time: Sunset behind the torii is a famous shot — arrive 90 min before sunset to secure a good position
  • Stay overnight: After the day-trippers leave on the last ferry, the island becomes profoundly quiet. A Miyajima ryokan stay is one of Japan’s most memorable.

Hiroshima Castle (広島城)

The original 1591 castle was destroyed in the atomic bombing; the current keep is a faithful 1958 reconstruction. The castle museum inside covers Hiroshima’s pre-bomb history — the medieval Mori clan, the Edo-period Asano daimyo, and the castle’s role as a Meiji military headquarters.

  • Hours: 09:00–18:00 (until 17:00 Dec–Feb)
  • Cost: ¥370 adults / ¥180 students
  • Access: 15 min walk from Kamiya-cho tram stop
  • Best feature: The reconstructed Ninomaru gate complex — built using traditional techniques in 1989–1994 — is excellent and free to enter

The castle moat is one of Hiroshima’s best cherry blossom spots in early April. The grounds also house Gokoku Shrine, the city’s main Shinto shrine, popular for New Year visits and goshuin.

Shukkeien Garden (縮景園)

The 1620 strolling garden, restored after the atomic bombing, is the city’s most accomplished traditional landscape — a miniature recreation of the famous West Lake (Xihu) of Hangzhou, China. A central pond, fourteen stone bridges, and a tea house arrangement reward a slow, hour-long circuit.

  • Hours: 09:00–18:00 (Apr–Sep), 09:00–17:00 (Oct–Mar)
  • Cost: ¥260 adults / ¥150 students
  • Combined ticket: ¥610 with the adjacent Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum
  • Access: 8 min walk from Shukkeien-mae tram stop

Hondori & Shareo (本通り)

Hiroshima’s main covered shopping arcade runs east-west across the central city, with the Shareo underground mall continuing the same axis below ground. Hondori is the practical hub for eating, shopping, and orientation — most trams stop along its periphery, and a fifteen-minute walk through it covers most of the central commercial district.

  • The Parco department store and Mitsukoshi anchor the arcade
  • Andersen Bakery (the original location) is at the western end — Hiroshima’s most beloved bakery, with a wide European bread selection and a café upstairs
  • The Hiroshima Carp baseball merchandise stores sell red-and-black gear for the city’s beloved team

Other Notable Sights

Site What it is Cost Time
Mitaki-dera Temple (三瀧寺) Forest temple with three waterfalls, 25 min by tram + walk from city Free 90 min
Hiroshima Museum of Art Excellent French Impressionist collection — Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir ¥1,300 90 min
Manga Library (Hiroshima City Manga Library) The world’s largest public manga collection — 130,000+ volumes Free flexible
Hiroshima Orizuru Tower Observation deck adjacent to A-Bomb Dome with origami crane drop ¥1,700 60 min
Hijiyama Park Hilltop park with cherry blossoms and Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art ¥370 (art) 2 hrs

Sample Itineraries

One-Day Hiroshima (compressed)

  • 08:30 Peace Memorial Museum (open at opening; allow 90 min)
  • 10:30 Atomic Bomb Dome exterior + Children’s Monument + Cenotaph
  • 12:00 Lunch at Okonomimura (15 min walk)
  • 13:30 Tram to Hiroden Miyajima-guchi, JR Ferry to Miyajima
  • 14:30 Itsukushima Shrine (aim for high tide if possible)
  • 16:00 Omotesando shops — momiji manju, oysters
  • 17:30 Sunset at the torii
  • 18:30 Return ferry to Miyajimaguchi, train to Hiroshima for dinner
  • Day 1: Full Hiroshima city — Peace Park morning, Hiroshima Castle and Shukkeien afternoon, Hondori dinner and Nagarekawa drinks
  • Day 2: Miyajima all day — early ferry to beat crowds, Mount Misen ropeway, Itsukushima Shrine, lunch on the island, sunset torii, optional ryokan stay

Three-Day Hiroshima

Add a day for Onomichi (1 hr by JR), with its hillside temple walk, cats, and shimanami kaido cycling start point. Or take a day trip to Tomonoura (the Studio Ghibli-inspired harbour town) for a slower coastal experience.

Getting Around for Sightseeing

  • Tram (Hiroden): ¥200 flat fare. Line 2 covers Peace Park to Hiroshima Station to Hiroden Miyajimaguchi.
  • Hiroshima Tourists Pass: 1 day ¥700 / 2 day ¥1,000 — covers unlimited trams and city loop bus.
  • JR Ferry to Miyajima: Covered by the JR Pass; otherwise ¥200 each way.
  • Walking: Peace Park, Hondori, Hiroshima Castle, and Shukkeien are all walkable within a 2 km radius.

Practical Tips

  • At the Peace Park: Quiet, respectful behaviour throughout. The Children’s Peace Monument and the Cenotaph are active memorials — keep voices low, avoid posing for cheerful selfies.
  • Miyajima tides: Check the tide table before going. High tide for floating shrine photos; low tide for walking to the torii. Many visitors plan poorly and miss both extremes.
  • Miyajima crowds: The island is significantly quieter after 16:00 once day-trippers leave, and on weekdays. Weekend afternoons in cherry blossom or maple season are extremely crowded.
  • Hiroshima Castle: Combine with the adjacent Gokoku Shrine and the Peace Park — they are all within a 15-minute walking radius.
  • Photography: August 6 is not the time for cheerful tourist photos at the cenotaph. Be aware of the ceremony’s tone and dress modestly.