Tours/Hiroshima/Hiroshima / Miyajima Full-day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
Viator · Private tour

Hiroshima / Miyajima Full-day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide

4.9(1,499)Hiroshima1 hour
VIATOR4.9(450)TRIPADVISOR4.9(1,049)

Description

This value-packed trip with a licensed and experienced English-speaking tour guide is a fantastic and efficient way to explore both Hiroshima and Miyajima! To start your day, meet your tour guide at your hotel, then visit famous sites such as Miyajima, Itsukushima Shrine, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Shukkeien Japanese garden, and Hiroshima Castle. Your guide will customize your private tour in detail according to your interests. Eight-hours is the perfect amount of time to check out both Hiroshima and Miyajima island. We strongly suggest visiting both places when you come to this part of Japan. 24 Pass for Ferry and streetcar transportation is 900 Yen for adults, 450 yen for children. Note*1: Please select your must-see spots from a list in the tour information to create your customized itinerary. This is a walking tour. Pick up is on foot. 10 Persons max per tour. You cannot combine multiple groups.

Tour Options

Hiroshima / Miyajima Full-day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
  • Pickup included

Itinerary

Pass by

Please note that the duration of this tour has been changed from 7 hours to 8 hours, effective November 6th, 2024. If your reservation was made before November 6th, 2024, your tour will still be 7 hours and you will be charged for the 7 hour tour only. We kindly ask for your cooperation in reviewing the tour duration details in the confirmation email you received. Thank you for your understanding.

Admission not included90 min

Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park (平和記念公園, Heiwa Kinen Kōen) is one of the most prominent features of the city. Even visitors not looking for it will likely stumble upon the large park of over 120,000 square meters. Its trees, lawns, and walking paths are in stark contrast to the surrounding downtown area. Before the bomb, the area of what is now the Peace Park was the political and commercial heart of the city. For this reason, it was chosen as the pilot's target. Four years to the day after the bomb was dropped, it was decided that the area would not be redeveloped but instead devoted to peace memorial facilities. Admission Fee: ¥200

Admission not included90 min

Hiroshima Castle (広島城, Hiroshimajō), also called the Carp Castle, is a good example of a castle built on a plain in the center of a city as opposed to hilltop and mountaintop castles. Its main keep is five stories tall, and its grounds are surrounded by a moat. Also within the castle's precincts are a shrine, some ruins and a few reconstructed buildings of the Ninomaru (second circle of defense). Hiroshima developed as a castle town, whereby the castle was both the physical and economical center of the city. Built in 1589 by the powerful feudal lord Mori Terumoto, Hiroshima Castle was an important seat of power in Western Japan. While it was spared the demolishment that many other castles met during the Meiji Restoration, like the rest of the city, Hiroshima Castle was destroyed by the atomic bomb in 1945.

Admission not included90 min

Shukkeien is a Japanese garden in Hiroshima, designated as one of Japan’s Top 100 Historical Parks and a National Scenic Spot. This article introduces the highlights of the garden, access information, and other tips to enjoy it.

Admission not included60 min

Miyajima is one of Japan’s most scenic destinations, famous for the iconic floating torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine. Walk through charming streets, meet the island’s friendly deer, and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of this historic island. With a local guide, you’ll learn about the island’s culture, history, and hidden spots beyond the main tourist areas.

Admission not included60 min

Miyajima (宮島) is a small island less than an hour outside the city of Hiroshima. It is most famous for its giant torii gate, which at high tide seems to float on the water. The sight is ranked as one of Japan's three best views. While officially named Itsukushima, the island is more commonly referred to as Miyajima, Japanese for "shrine island". This is because the island is so closely related to its key shrine, Itsukushima Shrine, in the public's mind. Like the torii gate, the shrine's main buildings are built over water. Miyajima is a romantic place, best enjoyed by staying overnight at one of the island's ryokan. While there are usually many day tourists, in the evening the area becomes much quieter and more peaceful. There are also wild deer on the island that have become accustomed to people. In the day the deer wander around the same sites as the tourists, and in the evening they sleep along the walking paths. Admission Fee: ¥300

Admission not included90 min

Tenshinkaku(天心閣) is a Japanese old house looked single-story house cafe in Miyajima which is located on a hill. You can enjoy beautiful view of Toyokuni shrine, five-story pagoda and Seto island sea at once.

Highlights

Customizable Walking Tour of your choice of 3-4 sites from 'Itinerary' list
Meet up with guide in Hiroshima on foot
Licensed Local English Speaking Guide

What's included

Included
Customizable Walking Tour of your choice of 3-4 sites from 'Itinerary' list
Meet up with guide in Hiroshima on foot
Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
Not included
Optional: Transportation fees, Ferry, Entrance fees, Lunch, and Other personal expenses
Miyajima Visitor tax of (Cash only)
Private Vehicle
You cannot combine multiple tour groups.
Guide Entry fees are only covered for sights listed under What to Expect.

Pickup Locations & Times

This private tour is a walking day tour with a meet up in Hiroshima/Miyajima. A private vehicle is not included. Public transportation or local taxis maybe used to transfer between sites. Exact transportation costs can be discussed with the guide after a reservation is finalized. Please have Japanese Yen on hand for your transportation costs. A private vehicle is not available for this tour.

Traveller Ratings

4.9
1,499 reviews
5
1,444
4
38
3
4
2
3
1
10

Important Information

  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
  • All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • This is a walking tour. Pick up is on foot.

Reviews(1,499)

V
Voyage300808
July 8, 2026
Fantastic guide!

Hiroshi is an excellent guide! He is personable, knowledgeable and truly cares that his clients have a great experience. He personalized the tour based on our interests and adjusted the pace due to the extreme heat and humidity. Visiting Miyajima with Hiroshi was really fun because he lives there and knows the people and the town very well. I can’t say enough glowing things about Hiroshi as a guide. The Memorial Park and War Museum were intense, amazing and very moving.

H
Halie_G
July 8, 2026
Great trip!

Rena was absolutely lovely! She gave us so much information but definitely let us go at our own place. Highly recommend!

9
990andersv
July 6, 2026
A lovely day in Hiroshima

We had a wonderful day with Hiroko Hayashi as our guide. She was very welcoming, friendly and attentive! We visited Miyajima Island, a local restaurant with delicious food, Hiroshima Peace Park, the Atomic Dome and the museum. We ended with a walk in the garden of Shukkeien🌿🌸 Great recommendation from here😊

H
Henry_D
July 5, 2026
Mai was a great guide....

Mai was a great guide. Met us at our hotel. Then went to Miyajama and peace memorial park. Great experience. She even took us to some great places for food and drink. Make sure you have a pasmo or suica card.

Operator response

Thank you for the wonderful feedback! I’m so glad you had a great experience in Hiroshima and enjoyed the local food spots. Thanks also for sharing the helpful tip about having an IC card—that will definitely help future travelers. Hope to see you again! - Mai

P
Pamela_S
July 5, 2026
Our guide was great with...

Our guide was great with our daughter who was 10 at the time. She made sure we weee able to see all the places we wanted and more! Worth the money and time to meet with someone local that loves their homd

C
cheryldG9378NX
July 4, 2026
Excellent guide for Miyajima and Hirishima

Rena was very knowledgeable about Hiroshima, current information and history. She was friendly and answered all of our questions. The tour was a pleasure.

X
X2480VKlizc
July 3, 2026
Hiroshima tour

Yoko was well knowledgeable and catered to our son who was sea sick. She also was there for my little one who didn’t like some of the photos in Hiroshima library. We enjoyed her tour so very much and plan to book her next time we come back!

Operator response

Thank you so much for your kind review. It truly means a lot to me. It was a pleasure to spend the day with your lovely family. Your children were so sweet, and it was an honor to be your guide. I still remember seeing the deer together, enjoying delicious oysters and okonomiyaki, and making your beautiful origami cranes. Those are wonderful memories for me too. Thank you again and I hope to see all of you again the next time you visit Hiroshima! - Yoko

7
715rachnak
July 3, 2026
Such a great experience in Hiroshima and Miyajima!

We had a wonderful experience and learned soo much about Hiroshima and Miyajima! Emiko was amazing! She was so knowledgeable, sweet, and friendly! We felt like she was part of our family fir the day!

Operator response

Thank you for visiting Hiroshima/Miyajima! How lucky I am to have encountered such a nice, beautiful family! I am so excited to know that you took your precious time to write a review for me in spite of your busy days. It means a lot for me. Your generous words encourage me tremendously and give me another energy. I thank you from the bottom of my heart! Emmy

J
Janine_P
July 2, 2026
Worth the money!

From the moment we booked our private tour, to being back home, the tour company and then our guide had excellent communication. We met our guide Emmy at the Shin-Hiroshima station and she immediately helped us navigate the station and be on our way to Miyajima. Having a second-generation Hiroshima survivor lead us through our day was wonderful and we were able to tailor the day to meet our interests. Emmy provided answers to our questions, information on what we were seeing, and gave ample time for exploration and photos. After Miyajima we headed back to Hiroshima for the tour to continue with more historical perspective and even a detour to a calligraphy store! She was patient when we wanted to buy snacks or were in the museum. We felt fortunate to have spent the day with this amazing tour guide. It was a long day for all of us and Emmy made sure we weren't overwhelmed with information. She stayed with us all the way back to the Shin-Hiroshima station and made sure we got through with our tickets before departing. Following the tour, she sent photos that she took of our family throughout the day which was very much appreciated.

Operator response

Thank you for visiting Hiroshima/Miyajima! How lucky I am to have encountered such a nice, beautiful family! I am so excited to know that you took your precious time to write a review for me in spite of your busy days. It means a lot for me. Your generous words encourage me tremendously and give me another energy. I thank you from the bottom of my heart! Emmy

S
sylviadP3252LR
July 1, 2026
Hiroshi is the best!

Hiroshi is an amazing guide. He has a wealth of knowledge and stories about the areas. He is extremely engaging, personable, and accommodating. He connected very well with my son, nephew, and myself. Hands down the best tour guide we’ve had.

Operator response

Thank you very much for your wonderful review and for your kind words. I truly appreciate your generous support. It was a real pleasure to spend the day with you and share the history, stories, and atmosphere of Hiroshima and Miyajima. I also greatly enjoyed our conversations throughout the tour. Your thoughtful encouragement means a great deal to me, and I sincerely hope that the memories you made here will stay with you for many years to come. Thank you again for your kindness and support. I wish you all the best and many wonderful adventures in the future. Hiroshi

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