Matsuyama in three days: city castle and baths or Uchiko too?
Stay two nights in one Okaido base for castle and baths on separate days. Keep to Matsuyama or use a JR day for historic Uchiko. Allow time to walk back from the streets to the station before your return train.
Choose an itinerary for 3 days / 2 nights
Castle and baths on separate days
Stay two nights in Okaido for city meals and walks between castle and bath visits. Walk the city first, visit the keep on day two and Dogo on the final day.
Castle and baths on separate days →3 days / 2 nightsA day in historic Uchiko
Stay two nights in Matsuyama for castle, baths and historic streets outside the city, visiting Uchiko on day two. Choose arrivals/departures allowing a day-one castle visit and final-day bath.
A day in historic Uchiko →Castle and baths on separate days
Stay two nights in Okaido for city meals and walks between castle and bath visits. Walk the city first, visit the keep on day two and Dogo on the final day.
Day one: explore Okaido and the city
Stay two nights in Okaido for arrival-day meals and walks, day-two keep viewing and day-three bathing.
- Matsuyama Airport or JR Matsuyama Station → Okaido tram stop
For JR arrival, take Dogo-bound city tram 5 from outside JR Matsuyama to Okaido. JR Matsuyama and Matsuyama City stations differ. From the airport, finish luggage collection and any immigration formalities, then check a limousine stopping at Okaido. Not all airport buses stop here; choose your date's service after actual arrival.
City tram timetableAirport limousine routes, fares and 1–24 October 2026 timetableMatsuyama Airport bus guide
- Okaido shopping street → Okaido meals, walks and the same accommodation
Choose an open Okaido shop for a meal, walk nearby and return to accommodation. For a late arrival, shorten the walk and rest. Castle and bath visits start tomorrow.
Day two: visit Matsuyama Castle keep from Okaido
After breakfast, walk from near Okaido stop to Shinonomeguchi ropeway station.
- Okaido tram stop → Shinonomeguchi lower ropeway station
Walk from Okaido tram stop to the Shinonomeguchi lower ropeway station, officially about five minutes.
- Shinonomeguchi lower ropeway station → Upper station and keep ticket office
Buy an adult JPY 520 return ticket at the lower station and take the ropeway. From the upper station, walk through Honmaru to the keep ticket office. The operator's roughly 30-minute journey from lower-station Level 1 to the ticket office excludes keep-interior viewing.
- Keep ticket office → Matsuyama Castle keep
Adult keep admission is JPY 520, separate from the return ropeway. Usual viewing hours are 09:00–17:00, with admission ending 30 minutes before closing. August and December–January hours differ; check your date's cutoff before entering.
- Matsuyama Castle keep → Lower ropeway station and Okaido shopping street
After viewing, return to the upper boarding point and take the ropeway down. Walk towards Okaido for a meal or rest.
Lower-station accessCastle fees and hoursStairs and viewing guidance
Day three: bathe at Dogo, return to Okaido and depart
- Okaido accommodation → Dogo Onsen Honkan
Take Dogo-bound city tram 3 to its terminus, then walk Haikara Street to Honkan. Check your date's Iyotetsu tram timetable. Use only Kami-no-Yu bathing at JPY 700 for adults: 06:00–23:00, reception until 22:30 and 60-minute use. Reservations are not accepted; allow queues and changing time.
Bath courses, fees and booking conditionsCity tram timetableApril 2026 fare table, page twoOfficial Dogo station, shopping street and Honkan walking map
- Dogo Onsen Honkan → Okaido accommodation
After Kami-no-Yu bathing, walk Haikara Street back to Dogo Onsen Station. Take Matsuyama City Station-bound tram 3 to Okaido and return to accommodation. Honkan-to-station walking and tram waits are extra.
City tram timetableOfficial Dogo station, shopping street and Honkan walking map
Included items: Keep JPY 520 + return ropeway JPY 520 + Kami-no-Yu JPY 700 + two trams: cash JPY 500 / IC JPY 460
Extra costs: Flights, accommodation, meals, luggage storage, separate travel between accommodation and stops, stations or facilities, arrival transport, airport limousines, taxis and extra journeys cost more.
Adult facility costs total JPY 1,740 for keep admission, return ropeway and Honkan Kami-no-Yu. Two day-three Okaido–Dogo trams add JPY 500 cash or JPY 460 nationwide IC. Honmaru-only viewing or omitting ropeways changes facility costs.
Castle fees and hoursBath courses, fees and booking conditionsApril 2026 fare table, page twoBoarding and payment methods
A day in historic Uchiko
Stay two nights in Matsuyama for castle, baths and historic streets outside the city, visiting Uchiko on day two. Choose arrivals/departures allowing a day-one castle visit and final-day bath.
Day one: Matsuyama Castle from Okaido
Stay two nights in Okaido for day-one castle, day-two Uchiko and final-day Dogo. Choose daytime arrival and afternoon-or-later final departure.
- Matsuyama Airport or JR Matsuyama Station → Okaido tram stop
For JR arrival, take Dogo-bound city tram 5 from outside JR Matsuyama to Okaido. From the airport, check a limousine after your actual arrival that stops at Okaido. Not every airport bus goes here. Arrival transport is excluded from sightseeing subtotals.
City tram timetableAirport limousine routes, fares and 1–24 October 2026 timetableLower-station access
- Okaido tram stop → Shinonomeguchi lower ropeway station
Walk from Okaido tram stop to the Shinonomeguchi lower ropeway station, officially about five minutes.
- Shinonomeguchi lower ropeway station → Upper station and keep ticket office
Buy an adult JPY 520 return ticket at the lower station and take the ropeway. From the upper station, walk through Honmaru to the keep ticket office. The operator's roughly 30-minute journey from lower-station Level 1 to the ticket office excludes keep-interior viewing.
- Keep ticket office → Matsuyama Castle keep
Adult keep admission is JPY 520, separate from the return ropeway. Usual viewing hours are 09:00–17:00, with admission ending 30 minutes before closing. August and December–January hours differ; check your date's cutoff before entering.
- Matsuyama Castle keep → Lower ropeway station and Okaido shopping street
After viewing, return to the upper boarding point and take the ropeway down. Walk towards Okaido for a meal or rest.
Keep-interior viewing and return ropeways require separate fees. Honmaru-only walks need no keep admission. Moving the castle to day two requires rearranging that day's sights, transport and admission cutoffs.
Day two: walk from JR Uchiko to historic streets
Leave your Okaido accommodation in the morning.
- Okaido accommodation → JR Uchiko Station
Take Iyotetsu city tram 5 to JR Matsuyama, then change to a train stopping at Uchiko. Matsuyama City Station is not JR; distinguish station names when buying tickets. Check outward and return services for your date together. Accommodation-to-tram walks, JR ticketing and transfer waits are extra to train times. Limited expresses need a supplement ticket as well as the base fare.
City tram timetableApril 2026 fare table, page twoUchiko tourism visitor guidanceFare tableMatsuyama StationUchiko StationIyo-Ozu Station
- JR Uchiko Station → Historic Uchiko streets
From Uchiko Station, follow tourism-association guidance about one kilometre (a 15-minute walk) to the historic district's southern entrance. Allow time for old buildings, lanes and lunch. Guidance suggests one to two hours for streets and the Uchiko-Za area alone, or about three with cafés and meals; walking pace and restaurant queues can add time. Uchiko-Za's main building is closed for works, so its interior ticket is excluded. For preserved houses and museums, check that facility's dated opening and admission separately.
Uchiko tourism visitor guidanceTourism-association closure guidanceUchiko Town dressing-room access notice
- Historic Uchiko streets → Okaido accommodation
Retrace the southern-entrance route to Uchiko Station and choose a Matsuyama train operating on your date. Check your arrival time in Matsuyama. Finish house visits and meals leaving the 15-minute station walk and time for ticketing and boarding before your train. Back at JR Matsuyama, take Dogo-bound tram 5 to Okaido and your accommodation. Eat nearby. Uchiko restaurants have different closing days; identify an open place for your date first.
City tram timetableApril 2026 fare table, page twoUchiko tourism visitor guidance
Day three: Dogo Honkan before departure
- Okaido accommodation → Dogo Onsen Honkan
Take Dogo-bound tram 3 from Okaido to the terminus and walk Haikara Street to Honkan. Allow the station walk and reception queues. Kami-no-Yu bath-only use runs 06:00–23:00, reception until 22:30, for 60 minutes without reservations. Other lounge courses have different fees and conditions.
Bath courses, fees and booking conditionsCity tram timetableApril 2026 fare table, page twoOfficial Dogo station, shopping street and Honkan walking map
- Dogo Onsen Honkan → Okaido tram stop
After bathing, return to Dogo Onsen Station and take Matsuyama City Station-bound tram 3 to Okaido. Eat or rest in the shopping street, then choose the airport or JR route below for your departure. For a morning departure, move bathing to another day.
Included items: Facilities JPY 1,740 + return unreserved limited express to Uchiko JPY 3,220 + four trams: cash JPY 1,000 / IC JPY 920
Extra costs: Flights, accommodation, meals, luggage storage, separate travel between accommodation and stops, stations or facilities, arrival transport, airport limousines, taxis and extra journeys cost more. Paid Uchiko houses and museums are excluded. Recalculate JR costs for regular trains, reserved seats or passes.
Uchiko is a day trip from Matsuyama. Adult unreserved limited expresses cost JPY 1,610 one way (base JPY 850 + supplement JPY 760), or JPY 3,220 for two one-way fares. Four trams cover Okaido–JR on the Uchiko day and Okaido–Dogo on the final day. House and museum admission beyond street walks is excluded.
Castle fees and hoursBath courses, fees and booking conditionsApril 2026 fare table, page twoBoarding and payment methodsFare table
Questions before departure
Can a city-tram ticket take me to Uchiko?
No. Take a tram to JR Matsuyama, then buy separate JR tickets and change trains. Matsuyama City and JR Matsuyama differ. Course costs assume unreserved limited expresses via Uchiko at JPY 1,610 for adults one way (base JPY 850 + supplement JPY 760), JPY 3,220 return. Regular trains change supplements and times. Ozu trains via Iyo-Nagahama skip Uchiko; check stops. JR fares checked 8 October 2026.
Fare tableCity tram timetableUchiko tourism visitor guidance
How much time should I allow for historic Uchiko?
Tourism guidance suggests one to two hours for streets and Uchiko-Za surroundings alone, or about three with café stops and lunch. The southern entrance is about 15 minutes from JR Uchiko; allow the return walk and train waits separately. House and museum fees are excluded; the theatre's main building is closed. Tourism guidance checked 9 October 2026.
Uchiko tourism visitor guidanceTourism-association closure guidance
Official sources and check dates
- Castle fees and hours ·
- Lower-station access ·
- Stairs and viewing guidance ·
- Bath courses, fees and booking conditions ·
- Uchiko tourism visitor guidance ·
- Tourism-association closure guidance ·
- Uchiko Town dressing-room access notice ·
- Fare table ·
- Matsuyama Station ·
- Uchiko Station ·
- Iyo-Ozu Station ·
- Airport limousine routes, fares and 1–24 October 2026 timetable ·
- Matsuyama Airport bus guide ·
- City tram timetable ·
- April 2026 fare table, page two ·
- Boarding and payment methods ·
- Official Dogo station, shopping street and Honkan walking map ·