Matsuyama in 3 days: castle and hot springs, or Uchiko too?

Day 1: explore central Matsuyama around Okaido

Spend two nights in Okaido, with meals and a walk on day 1, the keep on day 2 and bathing on day 3.

1. Matsuyama Airport or JR Matsuyama Station → Okaido stop

   From JR Matsuyama Station, take city tram 5 towards Dogo Onsen and get off at Okaido. JR Matsuyama Station and Matsuyama-shi Station are different stations. From the airport, finish luggage collection and any required immigration procedures, then check whether your limousine bus stops at Okaido. Not every airport departure does. Use the timetable for your date to choose a service you can catch after your actual arrival.

   City tram timetable2026-10-08Airport limousine routes, fares and timetable for 1–24 October 20262026-10-08Matsuyama Airport bus information2026-10-08

2. Okaido shopping street → Meals and a walk around Okaido, then the same accommodation

   Choose an open shop or restaurant in Okaido for a meal, walk around the area and return to your accommodation. Shorten the walk and rest if you arrive late. Castle and hot spring visits begin the next day.

   City tram timetable2026-10-08

Day 2: visit Matsuyama Castle keep from Okaido

After breakfast, walk from near Okaido stop to the Shinonomeguchi ropeway station.

1. Okaido stop → Shinonomeguchi lower ropeway station

   Walk from Okaido tram stop to the Shinonomeguchi lower ropeway station. The official estimate is about 5 minutes.

   Reaching the lower station2026-10-08Castle fees and hours2026-10-08

2. Shinonomeguchi lower ropeway station → Upper station and keep ticket office

   Buy an adult return ticket for ¥520 at the lower station and take the ropeway. From the upper station, walk through the honmaru grounds to the keep ticket office. The operator’s roughly 30-minute estimate from the lower station’s first floor to the ticket office excludes time inside the keep.

   Castle fees and hours2026-10-08Reaching the lower station2026-10-08

3. Keep ticket office → Matsuyama Castle keep

   Adult keep admission is ¥520, separate from the return ropeway ticket. Usual hours are 09:00–17:00, with last admission 30 minutes before closing. Hours differ in August and December–January; check the closing time for your date before entering.

   Castle fees and hours2026-10-08

4. Matsuyama Castle keep → Lower ropeway station and Okaido shopping street

   After your visit, return to the upper boarding point and take the ropeway down. Walk from the lower station towards Okaido for a meal or rest.

   Reaching the lower station2026-10-08Castle fees and hours2026-10-08Stairs and visiting information2026-10-08

Day 3: bathe at Dogo Onsen, return to Okaido and depart

1. Okaido accommodation → Dogo Onsen Honkan

   Take city tram 3 towards Dogo Onsen, get off at the terminus and walk along Haikara-dori to Honkan. Check Iyotetsu’s timetable for your date. Use the Kami-no-Yu bath-only option, ¥700 for adults. Hours are 06:00–23:00, reception ends at 22:30 and use is limited to 60 minutes. Reservations are not accepted, so leave time for waiting and changing clothes.

   Bathing options, prices and reservation conditions2026-10-08City tram timetable2026-10-08April 2026 fare table, page 22026-10-08Official walking map of Dogo Onsen Station, shopping street and Honkan2026-10-08

2. Dogo Onsen Honkan → Okaido accommodation

   After bathing at Honkan’s Kami-no-Yu, walk back along Haikara-dori to Dogo Onsen Station. Take tram 3 towards Matsuyama-shi, get off at Okaido and return to your accommodation. The walk from Honkan and tram wait take additional time.

   City tram timetable2026-10-08Official walking map of Dogo Onsen Station, shopping street and Honkan2026-10-08

Day 1: visit Matsuyama Castle from Okaido

Spend two nights in Okaido, visiting the castle on day 1, Uchiko on day 2 and Dogo Onsen on your final day. Choose this route if you arrive during the day and depart in the afternoon or later.

1. Matsuyama Airport or JR Matsuyama Station → Okaido stop

   From JR Matsuyama Station, take city tram 5 towards Dogo Onsen and get off at Okaido. From the airport, check that your limousine bus leaves after your actual arrival and stops at Okaido. Not every airport departure goes there. Arrival-day transport is excluded from the sightseeing subtotal.

   City tram timetable2026-10-08Airport limousine routes, fares and timetable for 1–24 October 20262026-10-08Reaching the lower station2026-10-08

2. Okaido stop → Shinonomeguchi lower ropeway station

   Walk from Okaido tram stop to the Shinonomeguchi lower ropeway station. The official estimate is about 5 minutes.

   Reaching the lower station2026-10-08

3. Shinonomeguchi lower ropeway station → Upper station and keep ticket office

   Buy an adult return ticket for ¥520 at the lower station and take the ropeway. From the upper station, walk through the honmaru grounds to the keep ticket office. The operator’s roughly 30-minute estimate from the lower station’s first floor to the ticket office excludes time inside the keep.

   Castle fees and hours2026-10-08Reaching the lower station2026-10-08

4. Keep ticket office → Matsuyama Castle keep

   Adult keep admission is ¥520, separate from the return ropeway ticket. Usual hours are 09:00–17:00, with last admission 30 minutes before closing. Hours differ in August and December–January; check the closing time for your date before entering.

   Castle fees and hours2026-10-08

5. Matsuyama Castle keep → Lower ropeway station and Okaido shopping street

   After your visit, return to the upper boarding point and take the ropeway down. Walk from the lower station towards Okaido for a meal or rest.

   Reaching the lower station2026-10-08

Day 2: walk from JR Uchiko Station to the historic streets

Leave your Okaido accommodation in the morning.

1. Okaido accommodation → JR Uchiko Station

   Take Iyotetsu city tram 5 to JR Matsuyama Station, then transfer to a train stopping at Uchiko. Matsuyama-shi Station is not a JR station, so distinguish the names when buying tickets. Check both outward and return trains for your date. Walking to the tram stop, buying JR tickets and waiting for transfers are additional to train travel time. Limited express trains require a limited express ticket as well as the basic fare ticket.

   City tram timetable2026-10-08April 2026 fare table, page 22026-10-08Uchiko Tourism Association visitor information2026-10-08Fare table2026-10-08Matsuyama Station2026-10-08Uchiko Station2026-10-08Iyo-Ozu Station2026-10-08

2. JR Uchiko Station → Uchiko historic streets

   Follow the tourism association’s directions from Uchiko Station to the historic area’s southern entrance: roughly 1 km or a 15-minute walk. Leave time for old buildings, lanes and lunch. The association suggests 1–2 hours for the streets and area around Uchiko-za, or about 3 hours with a café stop or meal. Your pace and restaurant waits may add time. Uchiko-za’s main building is closed for construction, so no interior ticket is included. Check the opening hours and admission for your date if entering preserved houses or museums.

   Uchiko Tourism Association visitor information2026-10-08Tourism association closure notice2026-10-08Uchiko Town dressing-room opening notice2026-10-08

3. Uchiko historic streets → Okaido accommodation

   Retrace the walk from the southern entrance to Uchiko Station and choose a Matsuyama-bound train running on your date. Check its arrival time in Matsuyama. Allow 15 minutes for walking to the station, plus ticket checks and boarding time before departure. Plan house visits and meals around your return train. From JR Matsuyama Station, take city tram 5 towards Dogo Onsen, get off at Okaido and return to your accommodation. Eat dinner nearby. Uchiko restaurants have different closing days, so check which are open on your date first.

   City tram timetable2026-10-08April 2026 fare table, page 22026-10-08Uchiko Tourism Association visitor information2026-10-08

Day 3: visit Dogo Onsen Honkan before departing

1. Okaido accommodation → Dogo Onsen Honkan

   Take tram 3 from Okaido towards Dogo Onsen, get off at the terminus and walk along Haikara-dori to Honkan. Leave time for the walk and reception queue. Honkan’s Kami-no-Yu bath-only option operates 06:00–23:00, with reception until 22:30 and a 60-minute limit. Advance reservations are not accepted. Choosing a different option with a relaxation room changes the price and conditions.

   Bathing options, prices and reservation conditions2026-10-08City tram timetable2026-10-08April 2026 fare table, page 22026-10-08Official walking map of Dogo Onsen Station, shopping street and Honkan2026-10-08

2. Dogo Onsen Honkan → Okaido stop

   After bathing, return to Dogo Onsen Station and take tram 3 towards Matsuyama-shi, getting off at Okaido. Have a meal or rest in the shopping area, then choose the airport or JR departure route below. Move bathing to another day if you depart in the morning.

   City tram timetable2026-10-08