Shizuoka travel: how will you split Shizuoka City and Atami?
Stay near Shizuoka Station for views of Mount Fuji and Suruga Bay and ornate shrine architecture, or near Atami Station for former villas, art exhibits and seaside walks. For one or two nights, focus on one city; with three or four, you can move from Shizuoka to Atami and visit both. Set the order around museum closures, ropeway suspensions and your last-day departure.
Views and a shrine, or a villa and art museum?
Choose whether to add Kunozan Toshogu to Nihondaira views or visit Kiunkaku, art museums and the seaside in Atami. Toshogu requires steps after the ropeway; MOA requires an escalator ascent to the main building after the bus. Distinguish views and walks from paid building visits when comparing fees and closures.
Itineraries by trip length
Stay near Shizuoka Station for mountain views and castle-history exhibits, or in Atami for separate villa, art museum and coast days. To see both cities, set aside a day for the train and hotel move. Adjust visits and order around exhibitions and ropeway suspensions.
2 days, 1 night
Visit Kiunkaku's buildings and garden in Atami, then add a coastal walk or Kinomiya Shrine. Routes have slopes, so reduce sightseeing after a late arrival or before a next-morning departure.
3 days, 2 nights
Choose Shizuoka City's art museum, Toshogu and Sunpu Castle Park, or Atami's Kiunkaku, MOA and Sun Beach. Stay consecutive nights in one city and split attractions by day.
4 days, 3 nights
Compare Nihondaira/Toshogu followed by a move to Atami with consecutive Atami nights. Staying in Atami adds Kinomiya Shrine without intercity travel; moving hotels combines mountain views and seaside visits.
5 days, 4 nights
Visit Shizuoka and Atami, with an extra day for Kinomiya Shrine or the city art museum. The shrine option splits one Shizuoka/three Atami nights; the city art museum splits two in each, changing moving day.
Where should I stay?
Shizuoka City · 静岡市
The Shizuoka Station area is convenient for meals and trains to your next city. Choose a Nihondaira bus that goes all the way to the summit. Distinguish it from services departing Higashi-Shizuoka Station and check your bus bay.
Atami · 熱海
Staying near Atami Station makes rail arrivals and onward travel easier. Walks to Kiunkaku, Kinomiya Shrine and the coast have slopes, so check your hotel address and the uphill return. On days with large luggage, check your booked hotel's storage conditions first. Prince Smart Inn Atami is about a three-minute walk from the station and offers only first-come lockers before check-in, with no storage after checkout. This condition does not apply to other hotels.
Prince Smart Inn Atami · プリンス スマート イン 熱海
Other trip preparations
Choose opening days and your last-day departure together
Check Kiunkaku's Wednesday closures and MOA's Thursday and exhibition-changeover closures first, including public holiday exceptions. The city art museum and Sunpu Castle handle Monday closures differently. For a morning departure on the last day, move the coast, Kiunkaku or Sunpu Castle to an earlier day or omit them. Choose buses and trains by actual-date stops and return services.
Kiunkaku admission and hoursMOA visitor guideCity art museum station accessSunpu Castle Park fees and access
Check storage separately for large luggage
Hotel storage conditions may differ before check-in and after checkout. Prince Smart Inn Atami lists first-come lockers before check-in on your stay date, with no storage after checkout. Before hilly sightseeing or intercity travel, check your booked hotel's conditions and alternative storage locations and prices. Storage costs are outside itinerary subtotals.
Transport, meals and related guides
Japan transport guide
Use a bus from Shizuoka Station to Nihondaira and a train when moving hotels to Atami. Check rail and bus use separately.
Japan transport guide →Rail pass guide
Check the Mt. Fuji-Shizuoka Mini Pass's conventional railway coverage. This itinerary's Kodama, Nihondaira bus and ropeway, and MOA bus are separate; compare with ordinary-ticket costs.
Rail pass guide →Restaurant and reservation information
In Shizuoka, pair a tea break with Nihondaira sightseeing. For the Shimizu fish market, allow a separate visit day with travel towards Shimizu Station. For fish dishes in Atami, choose your lunch area around any included hotel dinner to avoid overlapping meals. Check restaurant prices and opening days on individual reservation pages. Check the city, restaurant opening days, menus and booking conditions. Meals are outside itinerary subtotals.
Restaurant and reservation information →Region name
Shizuoka Prefecture · 静岡県
Places to visit in Shizuoka City and Atami
Choose station-area exhibits and the park in Shizuoka City, or a residence, art museum and coast in Atami. On intercity days, allow train travel separately from sightseeing.
Shizuoka Station north side and city art museum
For indoor exhibits after your train, the city art museum is close to Shizuoka Station's north side. The official underpass walk to Aoi Tower's third floor is about three minutes. Prices vary by exhibition; ¥1,600 is ordinary same-day Renoir admission for September 22–November 15, 2026.
City art museum opening calendarCity art museum Renoir prices
Sunpu Castle Park and station area
For castle-history exhibits, walk about 15 minutes from the station to Sunpu Castle Park. Park walks differ from paid interiors at Higashigomon and Tatsumi Yagura. Exhibition reception ends at 16:00; on a late-arrival day, choose whichever outdoor walking or exhibition visits still fit.
Sunpu Castle Park fees and accessSunpu Castle Park visiting areas
Nihondaira views and Kunozan Toshogu
Choose Nihondaira Yume Terrace for views, adding Kunozan Toshogu by ropeway for shrine architecture. About 80 steps follow the ropeway ride to the shrine. The terrace building charges admission from October 2026; the outdoor corridor is free. Do not apply the shrine connection itinerary during the scheduled December 1–21 ropeway suspension.
Nihondaira Yume Terrace visitor guideShizutetsu Nihondaira Ropeway visitor guideShizutetsu December ropeway suspension
Below Atami Station: Kiunkaku and Sun Beach
Choose Kiunkaku and Sun Beach for a former residence and garden followed by a seaside walk. Each is listed as about 20 minutes on foot from Atami Station; allow the uphill return and train boarding time. Sun Beach is for sand and coastal walking; the water park, rentals and parking are outside this walking itinerary.
Official Kiunkaku tourism guide: station walk about 20 minutesSun Beach seasonal use and station accessAtami City Sun Beach, promenade and seasonal swimming facilities
Atami's Kinomiya Shrine and MOA Museum
Choose Kinomiya Shrine for the camphor tree and grounds, or MOA for art exhibits. The shrine's official station walk is about 18 minutes; MOA is a separate bus destination from bay 8. After the MOA bus, ascend by escalator for about 10 more minutes towards the main building. Check closures and return buses before visiting.
Official shrine access and worship hoursMOA visitor guideMOA Art Street and escalator access guide
Navigate from hotels and stations to attractions
Shizuoka and Atami stations are in different cities. Add waiting, transfers and stop-to-entrance walking to bus rides; choose returns for the same travel date. After checking your walking route's start and end, adjust for your hotel address and on-site access signs. Map estimates exclude waiting and visiting time.
| Journey | Transport | Official access and searches |
|---|---|---|
| Shizuoka Station → city art museum | North-exit underpass to Aoi Tower's third floor, about three minutes | Different from the prefectural art museum |
| Shizuoka Station → Sunpu Castle Park | About 15 minutes on foot to the park, then continue to your paid exhibition entrance | Distinguish park and exhibition entrances |
| Shizuoka Station → Nihondaira → Shizuoka Station | Bus to Nihondaira Ropeway terminus → views and ropeway → return from the same terminus | Weekday return timetable. Search the relevant date for weekends/public holidays; return fare excluded from subtotal |
| Atami Station → Kiunkaku and Sun Beach | About 20 minutes on foot to each. Add walking between them and visiting time | Official Kiunkaku walking guide; allow the uphill station return |
| Atami Station → Kinomiya Shrine | Official estimate: about 1.6 km or 18 minutes on foot | Check separate routes and fares if taking a bus |
| Atami Station → MOA Museum → Atami Station | Bay 8 museum bus → terminus → escalators to main building → station-bound bus | M-marked services suspended on museum closure days. Check both directions |
| Shizuoka Station → Atami Station | Tokaido Shinkansen Kodama. Buy for your destination and seat type | Distinguish conventional rail and Shinkansen fares and pass coverage |
Weekday return timetableCity art museum opening calendarSunpu Castle Park fees and accessOfficial Kiunkaku tourism guide: station walk about 20 minutesSun Beach seasonal use and station accessOfficial shrine access and worship hoursMOA visitor guideJR Central date-specific Kodama routes and fares
Food in Shizuoka City and Atami
Decide whether to eat on your way back to the station or stay in the sightseeing area. Menus and opening days vary by restaurant; meals are outside itinerary costs.
Shizuoka City: oden and kuro-hanpen
Shizuoka oden simmers ingredients in a dark broth using beef tendon and dark soy sauce, served with powdered stock and green laver. Kuro-hanpen is a fish cake made from ground mackerel, sardines and similar fish. Aoba Oden Street and Aoba Yokocho are officially about 15 minutes on foot from Shizuoka Station; check individual shop hours. They are not a nearby meal stop for an Atami sightseeing day.
Atami: dried fish and onsen manju
Consider Atami's dried fish for a meal or gift. Transport ministry tourism material introduces dried fish from Atami and Ajiro. Onsen manju are steamed buns, an option for a snack separate from a meal. With an included hotel dinner, choose lunch to avoid overlapping menus; check fish types, preparation and prices at the shop.
Partial costs and pass coverage
Options A and B visit different cities and use different transport. Do not use one option's amount directly as the other option's budget, even for the same trip length.
Nihondaira return buses
Choose both the summit-bound bus from Shizuoka Station and the station-bound return. The checked uphill fare is ¥710; the return fare is separate. Only uphill travel is included in itinerary costs, so this is not the full return transport cost.
Weekday uphill timetableWeekday return timetableShizutetsu segment fare search: uphill confirmed, return unconfirmed
Mt. Fuji-Shizuoka Mini Pass
The official coverage map includes the Atami–Toyohashi conventional Tokaido Line, but excludes Shinkansen. It cannot replace this itinerary's Kodama cost, and excludes Nihondaira/MOA buses and the ropeway. Check trip length, eligibility and actual journeys before comparing ordinary-ticket costs. Valid for three consecutive days, it is not one transport ticket for the entire five-day trip.
December 1–21, 2026 ropeway suspension
Nihondaira Ropeway is scheduled to suspend service for equipment works. During this period, the ropeway round trip to Kunozan Toshogu is unavailable. Even for terrace views alone, check buses and terrace opening separately.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to change hotels to see Shizuoka City and Atami?
One night in Shizuoka followed by two in Atami visits both cities over four days. Five-day options split one Shizuoka/three Atami nights or two nights in each city. For one hotel and one city, choose a two-night Shizuoka or Atami itinerary. On the Atami-moving day, take a Kodama stopping there and check whether you can reach Kiunkaku before last entry.
JR Central basic eastbound timetableJR Central date-specific Kodama routes and faresKiunkaku admission and hoursKiunkaku access
Official sources and check dates
- Official hotel access ·
- Luggage storage FAQ ·
- Nihondaira Yume Terrace visitor guide ·
- Shizutetsu Nihondaira Ropeway visitor guide ·
- Shizutetsu December ropeway suspension ·
- Kiunkaku admission and hours ·
- Kiunkaku access ·
- Official shrine access and worship hours ·
- Sun Beach seasonal use and station access ·
- Official English Atami port tourism guide ·
- City art museum Renoir prices ·
- City art museum station access ·
- City art museum opening calendar ·
- Sunpu Castle Park fees and access ·
- Sunpu Castle Park visiting areas ·
- Official Kiunkaku tourism guide: station walk about 20 minutes ·
- MOA visitor guide ·
- Weekday uphill timetable ·
- Weekday return timetable ·
- JR Central basic eastbound timetable ·
- Official facility and transport guides ·
- JR Central date-specific Kodama routes and fares ·
- MOA Art Street and escalator access guide ·
- Shizutetsu segment fare search: uphill confirmed, return unconfirmed ·
- JR Central/JR West Mt. Fuji-Shizuoka Mini Pass routes ·
- Shizuoka City oden streets, food and station walk ·
- Atami City Sun Beach, promenade and seasonal swimming facilities ·