One night in Wakayama: temples or coast?

For temple accommodation, stay on Koyasan and give Kongobuji and Danjo Garan a day each. For beach and cliffs, compare one night in Shirahama followed by Sandanbeki the next day. Koyasan uses Nankai rail, cable car and mountain buses; Shirahama uses JR and Meiko Bus.

Choose a 2 days / 1 night itinerary

2 days / 1 night A

Visit Kongobuji one day and Danjo Garan the next

Choose this course for a night on Koyasan rather than squeezing temples into one day. Visit Kongobuji on day one and Danjo Garan the next, using Nankai trains, cable car and mountain buses.

Visit Kongobuji one day and Danjo Garan the next →2 days / 1 night B

Beach on day one, Sandanbeki on day two

Choose this course for a seaside night, with the beach and cliffs on separate days. Walk Shirarahama on day one, then visit Sandanbeki before returning to Shirahama Station the next day. Meiko Bus links the beach, cliffs and station.

Beach on day one, Sandanbeki on day two →

2 days / 1 night A

Visit Kongobuji one day and Danjo Garan the next

Choose this course for a night on Koyasan rather than squeezing temples into one day. Visit Kongobuji on day one and Danjo Garan the next, using Nankai trains, cable car and mountain buses.

Day 1 morning: Gokurakubashi to the mountain

Take a mountain bus from Koyasan Station to Kongobuji, then stay on Koyasan. Choose your departure to allow time before the temple closes, using the bus and cable-car connections for your date. Check your accommodation’s guidance for access and meal times.

Nankai Hashimoto → Gokurakubashi
From Nankai Hashimoto, take a local Koya Line service towards Gokurakubashi. Check the weekday or weekend and public-holiday timetable for your date alongside the connecting cable car. Travel from your starting city to Hashimoto is separate. Ordinary tickets do not include reserved-seat or limited-express supplements.
Nankai Koya Line information2026-10-08Hashimoto towards Koyasan: weekday timetable2026-10-08Hashimoto towards Koyasan timetable: weekdays, weekends and public holidays2026-10-09
Gokurakubashi → Cable car to Koyasan Station
Leave the train and change to the Koyasan cable car. Use the weekday or weekend and public-holiday timetable for your date to choose a departure allowing time after train arrival. Beyond Koyasan Station, a mountain bus is still needed for temples or accommodation.
Nankai Koya Line information2026-10-08Gokurakubashi towards Koyasan: weekday timetable2026-10-08Gokurakubashi–Koyasan cable-car timetable: weekdays, weekends and public holidays2026-10-09
Koyasan-ekimae → Kongobuji-mae stop
From Koyasan-ekimae, take a mountain bus stopping at Kongobuji-mae and alight there. The official fare table gives 460 yen per adult for this section on routes 21, 31, 41, 42, 43, 52, 53 and 55. Route 44 via Daimon-Minami-Chushajo has a different stop order. Check the destinations and the weekday or weekend and public-holiday timetable at the station-front stop. Choose a bus that leaves time to visit before temple reception closes at 16:30. If visiting your hotel first, check its stop separately.
Rinkan Bus Koyasan mountain fares from 2026-03-282026-10-09Rinkan Bus Koyasan-ekimae timetable from 2026-03-282026-10-09Kongobuji rail access and mountain map2026-10-08
Kongobuji-mae → Kongobuji visit
Walk from the stop to Kongobuji. Ordinary hours are 08:30–17:00, with reception until 16:30; check event-day arrangements separately. Go to your booked accommodation afterwards. If arriving late, visit Kongobuji first the next day and adjust time for Danjo Garan.
Kongobuji and Danjo Garan fees and hours2026-10-08Koyasan temple and Danjo Garan locations2026-10-08Kongobuji rail access and mountain map2026-10-08
Kongobuji → Booked accommodation, dinner and overnight stay
After visiting, go to your booked accommodation. Check your booking for the actual walking or bus route and dinner start time. Ask the property whether dinner is available if you arrive late.
Kongobuji rail access and mountain map2026-10-08Koyasan Shukubo Association: accommodation by property2026-10-08

Day 2 morning: Danjo Garan

Visit Danjo Garan only if you have time before your return journey. Omit it if you depart in the morning.

Koyasan accommodation → Konpon Daito at Danjo Garan
Visit Konpon Daito if you have time before your return journey. It has separate admission from Kongobuji and is ordinarily open 08:30–17:00, with reception until 16:30. Check event-day arrangements separately. Add Kondo interiors if you wish, for another 500 yen. If you missed Kongobuji the day before, prioritise one place according to the time before departure.
Kongobuji and Danjo Garan fees and hours2026-10-08Koyasan temple and Danjo Garan locations2026-10-08Kongobuji rail access and mountain map2026-10-08
Danjo Garan and Kongobuji-mae → Bus to Koyasan-ekimae
After visiting, find the Kongobuji-mae boarding point on the official mountain map and take a Koyasan-ekimae-bound bus. The official stop timetable lists routes 31, 41, 43, 52 and 53 towards the station, at 460 yen per adult. Use this boarding point after Kongobuji. For another stop near Danjo Garan or your hotel, check that stop’s station-bound timetable separately. Weekday school-day and school-holiday timetables differ, and weekends and public holidays have separate timetables. Allow time between bus arrival and cable-car departure; shorten your final visit if the connection is early.
Rinkan Bus Koyasan mountain fares from 2026-03-282026-10-09Rinkan Bus Kongobuji-mae timetable from 2026-03-282026-10-09Kongobuji rail access and mountain map2026-10-08
Koyasan Station → Cable car to Gokurakubashi
Take a Gokurakubashi-bound cable car from Koyasan Station. Check its departure in the weekday or weekend and public-holiday timetable for your date. Allow time from the mountain bus to the cable-car platform.
Nankai Koya Line information2026-10-08Koyasan departing cable car and connecting trains: weekdays, weekends and public holidays2026-10-09
Gokurakubashi → Nankai Hashimoto
Leave the cable car and change to a Hashimoto-bound local train. Check the destination and departure for your date, allowing time to move through the station and check tickets. Look up onward connections beyond Hashimoto too.
Nankai Koya Line information2026-10-08Gokurakubashi towards Namba and Hashimoto: weekdays, weekends and public holidays2026-10-09
Nankai Hashimoto → Your chosen departure city or airport
For Wakayama City, look up onward connections via a transfer to JR Hashimoto’s Wakayama Line. For Osaka, search through to your chosen Nankai terminus. Allow separately for tickets, movement through stations, waits, airport travel and check-in. If continuing to an airport, check the later train connections against your flight time.
Nankai Hashimoto and JR transfers2026-10-08Nankai Koya Line information2026-10-08

Subtotal for checked items: 3,480 yen: admission, rail and cable car only

Included items: Adult Kongobuji and Konpon Daito admission: 1,500 yen; ordinary Hashimoto–Koyasan return rail and cable car: 1,980 yen

Extra costs and conditions: Required mountain buses are excluded. The reference Koyasan-ekimae–Kongobuji-mae section costs 460 yen each way, or 920 yen return; extra hotel journeys are separate. Travel from your starting city to Hashimoto is also excluded. JR, city buses, limited-express supplements, accommodation, meals, luggage storage and optional Kondo admission are extra.

Ordinary adult admission is 1,000 yen for Kongobuji and 500 yen for Konpon Daito, totalling 1,500 yen. Adding ordinary Hashimoto–Koyasan return travel at 1,980 yen gives 3,480 yen. Rail costs 990 yen each way, including the Koya Line and cable car. Add 500 yen for Kondo interiors.

Mountain buses are separate. Koyasan-ekimae–Kongobuji-mae costs 460 yen each way or 920 yen return. The adult Koyasan day pass costs 1,500 yen, making individual fares 580 yen lower for this return journey alone. The pass applies on designated dates and sections, excluding the express Tateri Line and Koya-Ryujin Line. Hotel stops and extra rides vary, so add required buses separately. Starting-city transport, JR, city buses, accommodation and meals are extra.

Kongobuji and Danjo Garan fees and hours2026-10-08Nankai official fare search2026-10-08Rinkan Bus Koyasan mountain fares from 2026-03-282026-10-09Rinkan Bus Koyasan day pass price and coverage2026-10-09

2 days / 1 night B

Beach on day one, Sandanbeki on day two

Day 1: JR Shirahama Station to the beach

Walk the beach on day one and visit Sandanbeki before departing by JR the next day. Choose a return train allowing time after the cliffs and lunch to reach Shirahama Station. Omit the day-two cliffs for a morning departure.

JR Shirahama Station → Shirarahama stop
From JR Shirahama Station (S0), take Sandanbeki-bound Meiko Bus route 12 to Shirarahama (S15). Check your JR arrival and bus departure together for your date. The JR station and beach stop are separate locations.
Meiko Bus timetable revised 2026-04-012026-10-08Find Meiko Bus Shirahama routes and timetables2026-10-08
Shirarahama stop → Shirarahama beach walk
Walk from Shirarahama stop to the beach. This course does not assume swimming. After the beach walk, have dinner and spend the night in Shirahama.
Shirarahama beach and bus stop2026-10-08

Day 2 morning: Sandanbeki cliffs

Shirahama accommodation → Shirarahama and Sandanbeki stops
From Shirarahama (S15), take Sandanbeki-bound Meiko Bus route 12 to Sandanbeki (S24). Check departures, arrivals and stops in your date’s timetable. Omit the cliffs if your return departure is early.
Meiko Bus timetable revised 2026-04-012026-10-08Sandanbeki cliffs, cave and bus access2026-10-08
Sandanbeki stop → Cliff views and optional cave
Walk about five minutes from the stop for free cliff views, as described in tourism guidance. The cave charges separately: ordinary admission for junior high school students and older is 1,500 yen. Buy tickets in the building to the right of the viewpoint and descend by lift. The official 30-minute interior visit estimate excludes ticket and lift queues. Ordinary hours are 08:00–17:00, last admission 16:50. Mid-December maintenance may cause temporary closure; check weather-related operation on the day too. Leave in time for a bus connecting with your booked departure, and omit the cave if queues are long.
Sandanbeki cliffs, cave and bus access2026-10-08Sandanbeki Cave admission, hours and reception route2026-10-08
Sandanbeki → Shirarahama and lunch
From Sandanbeki (S24), take Tanabe Station-bound route 11 via JR Shirahama to Shirarahama (S15). Check departures, arrivals and stops in your date’s timetable. Eat by the beach and check the next station-bound bus.
Meiko Bus timetable revised 2026-04-012026-10-08
Shirarahama → JR Shirahama Station and departure checks
From Shirarahama (S15), take Tanabe Station-bound route 11 via JR Shirahama to JR Shirahama Station (S0). Check buses, JR trains, reserved seats and ticket collection times for your date. For a morning train, omit the cliffs and go to the station. For flights, check airport travel and check-in separately.
Meiko Bus timetable revised 2026-04-012026-10-08

Subtotal for checked items: 2,660 yen: optional cave and buses included

Included items: Four individual adult bus fares: 1,160 yen; selected ordinary cave admission: 1,500 yen

Extra costs and conditions: This subtotal excludes JR between your starting city and Shirahama, accommodation, meals, luggage storage and other facilities.

Uses the fare table revised April 8, 2021, linked by the official route page as of October 9. Station–Shirarahama fares are 340 yen each way and Shirarahama–Sandanbeki fares 240 yen each way, totalling 1,160 yen for four individual adult rides. With only free cliff views, buses total 1,160 yen; adding ordinary cave admission at 1,500 yen gives 2,660 yen. This is not a full trip budget because JR and other costs are excluded. The official 1,600-yen two-day pass costs 440 yen more than these individual fares. Pass plus ordinary cave admission is 3,100 yen before concessions. Recheck travel-date fares, admission and discount conditions. If the official pass’s 100-yen cave concession applies, pass and cave total 3,000 yen, 340 yen more than individual buses and ordinary admission at 2,660 yen. Confirm ticket presentation and use-date conditions on site.

Meiko Bus Shirahama section fares2026-10-08Meiko Bus pass prices and end of paper three-day passes2026-10-08Sandanbeki Cave admission, hours and reception route2026-10-08

Koyasan transport and visiting information

Compare the train, cable-car and mountain-bus sequence and separate fares. Set outward and return connections for your date, then plan temples and accommodation around them.

Mountains and coast use different buses

For Koyasan, change from Nankai Koya Line and cable car to mountain buses. Shirahama uses Meiko Bus; Nachi uses Kumano Gobo Nankai Bus’s Nachisan Line. One local bus ticket does not cover all three areas.

Koyasan-ekimae–Kongobuji-mae costs 460 yen per adult each way, or 920 yen return. The 1,500-yen Koyasan day pass applies to designated dates and sections, excluding the express Tateri Line and Koya-Ryujin Line. Individual fares are lower for this return alone. Existing subtotals for the four Koyasan courses exclude mountain buses; add extra rides required for your hotel. Kongobuji-mae and Senjuinbashi are different stops. Distinguish weekdays, weekends and public holidays, and school-day and school-holiday tables, matching hotel access with your date’s connections.

Kongobuji rail access and mountain map2026-10-08Find Meiko Bus Shirahama routes and timetables2026-10-08Nachisan Line timetable revised 2026-04-012026-10-09Rinkan Bus Koyasan mountain fares from 2026-03-282026-10-09Rinkan Bus Koyasan-ekimae timetable from 2026-03-282026-10-09Rinkan Bus Kongobuji-mae timetable from 2026-03-282026-10-09Rinkan Bus Koyasan day pass price and coverage2026-10-09

To Koyasan: train, cable car and mountain bus

From Hashimoto, take the Koya Line towards Gokurakubashi, then change to the Koyasan cable car. After Koyasan Station, take a mountain bus to your temple or accommodation. Return by mountain bus, Gokurakubashi cable car and Hashimoto-bound train.

Kongobuji rail access and mountain map2026-10-08Hashimoto towards Koyasan: weekday timetable2026-10-08Gokurakubashi towards Koyasan: weekday timetable2026-10-08

Koyasan fares: 1,980-yen Hashimoto return

Ordinary adult Hashimoto–Koyasan fares are 990 yen each way or 1,980 yen return, including Koya Line and cable car. Starting-city–Hashimoto transport, mountain buses, temple admission, accommodation and meals are extra.

Nankai official fare search2026-10-08

Koyasan timings: choose connections for your date

Check train and cable-car connections in the weekday or weekend and public-holiday timetable for your date. Choose mountain buses around temple reception deadlines and hotel dinner times too. On return, allow time between bus arrival and cable car, then match trains beyond Hashimoto and any airport travel.

Hashimoto towards Koyasan: weekday timetable2026-10-08Hashimoto towards Koyasan timetable: weekdays, weekends and public holidays2026-10-09Gokurakubashi towards Koyasan: weekday timetable2026-10-08Gokurakubashi–Koyasan cable-car timetable: weekdays, weekends and public holidays2026-10-09Koyasan departing cable car and connecting trains: weekdays, weekends and public holidays2026-10-09Gokurakubashi towards Namba and Hashimoto: weekdays, weekends and public holidays2026-10-09

Plan your stay after visiting Shirarahama

For Shirahama from Kii-Katsuura, recheck day-trip and overnight conditions. The one-night beach and cliff course is a reference; JR costs between bases and accommodation allocation need separate planning.

Return to Shirahama options within a three-night Kii-Katsuura stay →

Compare keeping the weather spare day with a day trip or one Shirahama night.

Return to the four-night coastal accommodation plan →

Compare two nights in each base with one in Shirahama and three in Kii-Katsuura.

JR official time and fare search: enter your travel date2026-10-08Find Meiko Bus Shirahama routes and timetables2026-10-08