Matsuyama in three days: castle and bath, or add Uchiko?

Day 1: explore around Okaido

Spend two nights in Okaido: food and walks 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-Ekimae, take city tram 5 towards Dogo Onsen and alight at Okaido. JR Matsuyama and Matsuyama-shi are different stations. From the airport, finish baggage collection and any required immigration procedures, then check that your limousine stops at Okaido. Not every airport bus does. Select a service you can actually catch using your date’s timetable.

   City tram timetable2026-10-08Airport limousine routes, fares and 1–24 October 2026 timetable2026-10-08Matsuyama Airport bus guide2026-10-08

2. Okaido shopping street → Food, walks and the same Okaido accommodation

   Choose an open restaurant in Okaido shopping street, walk nearby and return to your accommodation. If arriving late, shorten the walk and rest. Visit the castle and hot spring from the next day.

   City tram timetable2026-10-08

Day 2: visit Matsuyama Castle’s keep from Okaido

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

1. Okaido stop → Shinonomeguchi ropeway lower station

   Walk from Okaido tram stop to Shinonomeguchi ropeway’s lower station. The official walk is about 5 minutes.

   Access to the lower station2026-10-08Castle fees and hours2026-10-08

2. Shinonomeguchi ropeway lower 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 approximately 30-minute route from the lower station’s first floor to that office excludes touring the keep interior.

   Castle fees and hours2026-10-08Access to the lower station2026-10-08

3. Keep ticket office → Matsuyama Castle keep

   Adult keep admission is JPY 520, separate from the return ropeway ticket. Usual hours are 09:00–17:00, with entry ending 30 minutes before closing. August and December–January hours differ; check your date’s deadline before entering.

   Castle fees and hours2026-10-08

4. Matsuyama Castle keep → Ropeway lower station and Okaido shopping street

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

   Access to the lower station2026-10-08Castle fees and hours2026-10-08Stairs and visiting guidance2026-10-08

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

1. Okaido accommodation → Dogo Onsen Honkan

   Take city tram 3 towards Dogo Onsen, alight at the terminus and walk along Haikara-dori to Honkan. Check Iyotetsu’s timetable for your date. Use the JPY 700 adult Kami-no-Yu bath-only option: 06:00–23:00, reception until 22:30, 60-minute use. Reservations are not accepted; allow queueing and changing time.

   Bath options, prices and reservation rules2026-10-08City tram timetable2026-10-08April 2026 fare table, page 22026-10-08Official Dogo Onsen Station, arcade and Honkan walking map2026-10-08

2. Dogo Onsen Honkan → Okaido accommodation

   After the Kami-no-Yu bath, walk back along Haikara-dori to Dogo Onsen Station. Take tram 3 towards Matsuyama-shi and alight at Okaido to return to your accommodation. Walking and waiting for the tram take extra time.

   City tram timetable2026-10-08Official Dogo Onsen Station, arcade and Honkan walking map2026-10-08

Day 1: visit Matsuyama Castle from Okaido

Spend two nights in Okaido: castle on day 1, Uchiko on day 2, Dogo Onsen on the final day. Choose this course for a daytime arrival and departure in the afternoon or later.

1. Matsuyama Airport or JR Matsuyama Station → Okaido stop

   From JR Matsuyama-Ekimae, take city tram 5 towards Dogo Onsen and alight at Okaido. From the airport, check that a limousine you can catch after arrival stops at Okaido. Not every airport bus reaches this stop. Initial arrival transport is excluded from the sightseeing subtotal.

   City tram timetable2026-10-08Airport limousine routes, fares and 1–24 October 2026 timetable2026-10-08Access to the lower station2026-10-08

2. Okaido stop → Shinonomeguchi ropeway lower station

   Walk from Okaido tram stop to Shinonomeguchi ropeway’s lower station. The official walk is about 5 minutes.

   Access to the lower station2026-10-08

3. Shinonomeguchi ropeway lower 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 approximately 30-minute route from the lower station’s first floor to that office excludes touring the keep interior.

   Castle fees and hours2026-10-08Access to the lower station2026-10-08

4. Keep ticket office → Matsuyama Castle keep

   Adult keep admission is JPY 520, separate from the return ropeway ticket. Usual hours are 09:00–17:00, with entry ending 30 minutes before closing. August and December–January hours differ; check your date’s deadline before entering.

   Castle fees and hours2026-10-08

5. Matsuyama Castle keep → Ropeway lower station and Okaido shopping street

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

   Access to the lower station2026-10-08

Day 2: walk from JR Uchiko to the old streets

Leave your Okaido accommodation in the morning.

1. Okaido accommodation → JR Uchiko Station

   Take Iyotetsu city tram 5 towards JR Matsuyama-Ekimae, then a train at JR Matsuyama that stops at Uchiko. Matsuyama-shi is not a JR station; distinguish the names when buying tickets. Check both arrival and return services for your date. Accommodation-to-stop walking, JR ticket purchase and transfer waits are outside the train time. Limited expresses require a supplement as well as the basic ticket.

   City tram timetable2026-10-08April 2026 fare table, page 22026-10-08Uchiko tourism-association visiting guide2026-10-08Fare table2026-10-08Matsuyama Station2026-10-08Uchiko Station2026-10-08Iyo-Ozu Station2026-10-08

2. JR Uchiko Station → Uchiko’s old streets

   From Uchiko Station, follow tourism-association guidance for about 1 km/15 minutes on foot to the old streets’ southern entrance. Allow time for old buildings, lanes and lunch. The association suggests 1–2 hours for the streets and Uchiko-za surroundings, or about 3 with food/a café; walking pace and restaurant queues can add time. Uchiko-za’s main hall is closed for works, so interior admission is excluded. Check visiting-date opening and fees separately for preserved houses or museums.

   Uchiko tourism-association visiting guide2026-10-08Tourism-association closure guidance2026-10-08Uchiko Town dressing-room access guidance2026-10-08

3. Uchiko’s old streets → Okaido accommodation

   Retrace the route from the streets’ southern entrance to Uchiko Station and select a Matsuyama-bound train running on your date. Check its arrival time too. Allow the 15-minute station walk and ticket/boarding margin before departure; fit house visits and lunch around that train. At JR Matsuyama, take tram 5 towards Dogo Onsen, alight at Okaido and return to your accommodation for nearby dinner. Uchiko restaurants have varying closing days; check which are open before visiting.

   City tram timetable2026-10-08April 2026 fare table, page 22026-10-08Uchiko tourism-association visiting guide2026-10-08

Day 3: visit Dogo Onsen Honkan before departure

1. Okaido accommodation → Dogo Onsen Honkan

   Take tram 3 from Okaido towards Dogo Onsen, alight at the terminus and walk along Haikara-dori to Honkan. Allow the station walk and reception queue. Kami-no-Yu bath-only runs 06:00–23:00, reception until 22:30, 60-minute use, without advance reservations. Other rest-room options have different prices and conditions.

   Bath options, prices and reservation rules2026-10-08City tram timetable2026-10-08April 2026 fare table, page 22026-10-08Official Dogo Onsen Station, arcade and Honkan walking map2026-10-08

2. Dogo Onsen Honkan → Okaido stop

   After bathing, return to Dogo Onsen Station and take tram 3 towards Matsuyama-shi, alighting at Okaido. Eat or rest in the shopping street; select the airport or JR departure route below. For a morning departure, move bathing to another day.

   City tram timetable2026-10-08