Takayama is a small city situated in between mountains in central Japan. The city is often called “small Kyoto” as many traditional buildings are preserved. The city and the surrounding area offer ample actives such as winter sports, hiking, and Onsen bathing.
There are many ways to get to Takayama. I am going to explain it to you one by one.
From Tokyo
Hokuriku Shinkansen route via Toyama station
- Distance: 481.3km
- Fastest time: 4 hours 3 minutes
- Max Speed
- Shinkansen: 260km/h
- Hida: 95km/h
- Price
- Non-Reserved: 15,790 yen
- Reserved: 16,520 yen
- Green car: 21,610 yen
- Connection City: Toyama
This route is taking the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Toyama then taking Limited Express Wideview Hida from Toyama to Takayama. If you are starting the journey from Ueno, Kitasenju, and Omiya (Saitama), taking the Hokuriku Shinkansen makes sense. This route is the shortest and fastest but the fare is more expensive than taking the Tokaido Shinkansen via Nagoya. The drawback is that the Wideview Hida only runs 4 times a day so you should give extra time connecting.
Tokaido Shinkansen route via Nagoya
- Distance: 532.7km
- Fastest time: 4 hours 4 minutes
- Max Speed
- Shinkansen: 285km/h
- Hida: 120km/h
- Price
- Non-Reserved: 14,190 yen
- Reserved: 15,490 yen
- Green car: 21,390 yen
- Connection City: Nagoya
This route is the more traditional way to go to Takayama. If you are starting your journey from Shinjuku, Shinagawa, and Yokohama, this route is better. The great thing about connecting in Nagoya is the frequency of the Wide View Hida. From Nagoya, the Hida train runs every hour to Takayama so it gives you peace of mind. Another benefit is the price. It is slightly cheaper than the Hokuriku Shinkansen route.
Alternatively, you can take a bus from Nagoya but you won’t be saving much. The good thing about the bus is that Wi-Fi and charging ports are equipped whereas Wide View Hida only has free Wi-Fi onboard but not charging ports. This will change once the train set used for Hida is replaced by a new train set called the HC85 series from 2022.
Bus (Direct):
- Distance: 300km
- Fastest time: 5 hours 30 minutes
- Max Speed
- 100km/h
- Price
- Off-peak: 6,500 yen
- Peak: 7,000 yen
- Connection City: N/A
The direct bus is jointly operated by Nohi bus and Keio bus. It is the cheapest option among all options. Also, you do not have to carry a suitcase around train stops while connecting. The journey takes 5.5 hours, which is quite long but it is because the bus gets off the expressway in Matsumoto and the bus travels on scenic route 158 for 80km. The bus stops at Hirayu Onsen where you can visit and stay at a famous onsen town.
From Osaka:
Take Tokaido Shinkansen via Nagoya
- Distance: 353.3km
- Fastest trip time: 3 hours 11 minutes
- Max Speed
- Shinkansen: 285km/h
- Hida: 120km/h
- Price
- Non-Reserved: 10,010 yen
- Reserved: 11,310 yen
- Green car: 15,820 yen
- Connection City: Nagoya
This is the fastest route you can take to Takayama from Kyoto, Osaka, and the beyond. It is the most expensive route as well. Like coming from Tokyo or east of Nagoya, connecting in Nagoya is required.
Take Wide View Hida (Direct service)
- Distance: 292,7km
- Fastest trip time: 4 hours 12 minutes
- Max Speed
- Wideview Hida: 120km/h
- Price
- Non-Reserved: 7,920 yen
- Reserved: 8,650 yen
- Green car: N/A
- Connection City: N/A
There is once daily Hida service from Osaka and Kyoto to Takayama. It is a direct service to Takayama so you do not have to connect in Nagoya. The train leaves Osaka at 7:58 and Kyoto at 8:31 arriving at Takayama at 12:23. On the way back the train leaves Takayama at 15:38 and arriving in Kyoto at 19:18 and Osaka at 19:50.
Bus (Direct):
- Distance: 330km
- Fastest trip time: 5 hours 12 minutes
- Max Speed
- 100km/h
- Price
- Reserved: 5,000 yen
- Connection City: N/A
Nohi bus and Kintetsu bus co-operate the bus service between Osaka/ Kyoto and Takayama. It is the cheapest option among all options. Also, you do not have to carry a suitcase around train stops while connecting. The journey takes about 5 hours.
From Narita Airport (NRT)
There is no good way to go to Takayama from Narita airport. The most straightforward option is to take an airport bus to the Shinjuku Expressway Bus terminal (Busta Shinjuku) then connect to a bus to Takayama. The bus companies issue a discount coupon on this route. The journey would take around 7.5 to 8 hours.
Alternatively, you could either take the Skyliner to Ueno station then connect to the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Toyama. From Toyama station, you could either take Hida or Bus to Takayama.
Another way to do this is to take the Narita Express to Shinagawa, then take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Nagoya. From Nagoya, you could either take Hida or the bus to Takayama.
From Haneda Airport (HND)
Like coming from Narita airport, you can take an airport bus to Shinjuku then connect to a Takayama bound bus from Shinjuku Expressway Bus terminal (Busta Shinjuku). Same discount coupon like Narita airport would apply for Haneda airport route.
If you don’t want to sit on a bus for a long time, I would suggest flying to Komatsu airport or Toyama airport. From Komatsu airport you would have to take an airport bus to Kanazawa station from there, you can catch a bus to Takayama. The same thing is true for Toyama airport. You would be taking the bus to Toyama station then connect to a bus to Takayama or connecting at Kamioka bus terminal. There are twice-daily direct services from the airport to Takayama so if you can catch the bus, you can save a good chunk of time.
Alternatively, you could take the Keikyu train to Shinagawa then connect to the Tokaido Shinkansen to Nagoya. From Nagoya, you could either take Hida or Bus to Takayama.
From Kansai Airport (KIX)
There are two ways to get to Takayama from Kansai airport. There is no direct train or bus service to Takayama so you would need to connect in either Namba in Osaka or Kyoto. I would recommend taking buses or train + bus to Takayama since solely taking the train requires multiple connections, which is painful if you have luggage.
Connecting in Namba in Osaka, you want to take an airport bus from Kansai airport to Namba OCAT. The connecting bus to Takayama departs from Namba OCAT as well so this would make the transfer more feasible. The total trip without connection takes roughly 6.5 hours. The price is 6,100 yen.
The other way is to take the Limited Express Haruka or an airport bus to Kyoto then transfer to a bus to Takayama. I prefer taking the bus to Kyoto as transferring is easier between bus to the bus than train to bus. The trip time is 6 hours and the price is 6,600 yen.
From Nagoya airport (Central Japan International Airport/ NGO)
Some people would be traveling from Central Japan International Aiport, aka Centrair, near Nagoya. Knowing this is Japan, there is a discount ticket from the airport to Takayama. That is called the Takayama – Centrair ticket. It is a train and bus combo ticket and it only costs 3,800 yen. With the ticket, you will be taking the train from the airport to Gifu and transfer to a highway bus to Takayama. The trip takes about 4 hours in total.
Fun ways to explore Takayama
Bus + Rail Combo (Indirect)
I want to recommend the Three-Star Route ticket if you are planning to travel to/ from Kanazawa or Toyama to/ from Matsumoto via Shirakawago, Takayama, and Hirayu Onsen. There are many ways to use this ticket.
- Idea 1 (Great for Sapporo and Fukuoka travelers)
- Fly into Komatsu airport
- Explore Kanazawa
- Take a bus from Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go
- Explore Shirakawa-go
- Take a bus from Shirakawa-go to Takayama
- Explore Takayama
- Take a bus from Takayama to Hirayu Onsen
- Spend a night at Hirayu Onsen
- Take a bus from Hirayu Onsen to Matsumoto
- Explore Matsumoto
- Fly out of Matsumoto airport
- Idea 2 (From Tokyo to Osaka/ Kobe or vice versa)
- Take a bus from Shinjuku to Matsumoto
- Explore Matsumoto
- Take a bus from Matsumoto to Hirayu Onsen
- Spend a night at Hirayu Onsen
- Take a bus from Hirayu Onsen to Takayama
- Spend a night in Takayama
- Take a bus from Takayama to Shirakawa-go
- Explore Shirakawa-go
- Take a bus from Shirakawa-go to Kanazawa
- Explore Kanazawa
- Take a Limited Express Thunderbird to Kyoto/ Osaka
- Idea 3 (From Tokyo)
- Take a Thunderbird train to Kanazawa
- Explore Kanazawa
- Take a bus from Kanazawa to Takayama
- Explore Takayama
- Take a bus from Takayama to Hirayu Onsen
- Spend a night at Hirayu Onsen
- Take a bus from Hirayu Onsen to Matsumoto
- Explore Matsumoto
- Fly out of Matsumoto airport to Kobe or take bus or train back
Conclusion:
Takayma may seems far from major cities but the city is well connected by multiple transportation options. You could mix different transportation options so you get to experience different ways to get there.