Kanazawa 3-day itinerary — every place verified
3 days in Kanazawa, planned the tabi way — one neighbourhood per day, gapless timing, every stop chosen from 22 human-verified places across 4 curated neighbourhoods. Open it offline and follow it street by street, or make it the starting point for your own plan.
· generated from the verified catalog · regenerated with every release
Higashi Chaya District & nearby — a sights day
Kanazawa's largest geisha teahouse quarter — lattice-fronted wooden 'chaya' along stone-paved lanes, now holding gold-leaf craft shops, cafés and a preserved teahouse you can tour, with the riverside Kazue-machi quarter close by. Beautiful and atmospheric, especially in the evening.
- 08:0008:30BreakfastSuggested
- 08:3009:30
Historic siteひがし茶屋街60 minThe largest and prettiest of Kanazawa's old teahouse districts — two-storey wooden 'chaya' with fine wooden lattices along stone-paved lanes, now full of craft shops and cafés. Free to wander any time; quietest and most photogenic early morning, atmospheric at dusk.
geishateahouseshistoric street - 09:30~5 min walkroute
- 09:4510:15Shopping箔座ひかり藏30 min
A gold-leaf specialist whose shop hides a dazzling storehouse lined entirely in gold and platinum leaf, selling lacquerware, cosmetics and gilded crafts. The signature Kanazawa souvenir stop; the golden kura out back is worth a look.
gold leafcraftssouvenirs - 10:15~5 min walkroute
- 10:3011:00
Museum志摩30 minA preserved 1820 ochaya open as a museum, its delicate rooms, instruments and lacquerware showing how guests were once entertained by geisha. A small admission; an intimate look behind the lattices, up a steep old staircase.
teahousemuseumedo period - 11:00~5 min walkroute
- 11:1511:45
Landmark主計町茶屋街30 minA smaller, hushed teahouse quarter along the Asano River between Higashi Chaya and the centre, its wooden facades reflecting in the water and a 'dark lane' of old steps. Free and lovely at dusk when lanterns glow; a short riverside walk.
geishariversidehistoric street - 11:45Transit ~15–25 minroute
- 12:0013:00LunchSuggested
- 13:0014:00Shopping香林坊・竪町60 min
Kanazawa's main shopping zone — the Korinbo department stores and the covered Tatemachi fashion street, flowing into the Katamachi nightlife district. The place for everyday shopping and dinner; per-shop hours vary.
shoppingfashiondepartment store - 14:00~10 min walkroute
- 14:1514:55Historic site武家屋敷跡 野村家40 min
A restored samurai residence in Nagamachi with exquisite cypress rooms, painted screens and a celebrated little inner garden of water, stone and old trees. A small admission; the garden alone rewards the stop, up a couple of steps.
samurai housegardenhistorical - 14:55~5 min walkroute
- 15:1015:55
Historic site長町武家屋敷跡45 minA maze of lanes lined with the earthen walls of former samurai residences, with little canals and the odd house and workshop open to visit — a quiet step back into feudal Kanazawa. Free to wander; cobbled paths and a few steps into the houses.
samuraihistoric streetearthen walls - 17:3018:45DinnerPick a spot nearby — not booked yet
Kenrokuen, Castle & 21st-C Museum — sights morning, shopping afternoon
Kanazawa's cultural core on the central hill — the celebrated Kenrokuen strolling garden, the moated castle park across the road, the playful 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art and the unusual Oyama Shrine. A walkable day of gardens, history and art.
- 08:0008:30BreakfastSuggested
- 08:3009:30
Historic site金沢城公園60 minThe vast moated park of the Maeda lords' castle, across a bridge from Kenrokuen, with beautifully rebuilt white-lead-tiled turrets and gates you can walk through and enter. The grounds are free and largely flat; some castle buildings charge a small fee.
castlehistoricalpark - 09:30~5 min walkroute
- 09:4510:15
Shrine尾山神社30 minA shrine honouring the Maeda founder, distinguished by a quirky three-storey gate blending Japanese, Chinese and Western styles with Dutch stained glass, lit up at night. Free, central and quick; a short walk from the castle.
shrineunusual gatestained glass - 10:15~10 min walkroute
- 10:3012:00
Museum金沢21世紀美術館90 minA circular, glass-walled contemporary-art museum, home to Leandro Erlich's famous walk-into 'Swimming Pool' illusion and free public art zones. Playful and accessible — great with children and fully step-free; the special exhibitions are ticketed and usually closed Mondays.
museumcontemporary artfamily - 12:00~5 min walkroute
- 12:1513:15LunchPick a spot nearby — not booked yet
- 13:1514:00Shopping石川県観光物産館45 min
A craft-and-souvenir hall by the Kenrokuen gate gathering Kanazawa specialities — gold-leaf goods, Kutani porcelain, Kaga-yuzen and local sweets — with hands-on gold-leaf workshops. A handy one-stop for regional gifts and crafts.
craftsgold leafkutani - 14:00~5 min walkroute
- 14:1515:30
Garden兼六園75 minOne of Japan's three great landscape gardens — winding ponds, teahouses, the famous two-legged stone lantern and a hillside that flares with plum, cherry and maple by season. A small admission; mostly gentle paths with some gravel and slopes, lovely first thing before the crowds.
gardenstrolling gardenseasonal - 17:3018:45DinnerPick a spot nearby — not booked yet
Shirakawa-gō — a sights day
A UNESCO World Heritage village of steep thatched 'gasshō-zukuri' farmhouses in a mountain valley, ~75 minutes by bus from Kanazawa — wooden homes you can step inside, a hilltop viewpoint over the whole hamlet, and rice paddies framed by peaks. A full, storybook day-trip, magical under snow.
- 08:0008:30BreakfastPick a spot nearby — not booked yet
- 08:3010:30
Landmark白川郷 荻町集落120 minThe main UNESCO-listed hamlet of steep-roofed thatched 'gasshō-zukuri' farmhouses among rice paddies and mountains — many still lived in, several open as homes, inns and cafés. Free to wander the flat lanes; serene out of peak hours and breathtaking under winter snow.
unescogassho zukurivillage - 10:30~5 min walkroute
- 10:4511:25
Historic site和田家住宅40 minThe largest gasshō-zukuri farmhouse in the village and a nationally important property, open so you can climb inside and see the soaring thatched attic where silkworms were once raised. A small admission; the best look inside these remarkable homes, up steep wooden stairs.
gassho housemuseumhistorical - 11:25~5 min walkroute
- 11:4012:10
Viewpoint城山天守閣展望台30 minThe hillside lookout above Ogimachi that gives the classic postcard panorama of the whole thatched village cradled by mountains. Reached on foot up a path or by a short shuttle bus; the must-have Shirakawa-gō photo.
viewpointpanoramaphoto spot - 12:2513:25LunchSuggested
- 17:3018:45DinnerPick a spot nearby — not booked yet
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