Nagoya itinerary: 1 day, 3 days (2 nights) and 5 days (4 nights) — getting around by subway and adding day trips

You can see the main sights of Nagoya in roughly one day by subway. With 3 days (2 nights) you can add one day trip, such as Inuyama or Ghibli Park; with 5 days (4 nights) you can go as far as Takayama and Shirakawa-go. This article builds 1-day, 3-day and 5-day itineraries starting from Nakamura Koen Station in Nakamura Ward, west of Nagoya Station, using the City of Nagoya Transportation Bureau's route search and official travel times for each destination. Every plan lets you leave your luggage at your stay and set out from the same room each day.

How long does it take to reach the main sights by subway?

How to see Nagoya in 1 day

• Morning: Nagoya Castle. The keep is closed; the restored Honmaru Palace is open (as of 3 November 2026). Adults 1,000 yen, free for junior high school students and younger (revised 1 October 2026). 5 minutes' walk from Exit 7 of Nagoya-jo Station
• Midday: Osu — Osu Kannon (main hall 6:00–19:00, free) and street food in the Osu shopping streets. In a 2024 City of Nagoya survey, 40.8% of international visitors in Nagoya had been to Osu
• Afternoon: Oasis 21 and Hisaya-odori Park in Sakae. The Chubu Electric Power MIRAI TOWER observation deck is open 10:00–21:00 on weekdays and Sundays, and 10:00–21:40 on Saturdays
• Evening: miso katsu, hitsumabushi, kishimen and Taiwan ramen at Nagoya Umaimon-dori (inside JR Nagoya Station, Taiko-dori side, 17 shops)

Where do international visitors go in Nagoya?

In a November 2024 City of Nagoya survey of 463 international visitors, 95.0% had been to Nagoya Castle, 40.8% to Osu, 19.9% to Atsuta Jingu, 17.9% to the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, 9.1% to the Tokugawa Art Museum and 6.9% to the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium. Note that 423 of the 463 respondents were surveyed at Nagoya Castle, so its figure is inflated. Use these as a rough guide when planning.

How to plan 3 days (2 nights)

• Day 1: Arrive in the afternoon. Walk Endoji and Shikemichi, then Nagoya food at Nagoya Station
• Day 2: The 1-day route (Nagoya Castle → Osu → Sakae)
• Day 3: One day trip — Inuyama (about 25 minutes from Nagoya by Meitetsu; Inuyama Castle, a National Treasure) or Ghibli Park (tickets must be reserved; Higashiyama Line to Fujigaoka then Linimo, or Meitetsu bus from the Meitetsu Bus Center at Nagoya Station)

How far can you go in 5 days (4 nights)?

• Day 1: Arrive. Nagoya food at Nagoya Station
• Day 2: The city (Nagoya Castle → Osu → Sakae)
• Day 3: Ghibli Park, or Atsuta Jingu (about 33 minutes from Nakamura Koen) and the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium (about 37 minutes)
• Day 4: Takayama (about 2 hours 20 minutes on the JR Limited Express Hida). Stay a night in Takayama to go on to Shirakawa-go, or return to Nagoya
• Day 5: Shirakawa-go (from Takayama, or about 2 hours 30 minutes by highway bus from the Meitetsu Bus Center), then back to Nagoya and depart

To see both Takayama and Shirakawa-go, you can keep your Nagoya room and spend one night in Takayama or Shirakawa-go. In a 2024 City of Nagoya survey, 21.2% of international visitors in Nagoya also visited Gifu (Takayama).

Swap a day: Atsuta Jingu and the port

Instead of Nagoya Castle, you can pair Atsuta Jingu with the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium. Atsuta Jingu enshrines the Kusanagi sword, one of the Three Sacred Treasures that symbolize the imperial throne, and is said to receive about 7 million visitors a year. Its treasure museum, the Kusanagi-kan, is open 9:00–16:30 (last entry 16:00). The aquarium is one of Japan's largest, said to house about 50,000 creatures of some 500 species, and has two stars in the Michelin Green Guide.

What to swap in on a rainy day

• Nagoya City Science Museum (nickname: FUJI Nagoya Science Museum): known for its planetarium with a 35-metre dome. About 10 minutes and 240 yen from Nakamura Koen on the Higashiyama Line with no change; 5 minutes' walk south from Exits 4 and 5 of Fushimi Station. Open 9:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30); closed Mondays and the 3rd Friday
• ESCA: the underground mall on the Shinkansen side of Nagoya Station. Restaurants 10:00–22:30 (some differ). Being underground, you can eat and shop whatever the weather
• Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium: an indoor option, about 37 minutes and 310 yen from Nakamura Koen

Where to eat Nagoya food along the way

• Lunch on your Osu day: Yabaton Yaba-cho Main Store (miso katsu). Founded in 1947, 135 seats, open 11:00–21:00 every day. 5 minutes' walk from Exit 4 of Yabacho Station
• Lunch on your Atsuta Jingu day: Atsuta Horaiken, Jingu branch (hitsumabushi). Founded in 1873. Last orders 11:30–14:30 and 16:30–20:30; closed Tuesdays and the 2nd and 4th Mondays (open on public holidays). 3 minutes' walk from Atsuta Jingu Temmacho Station
• A break in Sakae: HARBS Sakae Main Store (opened 1981, 11:00–20:00), with cakes as well as omurice and pasta
• Arrival and departure days: Nagoya Umaimon-dori and ESCA at Nagoya Station

What to watch for by day of the week and season

• Mondays: Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens and the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium are closed (or the next day after a holiday, etc.). The aquarium stays open every day during Golden Week, July to September, and the spring and winter school holidays
• Monthly markets and fairs: the Osu Kannon antique market on the 18th, the Nittaiji temple fair in Kakuozan on the 21st, and the Ku-no-ichi market on the Nakamura Park approach on days ending in 9
• Oasis 21's glass roof, the Water Spaceship, is closed for renovation from 4 November 2026 to 30 April 2027 (planned)
• Check bus and train times to Shirakawa-go and Takayama, and whether you need to reserve, on each operator's official site before you go

Where to stay to match your itinerary

The travel times in the table are from Nakamura Koen Station. Central Nagoya's House (7 minutes' walk from Nakamura Koen Station; an entire 144㎡ traditional house; up to 16 guests) and Residence (2 minutes' walk; the whole top (8th) floor of an apartment building, 120㎡; up to 9 guests) are near the station, and Stays (2 guests, up to 4) is 4 minutes' walk from Taiko-dori Station, 1 stop from Nagoya Station on the Sakura-dori Line. All three have a kitchen, a washing machine (or washer-dryer) and fast Wi-Fi, plus a 10% long-stay discount.

• One week living like a local in Nagoya →
• Things to do only in Aichi →
• Where to stay in Nagoya for Ghibli Park →
• Central Nagoya House →
• Central Nagoya Residence →

Frequently asked questions