How Do You Get Around Kanazawa by Loop Bus, on Foot and by Taxi?

Published 2026-10-04 · Sources checked 2026-10-04 · Treasure Hunting Co., Ltd.

This guide is for visitors who want to get around Kanazawa once they arrive. It covers walking times, the Kanazawa Loop Bus, the other buses, taxis and the city's e-bike sharing, and how to pay on each.

We used the official English travel guide of the Kanazawa City tourism association. All pages were read on 2026-10-04. Fares and timetables change, so treat the numbers below as the association's published figures, not a promise.

A compact city you can mostly walk

The association says almost all the major sights are within a 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) radius of Kanazawa Castle. It gives these walking times:

• Kanazawa Station to Omicho Market: about 15 minutes.
• Omicho Market to Kanazawa Castle (Otemon Gate): about 9 minutes.
• Kenrokuen Garden (Mayumizaka Gate) to the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art: about 3 minutes.
• Kenrokuen Garden (Mayumizaka Gate) to the Nagamachi Samurai District: about 15 minutes.
• Kenrokuen Garden (Katsurazaka Gate) to the Higashi Chaya District: about 20 minutes.
• Kenrokuen Garden (Mayumizaka Gate) to the Nishi Chaya District: about 20 minutes.

The association advises mixing walking, buses, taxis and e-bikes depending on the weather and your energy. It also warns that Kanazawa has sudden coastal showers.

The Kanazawa Loop Bus

The association calls the Loop Bus the easiest and cheapest choice for first-time visitors. It starts at the east gate of Kanazawa Station and stops at the main sightseeing districts. The fare is a flat 220 yen for adults and 110 yen for children per ride.

There are two routes, and you must check the route code on the front of the bus before you board.

• Right Loop: every 15 minutes, from about 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM. It goes from the station to Omicho Market, the Higashi Chaya District, Kenrokuen Garden and Kanazawa Castle, the museum, and the Nagamachi Samurai District.
• Left Loop: every 20 minutes, with departures listed from 8:38 AM to 5:58 PM. It runs the same circuit the other way, and also stops at Katamachi and the Nishi Chaya District.

The association's pages label the right-hand route both "LR" and "RL", so go by the route map at the stop. It also says buses of other colors are sometimes used, so do not rely on color alone.

How to pay on the buses

The three bus types you will most likely use accept different payments, which is the most common source of confusion.

• Loop Bus: nationwide IC cards such as Suica, PASMO and ICOCA, contactless credit cards, or the one-day pass.
• The main local-line bus network: contactless credit cards or the one-day pass. The association states that nationwide IC cards cannot be used on these buses.
• JR bus: nationwide IC cards and some JR passes. Contactless credit cards are not accepted. The association says the Hokuriku Arch Pass and the Takayama-Hokuriku Area Pass cannot be used.

On the Loop Bus and the local-line buses, you enter by the rear door and pay when you get off. If you pay with a contactless card, tap when you board and tap again when you leave. With cash, take the numbered ticket when you board and drop the exact fare and ticket into the box at the front. The association says the driver can change a 1,000 yen bill but not 5,000 or 10,000 yen bills.

The association recommends the one-day pass if you ride four or more times. It says the pass gives discounted entry to 27 attractions. Tickets are not sold on board. The price on the page we read was garbled, so we have left it out.

Taxis

The association says taxis are good value because distances are short, especially in rain or with luggage. It gives these estimates from Kanazawa Station:

• Omicho Market: about 7 minutes, from 800 yen.
• Nagamachi Samurai District: about 11 minutes, from 1,400 yen.
• Higashi Chaya District: about 11 minutes, from 1,600 yen.
• 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art: about 14 minutes, from 1,600 yen.
• Kenrokuen Garden: about 15 minutes, from 1,800 yen.
• Nishi Chaya District: about 13 minutes, from 1,900 yen.

Late-night and early-morning rides cost more. For the historic areas, use the stand at the Kenrokuen (east) exit of the station.

E-bikes and the Saturday light-up bus

The city's bike-sharing service has about 700 electrically assisted bicycles and more than 100 docking stations. You register in an app first. The association lists 165 yen for the first 30 minutes and a one-day pass for 1,650 yen.

On Saturday evenings only, a special light-up bus stops at 16 illuminated areas. The association says it can also be ridden as a 45-minute loop.

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• The price of the bus one-day pass, which was garbled on the page.
• Whether fares or timetables have changed since the association last updated its pages.
• Bus times on public holidays and during events.
• The cost of luggage delivery and station lockers.

Related guides

• How do you get to Kanazawa from Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto?
• What is Kanazawa? The samurai castle town, its crafts and its food

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.

1. Getting Around in Kanazawa: Bus, Bicycle (Kanazawa City tourism association) — (walking times; Loop Bus; taxis; bike sharing; light-up bus)
2. How to Ride Buses in Kanazawa (Kanazawa City tourism association) — (bus types; payment methods; passes)