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Experience the best of Kanazawa

Kanazawa is a castle city on Japan's Sea of Japan coast, with the celebrated Kenrokuen garden, geisha and samurai districts, gold leaf and fresh seafood.

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Kanazawa was the seat of the Maeda clan, who ruled the rich Kaga domain through the Edo period, and it escaped the bombing of the Second World War, so its old streets survive. Kenrokuen, one of Japan's three great landscape gardens, spreads over a hill beside the castle, with ponds, stone lanterns and pines that are held up by ropes against the winter snow. The turrets and gates of Kanazawa Castle have been rebuilt.

The geisha districts of Higashi Chaya, Nishi Chaya and Kazuemachi keep wooden teahouses along lanes, and Nagamachi has the earthen walls of samurai homes. The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art is a round glass building in the centre. Kanazawa produces nearly all of Japan's gold leaf, and Kutani porcelain and Kaga yuzen silk painting are local crafts. The village of Shirakawa-go, with its steep thatched farmhouses, is about an hour away.

Omicho Market has sold fish and vegetables for around three hundred years, and the Sea of Japan provides snow crab in winter, sweet shrimp and yellowtail. Jibuni, a duck stew, is a Kanazawa dish, and gold leaf is laid over soft ice cream. Cherry blossom comes in April, maples turn red in autumn, and winters bring heavy snow.

  • Free cancellation on 86% of experiences
  • 4.9 across the top 24

Top experiences in Kanazawa

Special offers in Kanazawa

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Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.

Day trips from Kanazawa

58

Guided tours in Kanazawa

147

Walking and bike tours in Kanazawa

25

Food and drink experiences in Kanazawa

38

Family days and theme parks in Kanazawa

6

Go beyond Kanazawa

  1. Takayama · 70 km

    Takayama Morning Markets (Asaichi)

    6 hr4.9603 reviewsfrom $3
  2. Takayama · 70 km

    Sannomachi Street (Sanmachi Suji)

    7 hr4.9531 reviewsfrom $26
  3. Gifu · 127 km

    Gifu Castle

    2 hrfrom $92
  4. Nagano · 137 km

    Jigokudani Monkey Park (Jigokudani Yaen-Koen)

    10 hr4.92k reviewsfrom $90
  5. Nagano · 137 km

    Zenkoji Temple

    10 hr4.92k reviewsfrom $54
  6. Takashima · 155 km

    Shirahige Shrine

    9–10 hrfrom $60
  7. Nagoya · 155 km

    Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology

    7 hr4.9177 reviewsfrom $77
  8. Nagoya · 155 km

    SCMAGLEV and Railway Park

    7 hr4.912 reviewsfrom $129
  9. Otsu · 187 km

    Hieizan Enryaku-ji Temple

    8 hr5.01 reviewfrom $141
  10. Tokoname · 188 km

    Tokonyan

    2 hr4.716 reviewsfrom $65
  11. Kyoto · 190 km

    Fushimi Inari Shrine (Fushimi Inari Taisha)

    8 hr4.942k reviewsfrom $1
  12. Kyoto · 190 km

    Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)

    8 hr4.937k reviewsfrom $6

Questions about Kanazawa

What is there to do in Kanazawa?
We list 249 experiences in Kanazawa. The largest groups are day trips (58), city tours (34).
What is the most popular experience in Kanazawa?
By number of traveller reviews it is "World Heritage Shirakawa-go and Experience Tours from Kanazawa", rated 5.0 out of 5 from 5,419 reviews.
How long do tours and tickets in Kanazawa take?
The typical experience in Kanazawa lasts about 4 hours; the middle half run between 2 hours and 7 hours.
Can I cancel a booking in Kanazawa?
The operator lists free cancellation on 86% of the 249 experiences we hold for Kanazawa. The cut-off differs by experience and is shown on each product page before you choose a date.

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