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DAILY ROUTE / Hiroshima

The dome, the park and the castle that came back

A morning at the dome and the peace memorial museum, a layered lunch in the centre, and a castle rebuilt after the war, lit up at dusk.

The steel lattice of the Atomic Bomb Dome's cupola above the ruined brick and concrete facade, against a blue sky.
The Atomic Bomb Dome, held as it stood · Paul Mannix / CC BY 2.0
BEGINAtomic Bomb Dome, about 20 minutes by tram from Hiroshima Station
FINISHHiroshima Castle, or the tram back to the station
GETTING AROUNDTake the tram to the dome stop and walk from there: the park, the museum and the river are continuous. The castle is about twenty minutes on foot north of the park, or a few tram stops, with the shrine beside it.

The day, in order

  1. Early morning

    The dome at first light

    The building was the prefectural industrial promotion hall, designed by the Czech architect Jan Letzl and finished in 1915, and it stood about 160 metres from the hypocenter. What is left is the frame and the steel lattice of the dome, held in place while everything around it was rebuilt. Come early: the river walk to it is quiet, and the plaque explains what you are looking at.

    Read the city guide →
  2. Morning

    Peace Memorial Park and the museum

    The park was laid out behind the dome. Three things in it are worth the time: the cenotaph, the paper cranes at the children's monument, and the peace bell, which any visitor may ring. The museum sets out what happened and why the city argues for abolition, and the survivors' testimony is the part most people remember. Give it an hour and leave the rest of the morning unscheduled.

  3. Lunch

    Okonomiyaki in the centre

    Hiroshima's pancake is built in layers rather than mixed: a thin crepe, a heap of cabbage, pork, noodles, and an egg pressed on at the end. Okonomimura, a building of counters in the centre, is the easy introduction, and the arcades around it will carry you toward the castle.

  4. Afternoon

    Hiroshima Castle

    Mori Terumoto built the castle in 1589. The bomb destroyed almost every building on the site, and the five-storey tower was restored to its original appearance in 1958 while the city was rebuilding itself. The keep closed to visitors in March 2026 while the city studies a timber reconstruction, so the visit now is the grounds, the moats and the exterior — with the castle's museum collection next door in the Sannomaru history museum.

  5. Late afternoon

    Gokoku Shrine and the lit castle Optional

    The shrine beside the castle keeps two stone carp in front of its gate, a play on the castle's nickname, and the path between the two is a five-minute walk. After dark the keep is still floodlit, and the grounds have hosted seasonal light events since the closure — check the city's programme for what is running when you visit.

Make it lighter

The same walk with the shrine left out: dome, park, museum, lunch, castle. Nothing here needs a train.

Miyajima → Okonomiyaki, oysters and the middle of the city → Read the Hiroshima city guide →

If the weather changes

The museum and the castle interior are indoors and the park is open. In heavy weather, give the museum the extra hour, take the tram to the castle and leave the riverbank for another day.

Check before leaving

Check the museum's opening days before fixing the morning, check the castle's current opening state and the Sannomaru history museum's days, since the keep itself closed in March 2026, and check the August 6 programme if you are in the city that week.

Make it your kind of day.Plan a day →

Sources & useful checks

Official information checked on 12 November 2026. Follow the operator or venue for changes and your travel dates.