Things to do in Kobe: 10 spots and 3–4 day itineraries
Ten Kobe spots from Kitano to the waterfront, Mt. Rokko and Arima Onsen, with official hours, fees and access, grouped into 3-day and 4-day routes.
Itineraries
3 days
Day 1 · Kitano, Shin-Kobe and Sannomiya
Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens & RopewayWeathercock House (Kitano Ijinkan)Ikuta Shrine
Day 2 · Motomachi and the waterfront
Nankinmachi (Kobe Chinatown)Meriken ParkKobe Port TowerKobe Harborland
Day 3 · Mt. Rokko and Arima Onsen
4 days
Day 1 · Kitano, Shin-Kobe and Sannomiya
Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens & RopewayWeathercock House (Kitano Ijinkan)Ikuta Shrine
Day 2 · Motomachi and the waterfront
Nankinmachi (Kobe Chinatown)Meriken ParkKobe Port TowerKobe Harborland
Day 3 · Nada sake district and Mt. Rokko
Day 4 · Arima Onsen
Things to do 10
Weathercock House (Kitano Ijinkan)
A former foreign residence in the Kitano Ijinkan district, open to visitors.
- Hours
- 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:45). Closed on the 3rd Tuesday of each month (next day if a holiday).
- Fee
- Adult ¥500; 2-house ticket with Moegi House ¥800; high school and under free.
- Time needed
- about 40 minutes
- Getting there
- About 15 min walk north of Sannomiya Station, or 15 min west of Shin-Kobe Station.
Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens & Ropeway
A hillside herb and flower garden reached only by ropeway from near Shin-Kobe Station.
- Hours
- Varies by season. Example (late Sept): ropeway 9:30–16:45 (last down 17:15), garden 10:00–17:00.
- Fee
- Ropeway + garden, adult: round trip ¥2,500, one way ¥1,900.
- Time needed
- about 2 hours
- Getting there
- Ropeway base station about 5 min walk from Shin-Kobe Station; top station about 10 min by ropeway.
Ikuta Shrine
A Shinto shrine in central Kobe, a short walk from Sannomiya.
- Hours
- Gates open 7:00 and close around 17:00 (around 18:00 in summer).
- Fee
- Free
- Time needed
- about 30 minutes
- Getting there
- About 10 min walk north of JR Sannomiya / Sannomiya stations.
Nankinmachi (Kobe Chinatown)
Kobe's Chinatown in Motomachi, with Chinese restaurants and food stalls.
- Hours
- No district-wide closing day; hours vary by shop.
- Fee
- Free to walk around.
- Time needed
- about 1 hour
- Getting there
- About 5 min walk from JR/Hanshin Motomachi Station; about 2 min from Kyukyoryuchi-Daimarumae Station (Kaigan Line).
Meriken Park
A waterfront park with the BE KOBE monument and the Port of Kobe Earthquake Memorial Park.
- Fee
- Free
- Time needed
- about 40 minutes
- Getting there
- Near Minato-Motomachi Station (Kaigan Line).
Kobe Port Tower
A red lattice tower in Meriken Park with observation floors and a rooftop deck.
- Hours
- 9:00–23:00 (last entry 22:30). Date-and-time tickets required.
- Fee
- Adult: observation floors + rooftop deck ¥1,200; observation floors only ¥1,000.
- Time needed
- about 1 hour
- Getting there
- 5 min walk from Minato-Motomachi Station exit 2; 15 min from JR/Hanshin Motomachi west exit.
Kobe Harborland
A waterfront shopping and dining area next to Meriken Park, with the umie mall and the Mosaic Ferris wheel.
- Hours
- Varies by facility.
- Fee
- Free to walk around.
- Time needed
- about 1–2 hours
Mt. Rokko via Rokko Cable
A 1.7 km cable car climbs about 10 minutes to Rokko-sanjo Station (737 m). Tenrandai viewpoint is right by the top station.
- Hours
- Cable car roughly 7:10–21:10 (every 20 min in the daytime).
- Fee
- Adult one way ¥800, round trip ¥1,550.
- Time needed
- about half a day
- Getting there
- Kobe City Bus 16 to the Rokko Cable-shita terminus: about 14 min from Hankyu Rokko, 19 min from JR Rokkomichi.
Kin no Yu (Arima Onsen)
A public day-use bath in Arima Onsen using the brown 'kinsen' hot spring water.
- Hours
- 8:00–22:00 (last entry 21:30). Closed 2nd and 4th Tuesdays (next day if a holiday) and Jan 1.
- Fee
- Adult ¥800 (¥650 on weekdays, excluding peak periods); child ¥350.
- Time needed
- about 1–1.5 hours
- Getting there
- Arima-Onsen Station.
Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum
A sake brewery museum in the Nada district showing traditional brewing tools in a former brewery building.
- Hours
- 9:30–16:30 (last entry 16:00). Closed for summer and New Year holidays.
- Fee
- Free (groups of 10+ need a reservation).
- Time needed
- about 45 minutes
- Getting there
- About 5 min walk from Hanshin Sumiyoshi Station; about 15 min from JR Sumiyoshi.
Good to know
- Kobe Port Tower's observation floors require a date-and-time ticket; same-day tickets are sold only when slots remain.
- Nunobiki Herb Gardens can only be reached by ropeway; hours change by season.
- Check closing days: Weathercock House (3rd Tuesday), Kin no Yu (2nd and 4th Tuesdays).
FAQ
How do I get from Mt. Rokko to Arima Onsen?
Rokko Cable sells a 'Rokko-goe Arima' one-way ticket (adult ¥2,450) covering the route over the mountain to Arima.
Are there free spots in Kobe?
Ikuta Shrine, Meriken Park, Nankinmachi, Harborland and the Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum are free to enter.