How To Spend A Meaningful Day In Hiroshima Port

Celebrity Cruise Port address: Port of Hiroshima, Itsukaichi 2 Chome-3-7 Itsukaichiko, Saeki Ward, Hiroshima, 731-5161, Japan

Hiroshima was one of the stops I was most looking forward to on our Celebrity Cruises Best of Japan itinerary. I am a big believer in “know better, do better” and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum embodies that philosophy more powerfully than anywhere I have ever been. If you are planning a port day here, here is everything you need to know.

Getting from the Port to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

After docking, we took the free cruise shuttle to the city centre, which dropped us close to the Peace Memorial Park. It was a straightforward and easy start to the day – no need to organise a taxi or figure out public transport first thing in the morning.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

We started our day at the Peace Memorial Museum, and I would strongly recommend doing this first while you have the energy and headspace for it. Rather than rushing through on our own, we hired audio self-guided tours from the ticket counter, which turned out to be a really good decision. It allowed us to move through the exhibits at our own pace and absorb the information properly.

Entry fee: Around 200 JPY per adult (very reasonable) Time: Allow at least 90 minutes, possibly longer

I want to be honest, this museum is confronting. Each exhibit walks you through the events of August 6, 1945 in extraordinary detail, and it doesn’t shy away from the reality of what happened. For our two teenage boys, who didn’t know much about the history beforehand, it was a lot to take in. They found it sad and sobering, but importantly – they weren’t bored, which is saying a lot! The museum is immersive, deeply human and near impossible to walk through without feeling something.

The message here is clear, the importance of peace and the resilience of the human spirit. It’s a message I was glad my sons were able to experience.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

The museum flows directly into the Peace Memorial Park, which surrounds it. After the intensity of the exhibits, the park offers a chance to breathe and reflect. It is still serene, with memorials, monuments and the iconic A-Bomb Dome visible across the river (the skeletal remains of a building that survived the blast and was left standing as a permanent reminder).

We read a lot of the plaques, as without doing so, it would be hard to understand the meaning behind many of the memorials and monuments that fill the park. Each one has a story, and taking the time to read them adds a layer to the experience that you can’t get from just walking through.

Hiroshima Castle

From the Peace Park, Hiroshima Castle is a surprisingly easy walk. One of the things that impressed us about the day was how walkable everything was. The castle is a beautiful reconstruction of the original, which was destroyed in 1945, and it sits proudly in the middle of the city surrounded by a moat and parklands.

There is a small entrance fee to go inside, and once you pay you can climb to the top floor, stopping at each level to explore the exhibits along the way. The history of the region is told across multiple floors, and the views from the top are worth the climb.

The castle was one of the highlights of the entire day for us. It is visually stunning, the exhibits are interesting, and the combination of history and architecture makes it feel like a completely different experience to the Peace Park, which is exactly what we needed after such an emotionally heavy morning.

Time: Allow around an hour

Shukkeien Gardens

From the castle, we continued our walking tour to Shukkeien Gardens, a traditional Japanese garden that felt like stepping into a completely different world.

Entry fee: 260 JPY

The gardens are beautiful. Tiny bridges arching over koi-filled ponds, lush greenery, and picturesque teahouses tucked into quiet corners. You can purchase food pellets at the entrance to feed the koi, and the turtles will absolutely join in the moment anything hits the water.

By the time we reached the gardens it was getting late in the day, so we didn’t have time to sit in the teahouses or linger as long as we would have liked. If you are on a cruise ship with a fixed departure time, keep this in mind and try to arrive here earlier than we did. The gardens deserve more than a rushed visit, and if you have the time, the teahouses look like a beautiful place to slow down and take it all in. That said, even a shorter visit was a lovely and peaceful way to end what had been an emotionally heavy but deeply memorable day..

One Important Tip: Leave Time to Get Back to the Ship

Hot tip: do not leave finding a taxi until the last minute.

After finishing at the gardens, we discovered that hailing a cab from the garden area was much harder than we expected. There were no taxis waiting, and we started to panic a little about making it back to the ship on time. We ended up walking to a main road before we were finally able to flag one down, which added unexpected stress to the end of an otherwise wonderful day.

My advice: After finishing at the gardens, we discovered that hailing a cab from the garden area was much harder than we expected. There were no taxis waiting and we started to panic a little about making it back to the ship on time. We ended up walking to a main road before we were finally able to flag one down, which added unexpected stress to the end of an otherwise wonderful day.

My advice: build in extra time before your ship departs, and have the Uber app pre-downloaded and ready to go before you leave home. I had forgotten to link my Uber account to my mobile number, and because I was only using a data SIM in Japan I couldn’t set it up on the spot.

Our Hiroshima Day in Summary

Suggested order: Peace Memorial Museum – Peace Memorial Park – Hiroshima Castle – Shukkeien Gardens

Getting around: Free cruise shuttle to the city, then walking between sights (very manageable), uber back to the port

Time needed: A full port day – start as early as you can

Costs to budget for:

• Peace Memorial Museum: ~200 JPY per adult
• Hiroshima Castle: small entry fee
• Shukkeien Gardens: 260 JPY
• Uber back to port: allow for this in your budget

If you are cruising Japan and Hiroshima is on your itinerary, do not skip this port. You can read my full Celebrity Cruises Best of Japan review, including all of our other port days, onboard dining, entertainment and cabin details, right here. I hope it helps you plan an incredible trip!