Kanazawa Half-day Historical Walking Tour

Overview

Available languages

English

5 hours

Mobile ticket

Kanazawa’s cultural richness offers a unique charm distinct from both Tokyo and Kyoto. During the Edo period, Kanazawa was known as "Kaga Hyakumangoku," one of Japan’s largest cities. The Maeda family, who ruled the domain, focused their wealth on cultural development rather than military power, allowing Kanazawa to flourish as a cultural center.

As you explore with a guide, you’ll see the preserved aesthetic sense of the samurai throughout the city. Kanazawa was spared from war damage, leaving its historical sites intact, offering a rare glimpse into the past.

This tour includes key spots like Omicho Market, known as Kanazawa’s kitchen; Kenrokuen Garden, a masterpiece that showcases seasonal beauty; and the Higashi Chaya District, rich in 200 years of history. You’ll also visit hidden gems like secret streets with views of Japan’s oldest fountain.

With a local guide, you’ll gain deep insights into Kanazawa’s history and geography, discovering what makes the city so special.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Please inform us at least one day before the tour if you have any dietary requests or allergies to mention.

Note: Requests made on the day of the tour cannot be accommodated.

We are unable to accommodate gluten-free requests for this tour.

Because most Japanese restaurants are not fully ready for providing vegetarian menus, our tour provides only a limited selection of vegetarian options.

Japan's climate has become more extreme, with summer highs of 40°C (110°F) and winter lows of -5°C (20°F). Please prepare accordingly for the tour. The tour might be cancelled in case of unsuitable weather for safety reasons.

The itinerary for this tour includes some locations that are not accessible by a wheelchair or baby stroller.

Out of respect for our other guests and to ensure the best tour for everyone, we must start the tour on time.

You will not be able to join the tour, get a refund or reschedule if you are late for the tour and miss the group.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Entrance fee to all the museum and garden

A cup of Matcha with seasonal Japanese sweet

Tour Photos

Traditional Japanese lunch called Kaga Cuisine

What To Expect

Omicho Market

Market beloved by locals more than 300 years This tour begins at Omicho Market, which has a history of over 300 years and is known as Kanazawa’s kitchen. If you’re already feeling hungry, take the opportunity to try some local foods such as fresh seafood and locally produced vegetables (specifically called Kaga-vegetables) and fruits as you stroll through the market.

20 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Kanazawa Castle

Our local guide explains the history and uniqueness of Kanazawa castle while walking by. Kanazawa Castle Park and Kenrokuen Garden which shows totally different but all marvelous sides on each seasons and counted as one of Japan’s three great gardens, and learn about the Maeda family, who shaped Kanazawa’s culture.

15 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Options

Kanazawa Half-day Historical Walking Tour

Reviews

4.67

12 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Matias
Curiosity06984581763,
Oct 19, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Amazing arrangement and touring. We started at Ohmicho Market and walked around the major landmarks and sights of interest in Kanazawa, a city known for its culture and art. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the city and was very insightful. While there was quite a lot of walking, we were also able to stop for lunch and snack (which were amazing in taste and quality). Highly recommended if you are keen to know more about the city itself.
Beautiful half day walking tour
Annika S,
Oct 19, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Our Guide Tetsuya was very friendly and knew a lot about Kanazawa, as it is his hometown. Although it rained a bit today, we enjoyed the tour and got a lot of information about the city. We could ask any question and at the end he also recommended more places to visit. Food was also good and in a real nice spot. Would definitely book again.
Don’t miss this tour
Joan H,
Sep 27, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
A wonderful guide and a fascinating tour! Very informative and attentive. This tour exceeded expectations! We saw more than we expected and loved the lunch and dessert which we hadn’t known would be included. He helped us find where we needed to be after the tour and suggested good shops.
Must do in Kanazawa! Truly magical!
bronniejane,
Sep 14, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This was THE most wonderful way to see beautiful Kanazawa- breathtaking! Tetsuya was an. AMAZING guide- very knowledgeable and incredibly kind and generous with his time and experience. Thank you for a fabulous day 🙏🏻
Great tour of Kanazawa
extrakune,
May 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
I have a great and fantastic time on the tour. My guide, Tetsuya-San, was professional and informative, teaching me about the history and interesting points of Kanazawa city. Thanks to him I am looking forward to coming to Kanazawa again. Five stars!
Great tour with Chie-san!
Trix112,
Apr 22, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We've been fans of Magical Tours ever since we first discovered them. They only do small-group tours which makes the whole experience feel more personal and relaxed. This time it was just me, my husband, and our lovely guide, Chie-san. We did the half-day walking tour in Kanazawa starting at 9:50am and finishing around 3pm. It was a really enjoyable, well-paced way to explore the city. We began at Omicho Market before heading into Kanazawa Castle Park and then Kenrokuen Garden which is one of the most famous gardens in Japan. We had lunch at a restaurant in the garden, it was a jibu-ni set meal (traditional Kanazawa dish) and it was flavorful and healthy. After lunch, we visited the historic 400-yr-old Morihachi sweets shop for matcha and wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) then headed to the Higashi Chaya geisha district. We stopped by Kinpakuya Sakuda for a gold leaf demo (with Chie-san translating everything) and then walked around to see the old geisha teahouses. Chie-san was warm, friendly, and made the whole tour feel like we were just out exploring the city with a friend. She answered all our questions, shared great local insight, and made sure we had a lovely time. If you’re heading to Kanazawa, we can’t recommend Magical Tours enough. And if you can, definitely request a tour with Chie-san!
Kanazawa castle
Gdirat,
Apr 5, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Very interesting educational and fun Our guide was so nice And willing to help translating as we did not speak Japanese.
Kanazawa Halfday
269josefinaa,
Mar 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
There were only 2 people on this tour so it felt like a private tour. I enjoyed it very much. We hit the historical spots such as Kenroukuen Park, Sweets Museum and Cafe, the Geisha district (sadly did not get to see any geishas. We visited Omicho Market on the way. Guide was accommodating, pleasant and explained the history of the places we went to. I Recommend this tour if you want a bitd's eye view of Kanazawa.
Excellent guide!
VBV638,
Mar 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We met our guide who introduced herself and asked us for our names also ensuring we were fit and well. She had prepared a visual folder of everything we visited and explained the relevant history in excellent English. We had a coffee break and lunch stop both at lovely locations and she took the time to chat with us on a more personal level. During the tour we could stop and browse as much or as little as we wanted. We loved our day, it was more than we expected so thank you for a lovely experience in Kanazawa and all your extra effort.
Unbelievably bad- never experienced
290nataljak,
Jan 31, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00
16 hours before the tour it was cancelled by MagicalTrip Inc. and offered us an alternative tour 6 days later. Since you are planning an itinerary long term and not staying in Kanazawa for 6 days on a trip to Japan, this offer was simply paradoxical. Communication via chat was an imposition: MagicalTrip Inc. said that they were more likely to offer an alternative and that there was no problem in their opinion.