Nagoya Walking Tour – Free & Self-guided 2025

One of the best ways to explore Nagoya is to take a walking tour of the city, visiting some of the most significant and interesting attractions.

However, if you are planning to take a walking tour of Nagoya, it is important to make sure that you don’t miss any of the best bits. In this article, we will share a free and self-guided walking tour showing you all of the best bits of Nagoya and also including some hidden gems.

We have included a route map with pins to show you the best things to see and do on route. It is worth mentioning that you do not need to follow the entire route; some sections of this walking tour could be completed using the Nagoya subway system, which is relatively affordable and easy to navigate.

For each of the attractions, we have also included important information such as prices, opening times, and top tips. We have used our own firsthand research and experience to write this article. We loved exploring Nagoya twice as a family.

GET PREPARED – Nagoya – Things to Know Before You Go

Looking for a Guided Nagoya Tour?

There are some big advantages to taking a guided tour. Local experts can show you how to navigate around the city, give you cultural insights and help you find hidden gems. These Nagoya City Tours are fun, flexible and great value for money…

• GET YOUR GUIDE – Nagoya City Full Day Tour
• KLOOK – Nagoya Highlights Half Day Tour

You can start this walking tour at any point on the route. For our description, we have chosen to start at the Kokusai Centre (which is part of the Nagoya Subway network). This is a good place to start because there are also a couple of convenience stores nearby, so you can stock up on snacks and drinks.

Top Tips for the Nagoya Walking Tour

• Make sure that you have Google Maps downloaded and available offline on your phone to help you navigate.
• Keep an offline copy of this article to help you find your way around.
• Wear a good, comfortable pair of shoes; this is a long day of walking.
• Bring a small day pack with snacks, drinks, and other things that you might need.
• Be willing to use the subway to reduce the amount of walking that you need to do.
• If you have longer in your itinerary, consider splitting this walking tour across two days.
• Consider taking a guided walking tour of Nagoya so that you can learn from local experts.

Nagoya Walking Tour Route in Detail

1 Walk through Shike-michi Heritage Area

Start by walking north through the Shike-michi heritage area. This is a lovely and quiet area with small streets and beautiful traditional Japanese houses with quaint little gardens. This is a lovely area to get some photos and enjoy a peaceful suburb of Nagoya.

Cross the road bridge over the river and head north up Kobikicho-dori street. Watch out for a small cafe called Cloud Eats Nagoya (on the right-hand side). They do a very nice ramen, and the prices are very reasonable.

Alternatively there will be another food stop soon (because Nagoya has plenty of great food to enjoy!)… Keep walking towards the library (around 5 – 10 minutes from Cloud Eats).

2 Aichi Prefectural Library

Walk to the Aichi Prefectural Library. This is a very beautiful and interesting building in its own right and is worth a look. It is free to enter the library. After this, keep heading east until you reach Hommachi-dori. Turn left and walk up the road.

3 Gokoku Shrine

Watch out for Gokoku Shrine on the left. This is a very beautiful temple surrounded by ornate Japanese sculptures and artwork. There is also a very impressive Torii Gate at the main entrance. This is also one of the top spots in Nagoya for seeing blossom trees. It is free to enter the temple and explore. After exploring Gokoku Shrine, keep walking north towards Nagoya Castle.

4 Yoshinao Zone Street Food

By this point in the walk, you may be starting to get a little hungry. The good news is that you can visit an outdoor street food area called Yoshinao Zone Street Food. This area has lots of street food stalls and small restaurants. You can find noodles, rice, and Japanese barbecue food.

Food in this area is a little bit pricey, with most dishes starting around 1,000 yen. This area has a nice ambience, and there’s plenty of seating available. Alternatively, the next section of this walking tour takes you through Nagoya Castle, where you can find even more street food options.

5 Walk through Nagoya Castle

The next section of this walking tour takes you through Nagoya Castle. You can enter the castle through the west gate. Entrance costs 500 yen for an adult (which is roughly £2.50 or $3). Junior high school and under are free. If you follow the route on the map, you will take a scenic walk around the castle itself, where you can spot several photo opportunities and castle viewpoints, particularly fond of the foundation stones, situated at the northeast corner of the castle. This is a very photogenic area and great for kids too.

It is no longer possible to enter Nagoya Castle itself; however, you can explore part of the castle called Honmaru Palace (this is included in the entry ticket; however, you will need to queue up and wait to enter this part of the castle. Waiting times are normally around 20 minutes). Before you leave the castle, don’t miss the traditional Japanese tea room where you can try matcha tea and traditional Japanese snacks. Exit Nagoya Castle through the east gate.

6 Explore Sakae

After exploring Nagoya Castle, this walking tour takes you south to the Sakae area. If you’re starting to get tired, you can take the subway south from Nagoyajo to Hisayaodori. Alternatively, if you choose to walk, it’s likely to take around 15 or 20 minutes. Don’t miss Q.O.L. Coffee on Sotobori-dori for a much-needed caffeine hit. When you get to Sakae, you can see the iconic Mirai Tower (Chubu Electric Power Tower). The cost is 1,300 yen for adults (£6 or $8) and 800 yen for kids in elementary and junior high. Preschool children are free. Also, don’t miss the Oasis 21 floating lake. It is free to see the floating lake, and you also get a very nice view of the surrounding area.

7 Visit the Osu Shopping Street

By this stage, you may be getting tired, having done a lot of walking. If so, we recommend that you take the subway to Kamimaezu. From here, you can explore the Osu shopping area.

Alternatively, if you still have energy, you can walk to Osu and see a few interesting things along the way. Don’t miss the Skyboat at Sunshine Sakae Shopping Mall (600 yen per person).

We also recommend that you walk past the Nagoya Science Museum. This impressive museum is packed with plenty of things to see and do. If you have time in your itinerary, you may want to take a full day here. Alternatively, you could pop in for a short visit. Nagoya Science Museum has a very large planetarium and lots of fascinating interactive exhibitions and experiments. It is also relatively affordable, costing 400 yen for the museum only (free for junior high and below) or museum and planetarium for 800 yen.

Top tip: If you do have a different day, visit the Science Museum. We recommend arriving earlier in the day so that you can book planetarium showings before they fill up. Alternatively, you could follow the walking tour in reverse and start at Osu and the Science Museum.

And finally, walk through Shirakawa Park and keep walking south in order to reach the Osu Shotengai Shopping Street.