Suggested Itineraries

Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Toyama and traverse the Alpine Route to Ogizawa. From Ogizawa, take a bus to Nagano and return to Tokyo by the Hokuriku Shinkansen. The entire trip is covered by the Japan Rail Pass except for the Alpine Route itself. This itinerary can also be done in the opposite direction. With an early start, it is possible as a day trip.

Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagano, followed by a bus ride to Ogizawa before traversing the Alpine Route to Toyama. Afterwards, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen and limited express train via Tsuruga to Kyoto or Osaka. The entire trip is covered by the Japan Rail Pass except for the Alpine Route itself. This itinerary can also be done in the opposite direction.

Access the Alpine Route from the Nagano side via Matsumoto, but instead of completing the entire route, travel only to as far as Murodo, turn around and return to Tokyo the same way you came. The journey is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass and JR East Nagano Niigata Area Pass except for the Alpine Route itself.

Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Toyama, and then instead of completing the entire route, travel only to as far as Murodo, turn around and return to Tokyo the same way you came. The journey is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass except for the Alpine Route itself. While this itinerary is somewhat less time-consuming than the above one (partial route via Matsumoto), travelers will not be able to experience what many consider the more spectacular section between Murodo and the Kurobe Dam.

Take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Nagoya, transfer to a limited express to Matsumoto and then to the JR Oito Line to Shinano-Omachi. After completing the Alpine Route, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen and limited express train via Tsuruga back to Kyoto or Osaka. The entire journey is covered by the Tateyama Kurobe Alpen Kippu. It is also covered by the Japan Rail Pass except for the Alpine Route itself. This itinerary can also be done in the opposite direction, but if you want to complete it in a daytrip, it is recommended to do it in the counter-clockwise direction due to a lack of early-morning connections to Tateyama.

Take a limited express train from Kyoto or Osaka to Tsuruga, transfer to the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Toyama and traverse the Alpine Route as far as the Kurobe Dam before backtracking the same route to Kyoto or Osaka. The entire trip, except the Alpine Route itself, is covered by the Japan Rail Pass. This itinerary cannot be done in a daytrip due to a lack of early-morning connections to Toyama on most days.

Take a limited express train from Nagoya to Matsumoto and transfer to the JR Oito Line to Shinano-Omachi. After completing the Alpine Route, return to Nagoya via Kanazawa (faster) or Takayama (more scenic). This itinerary can also be done in the opposite direction, but the counter-clockwise direction allows for an earlier start in the morning. The Alpine Takayama Matsumoto Area Tourist Pass is well suited for visiting the Alpine Route from Nagoya.

Located between Tokyo and the Alpine Route, just one hour by train from Shinano-Omachi, Matsumoto makes a good base for a visit to the Alpine Route. Matsumoto Castle, one of the best castles in Japan, adds to the reason why one should make a stopover.

Kanazawa is located along the way between Osaka and Kyoto and the Alpine Route. The city offers lots to see such as the 21st Century Museum, Ninjadera Temple, the Chaya Districts and Kenrokuen, one of Japan's finest landscape gardens.

Takayama is widely popular among both domestic and international tourists for its beautifully preserved old town. The small city offers several other attractions and a visit in combination with the Alpine Route is recommended. Hida limited express trains between Nagoya and Toyama stop at Takayama along the way.

Shirakawago is a designated World Heritage site and its traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses draw visitors from afar. A farmhouse stay in the area is an excellent injection of culture into the journey to or from the Alpine Route.

The Kurobe Gorge is a beautiful, forested ravine in the rugged mountains north of the Alpine Route. Its main attraction, the Kurobe Gorge Railway, was originally built to aid the construction of the Kurobe Dam along the Alpine Route. Today, the railway no longer provides access to the dam, but sightseeing trains remain in operation as they meander through the gorge, providing lovely views of nature.

A major transport hub in the region, Toyama also has a share of sites of interest to offer, including a reconstructed castle tower and a modern glass museum.

The Kiso Valley runs alongside the mountains of the Central Alps, and it is home to a few former post towns along an important trade route between Kyoto and Tokyo in the past. The post towns are preserved to look as they did during the Edo Period (1603-1867), and visitors are able to enjoy the stone paths and wooden buildings of a bygone era.