Advice about visiting Takamatsu

I am interested in visiting Takamatsu in late May to view the historic castle park and the Ritsurin Koen Garden. Is it possible to do this as a day trip from Kyoto or would it be better to stay overnight?

This is quite easily possible in a daytrip.
Not cheap without a rail pass.

Thanks for your reply Uji, I am thinking of using the JR Kansai Wide Area Pass and am hoping to use the same pass to do another day trip up to Amanohashidate on another day. It fits with my itinerary if I can do them both as day trips.

It is one of those side trip destinations that make the pass pay off beautifully! Have a nice trip!

Suggestion for Ritsurin Koen: to get there and back from the JR station is a LOT easier if you suck up and pay for a cab rather than try to take a bus. The cab fare is about 1000 yen, so if you are on a bare-bones budget you might not go for it, but the bus isn’t free, and the extra cost is well worth it if you can afford it. It saves a lot of time and also hassle (figuring out which bus you need, etc., although that isn’t particularly hard. The Tourist Information Center in Takamatsu Station will help you if you need it, although it’s best to research this in advance.)

For transport inTakamatsu they also have a public bike rental scheme.

https://www.hellocycling.jp/station/kagawa/高松市

Just an additional option.

If you have a second use for the pass, like Amonohashidate, then get the pass. The Wide Area pass is 10,000 yen, so it would be good to use it for more than one trip.

If you are not going to have a second use for the pass, and just want to go to Takamatsu, you might consider the ferry from Kobe. It’s 4 hours long, but will cost 2,000 yen each way. This may be a “The journey is part of the reward” choices.

Good Luck, planning your trip.

Yes, you could do it as a day trip and there are a few other good spots in/near Takamatsu like Shikoku Mura. I didn't get to the gardens this week (I 2nd the taxi suggestion), but be aware that the castle park doesn't have much in the way of buildings other than the walls/turrets/stonework. Still had a nice visit there enjoying the grounds. My personal preference is to stay in the city.
If you wanted to make a long day, you could also visit the garden and castle at Okayama.

It's easily doable. And Ritsuriin is one of the nicest places in Japan. Beautiful and quite big.
https://youtu.be/afx-Ju52FiY

The castle park is not nearly as impressive. There are some other areas you might look at instead, or to add if you wish, like Shikoku Mura, Yashima Temple, Megijima/Ogijima, or if you'd love a really scenic half day hike, go to Kotohira.
https://youtu.be/ley9rVIewoQ

I agree with Ken about Ritsurin Koen being one of the nicest places in Japan. It is certainly one of my favorites. And yes, it is quite big. Especially if you are doing it as a day trip from Kyoto, I would recommend not trying to do a whole lot else on that trip. (Your idea of just adding the castle park seems good to me.) This much would be quite manageable from Kyoto, but I think that if you were to try to add another venue requiring transit and sightseeing time, you could end up short-changing one of the nicest places in Japan. For me, about three hours of strolling, admiring details of pine trees, watching birds and carp, and “resting” are about right. I can see spending even more time there (in late May it will be splendid), although some people might feel saturated after only two hours or so. But if you can do so, it’s best to plan your day so you don’t have to rush your trip to this special place. You need time to catch your various trains and make the connection in Okayama, get to and from Ritsurin, have lunch somewhere, and maybe spend a little time in the gift shop; it’s a fairly nice one.

The train ride between Okayama and Takamatsu is very pleasurable in itself, especially if you have a seat in the green car (upper level of the two-decker car of the train).

We've just come in from a visit to Ritsurin Koen and the Takamatsu Palace area.

The garden is really beautiful-one of the best I've seen. Very good information too, even in English. The palace grounds were also very nice, and pleasant to wander around particularly on such a lovely day with the cherry blossoms in full(ish) swing.

A note on getting to the garden-we used the little local rail line, which leaves about every 15 minutes or so, and takes under 10 minutes. It's just by the entrance to the palace, only a few minutes walk from the station exit, and takes your IC card if you have one. The cost was (I think) 210Y. It drops you a few minutes along the street from the garden. It's a bit reminiscent of the Enoden in Kamakura.

Hope everyone enjoys their time in Japan!