Hakone travel guide

Onsen ryokan, lake cruises and Fuji views. Most people stay 1–2 nights. Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov.

Highlights

• Hakone loop
• Owakudani
• Lake Ashi cruise
• Hakone Open-Air Museum
• Onsen ryokan

Things to do in Hakone

• Hakone loop: ropeway, Owakudani & Lake Ashi cruise · 6 h · about ₹2,800 per person. The Hakone Free Pass covers the loop and the Odakyu train from Shinjuku. Go clockwise early to beat tour groups; Owakudani can close on gas alerts.
• Hakone Open-Air Museum · 2.5 h · about ₹1,100 per person. Includes a Picasso pavilion and a free foot bath; play sculptures for kids.
• Onsen soak (ryokan or day-use bath) · 2 h · about ₹1,000 per person. Staying one night in a ryokan with dinner is the classic way to do Hakone. Many baths refuse visible tattoos — book a private (kashikiri) bath if needed.
• Hakone Shrine & lakeside torii · 1.5 h · free. Queues for the lakeside torii photo reach an hour by midday; arrive before 9am.
• Pola Museum of Art · 2 h · about ₹1,000 per person
• Old Tokaido road walk & Amazake teahouse · 2 h · free. Stone paving is slippery after rain; wear proper shoes.
• Gora Park gardens · 1 h · about ₹350 per person

Where to stay in Hakone

• Hakone-Yumoto (budget, ₹6,000–₹9,500 a night): Romancecar terminus; simple inns and guesthouses with public baths nearby.
• Hakone-Yumoto riverside ryokan (mid, ₹15,000–₹28,000 a night): Onsen ryokan with dinner and breakfast often included — check whether rates are per person or per room.
• Lake Ashi (Moto-Hakone) (mid, ₹12,000–₹22,000 a night): Quiet lakeside, near Hakone Shrine and the cruise pier.
• Gora / Miyanoshita ryokan (premium, ₹35,000–₹80,000 a night): Rooms with private open-air onsen and kaiseki dinners; good for honeymoons and tattooed guests.

What to eat

• Kuro-tamago (black eggs): Owakudani
• Yuba (tofu skin) rice bowls: Hakone-Yumoto

Getting there

• Odakyu Romancecar Shinjuku–Hakone-Yumoto ~1.5h
• Odawara Shinkansen station ~15 min from Hakone-Yumoto
• Bus via Gotemba to Kawaguchiko ~2–2.5h

Good to know

• The ropeway over Owakudani can close for volcanic-gas alerts or high wind — check on the day.

Japan itineraries with Hakone

• Tokyo with Nikko & Hakone · 5 nights · 6 days, Tokyo → Hakone · from ₹57,150 per person, base estimate before flights. A short trip based in Tokyo, with Nikko's shrines as a day trip and an onsen night in Hakone.
• Mt Fuji views · 6 nights · 7 days, Tokyo → Kawaguchiko (Mt Fuji) → Hakone · from ₹68,900 per person, base estimate before flights. Tokyo, then two nights at the Fuji lakes and an onsen night in Hakone — no Shinkansen needed.
• Japan honeymoon · 8 nights · 9 days, Tokyo → Hakone → Kyoto · from ₹91,600 per person, base estimate before flights. City nights in Tokyo, two slow nights in a Hakone ryokan with a private onsen, and Kyoto in kimono.
• Golden Route · 9 nights · 10 days, Tokyo → Hakone → Kyoto → Osaka · from ₹97,050 per person, base estimate before flights. Tokyo, an onsen night in Hakone, Kyoto with a Nara day trip, and Osaka for food — fly into Tokyo, out of Osaka.
• Golden Route & Hiroshima · 12 nights · 13 days, Tokyo → Hakone → Kyoto → Hiroshima → Osaka · from ₹1,41,250 per person, base estimate before flights. The classic route at an easier pace, with four nights in Kyoto, Miyajima and a Universal Studios day in Osaka.