Nagasaki - How Long to Stay

Currently both me and my partner are planning our honeymoon. We have been to Japan several times however have only been on Honshu and have not visted any of the other islands.

We are considering to going to Nagasaki, as neither of us have been there, however, due to travelling time (by shinakansen) we are thinking it would be best to stay there. Are there plenty of things to do there both in Nagasaki and the surrounding areas? How many nights would people suggest to stay there?

I appreciate any advice that people can offer!

Very fast travelers can visit the city in a day trip from Fukuoka. For travelers who like a fast to medium pace, I recommend two days and one overnight stay. And for people who prefer a slow pace, I recommend 2+ nights. Of course, it also depends on how many of the city's sights you are interested in personally. But the city generally has quite a few sights of interest, including nearby Gunkanjima:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2162.html

Personally I'd recommend staying in Fukuoka - there's a lot more to see and do there, and it's easy to get around to other places in Kyushu.

It depends how much you want to see.
I'm a huge fan of Nagasaki Prefecture.
Nagasaki City is awesome! While you could probably see a few sights in one day, I recommend 2-3 days.

There's also Gunkanjima (Battleship Island).
I can also recommend Hirado and Shimabara.

I agree with Uji - it depends a lot on what you'd like to see. If Japanese history is one of your interests then it may be worth considering a stay of at least two nights.

I spent two full days in Nagasaki last spring (arrived late on 6th April from Tsuwano, spent all of the 7th and 8th in Nagasaki, departed early on the 9th for Fukuoka). I have a deep interest in Japanese history, and Nagasaki had so much to offer in that respect - not just about the atomic bombing but also the tumultuous years at the beginning and end of the Edo period - that those 2 days weren't nearly enough for me to cover everything I wanted to visit. I remember having to trim my itinerary on the ground just to fit in the basics, though that also left me with a useful excuse to return in the not-too-distant future. (^_^)

Here's my account of last year's visit:

http://withinstrikingdistance.wordpress.com/tag/nagasaki/

If you're happy to offer more information on what interests you and what sorts of things you'd like to see/do, I'm sure the community will be glad to provide more detailed suggestions.

Cheerio.

Thank you everyone your comments are really useful and the photos are lovely! I think we will try and stay for 2 nights if we can.

Is this area known for its Ryokan? We have never been to one before.

For Nagasaki City itself I'd say spend 2 days and 1 night there - you can't really see all the best in just one day. Besides, Mt. Inasa at night if the weather is good is a must-see and Gunkanjima is well worth it too - but touring the island will take up 3 hours by itself.
If you stay in Fukuoka it'd be 4 hours on a train round trip. If you're going to do that, you might as well just stay there and see all the sites, like those listed on
http://www.tinyurl.com/see-fukuoka
But if you wanted more for Nagasaki, the Unzen area is nice and if you want to see some historical places, you can try Hirado which is really off the beaten track.
Of course in the end your itinerary depends on your interests. Try looking through:
http://www.ngs-kenkanren.com/eng/
http://www.at-nagasaki.jp/yakei/en/index.php
http://www.at-nagasaki.jp/foreign/english/

If you want to try ryokan and hot springs, you can consider Obama-onsen. It's a 70min bus ride from Nagasaki City. If you have time, I would recommend Ureshino-onsen too, which is actually in Saga Prefecture but is a 50 min bus ride from Nagasaki Airport. Ureshino is a small town famous for its hot springs (there are many ryokans), green tea and tofu. In the nearby areas like Hasami and Arita, there are many pottery shops which could interest you although you would need more time, like 4 days in total.

From my experience after visiting Nagasaki you only need 2 to 3 days, 3days if you want to really relax and enjoy the city. As you already know a lot of spots in Japan start closing by 5pm. I donft know if youfre a on the to traveler or relax time traveler. Let me see now, you can spend 1 day is the Nagasaki peace park and atomic bomb museum and 1 china town area of Nagasaki visiting shrines and temples and hitting the shopping center. Nagasaki is lively at night, if you do the rope line that cool at night, they do couple night if I recall.

Your most likely going to get a map when you arrive in Nagasaki what to see and visit, here is of link that has some stuff that not on the map but I was able to find myself when visiting Nagasaki.

http://www.city.nagasaki.lg.jp/peace/english/map/virtual/nyokodo.html

The site really cool, if you visit gNyokodoh itfs a walk but it a cool spot to visit. You gotta visit The Battle Ship Island when youfre in Nagasaki

Hope you have fun..