3 days stay in Matsumoto

Hi,

I will be staying at Matsumoto for 3 days.
Would you recommend an itinerary for these 3 days I will be spending in the area? I have a rough draft of the itinerary but I'm not so sure.

Appreciate your help :)

Matsumoto itself hasn't got a lot to look at although the castle is really impressive with a lot of weaponry in it.

I'd try for 2 day trips, one to Kamikouchi (that is nice overnight, actually) and maybe one to Tsumago/Magome. Apparently the wasabi farm is interesting as well but I haven't tried that.

As Lazy Pious mentioned, 3 days in Matsumoto will be a little too much if you do not venture out. I was there for 2 days but pretty much explore most the city area and the tourist spots within a day.

Kamikochi would definitely be a good choice, though I went to Nagano on my 2nd day.

Thanks. I am aware that Matsumoto isn't much of a touristy place to hang out in for a long period of time. I will be staying there as a base to venture to other areas. Thinking of visiting Kanazawa or Takayama via Nohi bus. What do you think?

I'll be visiting in 2 weeks time, around 9 April, so I guess kamikochi is out of the picture as it's still closed.

Takayama and Kanazawa are brilliant though I would have guessed a bit far for a day trip. Maybe not, I don't really like to travel more than 2 hours or so at a stretch. There are some onsen towns near Kamikouchi that might not be closed, otherwise you could get to Bessho onsen in 1 1/2 hours by train with good connections.

I don't know what Bessho Onsen is like yet (going there on 18/4 for a few nights) but it looks good.

Takayama from Matsumoto by bus is 2.5 hours, train will be a lot longer to reach. I guess it is doable but that will be 5hours on bus for round trip...

My plan in Matsumoto back then was to either Kamikochi or Kiso Valley. There was too much tourists to Kamikochi when I was there, and there was landslide on railtrack at Kiso valley area... You could probably look into Kiso valley area or Nagano.

Do you have a JR Pass by any chance?
Matsumoto to Nagano and then Kanazawa by Shinkansen would be more efficient.
BUT
Why not stay in Kanazawa (it deserves more than a day trip) and go to Shirakawago by bus, and on to Takayama.
We have been to Matsumoto twice, both a day trips from Tokyo Shinjuku station one way, and return via Nagano. The scenery was amazing.
Ther is also a Ukiyo-e Museum in Matsumoto: the castle really only takes a few hours, and the white building warehouse area not long either.
Enjoy!

Thanks for the advice.

Just for further information, I will be visiting Japan coming 29 March to 14 April.
I have a JR pass for 2 weeks. Before visiting Matsumoto on 9th April, I will be going to Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya (in order). I will be leaving Matsumoto on 11 April, headed to Tokyo.

If I take your advice, how many days between 9 April to 11 April should I stay in Kanazawa? What route would you recommend if I have to head to Tokyo on the 11th?


Thanks.

The Japan Ukiyoe Museum is located about three kilometers outside of Matsumoto's city center band highly recommended. We caught a train to the nearest station and walked. We spent about 3 hours looking at the pictures and bought some to take home. The Castle is really good too

Just bumping this with my latest query:

I will be visiting Japan coming 29 March to 14 April.I have a JR pass for 2 weeks. Before visiting Matsumoto on 9th April, I will be going to Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya (in order). I will be leaving Matsumoto on 11 April, headed to Tokyo.

After spending 1 day in Matsumoto(which I believe would suffice to cover most of the places within the city), how else can I spend the other days? Is it wise to visit the faraway Takayama/Kanazawa? Should I split the 3 days by spending 1 night in Takayama/Kanazawa before going to Matsumoto?

Appreciate your help. Thanks.

Kanazawa is a lovely town to be at, a day or two or more is always recommended. Though, if your trip order is Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya. Not sure what will be the order for Kanazawa, Takayama and Matsumoto.

Eg. If you go Takayama, you can get to Matsumoto by either bus (faster i believe) or by train through Toyama then Nagano then Matsumoto (the new shinkansen line).Takayama probably worth a day at most if Shirakawa-go not in the itinerary.

For Matsumoto, I believe a full day will be enough for the tourist spots. Just make sure you check the castle at night too, the outside view etc.

Regardless, Matsumoto should be your last trip before reaching Tokyo, due to its location, meaning if you plan to go to Kanazawa or Takayama, it should be before Matsumoto. Do check if you have any interest with Karuizawa too, it is pretty near Nagano and Matsumoto.