Best ratedOur pick
Hakone first, then the Fuji lakes
- Rating
- 4.91
- Ropeway
- One way included
- Price
- from $50
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Guide · Tours compared
Hakone day trip from Tokyo: six tours side by side
Most guided days into Hakone look alike on the booking page. Here is what really separates them: the stops, the way home, the boat ticket and the hours on the road.
Check availabilityfrom $50 · free to cancel
Editorial team, hakone-tour.comUpdated October 22, 2026about 7 min to read3 sources
The short version
- 01Best rated
- Our pick scores 4.91 from 872 reviews and starts from $50.
- 02Most booked
- A 10-hour coach day with 7,539 reviews and a five-language guide.
- 03Train home
- Two tours end with a train from Odawara instead of the coach.
- 04Watch the boat
- On some days the Lake Ashi cruise ticket is extra; read the exclusions.
- 05Check the name
- One so-called Hakone day lists no stop in Hakone at all.
What a guided day into Hakone really is
A Hakone day trip from Tokyo on a coach is a long loop rather than a slow stay. Every tour on this page leaves the city in the morning, spends a large part of the day on the expressway, links a handful of famous stops in the mountains and around the Fuji lakes, and drops you back in Tokyo in the evening. The sights are the reason you go; the road is the price you pay for not organising any of it yourself.
Odakyu, the railway that runs most transport in Hakone, puts the area at about an hour and a half from central Tokyo.1 On a coach the outward leg alone is listed at 2 hours on our own tour, and the same again on the way back. That is the honest frame for every listing below: you trade time on the bus for a day with no tickets to buy, no timetables to read and no transfers to miss.
What sets the listings apart is less obvious. Some days stay mostly in Hakone, some split the day between Hakone and the lakes on the north side of Mount Fuji, one returns by bullet train, and one carries Hakone in its title without listing a single stop there. The comparison below goes through those differences one by one, using only what each listing states.
Our pick, hour by hour
The listed route of the Clover Travel day
-
Morning
Leave Tokyo
2 hours by coach from one of 2 meeting points.
-
First stop
Hakone Shrine
40 minutes, then 20 at the torii over the water.
-
Midday
Togendai and the ropeway
30 minutes at the pier, 30 on the ropeway.
-
Afternoon
Owakudani
40 minutes among the steam vents.
-
Later
Lake Yamanaka, Oshino Hakkai
20 and 40 minutes on the Fuji side.
-
Evening
Back to Tokyo
A 2-hour drive to the drop-off points.
The six listings, stop by stop
The tour this site sells is a one-day coach trip run by Clover Travel. Its listed route runs from Tokyo to Hakone Shrine and its torii in the lake, the Togendai pier on Lake Ashi, the Hakone Ropeway and Owakudani, then over to Lake Yamanaka and Oshino Hakkai before the 2-hour drive back. It is rated 4.91 from 872 reviews and starts from $50.
The most booked of the group, with 7,539 reviews and a 4.65 rating, follows a similar line over 10 hours: a peace torii, Hakone Shrine, the ropeway, Owakudani with 50 minutes listed, a swan beach and Oshino Hakkai. It starts from $54. A third day, rated 4.84 from 291 reviews, keeps Lake Ashi short at 15 minutes and adds Arakurayama Sengen Park and the Chureito Pagoda on the Fuji side.
Two tours trade the coach for a train at the end. One visits Mount Fuji, Owakudani, the ropeway and a 30-minute Lake Ashi cruise, then sends you from Odawara Station back to Tokyo Station on a 35-minute train. The other runs Oshino Hakkai, the ropeway, Owakudani, lunch and a cruise on Lake Ashi and Hakone Shrine before a 30-minute train to Tokyo Station.
How many people booked
Reviews on each Hakone day
reviews
Side by side
The guided days from Tokyo
| Tour | Rating | Hours | Way home | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our pick, Clover Travel | 4.91 | 1 day | Coach | $50 |
| Most booked | 4.65 | 10 | Coach | $54 |
| Lakes and pagoda | 4.84 | 10 | Coach | $50 |
| Bullet train home | 4.22 | 10 | Train from Odawara | $116 |
| Six spots, train | 4.26 | 10 | Train to Tokyo Station | $109 |
| Private Fuji day | 4.89 | 10 to 11 | Private vehicle | $110 |
Ratings, hours and starting prices as each listing shows them; these are from prices, not quotes, and the private day may be priced for the group.
Three ways to go
Coach, train finish or lakes and pagoda
Best rated
Firm evening
Early startLakes and pagoda
Short Hakone, long Fuji side
- Leaves
- 7:30 AM or 8:00 AM
- Rating
- 4.84
- Price
- from $50
Decision helper
Which Hakone day fits you?
Pick the line that sounds most like your plan
Our pick
Shrine, ropeway and Owakudani, from $50.
A train finish
Two listings end with a train to Tokyo Station.
The most booked day
Its live guide speaks five languages, Italian and French among them.
Lakes and pagoda
Lake Ashi gets 15 minutes, the Fuji side much more.
Go by train
No shared day here stays only in Hakone.
Hakone is a serene mountain retreat just an hour and a half from central Tokyo
Coach home or bullet train home
The way back shapes the evening more than any stop does. On a coach-only day the operators warn that traffic, weather or holidays can move return times; one listing says arrival can be after 8 PM and asks you not to plan anything after the tour. Our own tour asks guests not to book dinners, flights or shinkansen trains on the tour day during the peak holiday week of 8 to 16 August 2026.
A train finish removes the slowest stretch, the climb back into Tokyo traffic, but it comes with its own conditions. On the bullet-train day the seat is non-reserved, and customers on the shinkansen return end the tour at Odawara Station and ride back on their own. That suits a traveller who wants a firm time in the evening and is happy to find a seat in an unreserved car.
The price difference is real: the bullet-train listing starts from $116, more than twice the coach-only days. The other train finish starts from $109. If your evening is free and you can doze on a bus, a Hakone bus tour from Tokyo that stays on the coach saves money; if you have dinner booked in Tokyo, the train buys certainty.
Checklist
Before you book a Hakone day
01
On the listing
- Is the Lake Ashi boat fare included or extra?
- Coach both ways, or a train to finish?
- Which languages does the guide speak?
- Free cancellation window and day-of rules
02
On the day
- Comfortable shoes and a jacket
- Yen for lunch and the boat
- Nothing booked for the evening
Cost calculator
Price a Hakone day for your group
Enter your group size to compare four shared days.
People
Total from$100
per guest from $50
Check availabilityfree cancellationTotals take each listing's cheapest GetYourGuide price times the number of travellers, turned into your own currency with the European Central Bank's figure for today; the sum at checkout is the one that counts.
Video
From Tokyo to Hakone: 1-Day Japan Travel Itinerary
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The boat ticket, the ropeway and other small print
Several of these days print Lake Ashi in the title and then list the boat ticket under exclusions. On the tour this site sells, the cruise is part of the day but its fare is not included; a one-way Hakone Ropeway ticket is. On the most booked listing the cruise fare is also paid by the guest. Budget for it before you compare starting prices, or you are not comparing like with like.
The ropeway has its own caveat. One operator states that if the ropeway does not run, guests email for a refund of 1,000 yen per person. Another lists named alternatives when the ropeway or cruise is closed, from the Komagatake Ropeway to the Hakone Checkpoint, and gives no refunds for weather. Read that paragraph on any listing you consider; it tells you what a grey day will look like.
Then there is the name problem. One private tour carries Mt. Fuji and Hakone in its title, but its listed stops are Chureito Pagoda, Oshino Hakkai, the Kachi Kachi Ropeway, Lake Kawaguchi, Narusawa Ice Cave, Oishi Park and the Gotemba outlets, with no stop in Hakone itself. It may be a fine day around Fuji, but it is not a Hakone day.
Hours, languages and who each day suits
All the shared tours here run long: the four listed with hours give 10 hours, and our own tour is listed as a full day. Expect an early meeting and a tired ride home. The early-start option on the lake-and-pagoda tour leaves Tokyo Station at 7:30 AM or Shinjuku Station at 8:00 AM, with an English guide.
Language matters on a bus. The most booked day lists a live guide in French, Italian, Chinese, English and Korean. Our own tour lists Chinese and English, and notes that on a small group the driver may act as guide, with limited English commentary and none while driving. The bullet-train day adds an audio guide in many languages through a QR code, with your own headphones.
Fitness and age rules also differ. Our tour is not suitable for pregnant women, people with mobility impairments, wheelchair users or people over 70. The lake-and-pagoda day asks for a moderate level of fitness for the walking. If anyone in your group walks slowly, read these lines first, because a coach day keeps to its clock.
Why our pick is the Hakone-heavy coach day
We sell the Clover Travel day because it has the strongest rating in the group and the lowest starting price among the tours with real Hakone time. It gives Hakone Shrine 40 minutes and Owakudani 40 minutes, and includes a one-way ticket on the ropeway between them. Then it crosses to the Fuji side for Lake Yamanaka and Oshino Hakkai, so you see both landscapes in one day.
It is not perfect, and the listing says so. Mount Fuji views depend on the weather and are not guaranteed; seats are first come, first served; and from 29 December to 10 February the torii at Hakone Shrine is closed, with the extra time given to the shrine itself. Those are the kind of plain warnings worth having before you pay, not after.
The booking terms are simple: a cancellation made 24 hours or more in advance is refunded in full, and a reservation is not charged until later. Cancelling on the day itself, or not turning up for personal reasons, is non-refundable. If your dates are still moving, book early and keep an eye on the 24-hour line.
When a tour is the wrong answer
A guided Hakone tour from Tokyo is the right call if you have one free day, do not want to read train maps in Japanese, and are happy to see the classic stops at a brisk pace. It is the wrong call if your heart is set on a long soak in a hot spring, an unhurried morning in an art museum or a walk on the old stone road; no shared day on this page lists those.
Going alone is not hard. The limited express from Shinjuku reaches Hakone-Yumoto in about 80 minutes, and the Tozan mountain railway climbs from there towards Gora.23 Our guide to getting from Tokyo to Hakone sets out the trains, fares and passes, and the private-tour page covers days built around your own list.
A good compromise is to use the coach day for the famous loop and come back another time for the rest. Hakone rewards a second visit: the hot springs of Yumoto, the sculpture park near Gora and the cedar-lined Tokaido are all a short train ride from Tokyo, and each fills a calm day on its own.
Your Hakone day
Shrine, steam and the Fuji lakes in a day.
Pick a date, meet in Tokyo, and cancel free up to 24 hours before.
You ask,we answer.
Can you do Hakone in a day from Tokyo?
Yes, as a long day. Shared coach tours here run about 10 hours with the drive both ways.
Which tour has the best rating?
The one this site sells. It is rated 4.91 from 872 reviews and starts from $50, the lowest starting price in this comparison.
Is the Lake Ashi boat included?
Not always. On our tour and on the most booked one the cruise fare is paid by the guest.
Is there a tour that returns by train?
Yes, two of them. Both end with a train to Tokyo Station, after a stop at Odawara on one of them.
Will I see Mount Fuji?
Only if the weather allows. The listing states that Mount Fuji views depend on the weather and are not guaranteed, so treat a clear view as a bonus.
Where does our tour start?
At one of 2 points in Tokyo. The meeting point depends on the option booked; details come by email before 19:00 the day before.
Can I cancel our pick?
Free up to 24 hours before. You get a full refund up to 24 hours ahead; cancelling on the day itself is non-refundable.
Sources
The sources for this guide
- 1Odakyu Electric RailwayHakone travel guide↩
- 2Odakyu Electric RailwayLimited Express from Shinjuku to Hakone: ticket details↩
- 3Hakone Tourist AssociationThe Hakone Tozan Train↩
