Kobe is located in the Kansai region between Osaka and Himeji, and the dense rail network makes transportation very easy.

Most visitors arrive in Kobe by train from Osaka, Kyoto or Hiroshima. The city has its own small international airport, Kobe, but the much larger Osaka-Kansai airport is also easily accessible.

Read also:

• 👉 How trains work in Japan
• 👉 Transport in Kobe: how to get around the city

The nearest airports to Kobe

Kobe has three easily accessible airports nearby:

Kansai International Airport KIX

The area's main international airport.

• About 1.5 hours to Kobe.
• The largest selection of international flights
• most frequent entry point to the region
• Kansai Airport is the most popular airport in the region 👉 Transportation from KIX Airport

Kobe UKB

Closest to the centre but has a limited number of routes.

• Travel time to downtown: about 20 minutes
• Suitable mainly for domestic flights or international flights to Korea or Taiwan
• 👉 Transport from UKB airport

Osaka Itami ITM

Smaller airport for domestic flights - very frequent connections to Tokyo (several times per hour), Sapporo or Fukuoka.

• Travel time to Kobe: about 1 hour
• Very convenient when flying from Tokyo or Sapporo
• 👉 Transportation from ITM airport

Get a Japanese eSIM 📱

How to get to Kobe from Osaka

The fastest and easiest way is by train - you can use 4 different rail carriers.

Carrier	Osaka	Kobe	Time	Price	When to choose
JR	Umeda	Sannomiya Kobe Amount	25 minutes	420 jpy	Fastest JR Pass
Hanshin	Namba	Sannomiya Kobe Sanyo-Suma	40 minutes	420 jpy	Best of Namba/Dotonbori
Hankyu	Umeda	Sannomiya	35 minutes	330 jpy	Cheapest
Shinkansen	Shin-Osaka	Shin-Kobe	12 minutes	3 070 jpy	not convenient

JR - fastest

JR-Japan Railways trains are the easiest and most common choice.

• Departure: Osaka Station (Umeda location 👉 Umeda Sky Builidng)
• Sannomiya, Kobe or Suma
• Travel time: 25 minutes
• Price: 420 jpy
• JR Pass applies

Benefits:

• Fastest connection
• easy orientation
• ideal if you use JR Pass

Disadvantages:

• fewer stops in downtown Osaka than some private railways
• Cannot use Kansai Railway Pass
• 🚇 Metro and city trains in Osaka - tips and my experience

Hanshin Railway - direct connection from Namba

Best option if you are in the Namba, Dotonbori or Nipponbashi area.

• Osaka-Namba or Umeda
• Sannomiya, Kobe or Sanyo-Suma
• Driving time: about 45 minutes
• Price: 420 jpy

Benefits:

• Good connections from downtown Osaka (Namba, Dotonbori)
• Kansai Railway Pass can be used

Disadvantages:

• Slightly slower than JR
• can't use JR Pass

Hankyu Railway - cheapest

Very popular alternative to JR, lower fares and similar journey times.

• Osaka-Umeda (Hankyu)
• Sannomiya, Motomachi
• Travel time: about 30 minutes
• Price: 330 jpy

Advantages:

• Cheaper than JR
• good connection from Umeda area
• Kansai Railway Pass can be used

Disadvantages:

• Cannot use JR Pass
• slightly slower than JR trains

Shinkansen - an experience that is not worthwhile

You can also use the high-speed shinkansen trains between Osaka and Kobe, but due to the very short distance and high price, I don't think it's worth it at all.

Use the shinkansen instead on longer routes in Japan.

• Departure: Shin-Osaka
• Arrival: Shin-Kobe
• journey time: about 12 minutes, but both stations are further from the centre than conventional trains
• Price: 3 070 jpy

Which train to choose?

Simple rule:

• Have a JR Pass → take the JR
• you are in Umeda → Hankyu or JR
• you are in Namba → Hanshin
• you want to save money → Hanyu

In reality, the difference between the options is small and often only the location of the hotel makes the difference.

• 🏨 O ur tips on where to stay in Osaka

I used Google Maps to plan my routes, but you need to have active mobile data.

📱 Get a Japanese eSIM 📱

How to get to Kobe from Kyoto

You have 3 main transport options from Kyoto.

JR trains - the most comfortable

The easiest is the JR Special Rapid train, which runs directly from Kyoto Station to Sannomiya without a change.

• Travel time: about 50 minutes
• Price: 1 100 jpy
• no reservation needed.
• JR Pass: can be used

Trains run several times an hour and it is one of the easiest routes in all of Japan.

Hankyu trains - the cheapest

Hankyu's private railways represent the cheapest transport option. Although you always have to change trains at Osaka-Umeda or Juso station, unlike JR trains, Kyoto's Hankyu trains run directly to the city centre (Shijo or Kawaramachi stations).

So if you live in central Kyoto, even if you take the JR trains you have to change trains - first you have to take the subway to Kyoto Central Station, which is not directly in the historic center.

• Travel time: about 90 minutes
• Price: 640 jpy
• no reservation needed.
• JR Pass: cannot be used

Shinkansen

An alternative is the Shinkansen to Shin-Kobe station, which is slightly faster but considerably more expensive and in practice usually not worthwhile for such a short distance.

• Travel time: about 27 minutes
• Price: 3 630 jpy
• reservation: needed
• JR Pass: can be used

When to choose which option:

• Best price/speed ratio → JR Special Rapid
• Cheapest or if you are heading from the Shijo area in central Kyoto → Hankyu
• you want to take a high-speed train and only need a short distance → shinkansen

How to get to Kobe from Tokyo

The most common way to get to Kobe from Tokyo is by shinkansen.

• Travel time: approximately 2 h 45 min
• Price: 15 000 jpy
• Tokyo Station or Shinagawa
• Arrival: Shin-Kobe

Shinkansen is the fastest and most comfortable option. Airplane usually doesn't make sense because the time saved by flying is lost on the way to and from the airport.

Upon arrival at Shin-Kobe:

• Subway to Sannomiya takes about 5 minutes
• 🚇 Kobe subway and transport in detail

Does the JR Pass make sense?

On the Tokyo → Kobe route, the JR Pass is often worthwhile if you use at least two other longer transfers (e.g. Hiroshima or Nagoya) during your trip.

How to get to Kobe from Hiroshima

The fastest way is by shinkansen at Shin-Kobe station.

• Travel time: about 1 hour
• Price: approximately 11 000 jpy
• Reservations: recommended but not always necessary

Upon arrival at Shin-Kobe it is:

• 5 minutes by subway to Sannomiya

Read also:

• 🚅 How the shinkansen works and how to book a seat

Which station is the most practical in Kobe?

There are several train stations in Kobe.

Sannomiya

• The main transport hub
• restaurants and hotels
• the best base for exploring the city
• Tip for a hotel near the station: remm plus Kobe Sannomiya ****

Motomachi

• close to Harboland and Kobe Port Tower (about 15 minutes walk)
• not all trains stop here

Kobe

• close to Harboland harbour and Umie/Mosaic shopping malls
• next to Minatogawa Temple

Shin-Kobe

• for arrival by shinkansen
• close to the Nunobiki Mountains and Falls or the Nunobiki Herb Garden
• to get to the city centre you can use the metro
• Tip for a hotel near the station: ANA Crowne Plaza *****

How to buy train tickets to Kobe

No reservations are needed for most trains between Osaka, Kyoto, Himeji and Kobe and tickets are normally bought at the station.

Easiest procedure:

1. Select the destination station from the ticket machine.
2. pay (cash only)
3. go through the turnstile

The machines have English menus and are very clear.

IC cards - the simplest solution

The most convenient way is to use an IC card (e.g. ICOCA), which you just need to insert at the turnstile and the fare will be deducted automatically.

Advantages:

• you don't have to deal with the price of the ticket
• works on trains, metro and buses
• saves time

Read also:

• 👉 How IC cards work in Japan and where to buy them

When to book ahead

Reservations make the most sense:

• for shinkansen on longer routes (for example, when travelling to Kobe directly from Tokyo, Hiroshima or Fukuoka)
• if you want a specific seat

Reservations are hardly used on regional trains between Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe.