Nagasaki Top Sites Tour
Description
Enjoy the charms and delights while taking in the history of Nagasaki city with your native English speaking and long term Nagasaki resident guide. This semi-private tour offers a memorable experience for small / medium sized groups, visting Mt. Inasa, the Atomic Bomb Museum, the Epicenter, Peace Park, Dejima, Chinatown, Oura Cathedral, and Glover Garden, subject to weather and time. Sites like Nishizaka, Suwa Shrine, or Spectacles Bridge may be visited should weather or closures see the original tour sites unavailable. Entrance to all sites, and public transportation costs are included. Food, beverages, or sudden return to tour start point transportation costs, are not included. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if a tour is showing as unavailable or the start times aren't convenient. We may be able to cater to your dates. This tour requires a minimum of 4 to take place. We will notify you early if this is unlikely to be met to discuss options.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Depending on conditions on the day, Mt Inasa may be changed for this alternative lookout point. With its view of the entry to Nagasaki harbor and the city below. The view from Nabekanmuriyama is sure to leave an impression.
Mount Inasa is renowned for its stunning panoramic views of Nagasaki, especially at night when the city lights twinkle below, earning it a spot as one of Japan’s top three night views. Accessible by a scenic ropeway, the summit offers breathtaking vistas of the harbor, the surrounding mountains, and the iconic landmarks of Nagasaki. Visitors can enjoy walking trails, observation decks, and a café at the peak, perfect for taking in the beauty of the landscape. Whether you visit during the day for hiking or at night for the sparkling cityscape, Mount Inasa promises an unforgettable experience and a perfect backdrop for photography.
Dejima in Nagasaki is a historic, fan-shaped island that served as Japan’s only window to the outside world during its isolation era. Originally a Dutch trading post in the 17th century, it’s now a fascinating open-air museum where visitors can walk through restored buildings, warehouses, and merchant houses. Each structure offers insight into the cultural and economic exchange between Japan and the West. Dejima’s unique architecture, period artifacts, and interactive exhibits make it a captivating journey into Nagasaki’s rich international heritage.
Nagasaki Chinatown, also known as Shinchi Chinatown, is Japan’s oldest Chinatown and a vibrant hub of Chinese culture. Founded over 300 years ago, it features colorful gates, lively streets, and unique architecture, reflecting Nagasaki’s history as a port city open to foreign trade. Visitors can enjoy delicious Chinese cuisine, from street food to traditional dishes, especially during the popular Lantern Festival. With its mix of shops, restaurants, and cultural landmarks, Nagasaki Chinatown offers a lively, immersive experience that highlights the city’s deep connections with Chinese culture and history.
The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum offers a powerful and sobering look into the events of August 9, 1945, when an atomic bomb devastated the city. Through artifacts, photographs, and personal accounts, the museum details the impact of the bombing and its aftermath, highlighting the resilience of the survivors and the city’s recovery. Visitors can learn about the historical context of the bombing, the devastation it caused, and Nagasaki’s ongoing dedication to promoting peace and nuclear disarmament. A visit to this museum is a profound experience and a reminder of the importance of peace.
Nagasaki Peace Park is a moving tribute to the victims of the atomic bombing on August 9, 1945, and a symbol of hope for global peace. The park features the towering Peace Statue, symbolizing a call for peace, along with sculptures from around the world. Nearby, the Fountain of Peace and the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum share stories of resilience and remembrance. Located near the bomb’s epicenter, Nagasaki Peace Park invites visitors to reflect on history and renew their commitment to a peaceful future.
Oura Church, Japan’s oldest existing Christian church, is a beautiful symbol of Nagasaki’s history and the resilience of faith. Built in 1864 by French missionaries, this Gothic-style church was dedicated to the 26 Martyrs of Japan. Known as the “Basilica of the Twenty-Six Holy Martyrs of Japan,” it holds UNESCO World Heritage status and serves as a reminder of Japan’s hidden Christian communities. Inside, visitors can admire stained glass windows and a serene atmosphere, offering a unique look into Japan’s religious heritage and its connection to the West. Please note that when time is limited, you will be given the option to visit either Oura Cathedral or Glover Garden. While visiting both is ideal, you can let us know your preference when we arrive in this area.
Glover Garden in Nagasaki is a scenic, historic park filled with Western-style buildings from the Meiji Era, including the Glover Residence—the oldest Western wooden house in Japan, built for Scottish merchant Thomas Glover. This hillside retreat offers beautiful gardens, breathtaking views of Nagasaki Harbor, and a glimpse into the cultural exchange between Japan and the West. Each building tells a story of Nagasaki’s role as a historic gateway to the world, making Glover Garden a must-visit for anyone interested in Japanese history and architecture. Please note that when time is limited, you will be given the option to visit either Oura Cathedral or Glover Garden. While visiting both is ideal, you can let us know your preference when we arrive in this area.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(39)
This tour through Nagasaki is fantastic! Pene was so engaged, provided relevant historical and cultural content in a way that was fun and entertaining. We explored several different points of interest and in particular the Atomic bomb museum -very moving.
Thank you so much for your kind review. It lets us know we are in the right track. I loved guiding you all around Nagasaki. I’m glad you enjoyed your tour with us and thank you again for letting us guide you around. Best regards. Pene
This was a fascinating and varied trip, and our guide, Penn was excellent. His local knowledge and understanding of Japanese history was so illuminating. The museum of the nuclear bomb and the site of the bomb's epicenter was very sobering, not to mention the site of the 26 Christian martyrs. What pain Nagasaki has experienced! Clover garden was a beautiful and peaceful place to conclude the trip.
Thank you so much for your kind review Rupert. Was lovely to have tou and Jane on the tour. Thank you for catching up with us as well at Chinatown. I hope the rest of the cruise is going well. Kind regards. Pene
Pene and Esther were wonderful hosts and guides. We enjoyed the itinerary and the ease of getting around the city. The communication from Pene prior to the excursion was excellent and was very easy to understand and follow. We were met as indicated outside the cruise port and returned to the port with plenty of time to get through the screening process to get back on the ship. I highly recommend their tour when visiting Nagasaki.
We had such a wonderful time with you all back in April, and really appreciate that you took the time to leave a really kind review. It was a real treat for Esther as well to be with you all. She told me she loved every minute of it Thank you so much for choosing to take our tour, and for leaving such a kind review. We appreciate it so much. Sending you our warmest regards from Nagasaki Pene & Esther
Pene and his wife were exceptional, knowledgeable and gracious. I highly recommend them to anyone wishing those qualities in a tour guide. I couldn't have been more pleased. BTW this is the first review I felt inspired enough to leave a review.
Thank you so much for choosing to give your first review to our tour! It's an honor! We had such a lovely time guiding you all around Nagasaki, while also having some pretty good conversations on all a wide range of topics. We thoroughly enjoyed your company. Thank you again for choosing to take our tour. We truly appreciate it. Warmest regards, Pene & Kyoko
Fabulous tour - very cohesive historical tour with Pene and his lovely wife Kyoko. He started from Nagasaki's fishing village days, the introduction of Christianity and western and Chinese trade by the Portuguese, the building of the island village for the Portuguese, the expelling of the Portuguese and Spaniards to curb the growth of Christianity and colonization, the welcoming of the Dutch, the isolationism from western world, the challenges from the US and the unequal treaties, the ties to Thomas Glover with the samurai, and the relationships leading to Pearl Harbor. The sites we visited were linked sequentially building the history all the way to the Peace Park. Pene was very gracious, informative, pleasant. He taught us etiquette in taxis and trams and gave us guidance on respecting the Japanese hosts. An excellent day - thanks Pene!
It was a pleasure to guide you all around Nagasaki the other day. Reading reviews like yours are such huge compliments and let us know we are on the right track. Thank you so much for taking our tour. I hope the rest of your trip goes well. All the best Pene and Kyoko
By far our favorite tour on our 12-day cruise! Pene was friendly, knowledgeable, personable, and a great educator. He was also very good at communicating with us via text and phone before and during the tour. It was an excellent intro to the history and key sites of Nagasaki. The tour was well-paced and thoroughly organized. Pene’s spouse, Kyoko, accompanied the tour group and also helped keep us on track. Take this tour… you will love it!
We loved having you all on our tour. And so glad that the sites and commentary did the trick for you both. With all the tour options out there, thank you for choosing to take ours. We really appreciate it. Thank you again for the kind review. All the best. Pene and Kyoko.
By far our favorite tour on our 12-day cruise! Pene was friendly, knowledgeable, personable, and a great educator. He was also very good at communicating with us via text and phone before and during the tour. It was an excellent intro to the history and key sites of Nagasaki. The tour was well-paced and thoroughly organized. Pene’s spouse, Kyoko, accompanied the tour group and also helped keep us on track. Take this tour… you will love it!
We loved having you all on our tour. And so glad that the sites and commentary did the trick for you both. With all the tour options out there, thank you for choosing to take ours. We really appreciate it. Thank you again for the kind review. All the best. Pene and Kyoko.
We were so lucky to have found this tour led by Pene and Kyoko! Pene was an excellent tour guide whose knowledge of Japanese history was quite inpressive. Pene and Kyoko were also very responsive to our group of 11. We saw all the highlights of Nagasaki and learned a great deal about the history of Japan! i would highly recommend Pene - he was very articulate and interesting!
Jann, It was such a pleasure to guide you lovely people around Nagasaki yesterday. Thank you so much for this kind review. I hope the rest of your time in Japan and on the cruise goes well and thank you once again. Kindest regards, Pene and Kyoko.
While I had been to Nagasaki on business over 20 years ago, my wife had never visited. So we were excited that our cruise ship was spending almost a whole day in port, giving us a chance to see some of the highlights of this important historical city. We typically enjoy private or small group tours much more than the big bus tours. The service is much more personalized, allowing for flexibility in itinerary and walking speed, and more time for questions. We found this to be true with this tour. There were 3-4 parties from our ship who signed up, totaling just 11 people. Native English-speaker (born and raised in New Zealand) Pene led the tour, assisted by his lovely wife Kyoko. Pene’s English was of course perfect, not something you can always count on when booking tours in Asia. But more importantly, he really made the history of Nagasaki and the various sites we visited come alive. He did this by giving the down-to-earth perspectives of different stakeholders over the centuries — be it the Portuguese, Dutch, British, Chinese, Russians, Americans, or Japanese. As retirees, we travel and tour extensively and I can tell you this makes a huge difference in one’s understanding and enjoyment. Pene is one of the best at doing this that we’ve encountered. From a logistics perspective, the tour was very well organized. Pene’s pre-tour communication was excellent with information not only on meeting time and exact location as expected, but also on options for lunch and for returning to ship early if too tired. My wife walks more slowly than many and depending on the terrain, sometimes uses a walking stick. So Pene helped us understand what to expect beforehand and we decided not to bother with the walking aid. Throughout the tour, Kyoko made sure that we were not separated from the group or lost by walking behind us. Pre-lunch travel was via reserved taxis to take us to the viewpoint (we visited a great alternative to Mt. Inasa due to repairs/construction there), temple (where we learned the rituals of purifying our hands and of contributing coins provided by Pene for good luck), Dejima, Atomic Bomb Museum (a most sobering educational experience) and Peace Park. The group then opted to take the included public tram to lunch, followed by a short walk through Chinatown to the Church and Glover Garden. We saw a lot of Nagasaki in just one day. Pene gave each of us the option of breaking off from the group and returning to the ship early if too tired, but we all chose to stay till the end as we were learning so much. By then, we felt like Pene and Kyoko were knowledgeable family friends showing us the city where they have lived and raised a family for the past 20+ years.
Wow! Kind reviews like yours let us know you’ve not only enjoyed the tour but that we are on the right track. We really appreciate your kind words and are glad that you and your wife stayed with us right to the end. We had such a good time together. Visiting Mt Kanmuriyama as an alternative was actually a really good choice in terms of time and location. The view actually works better for taking in many of the places that aren’t visible from Mt Inasa so we are glad that worked out well. I hope that you enjoy the rest of your cruise and thank you so much for choosing to take a tour with us. All the best Pene and Kyoko.
Our tour guide Pene was great. The whole trip was well planned and informative. We visited countless amazing places in Nagasaki. The tour was worth every penny. I highly recommend Pene’s Tours and i give it 5 stars. - Couple from Finland
It was a pleasure to guide you two lovely people from Finland around Nagasaki. I appreciate your kind review and that you chose to take my tour when you have so many options out there. I hope the rest of your cruise went well. Kindest regards from Nagasaki. Pene
