Kanazawa Castle is worth a visit for the gardens alone and belongs on every must-visit bucket list.
Kanazawa Castle impresses with its huge, extensive grounds with beautiful gardens that make you feel like you're standing in the middle of a postcard. Unfortunately, all that remains of the castle itself are the walls and towers, but these have been authentically restored and don't detract from the feeling of being in medieval Japan. In general, the castle is in excellent condition and you can tell how much effort and love has been put into its upkeep. The bridge to the west gate, for example, has been completely rebuilt and now also has a wheelchair-accessible entrance.
The Kanazawa Castle Park is beautiful both in the day and during the night illumination events so I would even recommend going twice! It's a nice stroll, super open and wide, and it is free to enter the grounds. Would also recommend paying the admission fee to get into the main castle to learn about the history and architecture.
Kanazawa castle park is a gorgeous, free, castle and park grounds to explore beside the Kenroku-en gardens in Kanazawa Japan. My wife and I strolled through the gardens first, she checked out the shopping later, while I ran around this beautiful castle and took pictures. I’m glad that I did, as it is an idyllic Japanese castle that I had always dreamed of seeing in person.
You pass through the double gated walls to enter. There is a massive courtyard with a flower display and lush trees where the castle looms above. There are several more gates that you can enter deeper into the Kanazawa castle to explore. You can cross the moat on the curving bridge and entered the interior walls.
All in all, it’s a wonderfully maintained castle on the outside, that is absolutely stunning. There were ravens standing guard on the intricate roof of the tallest parts of the castle. It looks like a movie set, it is so pristine and perfect. Unfortunately, as I was on a bus tour, I didn’t have time to see if you could go into the interior, but it is absolutely worth checking out Kanazawa castle!
This is a beautiful walking area around the Castle of Kanazawa and it is surprisingly free!
You can pay to visit some buildings of the Castle for a reasonable fee but we did not do that. We just enjoyed the open space with the castle view.
Definitely recommended even if you just pass by perhaps coming from the Kenrokuen Garden which is adjacent to the castle.
The park, a historical castle ground, boasts well-preserved historical buildings like the Ishikawa Gate.
Our visit was on a cloudy day, we found the park relatively uncrowded between 10-11am allowing for ample opportunities to sit and admire the picturesque scenery and take some great photos.
